Opening an offshore accout to avoid charges withdrawing from thai atms

[Firefan]

Pib; you are almost right. I have the Schwab One International account. They DO charge the 1% conversion fee (from Visa). The DO refund the 150 Baht transaction fees (automatically) though.

Schwab BANK (only for US citizens or residents with valid US address) does NOT charge the 1% conversion fee. (and refunds transaction fees).

Confusing eh?

Cheers!

[sas_cars]

Pib; you are almost right. I have the Schwab One International account. They DO charge the 1% conversion fee (from Visa). The DO refund the 150 Baht transaction fees (automatically) though.

Schwab BANK (only for US citizens or residents with valid US address) does NOT charge the 1% conversion fee. (and refunds transaction fees).

Confusing eh?

Cheers!

That's incorrect. I also have Schwab One International. They DO NOT charge the 1 % conversion fee. The conversion rate is always consistent with VISA daily rates @ 0 % . You have to choose that your card is USD and your transaction was in THB.

[JimMagee]

I have been using Schwab Bank to withdraw funds from a Thai ATM for several years. No problem, every month I'm reimbursed the ATM fees, Schwab never charges me foreign transaction fees for using it as a debit card, and they always give me a good exchange rate on the transactions (ATM and Debit). Plus their call center is open 24/7 so I can call them anytime. They have on-line bill pay so I can issue a check to anyone I need to in the USA.

They provide a great service, I highly recommend them.

[Roger Lee]

My solution may or not fit what you want to do but it works for me, and I avoid the double whammy of fees when taking cash out of the ATM.

While in Thailand open a Paypal account that is from Thailand, it must be opened while you're in country or they won't let you do it. They didn't for me anyway.

Open a local savings account that offers a VISA ATM debit card. I chose Kasikorn and it works great for me, you may have to try a couple of branches as every branch seems to have their own rules.

When transferring funds I gift myself from one Paypal account to the other then transfer those funds to my savings account. The cost for $1000 and up is like $5 and I'm sure they're getting some profit when they convert the currencies. The first time I did this Paypal asked me to call and verify the transaction, no verifications have been needed since.

This process can take a week or two until the funds finally get to my savings but if you have the time the savings from not having ATM fees can be substantial.

I do have a 15 baht fee for foreign ATM's with my Kasikorn card when I use a different ATM from a different branch, but 15bt is nothing compared to what I was getting hosed for. Also some ATM's will allow a 30,000 baht withdrawal, and most will allow 20,000 baht with the Kasikorn VISA ATM card, which is nice.

Hope this helps,

Roger

[Firefan]

SAS; are you a US citizen/have US address? That could make it a different thing. Also note that the Schwab-Global is a 3rd account (for US citizens only) that some people confuse with Schwab International.

Jim; We agree! Schwab BANK does NOT charge the 1% conversion fee. Schwab International One debit card DO charge the 1% (build into exchange rate).

Both of the refund the transaction fees (automatically).

Cheers!

[ripper15]

I had just recommended to a friend the Schawb account (not the international one) in the US. He plans to move to Thailand on a Non-immigrant O visa. When he tried to open the account they told him he had to live in the US six months of the year to have a domestic account. From the above posts, people say they are using it for a long time but not clear if they are living in Thailand full time or just visiting now and then. Can anyone clear up this question for me and my friends?

[Firefan]

And to prove my point that Schwab BANK do NOT charge the 1% conversion fee, but the SCHWAB International One broker account DO charge:

http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange

Case closed!

Cheers!

Ps. Some lucky American have their Schwab broker account linked with their Schwab BANK account - so be smart and use the BANK debit card, not the broker one (if you have both).

[Pib]

Pib; you are almost right. I have the Schwab One International account. They DO charge the 1% conversion fee (from Visa). The DO refund the 150 Baht transaction fees (automatically) though.

Schwab BANK (only for US citizens or residents with valid US address) does NOT charge the 1% conversion fee. (and refunds transaction fees).

Confusing eh?

Cheers!

That's incorrect. I also have Schwab One International. They DO NOT charge the 1 % conversion fee. The conversion rate is always consistent with VISA daily rates @ 0 % . You have to choose that your card is USD and your transaction was in THB.

Sas-cars, Thanks for the clarification...that's what I thought and the Schwab One International web site sure implies the Schwab One International debit card is a no fee card. Now when looking at their brokerage pricing guide they do talk a 1% FX charge for some currency transactions...but that is dealing with brokerage transactions not Visa debit card fees. It would sound strange for the card to charge a person a 1% foreign transaction fee but refund any ATM fee....seems when cards start charging the 1% (or more) foreign transaction fee then they also stop reimbursing any foreign ATM fees like the Bt150 fee.

[Firefan]

Ripper; simple; if he is more than 6 months in Thailand he needs to get the Schwab International One account. But Schwab Bank have as per above the BEST terms as no 1% currency conversion fee (build into the rate) - so if just for currency purposes seems smartest to open that.

If want US bank or broker account he NEEDS to have a US address - maybe he could make that at family address or similar? After that they will not really care (unless he TELLS them, as he did...).

Cheers!

[Firefan]

Pib: we cross posted, but as you can see they DO charge 1% foreign currency conversion fee if you use the broker issued card (schwab One International debit card - and also even a normal USA Schwab broker account). I also asked them and they confirmed. Sneaky indeed, but with the 150 baht ATM transaction fee refunded and only 1% in conversion fee, they are still the best I could find.Some others charge up to 3.5%(!) with NO refund of ATM charge, AND even a cash withdrawal fee from original bank! Auch!

Cheers!

[ripper15]

Firefan

Yes he should not have mentioned that he was planning to move permanently and yes he is able to maintain a US address but our concern is that if he uses his Debit card on the bank account every month, won't they figure out that he is not in compliance with the six month rule.

[cracker1]

I suggest you do as Gsxrnz suggests. The only thing he missed is you need to get a six month Visa before you can open the account, but that should be simple and inexpensive. You only have to do it once and most banks have internet banking so you can manage your account from home and top it up before you arrive here. I have found one bank that will allow you to open an account with a three month Visa.

[Monkeyrobot]

If you come one a year just bring cash & a credit card. Or just open a Thai bank account & leave 500 baht in it, that is the cheapest way.

[Suradit69]

You travel here once a year right? You're unclear what currency the offshore bank account is held in - I assume Thai baht? All sounds like too much trouble for your annual hols. And believe me, when banks move currencies, there is always a margin made, so I think your friend is probably exaggerating somewhat on the supposed benefits.

Your best bet is open a Thai bank account. Total cost say 500B for the ATM card and a 150 one off admin fee.

TT money to your Thai account at a time and exchange rate that is suitable to you - your domestic bank will have a charge of say $20. Or if you have online banking, you may have a lower fee.

Or, bring cash with you and deposit it to your Thai account.

There is no minimum amount you need to keep in your Thai account, so no need for dead money.

If you only use your bank's ATM's, zero cost. No annual account fees.

Your total annual cost for holidaying in Thailand (after you open your account) can be zero, or $20..........up to you.

"TT money to your Thai account at a time and exchange rate that is suitable to you - your domestic bank will have a charge of say $20. Or if you have online banking, you may have a lower fee."

My US broker charges nothing to transfer to the Bangkok Bank branch in New York (for a deposit to my Thai account). Bangkok Bank charges something like Baht 200. I opened the account with Bangkok Bank when I was a regular visitor and here only on a tourist visa or visa exempt entry and continue to use the account now. Also was convenient when I wanted to send money to purchase my condo.

Before or during your stay here you can transfer money into the account and there's no problem keeping a balance that suits your needs.

[Pib]

I think you are getting confused with the 1% Visa foriegn exchange fee that is indeed passed to Schwab just like Visa passes to any card issuing bank/company but Schwab absorbs that fee and does not pass it along to you. Therefore you are not charged any fee. As sars_cars stated he is not charged any fee on his Schwab One International Visa debit card nor am l charged any fee on my US Schwab Visa debit card. I used it just a few days ago and many more times over the last few years here in Thailand---no fees...always the full/0% fee Visa rate.

Sent from my Samsung S4 (GT-I9500)

[snake24]

wow so it follows visa without any charges.

Yeap, or said another way, "They don't charge additional fees and absorb the 1% Visa fee." Remember, it's not Visa or MasterCard giving a person the shaft on exchange rates as their exchange rates are usually plus or minus a few stang of the Thai bank TT Buying Rate which is about the best exchange rate the common man can get when transferring funds to Thailand. The one giving your the shaft is your own home country bank/card company.

For example on exchange rates...from looking at the Visa, MC, and another website to determine rates at this point in time on 29Aug/Thursday morning/9:45am, the following rates apply

Average Thai bank TT Buying Rate: 32.07 Baht/USD

Visa Rate: 31.95

MasterCard Rate: 31.97

Note: since card exchange rates which are set "once" for an entire day vs Thai bank TT Buying Rates which respond much faster & change several times per day based on the FX market, card rates usually lag a day or two behind FX markets since the card companies only set "one rate for a 24 hr period" and apparently want to get a better average of what their 24 hr rate should be....probably not smart to base your 24 hr rate on say a FX rate occurring at a certain time during day if that certain FX rate was just a brief spike in the FX market...and of course vice-versa for a brief dip in FX rates. I have observed that when the FX market rates are fairly stable (not this highly variable baht to USD rate we've been seeing over the last few weeks) that the Visa rate is very, very close to the TT Buying Rate...within a few stang...or actually beats the TT Buying Rate. And when you consider with a no foreign transaction fee debit card and using an AEON ATM to get your money "immeidiately" in hand with absolutely no wire transfer fees such a deal is hard to beat. Will be interesting to see what the new Visa rate coming out in another hour is...since yesterday's and today's TT Buying Rates have been very close to each other and considering the day or two lag in card rates that today's Visa exchange rate for the next 24 hours will be something over 32 baht/USD and real close to the average TT Buying Rate of 32.07. We'll see in about another hour come 11am Thailand time, which is midnight U.S. East Coast Time when the rates update for the next 24 hours. I think the above MC rate carries through until around 11pm tonight Thailand time.

Do you trade FX by any means?

I seen the spreads on the USDTHB pair and it's around like a 10-17 pip spread difference so selling it isn't a good idea and not to mention strong bullish retracements pushing up the USDTHB everyday.

[yoshiwara]

To pib thanks for this information in any case it wouldn't make any sense for me to even open a thai bank account. Totally not worth it and the charges on top of that.

My bank account is a singapore one posb owned by dbs bank and i have a feeling they don't have such a debit card should try to call them to ask. When you told me that it is the bank that screws you my heart sank cos my bank account is a singaporean one and if you know anything about singapore everything in there is designed to screw the citizens trying to squeeze out every single cent from them. Let's see the current exchange rate offered by money changers 1sgd = 24.5 upwards but i am sure the exchange rate i will be getting from the bank will be below 24 around 23.8 region.

No shortage of evil, fee hungry banks in the world...but those banks just call it business/profits.

You want something for nothing?

[in off the beans]

the reason this bloke ignored you was that he was probably making the whole thing up and wasn't expecting you to actually want to know the banks name..

[sas_cars]

I think you are getting confused with the 1% Visa foriegn exchange fee that is indeed passed to Schwab just like Visa passes to any card issuing bank/company but Schwab absorbs that fee and does not pass it along to you. Therefore you are not charged any fee. As sars_cars stated he is not charged any fee on his Schwab One International Visa debit card nor am l charged any fee on my US Schwab Visa debit card. I used it just a few days ago and many more times over the last few years here in Thailand---no fees...always the full/0% fee Visa rate.

Sent from my Samsung S4 (GT-I9500)

Yes. That's it. I recently used my Schwab card to withdraw funds and VISA purchase in the UK and UAE and the exchange rate is consistent with Visa Daily rates at 0 % . However, before my departure, I didn't call and tell Schwab about my trip, so after few transactions in aforementioned countries, my card was blocked and I had to call and verify with Schwab to have it unblocked. They have an excellent security feature, a bit of nuisance though. But I learnt my lesson, next time I am gonna call them before I embark on a foreign trip.

[Firefan]

I think you are getting confused with the 1% Visa foriegn exchange fee that is indeed passed to Schwab just like Visa passes to any card issuing bank/company but Schwab absorbs that fee and does not pass it along to you. Therefore you are not charged any fee. As sars_cars stated he is not charged any fee on his Schwab One International Visa debit card nor am l charged any fee on my US Schwab Visa debit card. I used it just a few days ago and many more times over the last few years here in Thailand---no fees...always the full/0% fee Visa rate.

Sent from my Samsung S4 (GT-I9500)

Hi Pib,

Did you check the link I gave: http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange

It is CLEARLY stipulated there. Schroll down to Schwab. the Schwab BANK debit card do not charge the 1% currency exchange fee. The Schwab BROKER DOES charge.

I also asked my Schwab BROKER directly - and after meddling around the subject, they confirmed to me too. Finally I HAVE compared rates with the VISA homepage and always get 1% less (well +/- a few parts of 1% sometimes). They ALSO charge the 1% at point of sales transactions btw.

Notice that the Schwab BROKER debit card is actually issued by PNC bank and NOT Schwab BANK. I think that is the reason. In case of an American having linked his Schwab BROKER account up with his Schwab BANK account - he might be using the Schwab BANK debit card - and is therefore NOT charged the 1% exchange fee.

Anyway; PLEASE ask them yourselves! I did! Oh, and be prepared for them not to really answer your question! "yes sir! It's fee free" (they mean no annual fee or ATM fee from their side) "yes, sir! we reimburse the ATM fees"(true!). But give them above link and ask them to confirm the 1% on broker debit cards... I did!

In short: if it says PNC BANK on the back of your Schwab broker card you ARE charged 1%.

Cheers!

[brianb1944]

You travel here once a year right? You're unclear what currency the offshore bank account is held in - I assume Thai baht? All sounds like too much trouble for your annual hols. And believe me, when banks move currencies, there is always a margin made, so I think your friend is probably exaggerating somewhat on the supposed benefits.

Your best bet is open a Thai bank account. Total cost say 500B for the ATM card and a 150 one off admin fee.

TT money to your Thai account at a time and exchange rate that is suitable to you - your domestic bank will have a charge of say $20. Or if you have online banking, you may have a lower fee.

Or, bring cash with you and deposit it to your Thai account.

There is no minimum amount you need to keep in your Thai account, so no need for dead money.

If you only use your bank's ATM's, zero cost. No annual account fees.

Your total annual cost for holidaying in Thailand (after you open your account) can be zero, or $20..........up to you.

I have a Thai account,bring in cash with me 2 or 3 times a year, change it when the rates are most favourable, then pay the bulk into my Thai account. Money is very accessible, and at no cost. (Dont pay overseas money into a bank account, there are much better exchange rates on the street.)

[Pib]

I think you are getting confused with the 1% Visa foriegn exchange fee that is indeed passed to Schwab just like Visa passes to any card issuing bank/company but Schwab absorbs that fee and does not pass it along to you. Therefore you are not charged any fee. As sars_cars stated he is not charged any fee on his Schwab One International Visa debit card nor am l charged any fee on my US Schwab Visa debit card. I used it just a few days ago and many more times over the last few years here in Thailand---no fees...always the full/0% fee Visa rate.

Sent from my Samsung S4 (GT-I9500)

Yes. That's it. I recently used my Schwab card to withdraw funds and VISA purchase in the UK and UAE and the exchange rate is consistent with Visa Daily rates at 0 % . However, before my departure, I didn't call and tell Schwab about my trip, so after few transactions in aforementioned countries, my card was blocked and I had to call and verify with Schwab to have it unblocked. They have an excellent security feature, a bit of nuisance though. But I learnt my lesson, next time I am gonna call them before I embark on a foreign trip.

And if I remember right from some of our earlier correspondence transactions on your Schwab Visa card linked to your Schwab One International Brokerage account the debit card transactions are handled by "BNY Mellon," which apparently do not charge any foreign transaction fee just as my Schwab Visa debit card linked to "Schwab Bank" does not charge any foreign transaction fee (I also have a Schwab brokerage account but my debit card is linked to the Schwab Bank checking account which is opened automatically when opening a Schwab brokerage account).

However, apparently for FireFan with a Schwab One "U.S." Brokerage account (like I have also), his card is linked to his brokerage account and transactions managed by "PNC Bank"....apparently the brokerage account linked to "PNC Bank" does charge a 1% fee...or maybe said another way lets the Visa 1% flow through to the customer and does not absorb the fee.

I think you are getting confused with the 1% Visa foriegn exchange fee that is indeed passed to Schwab just like Visa passes to any card issuing bank/company but Schwab absorbs that fee and does not pass it along to you. Therefore you are not charged any fee. As sars_cars stated he is not charged any fee on his Schwab One International Visa debit card nor am l charged any fee on my US Schwab Visa debit card. I used it just a few days ago and many more times over the last few years here in Thailand---no fees...always the full/0% fee Visa rate.

Sent from my Samsung S4 (GT-I9500)

Hi Pib,

Did you check the link I gave: http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange

It is CLEARLY stipulated there. Schroll down to Schwab. the Schwab BANK debit card do not charge the 1% currency exchange fee. The Schwab BROKER DOES charge.

I also asked my Schwab BROKER directly - and after meddling around the subject, they confirmed to me too. Finally I HAVE compared rates with the VISA homepage and always get 1% less (well +/- a few parts of 1% sometimes). They ALSO charge the 1% at point of sales transactions btw.

Notice that the Schwab BROKER debit card is actually issued by PNC bank and NOT Schwab BANK. I think that is the reason. In case of an American having linked his Schwab BROKER account up with his Schwab BANK account - he might be using the Schwab BANK debit card - and is therefore NOT charged the 1% exchange fee.

Anyway; PLEASE ask them yourselves! I did! Oh, and be prepared for them not to really answer your question! "yes sir! It's fee free" (they mean no annual fee or ATM fee from their side) "yes, sir! we reimburse the ATM fees"(true!). But give them above link and ask them to confirm the 1% on broker debit cards... I did!

In short: if it says PNC BANK on the back of your Schwab broker card you ARE charged 1%.

Cheers!

That very well could be the answer....your Schwab Visa card linked to your Schwab U.S. brokerage account (it was a U.S. account, right?...or was it an International account) is issued through PNC Bank and they apparently charge a 1% fee. Sars_cars Schwab Visa card is linked to his Schwab International brokerage account through BNY Mellon Bank and they do not charge the 1% Visa fee because they absorb it for the customer. And for me with my Schwab Visa card linked to Scbwab Bank they do not charge the 1% Visa fee because they absorb it for the customer. I appears to come down to whether your card is linked to a brokerage or bank account, and even when linked to a brokerage account apparently it's different for Schwab's International Brokerage account and Schwab U.S. Brokerage Account.

Yea, I've recommend that flyerguide web site numerous times to other folks, but it does have errors in. Example: I also have a St Farm debit card which does not charge any foreign transaction fee...been using it for years....in fact I used it within the hour at my nearby AEON ATM....just checked my bank account an got a 32.11 exchange rate which exactly matches Visa's full/0% fee exchange rate of 32.11. A lot of that information on flyerguide is "crowd-sourced" info based on feedback from users of that web site and sometimes they feedback incorrect info, but with that being said, is still a great website for a person to start their hunt for fee free/low cost cards.

[Pib]

To pib thanks for this information in any case it wouldn't make any sense for me to even open a thai bank account. Totally not worth it and the charges on top of that.

My bank account is a singapore one posb owned by dbs bank and i have a feeling they don't have such a debit card should try to call them to ask. When you told me that it is the bank that screws you my heart sank cos my bank account is a singaporean one and if you know anything about singapore everything in there is designed to screw the citizens trying to squeeze out every single cent from them. Let's see the current exchange rate offered by money changers 1sgd = 24.5 upwards but i am sure the exchange rate i will be getting from the bank will be below 24 around 23.8 region.

No shortage of evil, fee hungry banks in the world...but those banks just call it business/profits.

You want something for nothing?

You bet....I'm just that kind of person. Plus I figure since the bank is paying me close to nothing on the checking account my debit card is linked to, but the bank is using the unobligated funds in my checking account and hundreds of thousands to millions of other customers just like me to make investments, loans, etc., that earns the bank back XX percent to pay their operating costs and profits to their shareholders why shouldn't they absorb the Visa/MasterCard 1% foreign transaction fee. In fact, I think actually the fee the banks really pay Visa/MasterCard is probably closer to 0.2% based on stuff I stumbled across on the web....it all depends on what pricing agreement the bank has with Visa/MasterCard. But one thing for sure, the banks that don't charge/absorb the Visa/MasterCard fee appear to be doing pretty good....like Schwab.

[Pib]

Do you trade FX by any means?

I seen the spreads on the USDTHB pair and it's around like a 10-17 pip spread difference so selling it isn't a good idea and not to mention strong bullish retracements pushing up the USDTHB everyday.

No, not me...I'm not brave enough or smart enough to get involved in the FX casino game. I just use my dollars to get baht for my Thailand living expenses. In fact, got some within the hour at my nearby AEON ATM using one of my no foreign transaction fee debit cards. Good luck in your search to find a brokerage or bank account that also provides such a card....I too wouldn't be happy in paying both a flat fee and percentage fee to my bank every time I used my debit card....I know your bank appreciates your contributions to their business, but I expect you would prefer to keep that money in your pocket.

[snake24]

My solution may or not fit what you want to do but it works for me, and I avoid the double whammy of fees when taking cash out of the ATM.

While in Thailand open a Paypal account that is from Thailand, it must be opened while you're in country or they won't let you do it. They didn't for me anyway.

Open a local savings account that offers a VISA ATM debit card. I chose Kasikorn and it works great for me, you may have to try a couple of branches as every branch seems to have their own rules.

When transferring funds I gift myself from one Paypal account to the other then transfer those funds to my savings account. The cost for $1000 and up is like $5 and I'm sure they're getting some profit when they convert the currencies. The first time I did this Paypal asked me to call and verify the transaction, no verifications have been needed since.

This process can take a week or two until the funds finally get to my savings but if you have the time the savings from not having ATM fees can be substantial.

I do have a 15 baht fee for foreign ATM's with my Kasikorn card when I use a different ATM from a different branch, but 15bt is nothing compared to what I was getting hosed for. Also some ATM's will allow a 30,000 baht withdrawal, and most will allow 20,000 baht with the Kasikorn VISA ATM card, which is nice.

Hope this helps,

Roger

paypal requires you to provide them with your particulars which would include your home address and everything after 7k in transactions are done and i have a paypal account that is fully verified. Well to open a new paypal account in a foreign country wouldn't really make sense and yes the exchange rates of paypal aren't too good. Suck if i might add. I think it's the same as those banks that charge 2-3% on top of the rates.

[snake24]

Do you trade FX by any means?

I seen the spreads on the USDTHB pair and it's around like a 10-17 pip spread difference so selling it isn't a good idea and not to mention strong bullish retracements pushing up the USDTHB everyday.

No, not me...I'm not brave enough or smart enough to get involved in the FX casino game. I just use my dollars to get baht for my Thailand living expenses. In fact, got some within the hour at my nearby AEON ATM using one of my no foreign transaction fee debit cards. Good luck in your search to find a brokerage or bank account that also provides such a card....I too wouldn't be happy in paying both a flat fee and percentage fee to my bank every time I used my debit card....I know your bank appreciates your contributions to their business, but I expect you would prefer to keep that money in your pocket.

All right then but the usdthb pair looks really interesting and has a large spread cos the thb isn't one of the major currencies so it isn't so liquid yup.

[jacko45k]

Correct, the Aeon bank ATMs do not charge the 150 or 180 baht charge, but you will still get your local charge.

The others that refund ATM charges I have heard of I think were USA guys using Charles Schwab who refunded ATM charges.

Depends where your origins are but some go via say a Bangkok Bank account in the UK.

[nosatisfaction]

Would the offshore bank account be from the virgin islands or maybe some swiss bank?

you can bet your sweet butt that it would be neither!

by the way your 5USD is peanuts, I pay 150THb+ 8Euro+ exchangerate +++++

[jmccarty]

Your Singapore account is good enough. Just withdraw 20,000 baht each time and you only pay the flat 150bht and S$5, what's the big deal?

Try a telegraphic transfer from your Singapore bank to a Thailand bank account and if you pay all the charges you will be paying more than S$75 per 20,000 bht in various bank charges.

The Shwab One account is an investment account first so expect to pay a broker for your share transactions and eliminate any ATM transaction benefits.

[YeaBiGgiEs]

How visiting Thailand once a year and being concerned with miniscule fees makes me wonder just how much spending, withdrawing is taking place to even be bothered.

However when I started traveling and vacationing this too was a concern of mine and the research I turned up was HSBC. HSBC seems to have a location in every major country/city in the world. Therefore using an HSBC atm in Bangkok will not incur atm fees if your account was opened in a HSBC in another country.

International transaction fees/point of sale on credit/debit cards range from 1.-3.%

Escaping any fees these days is a difficult task but it can be done. Some banks in the USA refund up to $10 (THB300) a month on atm fees. My bank refunds me if I scan/email a copy of my atm receipt showing the atm charge merely because I've told my bank I have been "deployed" to Thailand. Amazing the respect and benefits you receive just by the choice of words you use. No verification or official documents required to prove such "deployment" and if ever questioned, my answer is, "I deployed myself, indefinitely".

Live and learn. The ethics, morals and values we all grew up with 30-40+ years ago don't seem to apply today. Honesty is not always the best policy. When you want results "NOW"

I admire penny-pinchers, cutting-corners, coupon clippers and such, doing so allows you the luxuries of buying that 150THB coffee at Starbucks