Just to update a bit...on the prior discussion here about tourists using traveler's cheques in Thailand.

Because it had been ages since I've touched a traveler's cheque, I stopped and chatted with the staff guy at a local TMB bank exchange booth near my home, on the subject of traveler's cheques. And he had two answers for my questions, regarding our prior discussion here:

1. the TMB guy said it was no problem for them to cash single $500 U.S. denomination traveler's cheques. When we talked about that earlier here, I wasn't sure if the booths these days would have any problem with that large an amount for a single check. But the TMB guy said $500 was fine. So that shouldn't be a problem.

2. Then, contrary to what I think was my recollection mentioned above, the TMB guy said that they were fine to cash AMEX traveler's cheques, but that they would NOT cash VISA brand traveler's cheques. So that may have been what I was recalling from my own long past tourist days, getting VISA brand traveler's cheques from my local AAA office, and then finding the banks here (or at least some of them) didn't want to cash them.

Thai banks are pretty notorious for have different policies and practices branch to branch and even bank company to bank company. So I'm not saying no Thai bank will take VISA traveler's cheques, but just that my local TMB branch won't. Maybe others here can add their own experiences with the acceptance of VISA vs AMEX cheques.

Lastly, even though I didn't ask for it, the TMB guy quoted me an exchange rate this afternoon about 5 pm for cashing a $500 traveler's cheque, and it was 32.09 baht to the dollar, prior to them deducting the 153 baht per cheque fee. By comparison, the VISA card network rate for today is 32.28, and the MC network rate for yesterday (the latest one posted when I checked just now) was 32.094.

Edited April 25, 201412 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

Just to update a bit...on the prior discussion here about tourists using traveler's cheques in Thailand.

Because it had been ages since I've touched a traveler's cheque, I stopped and chatted with the staff guy at a local TMB bank exchange booth near my home, on the subject of traveler's cheques. And he had two answers for my questions, regarding our prior discussion here:

1. the TMB guy said it was no problem for them to cash single $500 U.S. denomination traveler's cheques. When we talked about that earlier here, I wasn't sure if the booths these days would have any problem with that large an amount for a single check. But the TMB guy said $500 was fine. So that shouldn't be a problem.

2. Then, contrary to what I think was my recollection mentioned above, the TMB guy said that they were fine to cash AMEX traveler's cheques, but that they would NOT cash VISA brand traveler's cheques. So that may have been what I was recalling from my own long past tourist days, getting VISA brand traveler's cheques from my local AAA office, and then finding the banks here (or at least some of them) didn't want to cash them.

Thai banks are pretty notorious for have different policies and practices branch to branch and even bank company to bank company. So I'm not saying no Thai bank will take VISA traveler's cheques, but just that my local TMB branch won't. Maybe others here can add their own experiences with the acceptance of VISA vs AMEX cheques.

Lastly, even though I didn't ask for it, the TMB guy quoted me an exchange rate this afternoon about 5 pm for cashing a $500 traveler's cheque, and it was 32.09 baht to the dollar, prior to them deducting the 153 baht per cheque fee. By comparison, the VISA card network rate for today is 32.28, and the MC network rate for yesterday (the latest one posted when I checked just now) was 32.094.

I cashed $500 AMEX traveler's cheques at exchange booths before. Can't recall which banks. They type the numbers into their system which I think is checking against AMEX's lost/stolen list or something. Then they'll instruct to sign. The signature has to match the passport as well, though technically they just have to match on the TC for AMEX to pay on them. But I wouldn't count on that unless actually at an AMEX travel office. They made me sign again with my middle name on the exchange receipt same as with my passport, though on the TC both were without.

The net rate is not bad for larger amounts like $500 or $1,000. Figure the rest is the little bit of security versus carrying cash.