Baht/$ to Peso's

[dddave]

I live in Bangkok and next week will be travelling to The Philippines (Manila) for a week long stay.

I figure I'll need to spend between 15,000 & 20,000 Peso's while I'm there.  Hotel is already paid for.

Am I better off changing Baht to Pesos here in Bangkok at Super Rich or Vasu or will I get a better rate in Manila?

I also have a US bank debit card (Visa)  Would it be better to withdraw Pesos, maybe 5000 at a time as I need them from a Manila bank or ATM?

[craigt3365]

It depends on your ATM card.  What are the fees?  If low, just get money when you need it in Manila.  ATMs give pretty close to the best rate you'll find.  And are available everywhere.  20,000P is only $400. 

[dddave]

2 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

It depends on your ATM card.  What are the fees? 

My ATM fees are actually very low, the bank covers them as long as I keep a balance above a set threshold.

Thanks for the info...I much prefer not having to carry larger cash amounts.

[craigt3365]

Perfect!  Just grab the money when you can.  Try to use ATMs that are located inside a bank, or at least inside a mall or big store.  Lots of ATM hacks going on now.  I'm pretty sure there will be one at the airport.  You can grab some cash after landing.

[dddave]

3 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Try to use ATMs that are located inside a bank

Yes; I always try to do this in Thailand as well, especially in any resort area. So many ATM fraud gangs working Pattaya I'd be surprised if they don't have to stand in line.

[Pib]

Hard to go wrong if you have a "no foreign transaction fee" and "ATM fee reimbursing" card.   If you card-issuing bank does not charge a foreign transaction fee (several percent is typical) and also reimburses any ATM Use fee (like the Thai bank Bt200 fee for foreign cards) then you are golden.  Just be sure you truly understand any fees associated with your card.

 

 And remember, never accept a DCC rate offer the ATM may offer as that rate will be the bank's rate which will surely be several percent lower than the full Visa/Mastercard exchange rate.  

 

But the downside of solely relying on your debit card is what if it don't work/is blocked/is lost or stolen.  So have a backup plan.

[craigt3365]

I always carry several hundred US dollars for emergencies.  And have at least 2-3 ATM/debit/credit cards!

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, craigt3365 said:

I always carry several hundred US dollars for emergencies.

Dollars are easy to change in the Philippines (as in most countries worldwide).

Also it is always risky to depend on only one piece of plastic.

[JB300]

If your US bank is Citi, withdrawals are free from their ATMs (big branch in Makati) & exchange rates are very good

[siam2007]

as the spread of Superrich for the PH Peso is very moderate, I would recommend getting your Pesos from there. This is what I do usually so I can get around the first few days in the PH. Plus you can tell them to give you small bills, which they happily will do as they are eager to get rid of those torn 20ies or 50ies bills, and for you this means you can easily make small purchases upon arrival or pay the Taxi the correct fare and not be worried that dodgy Cabbie can not or does not want to break your 1.000 PHP bill and just drives off instead. HSBC ATM's in the PH do not apply the 200 PHP fee (or is it even more now?) and allow a higher withdrawal amount (30K if I remember that right), but there are only few of them, the two most convenient ones located in a street behind the Ortigas Megamall, and the other one next to Ayala Mall in Cebu City (if you go to this place), opposite the entrance of the Marriott hotel.

As others have mentioned, only use ATMs in Malls or Hotels and if no such thing nearby, at least never ever at night

[dddave]

Thanks for all the replies.  I do bring a spare card and about $200; just in case. I also bring a 2nd older wallet to use when going out, especially at night. It contains only the money I'll need that night, a copy of my passport and a business card from my hotel.  I do this in most cities, including Pattaya.

"Siam2007", is there any particular taxi company at the airport that is better to use than the others?

Edited January 14, 2017 by dddave

[siam2007]

23 hours ago, dddave said:

Thanks for all the replies.  I do bring a spare card and about $200; just in case. I also bring a 2nd older wallet to use when going out, especially at night. It contains only the money I'll need that night, a copy of my passport and a business card from my hotel.  I do this in most cities, including Pattaya.

"Siam2007", is there any particular taxi company at the airport that is better to use than the others?

 

actually the PH does not have many big companies that would be easy to identify, they have hundreds if not thousands that only own a few cars. The company name is printed on each vehicle, but that won't tell you much.

Even though I am very familiar with the country, I always use the more expensive YELLOW AIRPORT METER CABS that can be found at every terminal (though sometimes you have to wait up to 30 minutes as they are in high demand - for a reason). They charge 70 Baht flagfall instead of 40 and a higher fare per KM, but when I arrive with my luggage and some valuables in it, I always prefer to be rather safe than sorry. They are approx 30-40% more expensive than the regular cabs (which are not allowed to pick up PAX at the Airport anyway and if you go to the departure level and try to get one that is sending someone to the Airport, you still don't know if you encounter a shady character) but well worth the extra cost and even locals use them.

another option is GRAB - they are now allowed to pick up PAX at NAIA, but the problem is that you won't have a local SIM upon arrival, so it most likely is impossible to communicate with the assigned driver and know where to find him. Still, GRAB is very useful in MNL and you should download it and get a local SIM as soon as possible. google for GRAB PHILIPPINES to get all the latest Info and Promos.

As for your arrival, I strongly recommend the yellow Meter cabs. There are Airport Limousines too, which operate a fixed fare system, but they are another 100% more expensive than the yellow Cabs.

[dddave]

2 minutes ago, siam2007 said:

Even though I am very familiar with the country, I always use the more expensive YELLOW AIRPORT METER CABS that can be found at every terminal (though sometimes you have to wait up to 30 minutes as they are in high demand - for a reason)

Thanks for providing this...just the info I was looking for. I have had friends who have had items quickly disappear from their bags while in a  local taxi...Yellow it will be.  

I will be meeting a person at the airport who will have a local SIM and who will be bringing one for me as well so Grab will be a good back-up if no Yellow Cabs show up after a while.

Much appreciated.

[BruceMangosteen]

You can change a small amount of Baht to Philippine Pesos at the BKK airport, most of the usual bank exchange booths. The rate isn't fair, it's about 10 to 20 percent less than it should be, but getting enough for a taxi and out of the airport makes it worthwhile. Since you have a person meeting you, this person could bring some cash and get you through the first night. If the "person" is some online date arranged, he/she might not be able to bring said cash. Some bank ATM's in Manila have a transaction limit of 10,000. pesos but this can be repeated immediately. Find a safe location and perhaps get enough for your visit. One caution, don't think you can change pesos back to Baht/Dollars at the airport on departure. They could not do it when I was there. Yes, they had a booth in the departure area but no cash in it. Something so odd yet you are in the Philippines. I think I ended up in a yellow taxi as well as the poster mentioned. That said, the taxi que for white taxi's was much shorter. Lastly mate, if the "person" is in fact a local lady from the internet don't assume she will take control of all these situations. They may be foreign to her. She might have her family along as well. Good luck and enjoy your stay. To quote a local gentleman when heard people complaining about the traffic "we could be in Syria"...Just figure you could be in Syria and relax. ps: JollyBee sucks!

 

Edited January 15, 2017 by BruceMangosteen

[siam2007]

39 minutes ago, BruceMangosteen said:

You can change a small amount of Baht to Philippine Pesos at the BKK airport, most of the usual bank exchange booths. The rate isn't fair, it's about 10 to 20 percent less than it should be, but getting enough for a taxi and out of the airport makes it worthwhile. Since you have a person meeting you, this person could bring some cash and get you through the first night. If the "person" is some online date arranged, he/she might not be able to bring said cash. Some bank ATM's in Manila have a transaction limit of 10,000. pesos but this can be repeated immediately. Find a safe location and perhaps get enough for your visit. One caution, don't think you can change pesos back to Baht/Dollars at the airport on departure. They could not do it when I was there. Yes, they had a booth in the departure area but no cash in it. Something so odd yet you are in the Philippines. I think I ended up in a yellow taxi as well as the poster mentioned. That said, the taxi que for white taxi's was much shorter. Lastly mate, if the "person" is in fact a local lady from the internet don't assume she will take control of all these situations. They may be foreign to her. She might have her family along as well. Good luck and enjoy your stay. To quote a local gentleman when heard people complaining about the traffic "we could be in Syria"...Just figure you could be in Syria and relax. ps: JollyBee sucks!

 

 

 

I am afraid this is a lot of poor advice here:

 

- it is nonsense to use the regular exchange booths at the airport as indeed the spread is 20% or more for curriencies such as the PHP, whereas the Superrich spread at Suvarnabhumi next to the Airport Rail Link is just 2-3% for the PHP

 

- it is utter nonsense to use ATM's that only spit out 10K at a time as everytime you will be charged the 200 or 250 PHP fee plus what your bank charges you. This can easily add up to 15€/$ per withdrawal

 

- there is no such thing as "white Taxi" at any of NAIA's arrival terminals. There are the yellow Meter Cabs and there are the Airport Limousines (which are white indeed but they are no regular Taxis with Meter). As those Limousines charge a flat rate that is at least double of what the yellow Meter cabs charge, the "queue" is indeed smaller (usually non-existing and Limousine touts desperately shouting for business)

 

- Changing PHP back to $ or Baht: No problem at all as Superrich with its favourable 2-3% spread will happily change back your PHP upon returning to Suvarnabhumi

 

- "Jollybee sucks": Now we finally found something where we agree 100%  ;-) 

If you want decent food at a very low cost try the fantastic lunch buffet (around 250-270 PHP) at G-POINT BAR in Ermita. Odd location and expect to dine on Bar stools, but the food is great with a Mix of local Pinoy food, Texmex, Scandinavian and seafood. This is the MUST DO thing for me the first noon I am there (get there as early as 12 noon). By far the best value for money food option I ever found in the PH. Run by a Swedish guy.

Edited January 15, 2017 by siam2007

[BruceMangosteen]

2 minutes ago, siam2007 said:

 

 

I am afraid this is a lot of poor advice here:

 

- it is nonsense to use the regular exchange booths at the airport as indeed the spread is 20% or more for curriencies such as the PHP, whereas the Superrich spread at Suvarnabhumi next to the Airport Rail Link is just 2-3% for the PHP

 

- it is utter nonsense to use ATM's that only spit out 10K at a time as everytime you will be charged the 200 or 250 PHP fee plus what your bank charges you. This can easily add up to 15€/$ per withdrawal

 

- there is no such thing as "white Taxi" at any of NAIA's arrival terminals. There are the yellow Meter Cabs and there are the Airport Limousines (which are white indeed but they are no regular Taxis with Meter). As those Limousines charge a flat rate that is at least double of what the yellow Meter cabs charge, the "queue" is indeed smaller (usually non-existing and Limousine touts desperately shouting for business)

 

Sorry for your confusion....beating one's head on a concrete wall can cause it.

 

Some people, including me, just want some local(Peso) currency to get to our hotel. We don't want to deal with it in the Manila airport. In addition, we don't want to run around Suvarnabhumi looking for some exchange booth. We want to check in, check our bag, clear security, and get to the lounge and wait for the boarding call. The ATM's I refer to were in City of Dreams in Manila, a large resort complex near the airport. 10,000.peso per withdrawal. I only said some, and shared my experience. Since said ATM's are inside a casino, one can check his surroundings and feel fairly secure as on camera and near the casino cashier. The white taxis were in fact, taxis. They were in fact at the airport. There were no touts. And my friend, white taxis were all over the area, transporting from malls to casinos to my hotel daily. The sign outside the terminal said they weren't regulated which as almost all of us know, but not this OP, means the fare can be fluid. This was Terminal 2, Philippine Airlines Terminal BTW. I don't know about the other Terminals. OO and God Bless You. 

[siam2007]

On 15/01/2017 at 6:11 PM, dddave said:

Thanks for providing this...just the info I was looking for. I have had friends who have had items quickly disappear from their bags while in a  local taxi...Yellow it will be.  

I will be meeting a person at the airport who will have a local SIM and who will be bringing one for me as well so Grab will be a good back-up if no Yellow Cabs show up after a while.

Much appreciated.

 

 

I just found the mail GRAB PH sent me in 2016 regarding their operations at the several NAIA terminals. I hope it is still up to date:

 

 

[dddave]

1 minute ago, siam2007 said:

I just found the mail GRAB PH sent me in 2016 regarding their operations at the several NAIA terminals. I hope it is still up to date:

Thanks for posting this.  I fly there tomorrow and Grab will be my first choice.  Knowing the location of the booths in Term. 3 is a big help.