Aeon Bank now charge 150 B ATM fee

[Langsuan Man]

I used a visa card in the yellow ATM today to get 30,000 and they now charge 180Baht. Up from 150Baht a few weeks ago.

Same here, was shocked since I knew they charged 180 THB for a Master Card but I have a State Farm Visa and it too was 180 THB, wonder if State Farm will reimburse the full 180 THB ( $5.59 ) ?

I'm sure that it was covered somewhere here, but lost in 24 pages of posts I guess

[jpinx]

I used a visa card in the yellow ATM today to get 30,000 and they now charge 180Baht. Up from 150Baht a few weeks ago.

Same here, was shocked since I knew they charged 180 THB for a Master Card but I have a State Farm Visa and it too was 180 THB, wonder if State Farm will reimburse the full 180 THB ( $5.59 ) ?

I'm sure that it was covered somewhere here, but lost in 24 pages of posts I guess

I use visa and it was 150 Bhat 3 weeks ago, so they are just "catching up" I suppose

I couldn't be bothered to sift through so many posts in this and other threads on the subject... :s

Edited March 12, 2014 by jpinx

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Various of the Thai banks just recently seem to have upped their VISA card ATM withdrawal fee to 180 baht, matching the 180 baht rate they've used for MasterCards in recent months.

From scattered posts here, they're definitely moving in that direction. But there haven't been enough member reports to be clear, as yet, on just which or how many of the various individual Thai bank companies have made the switch to the 180 baht fee for foreign VISA card withdrawals. I'm assuming, they'll all end up there at some point.

I'm certainly making fewer ATM withdrawals these days than I did in the past when AEON was fee-free. Now that they're charging a withdrawal fee, I'm basically doing 1 ATM pull per month for the max amount allowed and getting reimbursed by my card-issuing banks for the single 150 or 180 baht Thai bank charge per month.

I may end up forgoing the ATM route altogether if Thai bank counter withdrawals, using either debit or credit cards, continue to be fee free on the Thai end.

But if I were a betting man, I'd bet the Thai banks are likely to close that loophole by beginning to charge counter fees, much sooner than my various card-issuing home country banks are likely to drop their ATM fee reimbursement perks.

Edited March 12, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[JimGant]

Pib, 55Jay,

Was this a swipe, then a pin entered? Or swipe and sign? (I guess if a pin, then you had to divulge that to the clerk before he disappeared behind the curtain, or whatever. Not sure I'd be overly comfortable with that scenario.....)

Swipe and pin would indicate an "online" (near real time, same as if you used an ATM machine), while swipe and sign is usually for off line transactions that take a day or two to clear.

Could you tell if you got the Visa rate for the day (which now begins at 11:00AM Thai time), or maybe got a "pending" with the rate of the day, but finalized next day or two?

Just curious about the mechanics of these counter draws. Thanx.

[Pib]

Mine was a swipe, PIN "and sign." The transaction posted to my account immediately at the Visa rate; there was no pending transaction/interim rate...it processed just like using a debit card in an ATM.

Edit: just to clarify, I actually didn't see the transaction online until the next business day but the same day I made the withdrawal called PenFed regarding a banking related question and once that issue was resolved I asked Oh, my the way I did a cash advance today...can you see it? The rep looked at their "live system" and gave me the info and the rate matched the Visa rate in affect at the time of the withdrawal...then the next business day I did see the posted transaction on my PenFed online banking and it matched what the rep told me the previous day/only a few hours after the actual transaction.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Pib

[55Jay]

Pib, 55Jay,

Was this a swipe, then a pin entered? Or swipe and sign? (I guess if a pin, then you had to divulge that to the clerk before he disappeared behind the curtain, or whatever. Not sure I'd be overly comfortable with that scenario.....)

Swipe and pin would indicate an "online" (near real time, same as if you used an ATM machine), while swipe and sign is usually for off line transactions that take a day or two to clear.

Could you tell if you got the Visa rate for the day (which now begins at 11:00AM Thai time), or maybe got a "pending" with the rate of the day, but finalized next day or two?

Just curious about the mechanics of these counter draws. Thanx.

Mine swipe and sign, no pin. The sign slip included pre-printed lines for passport # and address. Yes, posted as pending transaction but I haven't gone back to compare pending vs. final. Just happy I got a counter w/d vs. ATM, at least for now..

Edited March 12, 2014 by 55Jay

[Route21mkII]

I have regularly, in the past, withdrawn 2x20000 baht from my offshore HSBC $ savings account with my VISA debit card from Aeon ATM's in Phetchabun, with no fee.

Last weekend, I tried to do the same, but was told "card not supported".

Fortunately, I could get my money out from the adjacent Bangkok Bank ATM, albeit being asked to agree to the fee.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Route21mkII]

PS The regular fee from HSBC worked out at 133 baht + 150 baht from Bangkok Bank.

Tried to edit my previous post but connection to edit server taking too long!

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited March 13, 2014 by Route21mkII

[damole]

I just made my first Halifax Clarity credit card (UK) withdrawal at my local Kasikorn bank. They told me I can withdraw from 2,000-20,000 Bt. No entering PIN, just signing the slip. The transaction shows up immediately in my available balance but not in my statement. After making a test payment from my current (checking) account at another bank I have now paid the amount of the withdrawal I will see on my next statement if there is any interest to pay.

[vagabond48]

There is one problem I see with using a CC over a DC to make is ATM withdrawals. When you make a DC ATM withdrawal the date of the transaction is normally when the rate is determined by Visa/MC but with a CC it may take several days to settle just like a normal CC purchase and that is when the rate is determined, so timing the CC withdrawal at the end of your statement cycle may be a bit tricky unless you did it 3 or 4 days before and don't mind paying interest for those days.

Btw, last year, I did a number of Schwab DC counter withdrawals and those transactions also took several days to settle and get the rate. In fact, I remember losing about $10 on a very large withdrawal because the rate went down between the transaction date and settlement date. A number small quirk, the transactions were visible on the 1st day and then disappeared for about 2 to 3 days and re-appeared when they were finally posted. Even my balance didn't get updated until the transactions re-appeared. These counter transactions kinda acts like CC cash advance without the interest.

Note: I always wondered if these substantial withdrawals using my Schwab DC created a red flag and got my account cancelled even though I had a US address. Some food for thought for those of you with the Schwab card.

Vagabond, on your Thai bank counter withdrawals using a debit card, how did those experiences go?

Sorry for the delay. I've been in China.

Did you have an easy time finding Thai banks willing to do debit card counter cash advances? Any bank companies more accommodating than others?

I went to my TMB branch and no other bank. One of the officers processed my withdrawal transactions. Although she spoke very little English, she was very polite and helpful.

Also, were the amounts of counter withdrawals you were doing above or below the typical 20,000 to 30,000 baht ATM withdrawal limits? I'm trying to get a sense of whether the banks are more willing to do counter withdrawals when the amounts are well above ATM limits.... or... they're OK doing smaller counter withdrawals as well.

The last time I made 2 withdrawal in one visit was for $9500US using my Schwab High Yield checking DC and $8500 using my Schwab High Yield savings DC. I had to call Schwab prior to get approval from a supervisor to increase the limit on both cards. It was good for 24 hours. That month I made 2 visits to my branch to withdraw similar large sums of money without any problems.

Edited March 15, 2014 by vagabond48

[55Jay]

There is one problem I see with using a CC over a DC to make is ATM withdrawals. When you make a DC ATM withdrawal the date of the transaction is normally when the rate is determined by Visa/MC but with a CC it may take several days to settle just like a normal CC purchase and that is when the rate is determined, so timing the CC withdrawal at the end of your statement cycle may be a bit tricky unless you did it 3 or 4 days before and don't mind paying interest for those days.

Btw, last year, I did a number of Schwab DC counter withdrawals and those transactions also took several days to settle and get the rate. In fact, I remember losing about $10 on a very large withdrawal because the rate went down between the transaction date and settlement date. A number small quirk, the transactions were visible on the 1st day and then disappeared for about 2 to 3 days and re-appeared when they were finally posted. Even my balance didn't get updated until the transactions re-appeared. These counter transactions kinda acts like CC cash advance without the interest.

Note: I always wondered if these substantial withdrawals using my Schwab DC created a red flag and got my account cancelled even though I had a US address. Some food for thought for those of you with the Schwab card.

Vagabond, on your Thai bank counter withdrawals using a debit card, how did those experiences go?

Sorry for the delay. I've been in China.

Did you have an easy time finding Thai banks willing to do debit card counter cash advances? Any bank companies more accommodating than others?

I went to my TMB branch and no other bank. One of the officers processed my withdrawal transactions. Although she spoke very little English, she was very polite and helpful.

Also, were the amounts of counter withdrawals you were doing above or below the typical 20,000 to 30,000 baht ATM withdrawal limits? I'm trying to get a sense of whether the banks are more willing to do counter withdrawals when the amounts are well above ATM limits.... or... they're OK doing smaller counter withdrawals as well.

The last time I made 2 withdrawal in one visit was for $9500US using my Schwab High Yield checking DC and $8500 using my Schwab High Yield savings DC. I had to call Schwab prior to get approval from a supervisor to increase the limit on both cards. It was good for 24 hours. That month I made 2 visits to my branch to withdraw similar large sums of money without any problems.

Schwab authorized debit card transactions for $9,500 and $8,500? Wow!

I avoid communication with my US banks being I'm a closet expat, but having Schwab @ even $2,000/day would be excellent!

[vagabond48]

Schwab authorized debit card transactions for $9,500 and $8,500? Wow!

I avoid communication with my US banks being I'm a closet expat, but having Schwab @ even $2,000/day would be excellent!

The actual daily withdrawal limit for the checking DC is $1000 while the savings DC is $500. You can call a CS and get instant 24 hour increase of up to $4000US for each card. Anything higher needs a supervisor's approval.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Note: I always wondered if these substantial withdrawals using my Schwab DC created a red flag and got my account cancelled even though I had a US address. Some food for thought for those of you with the Schwab card.

-------------------------------------------------------

The last time I made 2 withdrawal in one visit was for $9500US using my Schwab High Yield checking DC and $8500 using my Schwab High Yield savings DC. I had to call Schwab prior to get approval from a supervisor to increase the limit on both cards. It was good for 24 hours. That month I made 2 visits to my branch to withdraw similar large sums of money without any problems.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Vagabond. But then in the wake of that, your Schwab accounts were canceled by Schwab???

If so, following that course of very large foreign country withdrawals may not be something that others would want to follow....

Presumably, that wasn't a case about ATM reimbursements, since your withdrawals were done at the bank counters.

Edited March 15, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[vagabond48]

Note: I always wondered if these substantial withdrawals using my Schwab DC created a red flag and got my account cancelled even though I had a US address. Some food for thought for those of you with the Schwab card.

-------------------------------------------------------

The last time I made 2 withdrawal in one visit was for $9500US using my Schwab High Yield checking DC and $8500 using my Schwab High Yield savings DC. I had to call Schwab prior to get approval from a supervisor to increase the limit on both cards. It was good for 24 hours. That month I made 2 visits to my branch to withdraw similar large sums of money without any problems.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Vagabond. But then in the wake of that, your Schwab accounts were canceled by Schwab???

If so, following that course of very large foreign country withdrawals may not be something that others would want to follow....

Presumably, that wasn't a case about ATM reimbursements, since your withdrawals were done at the bank counters.

That may have been the reason as I have mentioned on several occasions.

[ThaiBob]

Note: I always wondered if these substantial withdrawals using my Schwab DC created a red flag and got my account cancelled even though I had a US address. Some food for thought for those of you with the Schwab card.

-------------------------------------------------------

The last time I made 2 withdrawal in one visit was for $9500US using my Schwab High Yield checking DC and $8500 using my Schwab High Yield savings DC. I had to call Schwab prior to get approval from a supervisor to increase the limit on both cards. It was good for 24 hours. That month I made 2 visits to my branch to withdraw similar large sums of money without any problems.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Vagabond. But then in the wake of that, your Schwab accounts were canceled by Schwab???

If so, following that course of very large foreign country withdrawals may not be something that others would want to follow....

Presumably, that wasn't a case about ATM reimbursements, since your withdrawals were done at the bank counters.

That may have been the reason as I have mentioned on several occasions.

Naturally you contacted Schwab about cancelling your accounts. What was their reply? I am a Schwab customer too and have made atm withdrawals of nearly 4000 USD on one particular day.

[vagabond48]

Correct me if I'm wrong, Vagabond. But then in the wake of that, your Schwab accounts were canceled by Schwab???

If so, following that course of very large foreign country withdrawals may not be something that others would want to follow....

Presumably, that wasn't a case about ATM reimbursements, since your withdrawals were done at the bank counters.

That may have been the reason as I have mentioned on several occasions.

Naturally you contacted Schwab about cancelling your accounts. What was their reply? I am a Schwab customer too and have made atm withdrawals of nearly 4000 USD on one particular day.

Yes I did. After repeated requests for an explanation, they finally told me I didn't fit their customer profile and they reserved the right to cancel any accounts without explanation. I never used my brokerage account.

[ThaiBob]

Correct me if I'm wrong, Vagabond. But then in the wake of that, your Schwab accounts were canceled by Schwab???

If so, following that course of very large foreign country withdrawals may not be something that others would want to follow....

Presumably, that wasn't a case about ATM reimbursements, since your withdrawals were done at the bank counters.

That may have been the reason as I have mentioned on several occasions.

Naturally you contacted Schwab about cancelling your accounts. What was their reply? I am a Schwab customer too and have made atm withdrawals of nearly 4000 USD on one particular day.

Yes I did. After repeated requests for an explanation, they finally told me I didn't fit their customer profile and they reserved the right to cancel any accounts without explanation. I never used my brokerage account.

Wow! Maybe it was more than 10k and they were paranoid of money laundering? Who knows but thanks for sharing.

[55Jay]

I can imagine ringing Schwab up, asking them to approve $9,000 in ATM/counter withdraws, then they get all Dr. Jekle on me and bang my account shut. <deleted>!

I'll stick with counter withdraws at my rice paddy Bangkok Bank, and rest easier when I can get a PFCU card in me arse pocket.

[paz]

Wow! Maybe it was more than 10k and they were paranoid of money laundering? Who knows but thanks for sharing.

Someone told me today the trigger for US bank to report on suspicious money laundering (there is a name for that, I just don't have it now), is $350,000.

[55Jay]

Wow! Maybe it was more than 10k and they were paranoid of money laundering? Who knows but thanks for sharing.

Someone told me today the trigger for US bank to report on suspicious money laundering (there is a name for that, I just don't have it now), is $350,000.

Hmm. I remember a number of years ago, it was 10,000 Dollars when the clerk had to fill out a report. I tried to w/d 30,000 in 2008 and ran into that for the first time - not that I ever tried to w/d 30,000 before, but was told it was the new Bank Secrecy / Patriot Act sh_ite and they had to report my request to take my post-tax money out of my account.

They ended up giving it to me, although I refused to answer the questions so they could fill out "the form" sufficiently. Beyond my name, they wanted to know what my occupation was and for whom I worked. I thought it was none of their damn business actually. The teller did her best but ended up calling me 3 times while I was on holiday in Thailand to ask me more questions because her original form was rejected by her headquarters office for insufficient data.

I felt sorry for her and was as nice as I could be, but still, told her to tell her head office to pack sand. She finally quit calling and no men in black spandex uniforms rappelled out of helicopters onto my house in LOS.

Fek 'em.

[chubby]

Correct me if I'm wrong, Vagabond. But then in the wake of that, your Schwab accounts were canceled by Schwab???

If so, following that course of very large foreign country withdrawals may not be something that others would want to follow....

Presumably, that wasn't a case about ATM reimbursements, since your withdrawals were done at the bank counters.

That may have been the reason as I have mentioned on several occasions.

Naturally you contacted Schwab about cancelling your accounts. What was their reply? I am a Schwab customer too and have made atm withdrawals of nearly 4000 USD on one particular day.

Yes I did. After repeated requests for an explanation, they finally told me I didn't fit their customer profile and they reserved the right to cancel any accounts without explanation. I never used my brokerage account.

.........do many or the majority of you, keep some token amount in the brokerage side, or maybe once a year buy / sell something in the brokerage, to avoid a cancellation?

[Pib]

Usually I keep a token amount of $100 in the brokerage account...but for a long while I didn't keep anything (zero balance)...one day I just decided to start keeping a token amount in the brokerage account. I've never made a trade after being with Schwab for around 3 years.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Pib

[ThaiBob]

I only keep enough cash in checking to do anticipated ATM withdrawals or VISA transactions. I have no overdraft protection so any fraudulent visa /debt transaction will be rejected. I had my brokerage funds compromised a few years back.

[yankee99]

Went to a krungsri ATM with a USA debit master card and was going to pull 30,000 but in the process after it asked about the 180 baht it offered a exchange rate of 31.24. This is low and I canceled the transaction. Is this normal or did I push the wrong buttons?

[Pib]

Went to a krungsri ATM with a USA debit master card and was going to pull 30,000 but in the process after it asked about the 180 baht it offered a exchange rate of 31.24. This is low and I canceled the transaction. Is this normal or did I push the wrong buttons?

The ATM was offering you the bank's Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) rip-off rate...DCC exchange rates for debit/credit cards are usually 3 to 4% lower than the Visa/Mastercard exchange rate. And it wouldn't surprise me if the Krungsri ATM displayed their rate as Home Rate, Bank Rate, or some other warm and fuzzy name. The fact they displayed an exchange rate proves it was the Krungsri's DCC rate as you won't be displayed the rates for Visa/Mastercard...you have to look those up at their currency exchange websites.

From my experience the ATM will always allow you to decline the DCC rate and then you can continue on and get the Visa/Mastercard rate. However, even how to decline the DCC rate offerred may be phrased in vague words...it ends up sometimes in people just hitting the Cancel button which kicks their card out. Read the screen language closely. And always keep in mind that if you card carries a foreign transaction fee say in the 1 to 3% ballpark, even if you select the bank's DCC rate you will probably still get hit with that charge...not because Visa/Mastercard/your card-issuing bank did the money exchange but simply because it was a transaction done in a foreign country.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

As I recall from our past history on this, the yellow bank ATMs (Ayudhya) were the ones that, when combined with foreign MasterCard debit cards, were known to produce the offer of Dynamic Currency Conversion withdrawals.

I believe that was the place where we first spotted DCC ATM withdrawals here. As Pib said, decline the offer of DCC and you should be able to proceed with a normal, MC rate withdrawal -- though you'll still be hit with the 180 baht fee either way.

Anytime you see an actual foreign exchange rate offered on the ATM screen, as in XX.XX baht to the $, that's an offer you want to avoid.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Did an ATM withdrawal this afternoon at a Thai Military Bank ATM.

Good news is, they still have the 30,000 baht withdrawal possible, and their withdrawal fee for VISA cards, at least for now, remains at 150 baht (not raised to 180 baht).

My card reimburses me for foreign ATM fees, and has a $1,000 daily ATM limit, so that fits nicely with the 30,000 baht ATM machine limit.

Exchange rate today was 32.44 with no foreign currency fee, which is exactly what the VISA network currency exchange website says it should be for a March 30 transaction.

[yankee99]

Did an ATM withdrawal this afternoon at a Thai Military Bank ATM.

Good news is, they still have the 30,000 baht withdrawal possible, and their withdrawal fee for VISA cards, at least for now, remains at 150 baht (not raised to 180 baht).

My card reimburses me for foreign ATM fees, and has a $1,000 daily ATM limit, so that fits nicely with the 30,000 baht ATM machine limit.

Exchange rate today was 32.44 with no foreign currency fee, which is exactly what the VISA network currency exchange website says it should be for a March 30 transaction.

That seems better then my in bank transaction yesterday. I took 40,000 baht from bkk bank on a mc and no fees from my bank it cost 1,248.65 Looking at today's rate it would be about 582 baht extra....over the TT rate.

[SurfRider]

.

Fwiw, The TMB branch in my neighborhood went to the 180 Baht usury fee a month ago. CIMB was still 150 - I'll check both again next week.

.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

That seems better then my in bank transaction yesterday. I took 40,000 baht from bkk bank on a mc and no fees from my bank it cost 1,248.65 Looking at today's rate it would be about 582 baht extra....over the TT rate.

Are you saying you did a counter withdrawal for 40K using your MC debit card at Bangkok Bank???

For starters, usually, on any given day, MC network cards typically are going to have a lower exchange rate compared to VISA network cards.

How were the BKK Bank staff in handling your withdrawal?