Bank of America wire transfer not reachable by phone

[thailien8]

I'm hoping there might be someone else with the same problem I'm having.

I'm a long-time American expat in Thailand. I want to go back to my homeland as seldom as possible. I like living in Asia.

When I went back to America in 2005, I set up a repetitive wire transfer with Bank of America, so that I could move money from my BofA account to my Bangkok Bank account (paying BofA's $45 service charge each time) to keep my retirement visa going. I did this several times without problems for seven years.

But now, there seems to be a problem. My funds in Bangkok Bank are running low, and I need to replenish them in order to keep the retirement visa going. So I called BofA's wire transfer telephone number, expecting the quick and easy service I've experienced before. Not this time.

I've called about 20 times so far, failing every time. Here's what happens: I call and connect with BofA's wire transfer phone menu, as before. I listen to the menu and press 1, to initiate a wire transfer. Then I hear a new option: press 1 if you are a bank customer, or press 2 if you are a bank employee. I'm a customer, so I press 1.

Then I hear the recorded male voice of doom. I've heard this so many times by now that I can quote: "Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try your call again later." My call is then cut off and ended. This same routine happens every time I call.

I'm running out of money here in Thailand, and I can't get through to Bank of America by phone from here.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? I would appreciate any suggestions.

[Pib]

Have you tried calling one of their customer service numbers to talk to a human being about the problem? Sounds like you are just trying to use their interactive system for a specific service.

Sent from my Onda V971 tablet

[Gumballl]

For ACH transfers, BofA charges $3 for 3-day service and $10 for next-day service. For Wire-Transfers, BofA charges $25.

I'm not sure where you are getting the $45 number from.

To get a hold of BofA from Thailand...

First dial this direct access number:

001.999.111.11

1.800.0001.33

Then dial 800.933.6262 (En español: 800.688.6086)

[BngkkB]

Call customer service when they are open, I think its like 7 am to 6 pm west coast time. Call directly to call center on their local line and avoid their international toll free line.

[pmarlin]

BOA recently made changes to way swft transfers are done. They need additional information. Could be that the system is tied up with phone calls. Before I left the USA for Thailand I opted for the OTP method which they issue you a credit card size pin generator so I could make my transfers on-line.

Edited November 6, 2013 by pmarlin

[Mrjlh]

Follow the instructions on BB website:

http://www.bangkokbank.com/bangkokbank/personalbanking/dailybanking/transferingfunds/transferringintothailand/receivingfundsfromusa/pages/receivingfundsfromusa.aspx

Simply add their routing number and you Thai BB account number in the international transfers section of your B of A online account. That simple. Of course you'll need a day or two to verify the account.

[Pib]

If you initiated the international wire on the telephone, contact us at 1.800.729.9473 (or 1.570.330.1610 from outside of the U.S.).

Out of curiosity,I just tried calling both of above BoA Wire Transfer numbers at 3pm Thailand time which would be 3am U.S. east coast time, a ladies' voice answered, said press 1 to do a wire transfer, I pressed 1, and then a ladies' voice said they are currently closed....please call back 8am to 8pm Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. Above numbers quoted from the BoA website. Did you call above number(s)? And be sure to keep in mind the time difference.

Below are some more numbers to try if above numbers don't work for you.

If you initiated the international wire transfer at a banking center, you can get the transfer canceled by going to the nearest banking center or by calling us at 1.877.337.8357 (or 1.302.781.6374 from outside the U.S.).

Edited November 6, 2013 by Pib

[curtklay]

For ACH transfers, BofA charges $3 for 3-day service and $10 for next-day service. For Wire-Transfers, BofA charges $25.

I'm not sure where you are getting the $45 number from.

To get a hold of BofA from Thailand...

First dial this direct access number:

001.999.111.11

1.800.0001.33

Then dial 800.933.6262 (En español: 800.688.6086)

BofA has always charged me $45 for wire transfers for the past 6 years. Citibank charges $25.

BofA has also changed their limits on international wire transfers to a ridiculous low amount unless you have their "safe pass" card to generate a code each time. The battery in my safe pass died, and they won't send a new one outside the US. In the last couple years, they have become impossible to deal with.

[curtklay]

BOA recently made changes to way swft transfers are done. They need additional information. Could be that the system is tied up with phone calls. Before I left the USA for Thailand I opted for the OTP method which they issue you a credit card size pin generator so I could make my transfers on-line.

Yeah, it worked fine until the battery died after 3 years. They refuse to send a new one internationally, and without the code, limit you to $1000 per transfer at a charge of $45.

[Pib]

After seeing these posts about the BoA SafePass card, I pulled mine out of my safe to give it a test. I got the card in Dec 09...was charged a fee of $19.99 for that sucker....I wonder if they charge you if you have to call up for a replacement. Anyway, pressed the card's button two times and got a code each time...so, its battery is still working after almost 4 years of living in Thailand temp/humidity...and my safe resides in a non-air conditioned room. And yeap, unless something has changed they will not mail it to an address outside the United States...they won't even mail it to a U.S. military AFO/FPO addresses which are official U.S. Postal System addresses but they are outside the U.S.

[curtklay]

Keep the faith, Pib!

[Pib]

I don't know what I don't cancelled my BoA account (not costing me any monthly service charge due to keeping a minimum level in it) since I've moved along to less evil and less fee hungry banks that don't charge anything for ACH transfers and provide no foreign transaction fee debit cards. Guess I keep hoping BoA might change some policies and fees making it a better bank and maybe even an expat friendly bank...but that faith (hope) is fading fast. Maybe after a few Chang beers one night I will just call them up and tell them where to send the balance in my account. BoA is fine if living in the States and their credit cards are not bad at all with some of their cash/points rewards for inside the U.S. use where you don't get hit with foreign transaction fee, but if living outside the U.S. BoA foreign transaction fee debit and credit cards, SafePass card, etc., can give a person financial headaches and hit your pocket with plenty of fees....that's why my BoA cards now live in the safe. But that SafePass card battery is hanging in there although I'll probably never use it again for a actual transaction, expect maybe a final transfer of my remaining account balance (will depend on the Chang beer affect).

[pmarlin]

BOA recently made changes to way swft transfers are done. They need additional information. Could be that the system is tied up with phone calls. Before I left the USA for Thailand I opted for the OTP method which they issue you a credit card size pin generator so I could make my transfers on-line.

Yeah, it worked fine until the battery died after 3 years. They refuse to send a new one internationally, and without the code, limit you to $1000 per transfer at a charge of $45.

A stateside mailing address solves that problem.

[curtklay]

BOA recently made changes to way swft transfers are done. They need additional information. Could be that the system is tied up with phone calls. Before I left the USA for Thailand I opted for the OTP method which they issue you a credit card size pin generator so I could make my transfers on-line.

Yeah, it worked fine until the battery died after 3 years. They refuse to send a new one internationally, and without the code, limit you to $1000 per transfer at a charge of $45.

A stateside mailing address solves that problem.

Not completely.

BofA told me if I wanted it sent to a US address, I would have to change the address on all my accounts to that, and would not be able to change back again for 6 months. They go out of their way to be a pain in the ass.

[Pib]

Not completely.

BofA told me if I wanted it sent to a US address, I would have to change the address on all my accounts to that, and would not be able to change back again for 6 months. They go out of their way to be a pain in the ass.

I can vouch for that when trying to get my SafePass card which I finally got; but it was mailed to my U.S. residence address (and then my sister re-mailed it to me) and not my Thailand mailing address....and it showed up at my U.S. residence months and months later (maybe six months) out of the blue as I had pretty much given up trying to get a SafePass card by applying over the BoA ibanking as the application would always error out when clicking the Submit button...had called BoA Customer Service several times trying to work the issue...and the core problem seemed to be an address issue...actually I was also told it might be an IP issue...but I had also tried via VPN with a U.S. IP address.

During one of those phone calls to BoA customer service I was told a similar thing about some 6 month address change rule they follow for security purposes for certain products/services...it was something along the lines of I couldn't successfully apply via the internet/mail for a replacement SafePass card until my address had remained the same for 6 months...but I could apply by physically visiting any BoA branch where my identification could be confirmed. I can't remember the exact details as it was around 4 to 5 years ago plus I tend to want to forget bad memories...but at the time that 6 month rule BoA had (has) was definitely impacting me in getting the SafePass card.

[curtklay]

And...when I told them, "You don't have an issue with sending credit cards and ATM cards to my Thai address. Why is the SafePass such a problem?" They couldn't come up with an answer other than "It's our policy". I took the argument all the way to upper management, telling them, "Send it by courier and I'll pay the fee". They wouldn't budge. I also reminded them that I have been a customer for 40 years with multiple accounts, car loans, and a mortgage. I have never been overdrawn or late with a payment, and have been using the SafePass for 3 years from Thailand with no problem. No go. I finally said, "You leave me no choice except to move my money elsewhere". All they had to say was, "We'll miss you".

As far as being ex-pat friendly, BofA sux. Citibank on the other hand, will do wire transfers up to $50,000 online for $25 (might be $30 now) and the money is here the next day.

[4evermaat]

I had a military acct until they moved them over to the main BoA system. They gave us what appears to be a mix of money marmet/employee acct benefits. 0% foreign transaction fees and supposidly $0 fees for domestic or foreign wires among other perks.

But no more wires or transfers over 1k per day without OTP or safePass.

"Second best time to plant a tree is today" sent from note2 TV app

[Pib]

I had a military acct until they moved them over to the main BoA system. They gave us what appears to be a mix of money marmet/employee acct benefits. 0% foreign transaction fees and supposidly $0 fees for domestic or foreign wires among other perks.

But no more wires or transfers over 1k per day without OTP or safePass.

"Second best time to plant a tree is today" sent from note2 TV app

You must have been with a different BoA Military than I was with. I was with BoA Military for years while still living in the States and until it got absorbed into the regular BoA...actually I opened an account with the regular BoA at least 6 months before BoA Military accounts were to be absorbed into the regular BoA and BoA Military shutdown. I used BoA Military to transfer funds to Thailand for several years...BoA Military charged $12 for an ACH transfer and $25 for a SWIFT transfer (actually it might have been a same day ACH transfer)...and you did it each and every time by filling out an online short form versus being able to setup a permanent transfer link with trial deposits...or at least that's the way my BoA Military account was. I was so happy when switching to the regular BoA because their internet banking was so much more capable, ACH transfers were only $3, and you could setup permanent transfer links.

Actually, I think a BoA Military account was a worst deal than the regular BoA account because of things like higher wire transfer fees, less capable internet banking, etc. But that's water under the bridge now as BoA Military is gone. Now if you are talking the BoA Community Bank (or some name like that) which was actually brick and mortar banks on some overseas military installations then that could have been a different story in their fees, benefits, etc....I don't know.

[4evermaat]

^^ same BoA military. They never had ACH. Only domestic/int'l wire transfers. Transfers to another BoA acct (any category) were waived the fee.

Some things were slower to update but military acct fees were less and you still had access to BoA branches. What other major bank did $12 domestic wires or $25 intl? Foreign transaction fee with debit card was 1%.

Now with the migration to regular BoA system, most of the fees on those accts are even less or completely free and yet you still get the full benefits of the regular BoA internet banking. It's a good deal for those of us who qualify.

"Second best time to plant a tree is today" sent from note2 TV app

[adweb00]

I've been having this issue with this bank and a few others for about 6 months now! After getting the normal thai service i resorted to having the wires sent to Aus instead of bangkok bank. The only answer ive got so far is BB is known for laundering and they don't wire to them. I don't believe this of course have my accountant looking into it now as I've had enough of it. Hope u have better luck than us

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Naam]

I had a military acct until they moved them over to the main BoA system. They gave us what appears to be a mix of money marmet/employee acct benefits. 0% foreign transaction fees and supposidly $0 fees for domestic or foreign wires among other perks.

But no more wires or transfers over 1k per day without OTP or safePass.

"Second best time to plant a tree is today" sent from note2 TV app

how many trees have you planted within the last 12 months?

[thailien8]

Follow the instructions on BB website:

http://www.bangkokbank.com/bangkokbank/personalbanking/dailybanking/transferingfunds/transferringintothailand/receivingfundsfromusa/pages/receivingfundsfromusa.aspx

Simply add their routing number and you Thai BB account number in the international transfers section of your B of A online account. That simple. Of course you'll need a day or two to verify the account.

As the OP on this topic, I would like to thank everyone for your helpful, prompt responses. It's good to know I'm not alone in my frustration with BofA.

I did as Mrjlh suggested, tho it was not quite as simple as he made it seem. Just scrolling thru BofA's long-winded legalisms in the transfer agreement made my eyes glaze over, and I was timed out of the website as I went to the fridge to steady my nerves with another little shot of courage. When I sobered up the next morning, and had another go, I managed to actually get it done, sort of, I hope.

I was flummoxed by the unexpected SafePass thing, so thanks again to those of you who have explained this. I'd been hoping to transfer a few thousand dollars, but with the $1000 limit for us non-SafePassed customers, I opted to try for $900. This seemed to be OK with BofA, and I received the promised email that the transfer had been done.

I opted for the 3-business-day deal, for the $3 service charge; tho I remain puzzled as how 3 days somehow got stretched out to a week (November 7 to November 13). Still, if this happens as promised by then, I will have no complaints. A transfer of $900 for a charge of $3 works OK for me.

I will be happy to buy Mrjlh a beer or three, as well as any of you other Americans who have so kindly responded, especially if you are in Pattaya, where I currently am holed up. Just send me a PM.

One more question: There seems to be a branch of BofA in Bangkok, that I have never visited. I would like to go there soon, for three reasons:

1. I've long since forgotten the PIN on my BofA ATM card, and would like to get a new PIN, so I could use it again if necessary.

2. I'd like to see if it is possible to cash a personal check to withdraw more money from my account, with less hassle than doing this online.

3. I want to see if any of the Thai ladies working for BofA are nice enough to try and marry. (This is a long shot, I realize.)

Seriously, if anyone has any experience to share about the BofA branch in Bangkok, your beers will be on me.

[adweb00]

Good to see someone has had a "win"

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Pib]

I opted for the 3-business-day deal, for the $3 service charge; tho I remain puzzled as how 3 days somehow got stretched out to a week (November 7 to November 13).

Non-business days like Saturday, Sunday, and holidays (in either country) do not count...and of course on the receiving end although the bank received the funds they can take hours to a couple of days to "post" it to your account....it may have arrived quickly but just didn't get posted/credited to your account quickly.

And even though BoA says they debit your account the same day you "initiate" the 3 business day transfer that don't mean they actually transmit the funds once debited to your account...the transfer then awaits whatever "batch" mode transfer schedule the bank uses. ACH transfers usually occur in batch mode, X-times per days, versus going immediately. There is also a time of day initiation thing where if you missed the cutoff time for that date for transfers (usually around 3pm to 8pm the transmitting bank end), the funds will still be debited from your account immediately but the funds would just set for up to another 24 hours before entering the bank's batch transfer queue. I think some banks have multiple daily batch transfers while others just do it once a day....I was with a credit union once that transferred once daily according to what they told me.

Get unlucky in missing the daily cutoff transfer time, batch transfer schedule of the bank, weekends, holidays, slow posting on the receiving end and a transfer you are expecting in 3 "business" days can easily take around 7 "calendar" days. This happened to me once years back when I initiated a transfer on a Friday, got hit with the weekend and also a U.S. holiday and a Thai bank holiday thrown in....took around 7 days for BoA transfer to post to my Bangkok Bank account when it normally took 3 to 4 business days from my BoA account if my memory cells serves me right...been around 4 years since I last used a BoA ACH 3 business day transfer. BoA also has a $10 ACH next business day transfer service and a $25 same business day "Wire" transfer service....but there are daily cutoff times for each...and even with the $25 same day service the BoA site says it can take 2 business days to credit to your receiving bank account (assuming the receiving bank post transfers promptly).

Now when I last did a ACH transfer a little over 2 years ago I sent it from my USAA bank account...no ACH sending fee by USAA...and it posted 2 business days later (actually it was somewhere between 36 to 47 hours later...I just remember it beat 48 hours by X-hours) in my Bangkok Bank account. Guess USAA uses more frequent daily batch transfers than BoA....but who knows, maybe I just hit all the transfer gates at just the right time and on the Bangkok Bank end they hit the post to account button quickly. Me thinks when there is no issue on the receiving bank end, most of the transfer time is purely due to the Sending bank and how quickly they "really" transmit the funds, whether they use an intermediary bank(s) to route the funds (just more huddles to get over), etc.

[pmarlin]

Not completely.

BofA told me if I wanted it sent to a US address, I would have to change the address on all my accounts to that, and would not be able to change back again for 6 months. They go out of their way to be a pain in the ass.

I can vouch for that when trying to get my SafePass card which I finally got; but it was mailed to my U.S. residence address (and then my sister re-mailed it to me) and not my Thailand mailing address....and it showed up at my U.S. residence months and months later (maybe six months) out of the blue as I had pretty much given up trying to get a SafePass card by applying over the BoA ibanking as the application would always error out when clicking the Submit button...had called BoA Customer Service several times trying to work the issue...and the core problem seemed to be an address issue...actually I was also told it might be an IP issue...but I had also tried via VPN with a U.S. IP address.

During one of those phone calls to BoA customer service I was told a similar thing about some 6 month address change rule they follow for security purposes for certain products/services...it was something along the lines of I couldn't successfully apply via the internet/mail for a replacement SafePass card until my address had remained the same for 6 months...but I could apply by physically visiting any BoA branch where my identification could be confirmed. I can't remember the exact details as it was around 4 to 5 years ago plus I tend to want to forget bad memories...but at the time that 6 month rule BoA had (has) was definitely impacting me in getting the SafePass card.

I knew that before I left the US three years ago and changed by mailing address to my sisters and for that reason never had a problem.

[curtklay]

Well, please PM us your sister's address. (just kidding)

[thailien8]

I opted for the 3-business-day deal, for the $3 service charge; tho I remain puzzled as how 3 days somehow got stretched out to a week (November 7 to November 13).

Non-business days like Saturday, Sunday, and holidays (in either country) do not count...and of course on the receiving end although the bank received the funds they can take hours to a couple of days to "post" it to your account....it may have arrived quickly but just didn't get posted/credited to your account quickly.

And even though BoA says they debit your account the same day you "initiate" the 3 business day transfer that don't mean they actually transmit the funds once debited to your account...the transfer then awaits whatever "batch" mode transfer schedule the bank uses. ACH transfers usually occur in batch mode, X-times per days, versus going immediately. There is also a time of day initiation thing where if you missed the cutoff time for that date for transfers (usually around 3pm to 8pm the transmitting bank end), the funds will still be debited from your account immediately but the funds would just set for up to another 24 hours before entering the bank's batch transfer queue. I think some banks have multiple daily batch transfers while others just do it once a day....I was with a credit union once that transferred once daily according to what they told me.

Get unlucky in missing the daily cutoff transfer time, batch transfer schedule of the bank, weekends, holidays, slow posting on the receiving end and a transfer you are expecting in 3 "business" days can easily take around 7 "calendar" days. This happened to me once years back when I initiated a transfer on a Friday, got hit with the weekend and also a U.S. holiday and a Thai bank holiday thrown in....took around 7 days for BoA transfer to post to my Bangkok Bank account when it normally took 3 to 4 business days from my BoA account if my memory cells serves me right...been around 4 years since I last used a BoA ACH 3 business day transfer. BoA also has a $10 ACH next business day transfer service and a $25 same business day "Wire" transfer service....but there are daily cutoff times for each...and even with the $25 same day service the BoA site says it can take 2 business days to credit to your receiving bank account (assuming the receiving bank post transfers promptly).

Now when I last did a ACH transfer a little over 2 years ago I sent it from my USAA bank account...no ACH sending fee by USAA...and it posted 2 business days later (actually it was somewhere between 36 to 47 hours later...I just remember it beat 48 hours by X-hours) in my Bangkok Bank account. Guess USAA uses more frequent daily batch transfers than BoA....but who knows, maybe I just hit all the transfer gates at just the right time and on the Bangkok Bank end they hit the post to account button quickly. Me thinks when there is no issue on the receiving bank end, most of the transfer time is purely due to the Sending bank and how quickly they "really" transmit the funds, whether they use an intermediary bank(s) to route the funds (just more huddles to get over), etc.

[thailien8]

I opted for the 3-business-day deal, for the $3 service charge; tho I remain puzzled as how 3 days somehow got stretched out to a week (November 7 to November 13).

Non-business days like Saturday, Sunday, and holidays (in either country) do not count...and of course on the receiving end although the bank received the funds they can take hours to a couple of days to "post" it to your account....it may have arrived quickly but just didn't get posted/credited to your account quickly.

And even though BoA says they debit your account the same day you "initiate" the 3 business day transfer that don't mean they actually transmit the funds once debited to your account...the transfer then awaits whatever "batch" mode transfer schedule the bank uses. ACH transfers usually occur in batch mode, X-times per days, versus going immediately. There is also a time of day initiation thing where if you missed the cutoff time for that date for transfers (usually around 3pm to 8pm the transmitting bank end), the funds will still be debited from your account immediately but the funds would just set for up to another 24 hours before entering the bank's batch transfer queue. I think some banks have multiple daily batch transfers while others just do it once a day....I was with a credit union once that transferred once daily according to what they told me.

Get unlucky in missing the daily cutoff transfer time, batch transfer schedule of the bank, weekends, holidays, slow posting on the receiving end and a transfer you are expecting in 3 "business" days can easily take around 7 "calendar" days. This happened to me once years back when I initiated a transfer on a Friday, got hit with the weekend and also a U.S. holiday and a Thai bank holiday thrown in....took around 7 days for BoA transfer to post to my Bangkok Bank account when it normally took 3 to 4 business days from my BoA account if my memory cells serves me right...been around 4 years since I last used a BoA ACH 3 business day transfer. BoA also has a $10 ACH next business day transfer service and a $25 same business day "Wire" transfer service....but there are daily cutoff times for each...and even with the $25 same day service the BoA site says it can take 2 business days to credit to your receiving bank account (assuming the receiving bank post transfers promptly).

Now when I last did a ACH transfer a little over 2 years ago I sent it from my USAA bank account...no ACH sending fee by USAA...and it posted 2 business days later (actually it was somewhere between 36 to 47 hours later...I just remember it beat 48 hours by X-hours) in my Bangkok Bank account. Guess USAA uses more frequent daily batch transfers than BoA....but who knows, maybe I just hit all the transfer gates at just the right time and on the Bangkok Bank end they hit the post to account button quickly. Me thinks when there is no issue on the receiving bank end, most of the transfer time is purely due to the Sending bank and how quickly they "really" transmit the funds, whether they use an intermediary bank(s) to route the funds (just more huddles to get over), etc.

Khun Pib,

Thanks very much for this, one of the most cogent replies I've ever read on any forum. I have a feeling that you enjoyed writing it even more than I enjoyed reading it.

Now that you have explained to me about the ACH transfer system, I can rest in peace, even tho I'm not quite dead yet, and sleep better, with more pleasant dreams, after reading about your experiences. You are a true maven, Sir. Forums like this need more writers like you.

[Pib]

thailien8,
Thanks...just goes to show plenty of Chang beer can improve a person's communications skills.
Pib

[thailien8]

Thanks again to Khun mrjih, Khun Pib, and all of you kind enough to respond to my original post.

I appreciate Khun mrjih turning me on to this way of transferring money from Bank of America to Bangkok Bank, by way of Bangkok Bank's branch in New York City. This seems to be a good way. I would like to update you on my recent first experience with this.

I had a couple of surprises.

I visited my local branch of Bangkok Bank in Pattaya, on Second Road opposite Soi Six, in order to set up the SMS notification of incoming transfers. I had tried to do this online, but Bangkok Bank's website failed to open on my computer, tho I tried several times during two days. Never mind, no problem. When I did it the old-fashioned way, showing up in person in the bank, I was treated very well. There were no other customers on Tuesday afternoon, so I had the full attention of several bank people. I showed my bank book, ATM card, mobile phone, entered my ATM pin when asked to do so, smiled and spoke a little Thai with the nice employees. In 15 minutes, my phone was ringing with an SMS from the bank, in Thai, confirming that my mission was accomplished.

The next day, as anticipated, my phone sounded with an SMS from Bangkok Bank. I expected a message about the first of the two trial transfers of a few cents from Bangkok Bank in NYC, to confirm the existence of my Bangkok Bank account in Thailand, to which I would need to respond by email, as other posters have written about. Instead, this SMS informed that a transfer had been received, and that a charge of 642 baht had been deducted from my account. That was all, that day.

I didn't sleep well that night, but the next morning, a second SMS informed that the transfer had indeed happened, and that my Bangkok Bank account in Thailand had been increased by the equivalent of US$ 880, only $20 less than the $900 I'd transferred from my Bank of America account.

I'm pleased by the ease of this transfer, but have to wonder about why Bangkok Bank in NYC did not bother to send the two test transfers, as other posters had warned me to expect; and why Bangkok Bank charged me 642 baht for this transfer?