Most reliable method for mail delivery from US?

[itsbecca]

I need to get my new debit card card sent out and was wondering what method has the best likelihood of getting to me. I've been reading around and it seems like normal post is a gamble, does a Priority Envelope from USPS go through that same system or is more reliable? Is DHL/FedEX any "safer"? I've heard getting packages through them is expensive and painful, but I don't know if a little mailer would be in the same boat through customs.

On that note, how *is* a Priority letter delivered? Do you pick it up from the PO or is it sent to me directly? If it's PO pick-up do you still address it to yourself or the PO? (That's probably a stupid question...)

[VIPinthailand]

my credit card was renewed every 2 years years ago and I was in Thailand at this time , I asked relatives to send it to me by normal post (registered mail) .

card was wrapped in black paper. just keep a look at your online account to be sure no one made a copy of it.

Edited May 11, 2015 by VIPinthailand

[bangmai]

you can track Priority...

[lopburi3]

Not sure what would be best or if you are getting direct or is bank sending to a relative for onward shipping? My last two card done that way from Texas zip code got lost for months in mail (in one case know was sent to wrong country) - Thailand does not seem to be in geo knowledge base of postal workers from that state. That said have never had any issues with direct mail to Bangkok but believe I get all my mail (do provide New Years gifts). So expect it will be a case of what your bank is willing to do. Obviously registered mail or commercial signed service should be reliable.

If you are planning to remain here would suggest you get a Bangkok Bank debit card for use here and remit funds with ACH (domestic transfer) from your bank to Bangkiok Bank New York number for credit to account here.

[itsbecca]

Yes, I'm having a relative send it. I thought I'd have better control that way.

I'm only here for a few months, so I didn't look into a local acct (you can only do it with non tourist visa, yes?)

[lopburi3]

If really only a couple of months maybe not worth the effort (not all branches will know the rules or want to talk in English); but it can be done on any visa entry.

Even if you are only visiting Thailand for

a relatively short period of time, you can open a savings account and get a debit

card to use for shopping and ATM withdrawals. All you will need to provide

is your passport and one other official identification document – for example,

a reference letter from your embassy,

your home bank or a person acceptable

to the bank.

You will also need to provide evidence of your address in Thailand as well as your regular address in your home country.

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/SpecialServices/ForeignCustomers/Pages/Openinganaccountnew.aspx

[Seligne2]

I have had two debit cards sent to me regular post from Canada. Never received either.

[NancyL]

DHL/FedEx would be "safer" for something like a debit card. We've received several new credit cards over the years via DHL as part of our regular monthly mail shipment. We use a mail forwarding service that holds our mail and then sends it to us as one package via DHL. No problem with customs as long as it's envelopes containing regular mail and magazines. Big problems with customs when that package contains goods like vitamins, clothing, food or other stuff you buy on-line. The credit cards are in an envelope and the envelopes are with the other envelopes and magazines -- no goods -- and they sail right thru customs when shipped via DHL.

[peterjackson]

USPS Priority Mail Express International Flat Rate Padded Envelope. $ 42.75 if paid for online via usps.com. You can stuff the padded poly mailer (supplied free) with up to 4 pounds of stuff. If you declare the items as a gift with a value under $ 30 USD, I have never paid any receiving fees whatsoever. Mail it on a Monday in the USA will be delivered on Thursday in Chiang Mai. The uplift from the USA and transit to Thailand is done by FedEx and then transferred to Thailand Post for final destination delivery. Fully trackable and insured.

[Suradit69]

I have had replacement credit cards sent by ordinary mail from the US many times. Every one received. Sometimes enclosed in a greeting card or along with other forwarded mail that probably made the credit card shape less obvious to someone handling the mail.

Registered or priority mail would add some security.

[FolkGuitar]

Use 'EMS' from any post office. It costs just a bit more than first class mail, your letter gets put in a special mailing envelop, and is assigned a tracking number. It can be mailed to any address you choose. I use EMS for all small packages and important documents and have never lost any. I've used it from the US to Thailand as well as from Thailand to the US. Very simple. Very convenient. Very safe. Just tell the Post Office teller you want EMS (they will give you a short multi-part form for addresses to fill if its for international mail,) and that's it. No more difficult than sending a first class letter, but you can track it easily.

[northernjohn]

I have never had a problem with DHL. The regular postal system I had one debit card come in December I had asked for it in August needless to say I had already canceled it. A lot of mail my sister sent me from Seattle never made it. I get meds from IHerb DHL no problem and had a credit card sent to my sister who then sent it to me special delivery where it had to be signed for. Next time I am just going to have them Fed X it as there is no duty on it and they are to the best of my knowledge reliable when they don't have some thing that would require duty on it.

Not sure of shipping costs for just a letter. But if it is a Visa or debit card I want to be darn sure I get it in a reasonable time.

[DogNo1]

My bank in San Antonio insists on mailing my credit cards to me in Japan by regular mail and they regularly go missing. After two lost mailings they will finally send the cards by UPS. Then I receive them. After several years of this, I changed my address to my daughter's house in Seattle where the cards are received OK when sent by regular mail. She then sends the cards on to me. During the years of trouble, I got a Navy Federal Credit Union Visa and have been mostly using it. The Navy's service is great, the card pays cash back and has no foreign transaction fees. So it's not only cards sent to Thailand that get lost.

[jeffandgop]

Good recommendation but some of us still need a home country credit card to conduct transactions in our home country & so need to be able to receive from our home country the credit card....

Not sure what would be best or if you are getting direct or is bank sending to a relative for onward shipping? My last two card done that way from Texas zip code got lost for months in mail (in one case know was sent to wrong country) - Thailand does not seem to be in geo knowledge base of postal workers from that state. That said have never had any issues with direct mail to Bangkok but believe I get all my mail (do provide New Years gifts). So expect it will be a case of what your bank is willing to do. Obviously registered mail or commercial signed service should be reliable.

If you are planning to remain here would suggest you get a Bangkok Bank debit card for use here and remit funds with ACH (domestic transfer) from your bank to Bangkiok Bank New York number for credit to account here.

[Ozziepat]

FedEx. Fast, reliable though a bit expensive. Worth it for assured delivery.

[lopburi3]

Good recommendation but some of us still need a home country credit card to conduct transactions in our home country & so need to be able to receive from our home country the credit card....

Not sure what would be best or if you are getting direct or is bank sending to a relative for onward shipping? My last two card done that way from Texas zip code got lost for months in mail (in one case know was sent to wrong country) - Thailand does not seem to be in geo knowledge base of postal workers from that state. That said have never had any issues with direct mail to Bangkok but believe I get all my mail (do provide New Years gifts). So expect it will be a case of what your bank is willing to do. Obviously registered mail or commercial signed service should be reliable.

If you are planning to remain here would suggest you get a Bangkok Bank debit card for use here and remit funds with ACH (domestic transfer) from your bank to Bangkiok Bank New York number for credit to account here.

Actually I was not saying to not have a card - I was offering a cheaper and safer option for local payments and cash. But in fact you do not need a physical card to use it for mail/internet transactions in USA - all you need is the number/expiration date/name/and security code - all of which could be provided by family member who receives card in US. In fact you do not need a US card as Thai cards can be authorized for such use - but always good to have credit available and extra card or two. Where I have found a local US card is handy is for mailing items to registered address of card when making a gift to family (as I use my Thai address for US credit card/PayPal).

[bangmai]

USPS Priority Mail Express International Flat Rate Padded Envelope. $ 42.75 if paid for online via usps.com. You can stuff the padded poly mailer (supplied free) with up to 4 pounds of stuff. If you declare the items as a gift with a value under $ 30 USD, I have never paid any receiving fees whatsoever. Mail it on a Monday in the USA will be delivered on Thursday in Chiang Mai. The uplift from the USA and transit to Thailand is done by FedEx and then transferred to Thailand Post for final destination delivery. Fully trackable and insured.

A 10 x 6 in. flat rate Priority Letter is 23.50 online....

[peterjackson]

USPS Priority Mail Express International Flat Rate Padded Envelope. $ 42.75 if paid for online via usps.com. You can stuff the padded poly mailer (supplied free) with up to 4 pounds of stuff. If you declare the items as a gift with a value under $ 30 USD, I have never paid any receiving fees whatsoever. Mail it on a Monday in the USA will be delivered on Thursday in Chiang Mai. The uplift from the USA and transit to Thailand is done by FedEx and then transferred to Thailand Post for final destination delivery. Fully trackable and insured.

A 10 x 6 in. flat rate Priority Letter is 23.50 online....

I didn't mention Priority Letter, which can take up to 14 days to be received, doesn't come with a delivery timeframe guarantee or a money back refund if it's delivered late. THE OP, specifically asked for 'reliable' and my experience with Priority Mail EXPRESS International has been outstanding, unlike some of my earlier shipments which where sent Priority Mail International.

[itsbecca]

USPS Priority Mail Express International Flat Rate Padded Envelope. $ 42.75 if paid for online via usps.com. You can stuff the padded poly mailer (supplied free) with up to 4 pounds of stuff. If you declare the items as a gift with a value under $ 30 USD, I have never paid any receiving fees whatsoever. Mail it on a Monday in the USA will be delivered on Thursday in Chiang Mai. The uplift from the USA and transit to Thailand is done by FedEx and then transferred to Thailand Post for final destination delivery. Fully trackable and insured.

A 10 x 6 in. flat rate Priority Letter is 23.50 online....

I didn't mention Priority Letter, which can take up to 14 days to be received, doesn't come with a delivery timeframe guarantee or a money back refund if it's delivered late. THE OP, specifically asked for 'reliable' and my experience with Priority Mail EXPRESS International has been outstanding, unlike some of my earlier shipments which where sent Priority Mail International.

In your experience do the regular priority still make it, just in the longer time frame? Or have you ever have trouble with them being lost and/or coming much later?

[peterjackson]

USPS Priority Mail Express International Flat Rate Padded Envelope. $ 42.75 if paid for online via usps.com. You can stuff the padded poly mailer (supplied free) with up to 4 pounds of stuff. If you declare the items as a gift with a value under $ 30 USD, I have never paid any receiving fees whatsoever. Mail it on a Monday in the USA will be delivered on Thursday in Chiang Mai. The uplift from the USA and transit to Thailand is done by FedEx and then transferred to Thailand Post for final destination delivery. Fully trackable and insured.

A 10 x 6 in. flat rate Priority Letter is 23.50 online....

I didn't mention Priority Letter, which can take up to 14 days to be received, doesn't come with a delivery timeframe guarantee or a money back refund if it's delivered late. THE OP, specifically asked for 'reliable' and my experience with Priority Mail EXPRESS International has been outstanding, unlike some of my earlier shipments which where sent Priority Mail International.

In your experience do the regular priority still make it, just in the longer time frame? Or have you ever have trouble with them being lost and/or coming much later?

I had 1 Priority Mail last year that never made it past Bangkok Postal Customs and 1 that arrived in Thailand, was then shipped to Hong Kong, then back the the States, then to Thailand, only to be returned to the States 2 months later marked 'Delivery Attempted-Office Closed' yet it never even got to Lampang, which was it's intended destination.

[bangmai]

I just received a gift of cigars from the US. It took 15 days. 6 oz. was 10.97 us online..that was First Class International. The long Holidays are a curse of death here, as it seems to be first in, last out, where the mail piles up. Usually it is more like 1 week. Anything thick (more than 3/4 o an inch) is likely to be stopped by customs, and may be re-packaged and sent on...that's why I wouldn't put it in a stuffed envelope. Condo addresses seem to work better, I haven't had anything lost since I lived in a Moo-baan with a confusing address system. THAILAND goes on its own line at the very bottom, otherwise it may first go to that same ZIP code in the US (somewhere in Iowa). If you use USPS.com you can pay for the label and save it as a pdf, then email it to the sender.

[itsbecca]

Thought I'd update in case anyone searches this topic later. My family sent the package EMS using FedEx on Thursday Morning, it was set to arrive Monday, but actually came Saturday! So pretty damn quick. The one hiccup was I got a notice it was "delivered" but it wasn't at my apartment. Turns out they delivered it to a well known hotel/guesthouse that has a very similar name to the place I live. Luckily, I knew about it because Songthaew's have taken us there by mistake a few times. So I just went and picked it up armed with a picture of a fedex mailer to point to and practicing a Thai phrase about a lost letter in my head (both uneeded as they spoke english... oh well.)

So I guess addresses are not paid a lot of attention to, but if your place is known or has a name, as opposed to a normal house, then you'll probably have very little problem with a delivery from FedEx it seems!

[circusman]

Peace of mind for some folks but dhl fedx etc. are too rich for my blood. If a credit card got lost I would just tell my bank to cancel it and send a new one. Whats the big deal ?

[Mapguy]

Peace of mind (and no potential customs problems; for example, no restricted drugs and sex toys) = courier service, but expensive. Best, if you are a transient, or your mailing address is unclear.

Another method is registered mail from any country. Takes longer (depends on the county of origin), but a lot cheaper and trackable to some degree. Your address has to be quite clear.

Regular mail is generally not a problem --- distances ffrom origin to Chiang Mai will vary --- if you have a clear address and don't keep moving around. If you do, check with the Chiang Mai post office near the railroad station as an address to use to pick up mail.