Increase of surcharge on None Thai ATM Cards to 220 baht

[Kwasaki]

14 hours ago, james1995 said:

My Fidelity Visa debit card refunds ALL my atm fees and there is no foreign transaction fee.  It works flawlessly every single time.  Charles Schwab and Fidelity are great for getting cash out of atms.  I never worry about atm fees anymore.

 

With the exception of a 1% foreign transaction fee. 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, siam2007 said:

so it is still BANK OF CHINA to avoid withdrawal fees altogether.

 

Sadly, there are just a few in the entire kingdom and now I live far from the one at Mega Bangna I used frequently

 

Yes, last time I tried a few weeks ago, it was still fee-free for MasterCard logo cards.

 

However, last time I tried one, it was limited to 3000 baht (I'm guessing, but don't know for sure, 30 100 baht bills. Presumably because the two side by side ATM machines I tried were out of 1000 baht notes, although that seems like an odd coincidence.)

 

I'm hoping it's not because they've somehow figured to limit foreign card ATM withdrawals to only 3000 baht per transaction. I'll find out for sure in a few days when I go to make my next monthly withdrawal there.

 

[Pib]

I see UOB Thailand piled on also.  Seems all the Thai bank notices say higher fee effective 16 Jan 17.   But don't worry folks, there's is no collusion here among the Thai banks/Thai Bankers Association...just healthy competition "Thai style."

 

[yogavnture]

On ‎1‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 5:46 AM, jacko45k said:

Yes, but there are limits to non-declared cash and certainly risks in carrying large amounts.

For an Expat doing a single trip home, that may mean bringing about 800,000 bahts worth, or in my case £20,000. Plus I don't like the risk of wandering around say Pattaya after changing that at TT Exchange!

 

I think I will tolerate the slightly poorer exchange rate in the bank rather than the exchange booths, their 500 baht charge and what my UK bank charges to send it (currently they say 'waived').

 

Dear me, imagine the shakedowns at the airport!

cant u bring over the limit in cash then just deposit into a local bank?  and get a local atm card?  atm fee then no more

[yogavnture]

bey ond all of this. are their skimming risks?

[siam2007]

19 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Yes, last time I tried a few weeks ago, it was still fee-free for MasterCard logo cards.

 

However, last time I tried one, it was limited to 3000 baht (I'm guessing, but don't know for sure, 30 100 baht bills. Presumably because the two side by side ATM machines I tried were out of 1000 baht notes, although that seems like an odd coincidence.)

 

I'm hoping it's not because they've somehow figured to limit foreign card ATM withdrawals to only 3000 baht per transaction. I'll find out for sure in a few days when I go to make my next monthly withdrawal there.

 

 

Most likely someone withdrew a large amount of THB from several ATM's so they were running out of money. The limit is 30 bills at a time due to technical reasons (though I know machines that can spit put 40 bills at a time -> HSBC Phiippines), and as obviously only 100 THB bills were left, this is all you could get.

[Pib]

1 hour ago, yogavnture said:

cant u bring over the limit in cash then just deposit into a local bank?  and get a local atm card?  atm fee th,en no more

Couple of issues with that approach.  First, you need to have a Thai bank account/ATM card and there are many, many posts on ThaiVisa, very recent and old, where's it hard for people to open a Thai bank account.   Second, unless you happen to live in a place where money exhangers like SuperRich give good exchange rates for notes/cash you'll have to exchange the cash at your local Thai bank where the Cash exchange rate is lower than the TT Buying Rate used for incoming wire transfers.  Also, if you don't have a Thai bank account to deposit your money, whether in baht or foreign currency, then you are just a robbery statistic waiting to happen....you try to sleep with one eye open on a lumpy mattress full of cash.

[jacko45k]

20 hours ago, yogavnture said:

cant u bring over the limit in cash then just deposit into a local bank?  and get a local atm card?  atm fee then no more

Yes of course, although getting a bank account with just a tourist visa may require you to visit a few different banks. (There are other threads about this). Although I would suggest changing the cash into baht first at one of the kiosks which offer better rates than the banks.

[jimster]

On ‎1‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 9:08 AM, louse1953 said:

That is not true.

Malaysia and Singapore are exceptions, but unfortunately an ATM user fee is also applied to foreign debit/credit card withdrawal at nearly every ATM in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Exceptions are exceedingly few.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I'm betting, the other countries' banks that you mention aren't charging $6+ U.S. per withdrawal, as their Thai counterparts are.

 

BTW, last time I was in Cambodia, most banks there were charging a lesser ATM withdrawal fee, but there was at least one that was charging NO fee on foreign cards. So not everywhere else operates as an anti-competitive monopolistic cartel the same as the Thai banking industry does.

 

Edited January 26, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Pib]

The piling on continues....Krungsri to raise the Visa/Mastercard foreign card ATM fee to Bt220 effective 25 Feb 17

 

[yogavnture]

On ‎1‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 6:30 AM, jacko45k said:

Yes of course, although getting a bank account with just a tourist visa may require you to visit a few different banks. (There are other threads about this). Although I would suggest changing the cash into baht first at one of the kiosks which offer better rates than the banks.

where is best place In bkk to change money. is their really a difference in rates by much at all

 

[jacko45k]

10 hours ago, yogavnture said:

where is best place In bkk to change money. is their really a difference in rates by much at all

 

I live near Pattaya so perhaps others can answer this. Off the top of my head perhaps SuperRich.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 1/23/2017 at 3:50 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Yes, last time I tried a few weeks ago, it was still fee-free for MasterCard logo cards.

 

However, last time I tried one, it was limited to 3000 baht (I'm guessing, but don't know for sure, 30 100 baht bills. Presumably because the two side by side ATM machines I tried were out of 1000 baht notes, although that seems like an odd coincidence.)

 

I'm hoping it's not because they've somehow figured to limit foreign card ATM withdrawals to only 3000 baht per transaction. I'll find out for sure in a few days when I go to make my next monthly withdrawal there.

 

 

Tried the Bank of China Sathorn branch again yesterday, and everything was back to normal again -- no fee for MC withdrawals, and ATM machine maximum of 30K per withdrawal (assuming your own account allows that much per day). That was with a U.S.-based MC.

Edited February 2, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Langsuan Man]

On 1/30/2017 at 7:28 PM, Pib said:

The piling on continues....Krungsri to raise the Visa/Mastercard foreign card ATM fee to Bt220 effective 25 Feb 17

 

Thanks for that Pip I was going to announce that they were still 200 THB as of yesterday, now I see my news has been superseded

 

I wonder at what point US banks are going to put a stop to Foreign ATM reimbursements due to these continual increases 

[JimGant]

Quote

If the funds are located abroad, you either have to use a foreign account ATM card to withdraw them here in Thailand, and thus incur the Thai 220b ATM fee (whether reimbursed or not), or pay to have the funds transferred from your home country to Thailand (which usually is even more expensive),

Actually, the "whether reimbursed or not" is important.

 

Today, if I used my Schwab ATM card, I would have realized the full Feb 23rd Visa FX rate of 34.96 -- 'cause Schwab has no fees, and reimburses the baht 220 ATM fee. My 25000 baht ATM pull (I use Bangkok Bank, and that's their limit) would have cost me $715.10.

 

Now, my next best US ATM card is from USAA, as they have now dropped charging the 1% foreign transaction fee. Nevertheless, they do not reimburse the 220 baht ATM fee. Thus, a 25000 baht ATM pull (effectively, a 25220 ATM pull) would have cost $721.40 (since USAA is also a Visa Network member, and would have realized the 34.96 FX rate for Feb 23). But, because of the added 220 baht cost, the effective rate for a 25000 baht pull with my USAA card is 34.65.

 

But transferring via ACH thru Bangkok Bank NY to my Bangkok Bank account in Thailand turns out to be the next best thing to using a completely fee free card, that reimburses the Thai ATM fee, like my Schwab ATM/Debit card. Better than my USAA card that is fee free -- but doesn't reimburse the Thai ATM fee.

 

 

Had I ACHed a few days back, and it arrived here on Feb 23, I would have received the Feb 23rd TT rate of 34.84. If the amount I had sent was $10,000, the effective rate I would have received would have been 34.76 (after the front end $10 fee, and back end 500 baht fee). Sending $5000, would result in an effective rate of 34.67. Still better than my fee free (except ATM fee) USAA card.

 

Now, Pib has discovered the best way to get your dollars to Thailand, at the best rate, and in large enough amounts to preclude multiple trips to the ATM machine (a chore, even if your Schwab card is saving you bunches). He uses his credit card to get a cash advance, up to 6 figures, I assume, at the daily FX Visa rate, since cash advance interest and fees are avoided by paying off the advance soonest (as I understand it). I'm not sure my USAA credit card, nor my Capital One, would allow that. But it is a tempting option to consider....

 

.....because right now the ACH option allows the wife to make a once a month run to the bank to obtain 6 figures over the counter (holding up the ATM line for 6 pulls ain't an option). This is our monthly cash allowance, and the counter option allows her to get some small bills to accommodate paying the help. That I could get the same amount (but not small bills) by making 4 or 5 ATM runs with my Schwab card (on different days, 'cause of the daily limitation) just doesn't hack it, even if my effective FX rate were a few satang larger (convenience cost is pretty important at my age).

 

But, Pib's method -- getting the full Visa daily FX rate -- plus a once-a-month only run required (and the small bills) seems like an option to consider. Except, probably me, not the wife, would now have to make the run to the bank. Hmmmm. Maybe not -- as I'm considering *my* convenience cost. :).

 

Still using a SunTrust or Bank of America ATM/Debit card? You're nuts, even if you're just the occasional tourist.

https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/banking/debit-card-foreign-transaction-international-atm-fees/

$5 plus 3% plus 220 baht ATM fee:

$748.04 cost for 25000 baht vs. 715.10 with a Schwab card (33.42 effective rate vs 34.96 for Schwab).

I guess the occasional tourist, with only one or two ATM pulls -- and the memory of a large airfare and hotel bill -- wouldn't be too annoyed. But, for sure, any expat using those cards is nuts.

 

 

[Pib]

Yea, I did a 6 figure (in baht) counter withdrawal/cash advance today at a Krungsri Bank branch using a U.S. credit card and debit card. Both cards are no foreign transaction fee cards, the debit card reimburse ATM fees when I use an ATM (no often), the credit card does not have a case advance fee, and I have prepaid the cash advance amount on the credit card to avoid any interest charge.  And Krungsri does not charge any fee for doing this counter withdrawal. I also just had it all deposited in my Krungsri savings account...the money never  touch my hands.   The whole process took about 10 minutes.  And since the branch is right at a Tesco Lotus mall the wife and visit multiple times per week (she went grocery shopping while I did the withdrawal) going to the branch is not out of my way and rarely is there any queue...and when there is a queue I rarely wait more than 5 minutes before my queue number is called.  Today I was immediately serviced.  Easy....no fees...me happy.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, JimGant said:

Now, Pib has discovered the best way to get your dollars to Thailand, at the best rate, and in large enough amounts to preclude multiple trips to the ATM machine (a chore, even if your Schwab card is saving you bunches). He uses his credit card to get a cash advance, up to 6 figures, I assume, at the daily FX Visa rate, since cash advance interest and fees are avoided by paying off the advance soonest (as I understand it). I'm not sure my USAA credit card, nor my Capital One, would allow that. But it is a tempting option to consider....

 

 

The thing that I believe Pib is doing is making use of two different cards at the same time, and at least the credit card is one of a very small number that has no foreign currency fee AND no cash advance fee. Pentagon Federal is one credit card that fits that bill. 

 

That's important because with few exceptions, most U.S.-issued credit cards these days charge some combination of flat $ fees and percentage surcharges on the amount of credit card cash advances, plus then interest that begins accruing immediately, often at APRs of 25%+ or so. So, if you have one of those majority kinds of credit cards, you might be escaping the Thai ATM fee, but you're getting killed on the cash advance fees.

 

Unless, you happen to be one of the lucky and/or informed ones who's gone out of their way to get one of the rare U.S. credit cards with no cash advance fees AND no foreign currency fees.

 

I can't speak for USAA's credit cards, but AFAIK, the Cap One credit cards, while often not having foreign currency fees, do typically charge hefty cash advance fees.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

BTW, since I've been out of the Thai ATM fees business in recent months, can anyone provide a reasonable recap on this thread:  Are there any Thai banks at present that are NOT charging the new 220 baht ATM fees (other than AEON, I presume, and the change for Krungsri coming starting this Saturday)?

 

At the current exchange rate, that works out to a per withdrawal fee on the Thai end of about $6.28 U.S.  I too suspect the day is going to come when more U.S. banks are going to start balking at single withdrawal ATM fees that are that high or higher, as the Thai banks seem intent on reaching for the skies when it comes to fleecing foreign card users (e.g. tourists and expats).

 

As I've mentioned before here elsewhere, there already are some U.S. banks that don't/won't reimburse any ATM fee over $5 unless you bring them the original ATM slip, which would be kind of difficult for most of us here.

 

[JimGant]

Other than PenFed, there are a few other off-the-wall credit unions with no fee cash advance cards, tho' some charge foreign transaction fees.

http://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/best-of/20-credit-cards-no-cash-advance-fees189115277

[Pib]

11 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The thing that I believe Pib is doing is making use of two different cards at the same time, and at least the credit card is one of a very small number that has no foreign currency fee AND no cash advance fee. Pentagon Federal is one credit card that fits that bill. 

Yeap, I use two cards at once when I want to get a six figure amount of cash....usually one credit card and one debit card.  Actually I have two credit cards (no cash advance, no foreign transaction fee, also pays cash back on purchases)...and then two debit cards from other banks (no foreign transaction fee cards which also reimburse ATM fees) that I use to get money.   Always prepay the planned cash advance to avoid any interest charge.   But even if I didn't prepay I could still get the cash advance...say a $2000/Bt70000 cash advance...come back home log onto my credit card account and make a full payment on the cash advance, and end up only paying one day's interest that would work out to like 45 cents (around Bt15) if I remember right.   Even though I paid same day it takes a day for the payment to process/arrive via ACH from one of my other banks.

 

I could just as easily use two credit cards or two debit cards, or a mix of 3 or 4 cards.  If I wanted to I could pull out 4 cards at a counter withdrawal to withdraw the max from each, but that means the counter clerk ends up doing 4 transactions, making four copies of the cards, just more paperwork/keystrokes/button pushing/etc., for them.   Just using two cards when I want large amounts works for me.  Gosh, I think I'm into my 6th year now without needing to do an ACH/wire transfer with associated fees and a day, two, or more wait time for the money to show up to see what exchange rate I get.  Plus its really convenient for me to do the counter withdrawals.

 

I DO NOT like using the debit cards in Thai ATM simply because I don't like the Thai banks making that exorbitant Bt220 fee on top of the already generous interchange fee (i.e., the fee the card-issuing bank must pay the ATM operator) they earn for an ATM withdrawal.   Plus I don't like stressing out the Reimbursement Golden Goose (i.e., my debit card banks that reimburse ATM fees) with these rip-off Thai bank ATM fees on foreign card ATM withdrawals.   With a counter withdrawal the Thai bank only earns the generous interchange fee.  

 

By the way, I saw a news article the other day where Thai business operators around some Thai National Park are complaining big time about loss business since the government charges foreign tourists Bt400 for a park entry ticket but only Bt40 for Thais and many foreign tourist were refusing to visit the park due to the rip-off fee.  Can you believe that...charging farangs 10 times more than Thais.     Well, of course we can believe it because we see it happen in other areas like Thai bank ATM fees on foreign cards.   Just too durn much!  TIT.

 

For U.S. folks eligible to get PenFed credit cards they are GREAT due the lack of fees such as no foreign transaction fee, no cash advance fee, you can prepay to cover a near term cash advance to avoid any interest charge, no annual fee, generous cash back programs like 1.5% cash back for example, etc.  And PenFed is expat-friendly.

 

I feel sorry for those folks who don't have no fee type debit/credit cards and end up getting hit with the ripoff Thai bank ATM fee and probably an approx 3% foreign transaction from their card-issuing bank....and if using a credit card that carries the typical 3% cash advance fee from their card-issuing bank.   Some probably blow these fees off as beer money or just an expat/traveler cost....if that makes them feel OK with the fee then that is good.   If I only had such cards I would not use them in Thailand and I most likely would resort to doing ACH/SWIFT/wire transfers as it would probably result in less total fees and more baht arriving "my" pocket after the funds transfer trek across the ocean of possible fees.

 

Any projections on when the Thai Bankers Assn all agree to go to a Bt250 ATM fee for a foreign card?   Around a year maybe.   Bt220 is such an awkward sounding amount....Bt250 sounds more natural and pleasing (to the ear of Thai bankster that is).

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 hours ago, JimGant said:

Other than PenFed, there are a few other off-the-wall credit unions with no fee cash advance cards, tho' some charge foreign transaction fees.

http://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/best-of/20-credit-cards-no-cash-advance-fees189115277

 

Interesting list, Jim. Unfortunately, as you noted, MOST of the offerings there with the exception of Pentagon Federal seem to have a 1% or so foreign currency fee.

 

And of the two institutions that don't, one is First Tech FCU where the article says they charge ANNUAL fees for membership, and the other is the Stamford University credit union, which is interesting because they also had a no FCF debit card in the past when I checked on them, but also a fair number of customer complaints about their service.

 

PFCU, in contrast, is nice because anyone in the U.S. can join via payment of a small one-time fee, if they're not otherwise eligible by having some type of military affiliation.

 

So really, as I noted above, the list of U.S. credit cards with no foreign currency fee AND no cash advance fee is really pretty small other than Pentagon Federal.

 

One other card I remember seeing in the past that may fit is the Visa Platinum Card from State Department Federal Credit Union, which has open membership via joining a nonprofit. Their credit card has no foreign currency fee and their info says no fee cash advances when done "over the counter." Another nice feature of their card is that their stated interest rates for advances are their normal transaction rates, not the 25%+ advance ones others often have.

 

https://www.sdfcu.org/credit-cards

 

 

Quote

 

4. American Consumer Council (ACC)

If you are unable to join through any of the other methods, as a consumer, you may be eligible to join our credit union through the American Consumer Council (ACC), a nonprofit advocacy group. When opening your SDFCU account you will need to choose ACC on your application.

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[JimGant]

Pib, just to clarify --- when you do a cash advance with your PenFed credit card, it acts like a POS transaction, i.e., offline, with a pending rate, and the actual rate a day or two later (unlike an online, realtime ATM transaction). Not that that means much, but just curious.

 

You've previously reported on what the banks get in the reverse interchange fee for ATM transactions. Any idea what they get for cash advances?

 

Quote

Actually I have two credit cards (no cash advance, no foreign transaction fee,

PenFed and who else?

[Pib]

1 hour ago, JimGant said:

Pib, just to clarify --- when you do a cash advance with your PenFed credit card, it acts like a POS transaction, i.e., offline, with a pending rate, and the actual rate a day or two later (unlike an online, realtime ATM transaction). Not that that means much, but just curious.

 

You've previously reported on what the banks get in the reverse interchange fee for ATM transactions. Any idea what they get for cash advances?

 

PenFed and who else?

Basically treated as a POS transaction...it hits my account immediately as a Pending transaction at the current/today's Visa exchange rate, but the final charge & exchange rate occurs one or two business days later just like what happens with a purchase.   This means you final exchange rate may be higher or lower than the day your actually did the cash advance.

 

Both credit cards are from PenFed Visa cards...got two different ones with different cash back programs...got them a couple years apart....one gives up to 5% cashback at self-service fuel which does not do me much good over here  since fuel stations do not have self-service fuel dispensers (you know, the kind you slide you card in to pay for the fuel and then fill your vehicle yourself)....it also use to have a small 0.5% cash back on everything but they did away with that part. And I also have one that gives 1.5% cash back on everything and pays the cash back monthly....I use this card all the time here in Thailand.   Got some other no foreign transaction fee credit cards that pay 1.5% also (CapOne cards)....I still use them some, but mostly the PenFed card now simply because I like getting the cash-back reward paid monthly versus needing to wait until the cash-back reaches a certain level before it will be paid out...like the CapOne cards you can set to automatically pay out the cash back reward when the level reaches $25. 

 

A credit card cash advance is a "manual disbursement of funds" just like a debit card "manual disbursement of funds."    Below interchange fee chart for Visa-issued cards shows what is earned.  Like my two separate withdrawals I did in the same setting totaling a 6 digit figure in baht, the Thai bank will earn an interchange fee of approx Bt299 on one transaction and approx Bt173 on the other for a total of Bt472.   Not a bad fee for 10 minutes of work....I expect that covers the bank rep's salary/benefits for the day.

 

And for those who don't know, "who" earns the interchange fee for a credit/debit card transaction is reversed for purchase and a cash disbursement.  For a purchase the "card-issuing" bank like PenFed earns a interchange fee, but for a cash-disbursement the card-issuing bank pays the bank doing the disbursement.  For my cash advance PenFed paid Krungsri.   Now PenFed is losing money with me since I prepay the cash advance and don't incur any interest charge, but I expect the majority of folks geting a cash advance is because they are short of cash and will take a few months or longer to pay it back and PenFed earns a nice interest charge on that. 

 

 

Visa Interchange Fee Chart for ATM and Manual Cash Disbursements.  I circled the one that applies to a cash-advance which is nothing more than a manual disbursement of funds.    Now the middle row would the the formula to use when using your card in a Thai ATM which adds on an ATM User Fee like the Bt220 fee.  And the top row would be for a Thai bank that does not charge any ATM User Fee like Bank of China which TallGuyJohninBKK occasionally uses on Silom Rd in Bangkok.

 

 

[JimGant]

Quote

The piling on continues....Krungsri to raise the Visa/Mastercard foreign card ATM fee to Bt220 effective 25 Feb 17

No one, I seem to recall, has mentioned Bangkok Bank as increasing the fee. Today (Feb 26) I dusted off my Schwab card to see if it still worked after not updating Schwab as to my continuing presence in Thailand. I used it in a Bangkok Bank ATM. The fee was still 200 baht. Had they ever been at 220? Don't see any substantiation of this, at least on this thread. Will they (gasp) buck the trend -- and be competitive? Naaa.

[Pib]

1 hour ago, JimGant said:

No one, I seem to recall, has mentioned Bangkok Bank as increasing the fee. Today (Feb 26) I dusted off my Schwab card to see if it still worked after not updating Schwab as to my continuing presence in Thailand. I used it in a Bangkok Bank ATM. The fee was still 200 baht. Had they ever been at 220? Don't see any substantiation of this, at least on this thread. Will they (gasp) buck the trend -- and be competitive? Naaa.

Don't worry...Bangkok Bank increases its fee to Bt220 on 15 Mar 17.   See below fees snapshot from the latest Bangkok Bank fee schedule dated 14 Feb 17.   I expect the Thai Bankers Assn ask their members to all not increase the fee on the same day so as not to give the appearance of collusion.

 

[JimGant]

Thanks, Pib. You actually can read hieroglyphics?

[Pib]

1 minute ago, JimGant said:

Thanks, Pib. You actually can read hieroglyphics?

I wish.  No, I just looked up the Thai word in my Thai dictionary.    I knew it was a month...figured it was either February or March when going to my dictionary.   And while looking it up I figured it was March since you didn't get the increased fee and that Thai month word looked very similar to a Water Company sign in my moobaan where they are replacing soi water lines and their sign says the work continues through 31 March in Thai.  Then my Thai dictionary confirmed the word/month was March.  

 

And although the Bangkok Bank fee schedule is only provided in the Thai language now (the bank use to provide it in English and Thai up to about two years ago), I was familiar with the fee schedule area where the fee would be stated since I use to review their English fee schedule periodically.   

 

Would be nice to read Thai but I can't....nor can I make my mouth say a lot of the words correctly due to the tonal nature of many words....however, I can understand a lot of spoken Thai.  I usually know when a Thai is calling me an A-hole.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, Pib said:

Don't worry...Bangkok Bank increases its fee to Bt220 on 15 Mar 17.   See below fees snapshot from the latest Bangkok Bank fee schedule dated 14 Feb 17.   I expect the Thai Bankers Assn ask their members to all not increase the fee on the same day so as not to give the appearance of collusion.

 

 

That's certainly the way it's gone in the past several ATM fee hike cycles -- they've never all or mostly made the change on the same date.

 

Either to avoid the appearance of the collusion that it is, as you said, or perhaps, just the mechanics of getting all the ATMs reprogrammed at all the different banking companies.

 

[Sandman77]

Just use visa cash at Bangkok bank showing my passport !
It coasts me 5€ one time use by my home bank
No matter how high the withdrawal amount will be


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