Bangkok Travel Forum

hi , i have been advised to just bring atm card and visa with me , is this the safest way of carrying money round thailand apart from travellers cheques which i really dont want to use ,
thanking you in advance

Hi
I always used only atm cards to withdraw cash and credit cards for bigger expenses like hotels and never had any problem.
Corra

ATM cards are a very good way to get cash in Thailand.

However, I strongly suggest you should have more than one card in case your card becomes invalid due to identity theft.

It often takes +10 days to receive a new card.

thanks very much for the replies vt people, a great help ,
thanks again for the swift replies
george

I agree that ARM's are the best and easiest way to get cash in Thailand. However, please heed the advice about shielding the keypad when putting in your pin. We got rather nasty surprise on our bank statement after our most recent holiday - despite our carefulness.

Don't be afraid of using travelers checks, especially if your bank or credit union sells them to you commission free. The fee to cash a TC is 33 baht, less than an ATM fee. Cashing a TC in Thailand is real easy, there are lots of mini bank money changers all over. They ask real difficult questions, like show me your passport, what hotel are you staying in and sign here! And you walk away with Thai baht. Always try to get some small bills for paying taxi cabs and street vendors, even a 500 baht note may be too large for some people to cash.

I take cash, travelers checks (free of commission at my credit union) and a debit card for cash if necessary (I move money from my bank to my credit union to cover any anticipated debit card withdrawals.) You can record the serial numbers of travelers checks on the internet in an email to yourself that you save.

I keep a CREDIT CARD for emergencies only! I don't like paying fees or interest on credit cards. Some credit card ATM fees are quite high per ATM use. Some banks or credit unions have no fees or pay the fees for you. Check with your bank or credit union!

For both travelers checks and ATM withdrawals take the largest TC you can get or take out the maximum withdrawal from an ATM to cut down on fees. (Don't bother with small denomination travelers checks, stick with 100 Euro or Dollar sizes.) Excess Thai baht can be changed back to your home currency at the airport when you leave.

Previous msg is correct, best to have a back up debit or credit card, an ATM could eat your card or it could become stolen or lost somewhere and you would be broke! Cover your hands when you punch in your numbers, be especially careful of anyone with camera phones recording your key punches. Use the security box at your hotel to safeguard your valuables and money.

I don't recommend using plastic to pay for cheap purchases in stores or restaurants, too much chance of your CC or TC number being used for fraudulent purchases. If you stay in cheap hotels pay cash for those too!

Hal

i carried 2 credit cards that i didn't have to use and an ATM card which i used with no problems. my bank nor the atm machine charged me any fees. it was great! but remember to call your bank and credit card company to let them know which dates you will be in thailand so they will know that it's you using the cards.