Whats with restaurants refusing debit cards but not credit cards?

[wym]

Thanks. I imagine retirees' income and/or stability/credit history requirements would be similar to those for the employed.

[trainman34014]

Many business's in Thailand are still way too card shy or give you the old 'solly want extra 3% if you use card' or 'no take farang card only Thai' routine. On the one hand ,like in many other instances they have not yet caught up with the way the modern world works and don't like change, but on the other hand they like to deal in cash because it can easily vanish from any 'books' that may have to be kept prior to having to cook the books later !

Seems some confusion on here about some retailers that do accept cards and the use of chip and pin. All i can say is that the 'Home Pro' and 'Tops' nearest to my home have been using chip and pin for about a year and no longer ask for signatures. I think this is probably down to the individual management of stores. As we all know, 'management' here is about seniority and not competence.

[Soutpeel]

Yes its crazy ,try to pay for my air tickets online ,refuses debit card only take credit card ,for a falang to get a credit card we have to jump through hoops ,my brother in law ,who does not have a pot to piss in ,no problem sir . he is Thai i am a falang ,go figure.

No you don't, just go get one. I have 2.

What are you talking about?

Need a work permit for a start, have to wait at least a few months before applying in some cases 6 months or a year.

And a decent salary.

And they check your (Thai) credit reports, if you've missed deadlines with electric cable phone bills etc you're SOL.

All seem pretty "hoopish" to me, just the first one counts out most here.

Seems like decent due diligence on the part of the bank to me

[wym]

Absolutely, I'm sure statistically most farang are very bad risk.

Just countering the above "just get one" comment, it just isn't that easy for most visitors here.

[Loles]

To pay cash ?

[jacko45k]

Yes its crazy ,try to pay for my air tickets online ,refuses debit card only take credit card ,for a falang to get a credit card we have to jump through hoops ,my brother in law ,who does not have a pot to piss in ,no problem sir . he is Thai i am a falang ,go figure.

No you don't, just go get one. I have 2.

What are you talking about?

Need a work permit for a start, have to wait at least a few months before applying in some cases 6 months or a year.

And a decent salary.

And they check your (Thai) credit reports, if you've missed deadlines with electric cable phone bills etc you're SOL.

All seem pretty "hoopish" to me, just the first one counts out most here.

Seems like decent due diligence on the part of the bank to me

It depends which bank what is required......

As you say due diligence, a foreigner can jump on a plane and be gone leaving debt behind.

My bank requires I have a fixed term deposit equal to the credit limit...... it can double as the retirement visa fixed deposit.

I too see it as due diligence, but not that difficult........

Perhaps it is too easy in our Western world to be in debt at high interest rates.

[wym]

Aha, a secured card, that now fits in with my prior knowledge of the topic, not at all what I'd count as actually being given a full-on credit card, that is indeed more difficult.

But the fact that the securing account can be your visa deposit, that's a good idea hadn't come across that.

From their POV it's only you who's SOL if you mess with the balance too much at the wrong time of year - but then our buddies at Immigration have their ways of working around such minor technicalities anyway - and they probably even take credit cards these days

[NeverSure]

Perhaps it's the fees?

Maybe you're right, and for some reason visa processing fees cost more for debit cards than credit cards. So restaurants prefer credit card.

But the bill was around 700 baht (2 pizzas and 2 beers, its a good place, I recommend it). I've paid by debit in villamarket for a 400 baht bill before now (when feeling lazy).

The rules as to what they will and won't accept are set by their payment processing network/bank, not up to the individual merchant.

Small merchants tend to go with the cheaper/simpler vendors, which means CCs only.

OT, but for online use (ONLY) the "virtual CC" offered by Kasikorn once you've set up online banking does work a treat, the online payment gateways can't tell it's pulling from your account like an ATM, to them looks just like a genuine full CC.

But for in-person use it is much harder to get in Thailand, much better off getting one back home and keeping an address with a good maildrop, and your credit line updated with regular transactions there.

Plus the back-home CCs have the nice consumer protection procedures, just let them know you were scammed and they instantly reverse the charges, then it's up to the merchant to prove otherwise, here it's usually the other way around.

Exactly. I will only use a US credit card because US Federal Law says I'm liable for only the first $50 of credit card fraud. Most banks waive that.

Also, as you said, if I have a dispute with a merchant, my Visa/Mastercard/Amex will charge it right back to the merchant and make them prove I owe it.

For instance, if I'm in the US and want to reserve and rent a car from Avis in Bangkok, I go online in the US, reserve and pay for the car and insurance from the US with a US credit card, and I have all US consumer protection laws if someone in Thailand tries to scam me. When I arrive in Bangkok the car is paid for and waiting. If they want to scam me when I return the car they can pound sand. (They never have.)

I don't give Thais any chance at my money that I don't have to.

[stoli]

Yes its crazy ,try to pay for my air tickets online ,refuses debit card only take credit card ,for a falang to get a credit card we have to jump through hoops ,my brother in law ,who does not have a pot to piss in ,no problem sir . he is Thai i am a falang ,go figure.

What hoops? Very easy to get credit card with Bangkok Bank. However, it is only good up to the amount in your savings account, just like a debit card. It is still identified as a credit card.