American banks have blocked ATM use in Thailand!

[poweratradio]

I am just going by what my bank has informed me, my MIL has used the same ATM card for the last four years and my bank is aware that it was being used in Thailand.

However, as of last month it can no longer be used on a regular basis. I was told that they can do a release but only for a limited time i.e. on vacation.

Take it for what it's worth.

WORTH Absolutely ZERO. You I am afraid are the author of your own misfortune.We will fully reimburse you in the unlikely event that you suffer direct financial losses due to unauthorized activity 1 in your accounts through Digital Banking Services 2 provided you have met your security responsibilities. Bank Quote from the parent of bank of 2 Thai banks

[KonaRain]

My us federal debit card got blocked, but one phone call fixed it.

Only K bank and Bangkok bank could give me cash, because of the magnetic strip..

No ATMS worked at all..the new technology with a chip instead is the way the reat of world works.

I hope this helps.

[khrab]

Our Visa card is issued......

OUR visa card?

Not in this world!

It's either your card, your husband's card or you have two of them. Basic and supplementary card.

(I am very picky on this because the use of a card by another person is FRAUD! It doesn't matter if it's hubby's card. In this case anything but cancellation of the card and the membership is the only way to go. So don't complain you cannot use "your" card.)

[samsensam]

I gave up using my UK bank cards in Thailand and for that matter outside the UK following the charges the banks piled on top for any withdrawals.

absolutely. never give the banks a penny you dont have to. organise your finances and you can save loads. i havent used an ATM in thailand for years. common sense really.

[jacko45k]

Won't the bank allow you to specifically authorise withdrawals from inside Thailand ?

For his mother in law?

Easier to transfer into a local account for her......set up a regular payment, or do a transfer as she requires. It really is very easy with internet banking and mobile use.

[Si Thea01]

Nothing like this happening from Oz yet. I still have two accounts there plus a Visa card and all of these are security protected and when any withdrawal is made, either via internet banking, ATM or I make a purchase, nothing goes through until I enter an SMS code sent to my mobile by the bank. I also have SMS warnings sent to me fro my two Thai banks whenever there is a deposit or withdrawal. Correct me if I am wrong but don't the Thai banks guarantee deposits up to a million or a bit more.

[Jdiddy]

So much for wanting a cashless society eh?

Everytime i hear this at home, i tell the person to do some traveling

[williet98248]

Well i unblocked my card allready and now can get 11000 baht a day but i don't use it anymore in thailand so i don't even know if it still works.

My creditcard can easy pay big amounts if used in thai shops, even without signature or anything and that worries me as well.

My wife told me today that now scammers can hack the creditcard wireless when it is still in your wallet, so i won't bring it with me anymore. I brought it for emergency or to buy online airtickets for which i need a special calculator and so. Not easy to use.

I will never use my creditcard in thai shops again even if their insurance will pay me back, just don't want to get into hassle from that.

It was in the dutch newspapers a while ago that banks will put more restrictions on asian country's, i forgot which banks they mentioned.

I am retired here but I have an ATM card and a credit card tied to a permanent address in the US. I have never had a problem using them here. But...when I need cash from my US bank I take the maximum amount (20,000/day) to minimize the percentage charge of the fee. 180 baht fee on a 1000 baht cash withdrawal is 18% while on 20,000 baht it is .009%. I never use my CC or DC for purchases here, only cash. Why would you give a Thai business your CC or debit card details? Even the Thai banks will steal your money. My CC is only for online purchases in the US. Even then I cringe when I do it. I have set up my CC to notify me when a foreign country purchase has been made. I have two bank accounts in the same US bank. One is for the savings and the other linked to the DC for cash. When I need cash I transfer online a reasonable amount to the Debit Card linked account. Never more than a few thousand in that account, max. I set this up a few years ago when after a use of my debit card at a local bank someone made several withdrawals on my debit card in Novosibirsk Russia. Hmm, not Russian and never been there. Just blank stares and a shrug when I notified the bank that their ATM was probably compromised. My US bank reimbursed me and issued a new card but still a hassle that took a couple of weeks to resolve. It's a jungle out there.

[Strangebrew]

I never have problem with mine I inform the bank where I'm at to unlock account It is for your protection. If I plan on leaving country I tell them Also it is wise to request address change. You can keep same bank in US with address out of country. I bank at citibank so non issue for me also have Wells fargo got new card sent to me here.

[mgjackson69]

Just more good news for Thailand. I know Usbank has daily limits on withdrawals.

The USBank daily limit can be increased (to what might be considered an excessive amount) with a phone call. This is from personal experience with that particular bank.

The 20000 THB withdrawal limit per transaction that seems to be nearly universal in Thailand still applies.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Correct me if I am wrong but don't the Thai banks guarantee deposits up to a million or a bit more.

That's a Thai government deposit insurance program and only protects against the financial failure of the entire bank. It's actually 25 million baht per bank/accountholder now...but slated to reduce to 1 million in the future.

But, either way, it does ZERO in terms of protecting against fraud, theft or any other illegalities.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

You can keep same bank in US with address out of country. I bank at citibank so non issue for me also have Wells fargo got new card sent to me here.

Some banks and U.S. credit card companies may allow that.

But for a lot of them, if you officially change your account address to outside the U.S., you may well find your credit card getting canceled at the next renewal and your bank account closed.

It's taking a pretty big risk, and no way to know ahead of time...until the ax falls.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The 20000 THB withdrawal limit per transaction that seems to be nearly universal in Thailand still applies.

There are a few Thai banks that still allow up to 30,000 baht per ATM withdrawal -- if your home bank debit card has a high enough daily limit to enable that.

Thai Military Bank is one of those... 30K per pull.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

My CC is only for online purchases in the US. Even then I cringe when I do it.

Well, these days, the VISA card network for U.S.-issued card and some of the big U.S. banks themselves offer 0 liability fraud protection when using their credit cards (even outside the U.S. in places like Thailand) -- which is a bit of an enhancement over the already very strong U.S. federal law protecting all credit card holders against liability for fraudulent transactions.

However, if that's not enough, some of the major banks these days also offer special temporary, single use card numbers that are linked to your actual credit card account that can be used for online shopping. You use the single-use number for shopping online, but that way, if anything is stolen, that number can't be used again by any thief for any subsequent transaction.

[Tony125]

Just more good news for Thailand. I know Usbank has daily limits on withdrawals.

The USBank daily limit can be increased (to what might be considered an excessive amount) with a phone call. This is from personal experience with that particular bank.

The 20000 THB withdrawal limit per transaction that seems to be nearly universal in Thailand still applies.

For everyones info CitiBank, KrungSri Bank and CIMB Bank allow up to 30,000 baht withdrawal per transaction so depending what your home bank limlit is set at you could use it more than once a day.

[Pib]

Just more good news for Thailand. I know Usbank has daily limits on withdrawals.

The USBank daily limit can be increased (to what might be considered an excessive amount) with a phone call. This is from personal experience with that particular bank.

The 20000 THB withdrawal limit per transaction that seems to be nearly universal in Thailand still applies.

For everyones info CitiBank, KrungSri Bank and CIMB Bank allow up to 30,000 baht withdrawal per transaction so depending what your home bank limlit is set at you could use it more than once a day.

Thai Military Bank (TMB) also...I have used both TMB and KrungSri to withdrawal B30K...TMB charged Bt150 foreign card fee....Krungsri charged Bt180.

[SinCityGr8One]

I go back for Holiday in the USA for 6-10 weeks of time per Year. I always notify US Bank customer service department while I am in the USA of my departure date, length of stay, and probable countries of my visit to over a length of time out of the USA. Never had a problem with my ATM card and never had a need to expect the unexpected. I also do online banking from US Bank while in the Kingdom and get regular service updates emails. The bigger problem i have is that VISA increased it International handling fee from $4.83 USD per 10,000 Baht transaction to $9.63 USD. That's, an increase of nearly 100% since Last Month. Piracy at it's finest!

[abrahamzvi]

US laws don't protect against debit card fraud as they do credit card fraud, but Visa and Mastercard have a policy to do it anyway. So the bank is going to suffer any loss due to fraud. Who can blame them for cutting off Thailand?

"In outright fraud cases, Visa or MasterCard voluntarily protect check cards they issue through member banks as if they were credit cards, meaning the maximum a defrauded customer is liable for is $50. Visa states they have adopted a "zero-liability" policy, which applies to its debit cards as well as credit cards. Many banks eventually refund the entire amount stolen."

LINK

The answer is to have a Thai bank account and ATM card and not keep more in it than you are willing to lose.

I simply do not understand this. It was only few days ago that I withdrew money at an ATM from my US account and paid with my US Master Card, both in Bangkok. No trouble whatsoever!

[mgjackson69]

The OP took his experience with *his* bank, and based on some hearsay from a person inside his bank, extrapolated that to all US Banks.

[Pib]

I go back for Holiday in the USA for 6-10 weeks of time per Year. I always notify US Bank customer service department while I am in the USA of my departure date, length of stay, and probable countries of my visit to over a length of time out of the USA. Never had a problem with my ATM card and never had a need to expect the unexpected. I also do online banking from US Bank while in the Kingdom and get regular service updates emails. The bigger problem i have is that VISA increased it International handling fee from $4.83 USD per 10,000 Baht transaction to $9.63 USD. That's, an increase of nearly 100% since Last Month. Piracy at it's finest!

No, your "card-issuing" bank probably increased their foreign transaction fee; don't blame Visa.

Yes, Visa does charge an approx 1% currency conversion fee (and they have not raised it) and they pass that fee to your bank...then it's totally up to your bank if they absorb that fee or pass it along to you and/or add-on an additional fee which many banks do. Many banks don't absorb that fee and if they don't add-on any additional you see their card is advertised as a 1% foreign transaction fee card....and then many banks add-on to that fee a percent or two which is why you see many cards that have a foreign transaction fee of 2 or 3%. But there are cards that also have 1.5, 2.5, 2,9% fees also--totally up to your card-issuing bank. And then you have some banks which absorb the Visa fee and don't add-on a fee (lik Schwab)--those are true no foreign transaction fee cards.

Now, $4.83 based on the current USD/baht exchange rate is pretty close to the Bt150 foreign card fee charged by many Thai ATMs...other Thai ATMs charge Bt180. So maybe you are confusing that fee as a Visa fee. If that Thai ATM fee is showing up separately and you are talking another fee then $4.83 on Bt10,000 is approx a 1.5% foreign transaction fee and $9.63 is approx a 3% foreign transaction fee. Yeap, your card-issuing bank has raised their foreign transaction fee....don't blame Visa.

[Gillyflower]

To KBELYEU

I suppose that I am the 'someone mistakenly said that American Express require travel notifications........'. I only know that when I contact them every year, they don't seem to mind and take it all in their stride. They never tell me that I don't have to do it. Last year, as usual, I telephoned to give my travel info. I said that I would be in Thailand until the end of March. Someone made a mistake somewhere, because at the end of February, my card was refused at the ATM. On return to my room, I found that I had an e mail from Amex, saying that there had been an attempt to use my card etc and to contact them immediately.

So perhaps what they say is not what they do.

[JDGRUEN]

Well as soon as the OP can post some weblinks providing additional proof that Thailand has been placed on some banking blacklist I may get concerned, but the three U.S. credit cards and 2 U.S. debit cards I use regularly in Thailand (used two of them just yesterday) are still working fine. My guess is it's just the OP's bank that is tightening down on "foreign" transactions like they need to be notified in advance of a person's travel itinerary/time expect to stay in country XYZ. Quite a few banks have been like that for a long time.

This could be complicated and even triggered by the simultaneous use of his cards in both countries... his and mother-in laws use. Where is he really? ... the banking software is wondering

[iamariva1957]

I bank with Bank Of America and have no problems at all with withdrawing from either ATM's or making purchasing (the debit card is marked Visa). The issue you have may have something to do with your bank not being notified that you would be traveling to Thailand. Also remember that if you did inform them that the time allowed for such Travel Notices is usually only 3 months (each bank may or may not have their own rules on this). I would definitely check with the bank in question and demand that no matter what their policies might be, people travel and need their ATM cards to do it. Yes there is an issue that Thailand has right now along with the rest of SEA. But this the first time that I have heard that the US banks are pulling their customer's capabilities while traveling. But I guess it is not much of surprise given their general attitudes that we all hate.

[wandasloan]

I used my Wells Fargo debit card in a Siam Commercial ATM yesterday.

This situation of the OP isn't really new, and Wells Fargo might block your card. They have automatic triggers that ring an alarm when you (or someone) is using the card "too much" and so they block the card, exactly so you will call them.

Call them and tell them you're in Thailand and will be for x weeks/months/years and the card will be quickly unblocked.

It's for their security of course. But it is also for yours. If you were in the US and someone had cloned your card, it would be your account they would be removing money from. The bank just wants to hear from the horse's mouth. I once had someone in Florida clone my card, it's not fun going through the hoops to get your money back.

I bank with Bank Of America and have no problems at all with withdrawing from either ATM's or making purchasing (the debit card is marked Visa). The issue you have may have something to do with your bank not being notified that you would be traveling to Thailand.

Exactly right.

.

Edited November 9, 2014 by wandasloan

[super22k]

Excuse my ignorance but if,in the future, HSBC bank block the use of my ATM card in Thailand will I still be able to draw money out of my account inside the bank over the counter?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Excuse my ignorance but if,in the future, HSBC bank block the use of my ATM card in Thailand will I still be able to draw money out of my account inside the bank over the counter?

That probably would depend on HSBC.. or any other bank.

But IF one started blocking ALL ATM withdrawals and POS purchases from a particular country for some reason, I suspect they'd also be blocking counter withdrawals from that country as well. But that's just guessing.

And that's assuming you're not talking about the kind of block where a call to the bank and confirmation that you're traveling to that country gets the the block removed.

That said, I seriously doubt HSBC would end up doing that with Thailand, especially considering it had a banking presence here in country for many many years.

Edited November 9, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[gk10002000]

I am not in Thailand at the moment, but I did contact oe of my USA banks (Etrade) and they said they have no issues posted nor usage limits about ATM card usage in Thailand.

[Langsuan Man]

I am not in Thailand at the moment, but I did contact oe of my USA banks (Etrade) and they said they have no issues posted nor usage limits about ATM card usage in Thailand.

You had better call them back and find out what their daily withdrawal limit is. Used to be $1,000 cash and $2,000 merchandise when I had an account with them

[aglae4]

European banks limited the max amount of withdrawal in Thailand. Now i can only get max 11000 baht out of the atm a day. This is as a precaution because there have been too much fraud from out of thailand.

I m waiting for the creditcard company's to follow this and i guess the Quality Tourists won't be happy with it so we will see how long this will last.

no generalising please. your bank may have applied a limit. "European" banks do not.

ALL Belgian banks have blocked ATM withdrawals for Thailand.

You need to ask for a temporary "unblock"

Daily and weekly withdrawal limits are standard

I contacted my bank in Belgium to be sure, and they told me they did not hear about such thing. Maybe you are speaking about the "Maestro" function of your bankcard. And that has been blocked since 2 or 3 years for Thailand. But with creditcards, no problem.

[merijn]

You need to ask for a temporary "unblock"

Daily and weekly withdrawal limits are standard

I contacted my bank in Belgium to be sure, and they told me they did not hear about such thing. Maybe you are speaking about the "Maestro" function of your bankcard. And that has been blocked since 2 or 3 years for Thailand. But with creditcards, no problem.

That is the same for some or most of the Dutch banks.

The use of your bank card (maestro) is standard blocked for use outside Europe but can be unblocked on request.