UK bank cheque to Bangkok Bank

[Disparate Dan]

I've just been sent a cheque - sterling, a payment of a small annuity, that the UK company says it can only pay in GBP. I no longer have a UK bank a/c. Anyone have experience of paying a GBP cheque into a Thai bank (mine is Bangkok Bank)? Duration? Hassle factor? Scalping?

Or can I give it to a Brit friend so he could pay into his a/c?

[CharlieH]

Have read on here of people reporting about 6 weeks for a cheque to clear and nothing is done without a fee.

Suggest Uk pal if that can be done.

[Jip99]

You have the worst possible payment mechanism - a cheque in Sterling drawn on a UK bank that you want paid in Thailand in Baht.

It will require your cheque to be collected or negotiated. Usually up the bank and likely to be collected. This is likely to take 6 weeks and will involve costs at both ends because of the physical handing of the paper.

I can't find a direct comparison for BKB but Kasikorn charge as follows:-

12. Deposit of foreign bills for collection - USD10 per bill plus stamp duty of
Baht 3 per bill and foreign bank fee

(It is the foreign bank - UK - charge that will be higher because of paper handling).

I doubt that a UK bank will accept a third party endorsed cheque into your friends account.

How "small" is the cheque ?

A better option might have been to instruct the company to by to a relatives/friends bank account. It might still be.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Jip99

[Pib]

You have the worst possible payment mechanism - a cheque in Sterling drawn on a UK bank that you want paid in Thailand in Baht.

It will require your cheque to be collected or negotiated. Usually up the bank and likely to be collected. This is likely to take 6 weeks and will involve costs at both ends because of the physical handing of the paper.

I can't find a direct comparison for BKB but Kasikorn charge as follows:-

12. Deposit of foreign bills for collection - USD10 per bill plus stamp duty of

Baht 3 per bill and foreign bank fee

(It is the foreign bank - UK - charge that will be higher because of paper handling).

I doubt that a UK bank will accept a third party endorsed cheque into your friends account.

How "small" is the cheque ?

A better option might have been to instruct the company to by to a relatives/friends bank account. It might still be.

For Bangkok Bank it's the same $10/Bt300 plus 3 baht fee since Thai banks seem to sleep together when it comes to most fees. If it's the right kind of check Bangkok Bank may give you credit immediately; otherwise it will probably take 3 to 6 weeks to clear. You should get the Sight Bill exchange rate. Here a Bangkok Bank webpage talking about buying U.S. checks...probably the same fee and process for checks from most countries.

I've seen quite a few posts over the years where people write a personal check for cash, the same Bt303 fee applies, and it usually takes takes 3 to 6 weeks to clear...probably closer to the 3 to 4 week timeframe.

[Disparate Dan]

The UK bank cheque was certainly not my choice but the only way the UK company would pay, given I do not have a UK bank a/c. No they will not pay into an a/c of another name. Of course I asked....

It used to be easy to endorse a cheque on the back to put it into someone else's a/c, but it's so long since I last saw a cheque that I have no idea any more.

The Bangkok Bank page mentioned by Pib mentions a limit of USD500 per cheque. My cheque is about three times that (so around 75000 baht) so even if they did the same for UK cheques it wouldn't be relevant.

[thepool]

The bank will accept the cheque but will not credit an account until it has cleared.

Expect clearance to take up to 6 weeks.

There will be fees involved.

[ballbreaker]

I've deposited several personal checks and Bangkok Bank always quotes me 45 days. The quickest I ever saw was 21 days while most were around 30 give or take a couple days.

[beachproperty]

Don't know if this helps ....but I just recently wrote a personal check to myself (US bank acct) and deposited it in my Bangkok Bank account ($20,000). A little paper work, Passport. and 300 Baht. Took 3 weeks to clear and be deposited into my account. Decent exchange rate. So its doable as noted by other posters!

[koo]

Why does the UK company insist on writing a cheque? Can't you just give them your Bangkok Bank account number and SWIFt BIC (BKKBTHBK) and ask them to transfer it directly to your account? GBP is not a problem, and you get it a lot faster than waiting for the cheque to clear (or bounce)...

[cassde]

I suggest that you have the cheque paid in monthly via Bangkok Bank's London office in sterling. The instructions are very clear and on the Bangkok Bank website. The most important thing is the Payment Reference, which is actually your Bangkok Bank account number followed immediately by the swift code. The cheque will probably take 4 days to clear, which is normal for cheques in the UK.

[pitchag]

I brought a certified bank check from Australia in Australian dollars to open an account in the Udon Thani Bangkok bank , I was told by the manager it would take 6 months to clear into my account, needless to say I did not bank it

[Disparate Dan]

Why does the UK company insist on writing a cheque? Can't you just give them your Bangkok Bank account number and SWIFt BIC (BKKBTHBK) and ask them to transfer it directly to your account? GBP is not a problem, and you get it a lot faster than waiting for the cheque to clear (or bounce)...

Because they won't! Ask HSBC why, not me. They are also immovable (at present - I have threatened them with the Financial Ombudsman) about seeing the original of my passport although I point out it would not be legal for me to send it from Thailand. They said they would post it back "first-class".

[Jip99]

Why does the UK company insist on writing a cheque? Can't you just give them your Bangkok Bank account number and SWIFt BIC (BKKBTHBK) and ask them to transfer it directly to your account? GBP is not a problem, and you get it a lot faster than waiting for the cheque to clear (or bounce)...

Because they won't! Ask HSBC why, not me. They are also immovable (at present - I have threatened them with the Financial Ombudsman) about seeing the original of my passport although I point out it would not be legal for me to send it from Thailand. They said they would post it back "first-class".

I doubt HSBC have anything to do with it if the payment is coming from a "UK company".

[soundman]

Try to keep it civil please gents. Thanks.