Best Thai online banking system to use while outside Thailand?

[JeffChiangmai]

Hello,

My Thai wife and I will probably be spending an extended time in the USA in the next year or two, but we will still need to do some banking transactions in Thailand while we are there (sending money to her family, etc.).

Since we will be out of Thailand for such a long time, we need a way to do online banking transactions without getting a one-time password on a Thai mobile phone.

I currently use TMB and the mobile app with the 2 password system works for transactions outside Thailand, but it seems to be linked to a particular iPhone. When I upgraded my iPhone, I had to go to a TMB ATM and reactivate the service. That makes me a little nervous - if anything happened to my phone, my ability to do online banking in Thailand would be gone.

Can anyone recommend another bank that has a friendlier system for online banking outside of Thailand?

Thanks in advance.

[lopburi3]

Once set up Bangkok Bank transfers do not require password - only for the initial set up.

[keeniau96]

Per lopburi3 BKK Bank is very good and does not need phone confirmation. K-bank does need phone.

[SantiSuk]

Krungsri no good on that front either. OTPs for everything.

[fletchsmile]

I have TMB internet banking. TMB still requires you to receive SMS for many types of transaction. But my phone can receive SMS messages while overseas, so there's no problem. Even though I can't call out, I can still receive SMS. It's linked to your phone number/ SIM card.

I also have internet banking with Standard Chartered. Once a beneficiary on a transfer or payment is set up you don't need the OTP or SMS every time to make a transfer. So if you set up all expected beneficiaries of transfers before you go, you never need to use your phone. This is very useful. To set up a new beneficiary though you need your phone.

I also have Bangkok Bank. I don't use it much though, as I prefer TMB and Stan Chart. Very rarely certain organisations only accept transfers from the main 4 banks. eg my car lease to do the quick payment online would accept BBL, but not the above two.

Cheers

Fletch

Edited March 29, 2016 by fletchsmile

[thaihome]

The other advantage of Bangkok bank is you can use your US banks ACH service to transfer money to it from the US. By far the cheapest method.

TH

[JeffChiangmai]

Thanks all. Sounds like BBL is the most likely option, and my wife already has a BBL account. Unfortunately, there is some kind of mixup in her records and we have been unable to activate online banking despite trying 2 or 3 times. They told us to activate it at the ATM, but the ATM said that my wife's phone number was not the right number on her account... we tried every number we could think of and were still stuck. We asked a bank employee and they just walked us back to the ATM and got stuck at the same spot. Oh well, I guess we'll try it again. Maybe we'll find a competent employee somewhere who can give us a real answer.

[lopburi3]

Did you inquire at the branch account was opened? May have to use them to get phone number corrected.

[MuuDaeng]

Per lopburi3 BKK Bank is very good and does not need phone confirmation. K-bank does need phone.

K-Bank basically ok, but for some reason recognizes my internet connection through SIM card of phone (home country) as Wi-Fi > phone app don't allow sign in. Website/internet banking works, but some limitations compared to app.

[kbb]

(delete)

Edited March 29, 2016 by kbb

[kbb]

(delete)

Edited March 29, 2016 by kbb

[kbb]

We had the same problem.

TMB actually got it wrong when we signed up - We asked specifically, and

they initially said there wasn't a 2 step system.

(The spike in blood pressure qualified as my cardiovascular exercise for that day)

Use KTB - You can set the security not to require the OTP for most transactions.

That makes it useful for working on the Web outside if Thailand.

- k

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

Great that you don't need a phone to do electronic transactions with Bangkok bank, but it opens you to fraud. With K bank the OTP is send to a number not a specific phone. You recharge you Thai mobile phone with 24 x B 30 recharge vouchers which will give you 24 months service access and B 720 to cover your SMS costs. If you run out of air time your family here can buy you some and send you the recharge pin and you can reload. Just make certain your phone is unlocked for use outside of Thailand and make certain your service provider allows recharging when you are not in Thailand. If your phone breaks you just change phones and as you will not use the phone on a daily basis, lock it in a safe and take it out when needed.

[DrDave]

While K-Bank allows you to choose between using One Time Password (via SMS), or PIN2 (which is a secondary PIN not requiring SMS or email), be advised that certain functionality is not available when using the PIN2 method. For example, new payees cannot be added, so you won't be able to send a payment to an account that was not previously setup while using the OTP method.

In addition, I tried for a couple of years to update my phone number and change from the PIN2 method back to OTP after returning to Thailand. No luck - it can't be done online, and the branches just can't seem to be able to do it, so I've given up on K-Bank for the majority of my online banking. I can't add any new payees to my account, so now I have to visit a K-Bank ATM every time I need to send a payment to a payee that was not previously setup.

[HerbalEd]

Once set up Bangkok Bank transfers do not require password - only for the initial set up.

The first time you need to add a new payee to your i-banking site you must be able to receive a temporary password on your mobile phone, then insert that password into your i-banking site's transfers and/or bill payment page. After that initial setup you can transfer money and/or make payments to that person from anywhere in the world as often as you want.

If you can receive your banks text message in your home country then there's no problem. If you're unable to do so then you can't add any new payees to your i-banking site until you return to Thailand.

BTW, I use Bangkok Bank and am very happy with their user-friendly i-banking system. Saves me loads of time and I get an SMS for all my transactions which I archive for my records.

Edited March 29, 2016 by HerbalEd

[HerbalEd]

Per lopburi3 BKK Bank is very good and does not need phone confirmation. K-bank does need phone.

Bangkok Bank i-banking most certainly does require you insert a temporary password to add any new payees. I've done this about 30 times in the past two years ... and, in fact, I added a new payee yesterday doing this procedure.

[biggles45]

I had exactly the same problem and for the last 10+ years Kasikorn bank has done a great job. They have a second PIN number they call PIN2 and when you use this it replaces the OTP. I had to set this up with the bank when I was in Thailand but this was a long time ago and it could have changed. I regularly pay my Pattaya rent with this system and it has never let me down.