Sending debit cards to Thailand

[IMA_FARANG]

I have sent a MasterCharge Credit card the other way.... from Thailand to the U.S. to my brother in the U.S.

Sent it by Thai mail registered Mail.... also had some other papers in there of no value but just used to disguise the shape of the credit card so someone couldn't feel the card from outside.

Worked.... my brother received the card with no problem.

[stoli]

If you have on line banking -- you should have activated the cards On Line ... Even if Pre-Paid Debit cards on line activation should have been an option.

If activated the cards can be misused if they should fall into the wrong hands... Never put any information on the outside of the envelope about the exact contents ... 'Documents' is all that should be needed. I recommend DHL ...expensive -- but it works.

What you say sounds reasonable, unless you have the wrong bank in the states. My bank, Eldorado Savings Bank in California & Nevada, makes you pick up the hew card at your branch, and use their ATM machine on site to activate your new card. This, even though I have online banking. They will not even allow you to transfer money from their bank to another. Can't wait to get back to the states and dump their ass. They will not allow you to use your Debit card for online purchases from outside the US unless you call them first, and they will allow it for a 15 minute period. Always check what you can do with your bank before you move overseas.

[csabo]

You should not have activated them. Could have been done online or with a phone call from Thailand. Then you can drop them in the regular mail as that is exactly what banks do. Just mail your cards in the regular mail. Any quality bank will protect you against fraud and recover losses. FedEx etc is far too expensive for such a small item. I had a new debit card mailed here from the US a week ago. Took about 2 weeks to get here and then I activated it. Done and done.

[lucifer666]

I had my UK bank send them here and activated them online.

[Guest]

I did this.

The one extra step i took was to have the sender scratch out and cover with a marker the CVV number on the back.

Send number in e mail ... or better yet, on phone call.

Not much can be done without that CVV.

[Jonmarleesco]

Dependent on the bank, since not all will send cards to Thailand, sent to you and activated by you from here would be the better bet. Barclays, for example, were a no-no in the past; the Halifax, not an issue. As I recall, online activation apart, a phone call is fine.

[NoshowJones]

As most UK banks will not send cards abroad, they go to my UK address then I Use Royal Mail Recorded with no problem. Even if activated you still need a pin number to use so make sure that when you send the card there is nothing in the package to indicate your pin number.

There was a topic on here last week about British banks and sending credit cards to Thailand.

Going by the posts, in most cases the banks were OK about that, but not mine unfortunately.

[fgmr]

From the UK, Royal Mail International Signed For works well, is reasonably priced and requires a signature at the far end so less chance of going astray.

For future reference, the cards will work in your PIN machine before activation and you can usually activate by phone as well.

I concur with Crossy as I have been doing the same for all cards over the last 8 years. Just ensure that it is not obvious there is a card inside. Mine are always sent enclosed inside a greetings card.

The downside is that if you live out in the villages the postmen/women do not care who signs for receipt before handing over the item to them. Fortunately mine have always been given to me, some from neighbors living 200 mtrs away.

[craigt3365]

I just signed up with a new bank in the US. They sent the cards via regular mail. Never got them. Sent them again. Never arrived. Sent them again. Finally arrived. Took about 2 months.

My other bank, USAA, always sends them via 2 day FedEx. Never had a problem. I think I pay $12 extra for this service.

[evadgib]

From the UK, Royal Mail International Signed For works well, is reasonably priced and requires a signature at the far end so less chance of going astray.

For future reference, the cards will work in your PIN machine before activation and you can usually activate by phone as well.

I concur with Crossy as I have been doing the same for all cards over the last 8 years. Just ensure that it is not obvious there is a card inside. Mine are always sent enclosed inside a greetings card.

The downside is that if you live out in the villages the postmen/women do not care who signs for receipt before handing over the item to them. Fortunately mine have always been given to me, some from neighbors living 200 mtrs away.

Sending in a greetings card is exactly what not to do as they're very often rifled!

[elgordo38]

Dhl, fedex, ups any of the premium couriers and send them as documents, put the cards in with some paperwork.. no worries

Never activate them till they arrive here. You can Skype your bank when they arrive and activate them. You did the right thing getting them sent to your father. Banks now have funny rules about sending bank cards here and they definitely will not give you a new card/account if you live here. A lot of guys have exotic ways of dealing with this you should get some good answers.

[mankondang]

I think that DoctorG #12 has good solution for your problem and piece of mind. Also if your present Thai address is unsuitable, do you have a trusted friend with suitable Thai address to post them to and sign for you on arrival of Registered Post? I get my Australian bank post, Registered Mail, my new debit cards to my Thai address. The pin number arrives first and approx 4 days latter my Debit card arrives. I then activate the card online or by phonning my bank. Best of luck.

[JDGRUEN]

I used DHL. Costs £37 but is properly tracked all the way, they even supply the envelope.

Post office only track to Heathrow then nothing.

Takes about 5 days with DHL.

Once it leaves the UK and after it arrives in Thailand it can be tracked on the Thai post website (EMS)

Not unless it is transferred into Thai Post EMS ... Two times mine when into regular Thailand post mail - not EMS and were lost. Even though when leaving the U.S. the cards were in a class of mail that was tracked - but only tracked until it left the USA.

[JDGRUEN]

If you have on line banking -- you should have activated the cards On Line ... Even if Pre-Paid Debit cards on line activation should have been an option.

If activated the cards can be misused if they should fall into the wrong hands... Never put any information on the outside of the envelope about the exact contents ... 'Documents' is all that should be needed. I recommend DHL ...expensive -- but it works.

What you say sounds reasonable, unless you have the wrong bank in the states. My bank, Eldorado Savings Bank in California & Nevada, makes you pick up the hew card at your branch, and use their ATM machine on site to activate your new card. This, even though I have online banking. They will not even allow you to transfer money from their bank to another. Can't wait to get back to the states and dump their ass. They will not allow you to use your Debit card for online purchases from outside the US unless you call them first, and they will allow it for a 15 minute period. Always check what you can do with your bank before you move overseas.

My bank in the USA has been USAA but not everyone s eligible to be a customer of that bank (Military and Veterans).... I also use a prepaid debit card from American Express Bluebird.... bluebird.com ... This card / complete checking account is stellar -- but deposit limits are $2,000.00 a month. The Bluebird card can be used at Bangkok Bank and other banks showing the AMEX label on the ATM... I highly recommend the bluebird,com Pre-Paid Debit Card... Just go read about all its features ...

One can get a Bluebird Pre-Paid Debit card without having to go to America -- have to have a Social Security number and an American Mailing address. Great Dollar/Baht exchange rates, and very low to no fees. A good backup card ... money can be transferred from your existing bank in America - via ACH American Clearing House bank to bank transfers or via use of your other bank's debit card.

[juice777]

Ring your bank and ask them if u can activate them my phone or onlone

And I have a card on the way now I think it was about 8 pound with royal mail and my sister said 5 days and can be tracked

Hope this helps

[KhunBENQ]

No idea how your cards work, but:

I have a couple of VISA debit cards which are bound to a respective savings accounts (max. withdraw of 2000 Euro/month).

I have all the accounts online.

If I want to send them: empty the account (down to a negligible mandatory minimum) by moving to your main account.

Then let a friend send the card.

Its not more than a piece of plastic while the account is (near) empty.

EDIT: just seen post #12 which describes a similar method.

Edited July 24, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[Jay1]

Great. Thanks for the replies everyone. I've been in touch with my dad and have decided to keep the cards at his for now. I've written down the card numbers etc and will keep them in a safe place. I have a Thai account which I get paid into and just use the UK ones for online purchases. If I need them in the future I'll get some inactivated ones sent to my dad and then ask him to send them on... If I don't need them before my next visit to UK then I'll pick them up when I do visit.

Thanks for everyone's replies, much appreciated. I'll refer back to this thread if and when I need to get them sent over. Cheers

[elgenon]

The problem with activating them online is that I need the cards to use the PinEntry device to enable me to use online banking. Not sure if they would work in the PinEntry device before they have been activated.

PinEntry device on the card? Have not seen that yet.

I just get my replacement cards sent internationally directly from the bank (usually a $15 fee). Then I activate them by calling the number on the card and they are good to go.

It's not rocket science.

Do you need to use a landline to call the 800 number in the States?

[elgenon]

Sorry, forgot to check "follow"

[craigt3365]

I activate my cards via the internet. No need to call, but you can call an 800 number with Skype easily. Or, most banks also have a number with an area code.

[dbrenn]

Some debit / credit cards can be temporarily locked online, or assigned small daily limits.

I had some sent from Oz, and locked them during transit.

As others have said, use a courier like DHL for additional security.