Closing Paypal account in home country and registering with Paypal Thailand

[MrWorldwide]

Hi All,

Given that I live here now and have no intention of returning to Oz, I think it's time I made the transition. The website appears much the same as my Paypal Australia account - just wondering if anyone has had any issues with Paypal Thailand. I particularly dont like it when companies like AIS insist on texting me in Thai when I cant read the language - hopefully Paypal are a little brighter than that.

Thanks,

MrWW

[yankee99]

Paypal is based and singapore and their customer service is good. Why not keep both accounts.

[lopburi3]

Actually when I first opened it was in Singapore but they have changed it to Thailand and all pop-ups on Ebay are now in Thai (although I am not using a Thai IP it is my mailing address for credit card). Sign in to paypal gets directed to paypal/th but does have an English language option available so not an issue (if you scroll down screen to find it).

[MrWorldwide]

Paypal is based and singapore and their customer service is good. Why not keep both accounts.

Because paypal relies on a single email address and my trader reputation on Head-Fi is built around my yahoo email address. I only use Paypal to see audio gear - not trying to run a business as I explained in an earlier thread.

[yankee99]

Just to be clear you may go to .th but all business is still done in Singapore for SEA as of 2 weeks ago.

[yankee99]

Paypal is based and singapore and their customer service is good. Why not keep both accounts.

Because paypal relies on a single email address and my trader reputation on Head-Fi is built around my yahoo email address. I only use Paypal to see audio gear - not trying to run a business as I explained in an earlier thread.

Sorry not sure what "see" audio gear means. You can get a 2nd email address for your thai account and all business is in english.

[MrWorldwide]

Apologies - that should read 'sell' not 'see' - an unfortunate typo.

[ldnguy]

If you're planning to stay in Thailand, maybe it's also time to learn to read, write and speak Thai. It would make your life a whole lot easier. It's not too difficult once you put the time in. If 60 million people can speak Thai, it can't be too difficult can it?

[lopburi3]

Actually it is. Even for those of younger years. Which is likely why few speak it as a second language.

[mokwit]

As a foreigner do you have the requisite financial standing tools with a Thai bank that you need for verification etc? Thai credit card?

I have kept mine UK - it was years ago but I did not have all the confirmations etc to open a Thai account.

I would hold back from closing the oz account until you are sure all t's and I's can be crossed and dotted here.

[chingching]

Even if you speak English with an American account, you'll have problems. I very recently had problems with logging in. I was selected in one of Paypals' "random" security checks. But the login wanted me to confirm my email addresses, after I confirmed them, the same list would reappear, and it was a never ending loop.

A total of 8 or 9 emails were exchanged between us. Mine was in essence "my login is broken. I cannot log in". Their response for the 8 or 9 times varied, Some examples, " to change your password, login to your account." OR "We suggest you call us, login to your account to get a OTP." Not until the 10th email was I given a phone number I could call. This was all in English, good luck with other languages.

Edited February 17, 2015 by chingching

[technologybytes]

You cannot have both a Thai and and Oz paypal account, unless one is a business account and the other a personal. It's nothing to do with email address, it's because of PayPal rules and if they catch you they will suspend both accounts.

It's the sensible thing to close one and open a new one in Thailand. I did that about 8 years ago.

[yankee99]

Apologies - that should read 'sell' not 'see' - an unfortunate typo.

If your going to sell in the beginning they may put a wait time on transactions especially if the buyers are using non-thai PayPal accounts. I needed to send via email my passport, bank info and address. This was a while back so things may change but i doubt it. Now as long as the buyer is verified transactions are cleared immediately. Most of mine are 30k and up. The fee is 4.5% which is steep but buyers think of it as a insurance policy.

[yankee99]

Even if you speak English with an American account, you'll have problems. I very recently had problems with logging in. I was selected in one of Paypals' "random" security checks. But the login wanted me to confirm my email addresses, after I confirmed them, the same list would reappear, and it was a never ending loop.

A total of 8 or 9 emails were exchanged between us. Mine was in essence "my login is broken. I cannot log in". Their response for the 8 or 9 times varied, Some examples, " to change your password, login to your account." OR "We suggest you call us, login to your account to get a OTP." Not until the 10th email was I given a phone number I could call. This was all in English, good luck with other languages.

The fact that you couldn't login makes it hard to call direct. When logged in they give you a code to access customer service when calling.

[yankee99]

You cannot have both a Thai and and Oz paypal account, unless one is a business account and the other a personal. It's nothing to do with email address, it's because of PayPal rules and if they catch you they will suspend both accounts.

It's the sensible thing to close one and open a new one in Thailand. I did that about 8 years ago.

Maybe some Australian banking rule. PayPal thai/Singapore knows i have a usa PayPal account and didn't seem to care. Maybe the rep didnt know the rules?

[Don Mega]

You cannot have both a Thai and and Oz paypal account, unless one is a business account and the other a personal. It's nothing to do with email address, it's because of PayPal rules and if they catch you they will suspend both accounts.

It's the sensible thing to close one and open a new one in Thailand. I did that about 8 years ago.

Have accounts in both OZ and Thai (both are personal accounts) for more than 7 years now.

when I moved here I sent an email to Paypal asking them if I could also link my Thai credit card to my aus account and they told me I could not and If I wanted to use my Thai credit card (as well as aus one) to open a second account.

when will Paypal be suspending them ?

Edited February 17, 2015 by Don Mega

[MrWorldwide]

As a foreigner do you have the requisite financial standing tools with a Thai bank that you need for verification etc? Thai credit card?

I have kept mine UK - it was years ago but I did not have all the confirmations etc to open a Thai account.

I would hold back from closing the oz account until you are sure all t's and I's can be crossed and dotted here.

Why does it have to be a credit card ? I've been using my KrungThai Debit card here without issue for the last 9 months and my Paypal Oz account is built around my CBA Debit card back in Oz - never had a problem.

[mokwit]

Don't know if it absolutely has to be a credit card but to have an instant payment facility with my UK bank account it has to be supported by a separate from that account card (debit card on same account not accepted) - maybe different bank debit card would work.

[technologybytes]

You cannot have both a Thai and and Oz paypal account, unless one is a business account and the other a personal. It's nothing to do with email address, it's because of PayPal rules and if they catch you they will suspend both accounts.

It's the sensible thing to close one and open a new one in Thailand. I did that about 8 years ago.

Have accounts in both OZ and Thai (both are personal accounts) for more than 7 years now.

when I moved here I sent an email to Paypal asking them if I could also link my Thai credit card to my aus account and they told me I could not and If I wanted to use my Thai credit card (as well as aus one) to open a second account.

when will Paypal be suspending them ?

Yes, if they catch you they will suspend both accounts. You are in clear violation of the terms.

It's happened to a lot of people. Of course, many people get away with it for years.

if you don't believe me call or email Paypal and ask them directly can I have 2 personal accounts.. or you could always read the conditions that you agreed to..

[yankee99]

You cannot have both a Thai and and Oz paypal account, unless one is a business account and the other a personal. It's nothing to do with email address, it's because of PayPal rules and if they catch you they will suspend both accounts.

It's the sensible thing to close one and open a new one in Thailand. I did that about 8 years ago.

Have accounts in both OZ and Thai (both are personal accounts) for more than 7 years now.

when I moved here I sent an email to Paypal asking them if I could also link my Thai credit card to my aus account and they told me I could not and If I wanted to use my Thai credit card (as well as aus one) to open a second account.

when will Paypal be suspending them ?

Yes, if they catch you they will suspend both accounts. You are in clear violation of the terms.

It's happened to a lot of people. Of course, many people get away with it for years.

if you don't believe me call or email Paypal and ask them directly can I have 2 personal accounts.. or you could always read the conditions that you agreed to..

Like this email

"I asked this question to the offficial helpdesk. Yes they allow, here is the repy I got:

Dear XXXX,

Thank you for contacting PayPal Customer Support. My name is Tyler

and I will be happy to assist you.

Yes you may you 2 seperate accounts in 2 different countries as long as

the email addresses are different for each account.

We support services for more than 190 countries. Heres how you can see

the different services and products we offer in your country:

1. Go to www.paypal.com.au.

2. Click worldwide under Join PayPal Today.

3. In the drop-down menu, select the region you are interested in.

Thanks for your email and I'm glad I could resolve your questions.

Sincerely,

Tyler"

[technologybytes]

Tyler is confused. The rules are clear enough, one personal account and one business account.

If you open 2 personal accounts then if you are caught both will be suspended until you provide lots of proof of address etc for both and then they will make you choose between countries for the personal account, or you will need to change one into a business account.

Believe me, when that happens, the fact that you have an email from a customer service rep that forgot to mention that they cannot be both personal accounts won't help you. I know this for certain because it happened to ME,

Like I said, you could always read the rules, after all you signed to say that you understand and will abide by them.

Also, and I quote the email exactly "Yes you may you 2 separate accounts" is hardly even english.. clearly they employ morons on customer service anyway.

I'm guessing you did NOT ask if you could have 2 personal accounts....

Edited February 17, 2015 by technologybytes

[SwimmingPoolsThailand]

We have an account with PayPal.

About 25% of our customers use it for paying for their orders by credit/debit card or their PayPal accounts. We do not know where their PayPal accounts are located. Many of our customers are absent from their second homes in Thailand when they place their orders and they are possibly using PayPal/credit card accounts that are not registered in Thailand.

Our PayPal account is headquartered in Singapore. All communications with them and with our customers are in English but the GUI allows us to select another language if we wish. The default language for this region is Thai.

Many web sites adjust their content according to the geolocation of the IP address that is being used by the computer or mobile device you connect to the Internet with but you can usually override this to show the language of your choice.

[Suradit69]

Paypal is based and singapore and their customer service is good. Why not keep both accounts.

I agree with both comments. My PayPal (& eBay) accounts are still linked to my US bank and US credit cards, but I've used them without any problems in Thailand. I prefer to have everything denominated in US dollars.

Singapore customer service has been very helpful.

I still get some communications from both in Thai, but anything of importance has been in English and when accessing my accounts online both remain in English. With eBay in particular I sometimes find myself looking at things priced in Thai baht, but if I log out and log in again specifically for the US or Singapore sites, problem solved.

And both PayPal and eBay get jittery about anything that gets changed. If you close out one account and then try to open another account you'll probably go on some security alert for months if not years and constantly have to verify this and that or have to wait for things to clear etc.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Suradit69

[czhteck]

I have had trouble with PayPal accepting my Thai Bank account credit card in my PayPal account. They keep rejecting the card.

Has any one. else had trouble having with there card in Thailand?

Can Not get my card accept accepted

Regards

Ray.

[kbelyeu]

Mrworldwide,

You can close your OZ account but it may take some time before the email address is removed so that you can open a Thai PP account using that same email address. As someone has advised you would probably save yourself considerable grief by just using a second email address. You should be able to configure your email client to grab emails from this new email address automatically so you would see any messages that pop up. I have my US paypal on my Gmail address, Singapore paypal on my Yahoo address (used to live in Singapore) and my Thai paypal on my Fastmail address. Any language issues can be sorted by right clicking on the page and clicking "translate" or changing the default language once you login to Paypal. My only issue has been getting my account confirmed because my electronic CC number give to me by paypal doesn't allow me to get the code that paypal is looking for but it still hasn't prevented me from using the card.

If you need more specifics feel free to PM me as I am a long time Paypal user that has dealt with most of their shit and came out on top (famous last words).

Kurt

[kbelyeu]

Mrworldwide,

Concerning your second issue that I previously missed concerning AIS. Please following this link:

http://www.ais.co.th/12call/en/change-language-service.html

Cheers,

Kurt

[Cheops]

Tyler is confused. The rules are clear enough, one personal account and one business account.

If you open 2 personal accounts then if you are caught both will be suspended until you provide lots of proof of address etc for both and then they will make you choose between countries for the personal account, or you will need to change one into a business account.

Believe me, when that happens, the fact that you have an email from a customer service rep that forgot to mention that they cannot be both personal accounts won't help you. I know this for certain because it happened to ME,

Like I said, you could always read the rules, after all you signed to say that you understand and will abide by them.

Also, and I quote the email exactly "Yes you may you 2 separate accounts" is hardly even english.. clearly they employ morons on customer service anyway.

I'm guessing you did NOT ask if you could have 2 personal accounts....

I have a business account in the Netherlands and last time I tried to buy something in China using my pp account, but pp didn't approve to ship something to Thailand since the pp account is Dutch based.

I mailed them last week to ask if I can add a Thai credit card or bank account, but simply no reaction yet!

Could I just open a new personal account in Thailand on a different email address? I don't want to jeopardize my Dutch account.

Or should I just open a pp account on my wife's name to avoid problems?

Thx for any advice.

[DiamondKing]

Paypal is based and singapore and their customer service is good. Why not keep both accounts.

Because it is against their policies you cannot have 2 personal paypal accounts and they will quickly see from IP logins that you are now living in a differenct country and eventually will be forced to move over to the paypal country of residence.

You can however have 2 paypal accounts one business and one personal but you cannot have 2 personal in 2 different countries.

Paypal Thailand as mentioned in Singapore based and good service and of course its all in English if you want it to be or thai up to you.

Never had an issue with Paypal other than an account limitation but that was quickly solved by their customer service.

[kbelyeu]

Paypal is based and singapore and their customer service is good. Why not keep both accounts.

Because it is against their policies you cannot have 2 personal paypal accounts and they will quickly see from IP logins that you are now living in a differenct country and eventually will be forced to move over to the paypal country of residence.

You can however have 2 paypal accounts one business and one personal but you cannot have 2 personal in 2 different countries.

Paypal Thailand as mentioned in Singapore based and good service and of course its all in English if you want it to be or thai up to you.

Never had an issue with Paypal other than an account limitation but that was quickly solved by their customer service.

I don't have any Paypal business accounts and I have 3 separate Paypal accounts in 3 different countries. When I originally relocated from the USA to Singapore I was informed by customer service that this was the way the account should be setup by using a separate email address. Right or wrong I have had these accounts for 7+ years and actively use the US and Thai account, only occasionally using the Singapore account.

Regards,

Kurt

[MrWorldwide]

Thanks for all the feedback, team - clearly i'm not the only one who has had to grapple with this and similar issues around an ID based on an email address and a bank account.

I've decided on the following course of action -

1. Withdraw the bulk of my remaining Paypal Australia balance to my CBA account and transfer that to Netbank - they claim 3 business days for that to happen

2. Get a hotmail email account and try to register with Paypal Thailand (whether its based in Singapore or Mars, its nominally Paypal Thailand) using my KT Debit card

3. Proceed cautiously until I'm confident that any tranfers to and from my Thai account are safe.

We've all read the horror stories re hackers and Thai bank employees etc, but to date - touch wood - I've never lost a satang. Predictably, any thread such as this or my other thread on shipping seems to bring out more of the negatives but that's life - the alternative is to ignore a massive marketplace in the US and elsewhere and that's not practical if I want to deal with the majority of people on Head-Fi.

Have a great Chinese NY.

MrWW