china union pay credits cards for farang at bkk bank

[monkey dog]

need a fixed deposit in thai baht minimum 30000. three weeks waiting approval.

try silom if you local bkk bank is iffy

no debit card available.

anyone got one and can give a comparative critique?

"Welcome to UnionPay, the Global Leading Bankcard Association" http://en.unionpay.com/

also

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/DailyBanking/CreditCards/CreditCardType/ChinaUnionPayCreditCard/Pages/Default.aspx

"Widely accepted – Over 1,570,000 merchants in China, Macau, Hong Kong 25,000 merchants in Thailand and 101 countries worldwide."

edit: other than the annual and joining fees all other fees are the same for all credit cards? http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/DailyBanking/CreditCards/Pages/TermsandConditionsall.aspx

Edited January 8, 2015 by monkey dog

[monkey dog]

my interest in union pay cards was i read somewhere that they offered a more economical way of transferring money internationally than the standard international atm network. but cant see/find any evidence of that. eg quoted at the bkk bank page a 3 percent cash advance fee! before you even go into exchange rate differential.

[Pib]

Where it says, "Widely accepted – Over 1,570,000 merchants in China, Macau, Hong Kong 25,000 merchants in Thailand and 101 countries worldwide" that tells me the card is still predominately only accepted in China because only 25,000 merchants "outside of China" is so, so small...really small.

[Briggsy]

What is a "union pay credit card"?

Am I alone in finding the original post incomprehensible?

[wdr]

I have an UnionPay card and use it regularly in Thailand w/o problems. They also work in Malaysia and Indonesia. In SEA are already many Chinese bank offices. In Suratthani they have the ICBC bank office - good service!

[Pib]

It's just a credit card issued under the China Union network...just like how debit and credit cards are issued under the Visa network or Mastercard network...or American Express network, etc. How widely a China Union network card is accepted on a worldwide basis is a different story....the fact Bangkok Bank has a credit card issued under the China Union network really means little as they also issue credit cards under the Visa, Mastercard, and Mastercard networks also because for whatever reason some customer prefer certain brand names although there is practically zero difference between the brand names in many aspects.

Besides how widely the card network is accepted, where the real difference usually comes is any additional benefits or lower fees the "card-issuing" bank may provide for a certain card they issue, be it a Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, or China Union network card because it really the card-issuing bank that sets most of the fee and benefits structure in the card they issue under a certain network. For that info the person needs to review the Terms & Conditions/Fees/Benefits for the card.

To me the fees associated with the Bangkok Bank China Union credit card are very similar to their other credit cards. Link.

China Union credit card annual fee: Bt1500, 3% cash advance, 2.5% foreign transaction, etc.

[Sviss Geez]

What is a "union pay credit card"?

Am I alone in finding the original post incomprehensible?

China Union Pay is the name of the organisation that issues it's own credit cards.

[Suradit69]

What is a "union pay credit card"?

Am I alone in finding the original post incomprehensible?

No, you've definitely got company.

When I first read the heading I thought some union in China was making credit card payments for farang at Bangkok Bank. After reading the O/P I didn't feel the fog had lifted much.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Suradit69

[SheungWan]

HSBC in HK started issuing cards under the UnionPay network as an alternative to Plus network but it caused a degree of disruption as holders of these cards found that they weren't being accepted in some locations when using ATMs. Don't know if anybody having any problems in Thailand with UnionPay.

[SinCityGr8One]

What is a "union pay credit card"?

Am I alone in finding the original post incomprehensible?

Instead of a VISA or Master Card Logo, it has a Union Pay Logo. Read Post #1 and you will get all the details regarding a Union Pay Credit Card.

Edited January 10, 2015 by SinCityGr8One