Why Do You Even Drink?

[JeffreyO]

Hey everyone,

Just curious, what are the ATM fees like in Thailand? Thanks!

[Gringogazzer]

Hey everyone,

Just curious, what are the ATM fees like in Thailand? Thanks!

Outragous. ฿150 for the Thai bank every withdrawal. Your daily withdrawal limit can still apply then you'll have to check with your bank for the overseas transaction. Never good.

It was never viable for me from a UK bank account.

If it's just a holiday bring as much cash as you feel comfortable with & the rest in travellers cheques, 1.5%.

[AYJAYDEE]

Hey everyone,

Just curious, what are the ATM fees like in Thailand? Thanks!

Outragous. ฿150 for the Thai bank every withdrawal. Your daily withdrawal limit can still apply then you'll have to check with your bank for the overseas transaction. Never good.

It was never viable for me from a UK bank account.

If it's just a holiday bring as much cash as you feel comfortable with & the rest in travellers cheques, 1.5%.

are you saying you pay a 1.5% fee fror every travellers cheque?

[Tywais]

Hey everyone,

Just curious, what are the ATM fees like in Thailand? Thanks!

Outragous. ฿150 for the Thai bank every withdrawal. Your daily withdrawal limit can still apply then you'll have to check with your bank for the overseas transaction. Never good.

It was never viable for me from a UK bank account.

If it's just a holiday bring as much cash as you feel comfortable with & the rest in travellers cheques, 1.5%.

To make it clear, he is referring to an out of country card used in a Thai ATM. If using a Thai ATM card within Thailand it is no charge within the same province but between 10-20 Baht if outside of the province the card was issued. If between different banks then an Interbank fee of 25-35 Baht/transaction. Here is an example breakdown of fees at Bangkok Bank.

[Gringogazzer]

Hey everyone,

Just curious, what are the ATM fees like in Thailand? Thanks!

Outragous. ฿150 for the Thai bank every withdrawal. Your daily withdrawal limit can still apply then you'll have to check with your bank for the overseas transaction. Never good.

It was never viable for me from a UK bank account.

If it's just a holiday bring as much cash as you feel comfortable with & the rest in travellers cheques, 1.5%.

To make it clear, he is referring to an out of country card used in a Thai ATM. If using a Thai ATM card within Thailand it is no charge within the same province but between 10-20 Baht if outside of the province the card was issued. If between different banks then an Interbank fee of 25-35 Baht/transaction. Here is an example breakdown of fees at Bangkok Bank.

Thank you,

I took it as an overseas account.

1.5% on the gross money changed into travellers checks.

There is a nominal fee for changing the travellers cheque in Thailand but basically refunded on a slightly higher exchange rate.

Plus if you use an overseas card here your at the mercy of your banks exchange rate rather than the better rate you'll get in Thailand.

[JeffreyO]

Hrm, I'll be staying there on what is likely an ED visa for about a year. I have a daily withdraw limit of $1,000 USD from my bank account here. This is good information. Please help me to understand what I just heard a little better...

There is a fee of 150 tbh or just under $5 for every withdraw? That's significantly higher than what ATM fees are in the US...

With that being said, how do most of you transfer money from your foreign accounts to your Thai accounts? It seems like the transfer fee is not very cheap either but I obviously have to pay rent!

Also... what are the daily withdraw limits on most ATM's? I know some ATM's here have different withdraw limits that may be significantly less than my daily withdraw limit.

Finally, would places accept my US Bank checks for rent? Or would I require travelers checks/thai checks? Thanks again!

Edited June 22, 2014 by JeffreyO

[JusMe]

There is a fee of 150 tbh or just under $5 for every withdraw? That's significantly higher than what ATM fees are in the US...

Not in Kansas anymore, spunky.

There are many long threads about ATM withdrawals and their fees in the Economy, Banking forum - spend some time reading through them.

[Tywais]

If you do a transfer (cash advance) with the overseas card inside a Thai bank that you have an account with then the 150 Baht doesn't apply. Using this method the withdrawal limit is what is set by the issuing bank of your International card. If a Thai bank ATM card than below are examples of daily withdrawal limits. Also, can usually only get 20,000 or 25,000 baht at one time so need to do more than one withdrawal if you need more than this.

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BANGKOKBANK/PERSONALBANKING/WAYSYOUCANBANK/PHONEBANKING/Pages/CardServices.aspx

http://www.bangkokbank.com/bangkokbank/personalbanking/dailybanking/be1stvisadebitcard/be1stcard/Pages/default.aspx

[Gringogazzer]

Hrm, I'll be staying there on what is likely an ED visa for about a year. I have a daily withdraw limit of $1,000 USD from my bank account here. This is good information. Please help me to understand what I just heard a little better...

There is a fee of 150 tbh or just under $5 for every withdraw? That's significantly higher than what ATM fees are in the US...

With that being said, how do most of you transfer money from your foreign accounts to your Thai accounts? It seems like the transfer fee is not very cheap either but I obviously have to pay rent!

Also... what are the daily withdraw limits on most ATM's? I know some ATM's here have different withdraw limits that may be significantly less than my daily withdraw limit.

Finally, would places accept my US Bank checks for rent? Or would I require travelers checks/thai checks? Thanks again!

For me your best option is to open a Thai bank account once here then transfer your funds.

Moving it from your American account through an ATM here will eat you alive.

I can only speak from a UK prospective as transferring funds but someone will post up exact figures and numbers from an American prospective.

[JeffreyO]

There is a fee of 150 tbh or just under $5 for every withdraw? That's significantly higher than what ATM fees are in the US...

Not in Kansas anymore, spunky.

There are many long threads about ATM withdrawals and their fees in the Economy, Banking forum - spend some time reading through them.

Not to sound rude but I have read them. I have various questions that weren't answered in other threads and reviving old, dead threads, is frowned upon in most forums.

If you don't like my thread, please feel free to not read it.

Everyone else, you've been very helpful. It sounds like I'll be paying Bangkok Bank a visit soon. There's a branch here in NYC that can probably give me information about accounts in Thailand.

[Tywais]

Everyone else, you've been very helpful. It sounds like I'll be paying Bangkok Bank a visit soon. There's a branch here in NYC that can probably give me information about accounts in Thailand.

That is the best option as you can do transfers from your US account through the NYC Bangkok Bank as it is a correspondent bank and will arrive in your account here. The fees are reasonable and it is quick.

[Gringogazzer]

There is a fee of 150 tbh or just under $5 for every withdraw? That's significantly higher than what ATM fees are in the US...

Not in Kansas anymore, spunky.

There are many long threads about ATM withdrawals and their fees in the Economy, Banking forum - spend some time reading through them.

Not to sound rude but I have read them. I have various questions that weren't answered in other threads and reviving old, dead threads, is frowned upon in most forums.

If you don't like my thread, please feel free to not read it.

Everyone else, you've been very helpful. It sounds like I'll be paying Bangkok Bank a visit soon. There's a branch here in NYC that can probably give me information about accounts in Thailand.

It can get your head in a spin with all the numbers and percentages and some plain speak sometimes helps mixed with doing the math.

Good luck mate.

[JeffreyO]

Well, I understand why they would charge high rates on international cards. Thailand survives on its tourist industry, pulling a few extra baht out of wealthy tourists is great from the nations perspective. It's just a bit surprising that it's nearly $5 but not in the realm of something I can't afford.

I am curious if anyone else has experience with opening a Bangkok Bank account while in another nation? I'm curious if it would be considered a Thai account or a US account. I'm guessing a US account but I'm not certain.

[ukrules]

I believe a lot of the banks increased the 150 Baht fee to 180 Baht

[nickmanchester2]

15b if you get a local account and then change province

[sotsira]

Hey everyone,

Just curious, what are the ATM fees like in Thailand? Thanks!

Outragous. ฿150 for the Thai bank every withdrawal. Your daily withdrawal limit can still apply then you'll have to check with your bank for the overseas transaction. Never good.

It was never viable for me from a UK bank account.

If it's just a holiday bring as much cash as you feel comfortable with & the rest in travellers cheques, 1.5%.

are you saying you pay a 1.5% fee fror every travellers cheque?

Don't bring Travellers Cheques as they have also recently been raised to 150bt charge per cheque by most banks.

So only cash is king for exchanging in to Thai baht, but don't change it at the banks, you'll get a much better rate at the money exchange dealers.

[AYJAYDEE]

Hey everyone,

Just curious, what are the ATM fees like in Thailand? Thanks!

Outragous. ฿150 for the Thai bank every withdrawal. Your daily withdrawal limit can still apply then you'll have to check with your bank for the overseas transaction. Never good.

It was never viable for me from a UK bank account.

If it's just a holiday bring as much cash as you feel comfortable with & the rest in travellers cheques, 1.5%.

To make it clear, he is referring to an out of country card used in a Thai ATM. If using a Thai ATM card within Thailand it is no charge within the same province but between 10-20 Baht if outside of the province the card was issued. If between different banks then an Interbank fee of 25-35 Baht/transaction. Here is an example breakdown of fees at Bangkok Bank.

Thank you,

I took it as an overseas account.

1.5% on the gross money changed into travellers checks.

There is a nominal fee for changing the travellers cheque in Thailand but basically refunded on a slightly higher exchange rate.

Plus if you use an overseas card here your at the mercy of your banks exchange rate rather than the better rate you'll get in Thailand.

well then the ATM fee on $500 is only about 1%

[JeffreyO]

Thai banks would take my american checks, right? So I could just write myself a check and deposit it in my Thai bank account?

[Crossy]

Thai banks would take my american checks, right? So I could just write myself a check and deposit it in my Thai bank account?

Be prepared for a long wait for it to clear and a potentially large charge

IMHO not practical.

[T_Dog]

If you are using a US Bank checking card and make a withdrawal outside the United States, they are now applying a 3 % "International Processing Charge" which is on top of the 150 or 180 baht from the Thai bank charge. Check with your bank about the costs of ATM withdrawals in Thailand as different types of accounts have different fees. The banks seem to be able to get your money no matter what you do!

[JDGRUEN]

Hrm, I'll be staying there on what is likely an ED visa for about a year. I have a daily withdraw limit of $1,000 USD from my bank account here. This is good information. Please help me to understand what I just heard a little better...

There is a fee of 150 tbh or just under $5 for every withdraw? That's significantly higher than what ATM fees are in the US...

With that being said, how do most of you transfer money from your foreign accounts to your Thai accounts? It seems like the transfer fee is not very cheap either but I obviously have to pay rent!

Also... what are the daily withdraw limits on most ATM's? I know some ATM's here have different withdraw limits that may be significantly less than my daily withdraw limit.

Finally, would places accept my US Bank checks for rent? Or would I require travelers checks/thai checks? Thanks again!

OP ... I am an American who uses an American bank ATM/Debit card for cash withdrawals. I more often encounter a bank fee of 180 Baht.... (example Bangkok Bank). I am lucky however, my U.S. Bank - USAA Federal Savings Bank reimburses the 180 Baht. I had to check this out closely and found that the reimbursement comes monthly with what seems to be a $15.00 cap on each checking or savings account. There are other bank that do this and other ways to get around the fees by opening a Thailand bank account. If you are a have been or are now a member of the U.S. Military you can open an account at USAA. I highly recommend it.

By the way... I have not found any evidence of a International Transaction fee in my USAA monthly statement.

Edited June 23, 2014 by JDGRUEN

[Cuddlycat]

B180 is K-Bank. B150 is Bangkok Bank. The others I am not sure as my husband only use 2 of those.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[zoza]

the Thai banks charge 180 bht per withdrawal with uk atm card and then the uk bank charges 250/300

bht for every 10,000 bht withdrawn there are banks in the uk and the usa that don't charge a fee

at present I use a uk clarity card which is free from uk charges. but be careful when using some

atms as an offer of conversion pops up at the same time as the notice of the 180bht fee, the first

time I thought it only concerned the fee but when I later checked online instead of getting the

common exchange rate you get one 3-4 bht lower than the usual rate = 500bht+ on 10,000 bht

no wonder people refer to them as banksters.

[mesquite]

There is a fee of 150 tbh or just under $5 for every withdraw? That's significantly higher than what ATM fees are in the US...

Not in Kansas anymore, spunky.

There are many long threads about ATM withdrawals and their fees in the Economy, Banking forum - spend some time reading through them.

Not to sound rude but I have read them. I have various questions that weren't answered in other threads and reviving old, dead threads, is frowned upon in most forums.

If you don't like my thread, please feel free to not read it.

Everyone else, you've been very helpful. It sounds like I'll be paying Bangkok Bank a visit soon. There's a branch here in NYC that can probably give me information about accounts in Thailand.

If you've read those threads you know that most US ATM/debit cards charge a foreign exchange fee, which you pay in addition to the Thai bank fee. You also know that there are a few cards that will reimburse the Thai bank fee and do not charge the forex fee. These are of course the cards to get.

From reading those threads, you also know that the Bangkok Bank branch in NYC is a commercial bank and will not open an account for you. They will give you the phone number or website for Bangkok Bank Thailand.

So why are you asking these questions?

Edited June 23, 2014 by mesquite

[MrWorldwide]

The answer, as always, is CITI. My other Australian bank sodomises me everytime I use an ATM here - currency conversion charges are BS - CITI doesnt. If I can get to the Asoke branch I pay absolutely no fees on a 20K baht withdrawal. If I lived in Soi Cowboy, that would be ideal

180 baht from 20K baht is 0.9% (Bangkok Bank is the only one I know of that still charges 150) - doesn't mean I'm happy to pay it but the OP needs to be aware that SWIFT transfers only start to make sense when you transfer sufficiently large amounts to make it worthwhile - the correspondent bank charge is particularly annoying when the money does arrive at your Thai bank. Unfortunately, Thailand doesn't seem to be one of the countries where CITI offers free international transfers:

http://www.citibank.com.au/aus/international_banking/transferring_money.htm

As mentioned earlier, we revisit this topic roughly once a month but I'm always happy to hear from folk who've found a better way to 'beat the system'.

[wow64]

Yeah it went up to 180b plus I pay a fee to the bank in the country where the bank is $5. So every withdrawal is $11.. So do as big a withdrawal as you can.

[lopburi3]

1. Checks are not routinely used and checking accounts are not locally available to most foreigners (unless working).

2. Foreign checks are not really welcome by most Thai banks and if accepted will often have 3 or more week wait for credit to account and there will be about $10 fee charged.

3. Bangkok Bank allows US ACH transfers via there New York branch but you first must have an account in Thailand that the money is being sent into. This is often at no charge by US bank and $5 (under 2k) or $10 charge by Bangkok Bank New York. Upon receipt/conversion to Thai baht 1/4% fee in range of 200-500 baht is removed. This is for most the best method for transfers.

[MrWorldwide]

Further to my last, this is what my main Australian bank charges for an ATM withdrawal:

ATM withdrawal : $695.71

International Transaction Fee: $25.87

Percentage: 3.72%

Add the 180 baht ATM fee on a 20K withdrawal and tourists here are getting slugged almost 5% each time they use an ATM. Highway robbery IMO - all under the guise of passing on currency conversion fees from VISA (3% the last time I checked) - a practice CITI doesnt adhere to.

SWIFT is a different kettle of fish - the same bank charges 22AUD whether you transfer 500 or 50k AUD - but the OP will need to sort that out with his own bank in the US and SWIFT is a topic probably best left for another thread.

Edited June 23, 2014 by MrWorldwide

[Pib]

Well, I understand why they would charge high rates on international cards. Thailand survives on its tourist industry, pulling a few extra baht out of wealthy tourists is great from the nations perspective. It's just a bit surprising that it's nearly $5 but not in the realm of something I can't afford.

I am curious if anyone else has experience with opening a Bangkok Bank account while in another nation? I'm curious if it would be considered a Thai account or a US account. I'm guessing a US account but I'm not certain.

While it good to be researching withdrawal costs at a Thai ATM which is going to be Bt150 to Bt180 for a foreign card, that is only part of the cost. The other cost is what foreign transaction fee does your home country "card-issuing" bank charge for foreign transactions? And do they reimburse local ATM fees? It's not uncommon for the card-issuing bank to charge a foreign transaction fee in the 1 to 3% ballpark (which can add up to much more than the Bt150-180 fee...like 3% on a Bt20K withdrawal would be Bt600/approx $18) and they may or may not reimburse ATM fees like the Bt150-180. But some don't like Schwab Bank and St Farm Bank...and also reimburse ATM fees up to X-amount per month.

You will not be able to open a Thai bank account outside of Thailand...you will need to visit a local Thai bank. And the reference you've seen to the Bangkok Bank "New York" branch only deal with being able to use their ACH "routing number" in combination with your in-Thailand Bangkok Bank branch savings "account number" to accomplish a low cost ACH transfer. The New York branch does not open retail bank accounts for Joe off the Street; they are a branch which deals with corporate accounts. But you won't be able to use their routing number to accomplish an ACH transfer until you have an in-Thailand Bangkok Bank savings account.

So, if your current card-issuing bank has a foreign transaction fee and don't reimburse fees you may want to be looking at switching to a new bank while you continue to research opening a Thai bank account and Thai ATM fees. Once you open a Thai bank account you can then do electronic transfers from your home country bank to your Thai bank. But only Bangkok Bank offers the ability for low cost ACH transfers to be accomplished because of their NY branch; with all other Thai banks you'll have to use the pricey SWIFT transfer method.

[JeffreyO]

I am a veteran so I may look into USAA. Thank you for the advice. Others have recommended USAA to me before.

I was hoping I could make a monthly transfer of about $3,000 USD from my US account to my Thai account but 5% of that is $150 which is a LOT in fees to be paying...

This is really random but... can you Western Union money to yourself? I have sent money to a friend in Thailand before, the fee is $15 if done through an agent location. Would I not be able to pay for that through my US Visa card, thus avoiding the massive fees? Seems like a very simple work-around... does anyone have any experience with this?