Safety Deposit Box, and where

[Wandr]

Are safety deposit boxes pretty easy to get?

Either in a bank or a secure private facility.

In some places banks give people the runaround, forcing them to buy other products such as insurance, or a savings plan, before renting a box.

Thanks.

[elektrified]

You will need to deposit between 2-5 Million Baht or in the alternative, deposit 500,000-2 Million Baht and purchase life insurance in order to get a safety deposit box. FYI, I have been in the safety deposit box queue  at my branch of Kasikorn Bank for close to 4 years now and last I checked, there were still about 17 ahead of me. My wife has been in the queue at her branch for 3 years now.

 

Some people fantasize that they got boxes. One person posted that they got a box at Promenada but when we went to check with both Kasikorn and Bangkok Bank, they told us it is impossible because they could not get a permit to have a safe installed at those branches due to the weight restriction??

 

There is a private safety deposit box place in Bangkok that gets excellent reviews. Maybe try that.

Edited April 9, 2017 by elektrified

[Bill97]

Have you tried SCB Thapae Branch? They put in a lot of new boxes not too many years ago.

[Wandr]

Thanks. That is pretty amazing.

I don't understand why private storage companies don't take up the slack.

They have in other places. I see ads for several in Pattaya for instance.

[Dante99]

On 4/9/2017 at 10:24 AM, elektrified said:

You will need to deposit between 2-5 Million Baht or in the alternative, deposit 500,000-2 Million Baht and purchase life insurance in order to get a safety deposit box..

There are other options or at least there were about 3 years ago.

[elektrified]

3 hours ago, Dante99 said:

There are other options or at least there were about 3 years ago.

The amount varies from bank to bank. For example at Krung Thai Main branch on Thapae, when my wife tried to get a box there (they have a huge safe) they agreed to 500,000 THB deposit, but insisted that my wife purchase a life insurance policy and pay a 30K THB "refundable deposit" which is returned after 24 months w/o interest if the box fees and life insurance premiums are current. That was the deal breaker. No life insurance, no box. At SCB Main on Thapae, they insisted on 2 million THB deposit if no life insurance was purchased. Bangkok Bank Main on Charoen Mueang had their own requirement...

 

Now the banks have mostly all begun these elite programs where VIP clients can sit in fancy lounges and get refreshments as they conduct their banking business, get access to safety deposit boxes ahead of others, get VIP parking at Central locations, etc. free cinema, and other perks. Many people have become very wealthy in Thailand these last 5 years. So the common clients at Thai banks are at the end of the queue these days.

Edited April 11, 2017 by elektrified

[Dipterocarp]

I gave up trying after asking off and a while. No straight answer,  basically waiting for people to die. No transparency on waiting list. I always heard you find a new branch opening and make a nice deposit but I have no definitive proof any Farang has secured a bank box in CM for years.

[midas]

On 4/9/2017 at 11:28 AM, Bill97 said:

Have you tried SCB Thapae Branch? They put in a lot of new boxes not too many years ago.

Yes I have had one at that branch for five years now even though I wasn't one of the existing customers But I was introduced to SCB by my landlord at that time who was developing a new nine storey building on Huay Kaew Road so the SCB bankers were visiting almost every day. He simply asked them to accommodate me regarding my request and I was given VIP treatment! 

Whichever bank you try I recommend if you possibly can to submit the request for a safety deposit box through a VIP bank customer because it makes all the difference. 

Edited April 11, 2017 by midas