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What NFC cards are used in Thailand?

Featured Replies

I need to get one or some of the popular thai NFC cards used, say, for paying in shops and buses.

Google search hasn't helped and I myself have never used any thai NFC card.


What NFC cards any foreigner can get easily and not really expensive? Are there any at all? For example, in Hong Kong it'd be Octopus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_card

Contactless cards in Thailand??????

They ain't even got EMV chips on 95% of the cards, how could they have the more complex mag stripe cards with NFC antenna included...

Edited by Swiss1960

There are some creditcards with that feature. Look for Visa Paywave. Not really useful, I think some of the big supermarkets may accept it (Tesco, BigC). Try that in the bus, I guess a look in their faces will be priceless smile.png

Closest do Octopus is the Rabbit card in BKK, mainly for BTS usage. But there is no common system, you need separate cards/tickets for all forms of public transport.

Edited by MadMac

  • Author

There are some creditcards with that feature. Look for Visa Paywave. Not really useful, I think some of the big supermarkets may accept it (Tesco, BigC). Try that in the bus, I guess a look in their faces will be priceless smile.png

Closest do Octopus is the Rabbit card in BKK, mainly for BTS usage. But there is no common system, you need separate cards/tickets for all forms of public transport.

Thanks for Rabbit card, is it easy to get it and should I go to Bangkok for that? I have a tourist visa if that matters.

I probably can't get any bank credit NFC card because I don't have a working visa.

re

I need to get one or some of the popular thai NFC cards used, say, for paying in shops

7 eleven have a purse card :)

it costs about 150 baht

takes 5 minits to apply for and can be used in any thai 7 eleven !

dave2

post-42592-0-65397600-1445487248_thumb.j

post-42592-0-10602100-1445487280_thumb.j

  • Author

I've bought smart purse from 7-11. Are you sure it's exactly an NFC card? Not a smart card?

Edited by Maramook

There are some creditcards with that feature. Look for Visa Paywave. Not really useful, I think some of the big supermarkets may accept it (Tesco, BigC). Try that in the bus, I guess a look in their faces will be priceless smile.png

Closest do Octopus is the Rabbit card in BKK, mainly for BTS usage. But there is no common system, you need separate cards/tickets for all forms of public transport.

Thanks for Rabbit card, is it easy to get it and should I go to Bangkok for that? I have a tourist visa if that matters.

I probably can't get any bank credit NFC card because I don't have a working visa.

Rabbit card and the card for MRT use are very easy to get. Go to the window in any station, pay cash and it's done with no paperwork.

  • Author

Ok.
if you're familiar with NFC, do you know if they're NFC for sure?

Yes, they are.

It was possible to set up a Samsung Galaxy phone with an AIS sim card to replace the BTS card, so you could use the phone's NFC capability instead.

This makes me think the BTS card is NFC. The MRT uses a similar card system to the BTS.

I'm not sure if this is relevant as it is not a card, but the Airport Rail Link uses round plastic single use tokens that work in the same way as an NFC card. You tap the token on the reader to get in, then at the other end you insert the token into the gate (which retains the token for reuse).

I think the ARL has a prepay card too, but I don't have one so I can't be sure.

I think (but can not remember) the MRT uses the same single use token system. A token would cost you just a few baht (the price to the next station).

  • Author
I've tried reading a 7-11 smart purse card using my android device by nfc and read something, but only in the raw format.

I'll need to decode that information somehow. Where would I find documentation about it? On their website it seems there's nothing about that, seems like it's only for internal use.

I'd like to get my balance and ideally the list of transactions. How would I do that?

I believe it is easier to copy credit cards :).

You are looking for something which for all practical purposes does not exist. Thailand remains a largely cash based economy/society.

If here on a tourist visa you will be lucky if you can open/access other than the most basic of savings account with one of the banks.

  • Author

You haven't understood my goal. My goal is obtain the balance for my smart purse at home, that's it.

Is the balance and/or transaction information stored on the card?

I didn't think that was the way it worked.

  • Author

Balance - most likely yes.

transactions - probably not, but they can be retrieved from their website

Being able to get the balance is already good for me.

Just buy a stored value BTS card or MRT card.

  • Author

Does anybody know if "Kasikorn 7-11 visa (smart purse)" debit card NFC or what?

Maramook, you shouldn't post the same question in multiple ThaiVisa forum topics. "Cross Posting" will get your posts deleted.

Since you are actually asking actionable questions in this topic/thread, I'll answer here.

If you're interested in what data is available when you scan an NFC Card or Device acting as a payment transaction instrument then I suggest reading some tech articles:

How to read a contactless credit card such as Visa paywave or MasterCard paypass

by NFC Admin, Montag, 2 April 2012

The chips stored the information from Track 1 and Track 2 [same data found on the magnetic strip of a credit card]
thus the following information can be read from the card that is also printed on the front side of the card:
Creditcard Number
Firstname, Lastname
Experation Date
Transaction Counter
Service Number

Reading Visa payWave Credit Card Details via NFC on Android

StackOverflow

Press info on Kasikorn Bank NFC payWave 'stickers'

KBank launches “Paywave Sticker” credit card innovation, targeting 200,000 cardholders in 2014

Kasikorn Bank website

McDonald’s offering Visa payWave contactless payments in Thailand

paymenteye.com | Saajan Raja | 25 Apr 14

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My question is not how to read NFC data in general. I know how to do that.

My question is

what NFC or EMV cards can a foreigner get easily, without having to have a working or student visa?

KBank offers credit emv cards which, of course, require a working visa. Bangkok bank also. The yellow bank also -- a working visa.

As for McDonalds, it doesn't offer anything, what it offered was money back to your payWave card. Which, as I said, I want to get.

Edited by Maramook

  • Author

and also "Does anybody know if "Kasikorn 7-11 visa (smart purse)" debit card NFC or what? "

You want to use a card on the bus?

Are we talking about the same Thailand here?

  • Author

No.

What's the same Thailand?

Waiting on the follow up in the Bangkok Post... Russian hacker arrested for trying to pay with copied NFC cards.

  • Author

Wait.

and also "Does anybody know if "Kasikorn 7-11 visa (smart purse)" debit card NFC or what? "

From the look if it, it does not seem to be NFC enabled, as I can't see the Visa Paywave symbol that should be on it. Assume it is a swipe only card

As this thread is now asking about reading secure data on a payment card which is of course illegal (yes, even "just reading the balance" requires the keys), closed.

By the way, Octopus isn't NFC.

"I don't want to know why you can't. I want to know how you can!"

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