Hi all
Been reading this with interest about cost of living and visa requirements and all recommend leaving funds at home and drawing cash. When I was there few took credit cards as well. Do you pay EVERYTHING in cash like rent, utilities etc. How does that work. Here we can pay online or have automatic deductions from our bank. Is that possible there?
The info here is pretty good when you leave out the quibbling and insults.
Cheers
You should use your overseas credit card as little as possible or you will be paying fees continualy. If you open a Thai bank account you can have dierect debit for most bills such as electric, water, TV, internet etc.
Most of mine are paid this way.
"Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right." Muhammad Ali
I don't live full time in Thailand but it is my base and I maintain a couple of houses there so I have similar costs and I do it mainly through internet bank transfers to an account at Bangkok Bank and pay everything from that.
I'm rarely in my home country either so this works very well for me but we have heard from Americans on here in the past that this sort of international interenet transfer is difficult or impossible from there so I don't know if anything has changed from that point of view.
We never go to the offices to settle bills. Electricity and telephone/internet (TOT) can be paid at any 7-11 store for an extra 10 THB.
With water, cable TV and rent - they come to us.
Still cash though.
Calguy, you ask the question "paying with cash, how does that work?" Have you really forgotten how to pay bills with cash or are you just trying to ask a stupid question to provoke reaction!
Paying bills in Thailand, with cash, is very simple - you just go into 7/11 and pay (with cash) and get a receipt. You need to be a bit more careful in Thailand with credit cards! This is one of the most likely places to get credit card fraud and even atm fraud. I have taken to just going into the bank once a week to withdraw cash and using cash to pay for everything. Very simple and easy to keep a track on what you are spending. My atm card was swallowed by a machine and the bank couldn't find it, so they wanted to charge me for a new one. I told them that I would just come in and annoy them for cash plus the girls are very pretty!
Never use cash here for ANYTHING, not even food. My question was not to annoy but find out the best way to pay bills there considering the fees for ATM cash, bank transfers etc. Some foreign banks won't accept american accounts because of the US government's reporting requirements they don't want to be bothered with. Those that were kind enough to mention all bills could be paid in cash at the 7/11 and direct bank deductions are possible- Thanks to all for that info. Don't much like the idea of keeping around a lot of cash in a place where burglary is a national pass time tho'. Have been burglarized several time here already, don't want a repeat.
That said with everything I've read on this forum over 4-5 years, it makes me wonder why anyone would put up with it all. Maybe I should just stay home. I'll likely get comments agreeing with me about that.
Cheers
If you see your glass as half empty then stay home. If, however, you can see a glass half full, come and enjoy yourself here.
I pay cash for anything and everything possible as I finally worked my way towards that end in the U.S. before I left. Keeps you well aware of how much money you have and where its going.
I have a US account that I have used to try to send money to the UK with. They seem to have a very incomplete view of the rest of the world there - no joke! They struggled to find branches of well known banks, like Barclays; and even entire institutions such as some of the mortgage banks (eg Nationwide). If they are so ineffective in dealing with the UK, I can't see that dealing with Thailand is going to be better.
In general, I also have a better experience with Euroland banks than with UK banks. My profile seems quite similar to Steve G's - I transfer in from a Euro account, and manage things locally (often using the one-time-pin via phone facility to manage payments even when I am outside Thailand).
Unless it is unavoidable - flights, hotel bookings, car hire etc. - I pay by cash pretty much everywhere.
Had enough of the trolls. Going to sleep. I may be some time....
Calguy wrote:Never use cash here for ANYTHING, not even food.
Uh how does that work?
Card machines. More and more people in the UK are paying for relatively small items by card now as well. Many traders - even in markets - have portable card machines. I was at a trade fair at the weekend and the very few traders who didn't have machines would have been at a disadvantage. Same goes for UK charity shops. People are wary about carrying much cash these days.
Calguy wrote:Never use cash here for ANYTHING, not even food.
Uh how does that work?
Card machines. More and more people in the UK are paying for relatively small items by card now as well. Many traders - even in markets - have portable card machines. I was at a trade fair at the weekend and the very few traders who didn't have machines would have been at a disadvantage. Same goes for UK charity shops. People are wary about carrying much cash these days.
I'm sure that's an accurate position Mags for the UK and no doubt the US, but as you know, here in LOS things don't work quite the same and whereas you can use credit cards and debit cards (sometimes at your peril) at a number of outlets, try eating up the night market and offering them your visa card - cant imagine many would be too impressed!! However as one of the earlier replies mentioned, with a local bank account, you can make direct debit payments for utilities etc help reducing the need for so much cash in your pocket.
Saw one of the new (to Thailand I think) Visa debit card chip readers in Asia books, Market village.
Only been aware of them since recieving my new debit card last week.
Seems the idea is that you can wave your card at the machine and it deducts directly from your bank account, it may require you to enter a PIN, I think this depends on the amount.
It seems the eventual idea is that you don't have to carry cash for small things like a cup of coffee, or a book, or newspaper.
Maybe Thailand is progressing faster than we think?
Calguy, you ask the question "paying with cash, how does that work?" Have you really forgotten how to pay bills with cash or are you just trying to ask a stupid question to provoke reaction!
