What's the best way to change dollars to baht?

[George Pill]

For the last 4 years I've always used Traveler's Cheques in US$500 denominations. Now my bank can only issue them in $100 cheques which is very inconvenient because Thai banks now charge B153 (about $4.50) PER cheque. Am I hearing this right. That means I have to bring my passport and co-sing TEN cheques to make it a thou, and then I will get charged $45 for service charges! I once used an ATM was surprised I could withdraw B30,000 (today the rate is one dollar =B35.14 on the double whammy on serious news about the King's health and overall drop of Asian stocks today. The Pound is also getting pounded thanks to Brexit which makes it interesting to see if that will affect the ex-pat population all over Thailand) at a time for a service charge of B150 ($4.50). I think the ATM is better. The reason I bring a large sum of TC is because of the story I read about 5 years ago when a coup shut down all the airports. No can get out and no can get in. There must have been a lot of rich and poor travelers who got stuck. I'm sure many had the same idea and caught all kinds of non-flying transportation trying to get to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore only discover everybody had the same idea. So this is why I like to carry traveler's cheques as well as cash in $100 denominations (sure miss the $1k and $5K notes of olden days.

Here's my question. What is the best way to get the best exchange? What banks? Krungsri? Kasikorn? Citibank? TC or ATM better? Cash is not recommended but bring some for emergency. What are the latest fees per TC or per ATM exchange? Is it B20K or B30K the most amount I can withdraw? What else do I need to know. Very confusing to read all the Google articles as I don't know which are outdated.

Hey Crag! Are you there? Good old Crag. Always there when you need a friend. All of you read this carefully as we are now in the beginning of the annual party season.

[rxpharm]

Thai ATM fees for foreign cards is now 200 Baht per transaction. Most Thai bank ATMs dispense a maximum of 20k Baht per transaction except for: Bangkok Bank - 25k, Kaisikorn Bank - 30k, Citibank (not many of these) - 30k. Of course it also depends on your own bank's maximum daily withdrawal limit.

The best places to change bank notes to Thai Baht are Vasu exchange (on Sukhumvit Soi 7), and SuperRich (a number of branches in Bangkok - check their homepage).

[George Pill]

B200 per B30,000 ATM withdrawal sounds right from my readings and from experience. That's a very favorable service charge of almost .007 or .7 percent. Certainly better than B150 SC per traveler's check. That calculates to $4.50 per $100 TC which means I will get only $95.50. TC is getting less popular and fewer merchants are accepting around the world. The disadvantage is there aren't many American Express offices in Thailand I don't think. Try hard not to lose your debit card. I always leave it in my suitcase locked in a Pacsafe steel reinforced bag. Then I carry an outdated Amex and Visa card in my wallet along with a few baths. Gonna have to try hard not to laugh if I get robbed. Mostly I carry my heavy cash in a pouch attached to my belt with 2 loops sewn on and tuck it inside my waistband just under my front right pants pocket.

[Rockheart]

I usually bring some cash and exchange at the airport then get the rest from ATM, I may try the place Rxpharm suggested for conversion.
I think Krungsri was known to be the cheapest of the bank counters at the airport, and at their ATMs.
Over 10 years ago I gave up on Travellers Cheques when I went to Detroit and no banks would take them. I figured if they don't want them in Detroit it is pretty risky anywhere.
Now with ATMs I have never had problems in Thailand or anywhere other than occasionally having to phone the bank to unlock my card.
Only had problems in Brazil in 2002 because they didn't support the same banking network as Canada, only Mastercard worked there.

Canadian Banks charge $5 international withdrawal on top of the Thai ATM fee, not sure what US banks charge. I don't think my credit card charges me withdrawal fee for cash advance. I have a prepaid master-card that i receive money on and it has no additional withdrawal fees. http://www.payoneer.com
I have several bank cards and credit cards. Usually I will take enough money for the night and one card.
If I lose the card or it gets locked by the bank, I can go transfer the money to another card online.

Never do I bring my wallet, I sometimes carry a photocopy of my passport but i have never even been asked for it ever.
One time a cop asked to see my wallet when we got pulled over at night in Bangkok.
He looked inside then gave it back to me, he was either looking for drugs or a tip.

[George Pill]

An extra word of advice. ALWAYS call your credit card and debit/ATM card company and tell them when you will be in exactly what cities at exactly what dates in Thailand. That way they won't shut down your card. Once someone stole my credit card number from the breaking they had at Home Depot Hardware Store where I shop and tried to use it in El Palo, Texas. They shut my card down, sent me an email that it was used, and I requested a new card sent to me. If you should change destinations you will need to dial the International phone number in the back of the card. Thanks for the advice. Hadn't realized TC's were passé. Hope this helps all you travelers learn how to get money in Thailand.

[George Pill]

Whoa! The dollar is up 35.74 baths. Something's happening.

http://pattayaone.news/en/thai-baht-tumbles-amid-political-uncertainty/

[guysnightlife]

get a schwaab card or bring cash and exchange at money changers

[rxpharm]

get a schwaab card or bring cash and exchange at money changers

The Schwaab card is good advice for Americans, but not for other nationalities.

[Rockheart]

Most concur that Superich is generally the cheapest for many currencies.
This link shows a good comparison of Rates at some places in Thailand

http://thailand.megarichcurrencyexchange.com/index.php?cur=usd

Here is some others that are very good rates.

http://exc.yjpattayaexchange.com/

http://www.k79exchange.com/

[George Pill]

Went to Citibank on Asoke. The ATM was down, but I did see that you could take out B30K or B50K. No info how much the exchange rate was. There was supposed to be a charge of B200 or B400 plus whatever your bank charges you. So I pulled out my two US$500 traveler's checks. Thanks to the SC of B400 and THEIR secretive exchange rates I ended up with a rate of 34.7B to the dollar. You will not get those high exchange rates posted on the Internet. Anyway the banks and ATM's are open everywhere and so are the shopping centers. Alll the restaurants, hotels, buses, Skytrain, and everyday necessities are open and running. Only the bars and nightlife are suffering. It is the absence of the tourists and drinkers that is causing the declines. They are showing their respects, too. This doom and gloom is going to last a year whether or not the government sez so. What I'm watching is whether the bar industry can pay their rent and wages when they have enough troubles from the cops cracking down on all kinds of violations they can cook up. They have enough grief from the ever-rising rents and costs of doing business. Feel sorry for them. Will BR become B700 or B800 next year? ST become B2500 also?

[rxpharm]

Remember that the limit also depends on your home bank's maximum withdrawal limits. So if your US bank maximum daily withdrawal limit is $1000 US/per day, you would be able to withdraw approx 35k Baht, not 50k Baht from the Citibank ATMs, if your maximum daily withdrawal limit is $2000 US per day, then you could do a single withdrawal of 50 k Baht, and another one of about 20 k baht in a day.

Many bars did have problems during the extremely low seasons following the political demonstrations, riots, etc, Some went under, and most survived. I don't think this will have as much impact in the long run. Also remember the rates for the bargirls, both lb and gg is negotiable. Of course the popular ones will probably be less willing to settle for less, but others will. Also I have read the rates in Pattaya are still less than BKK

[Rockheart]

Hopefully the baht drops a little more. It's only about 27 baht for a Canuck dollar.

Years ago our dollar was at par with the US and our exchange is much bettter.
Now our dollar is stuck around .72 USD.

[girish]

I use superrich to change the cash, otherwise i bring a forex card and change the money or use the forex card. I buy5 forex cards each of US $ 1000 each so that it does not get it cloned. My hotels are generally paid in advance so $ 5000 is sufficient in Thailand.

[George Pill]

Asked several banks in Central Festival Mall (the most beautiful one with the Hilton Hotel above it) how much was the max I can take out with my ATM card. It's B20K. Three years ago it used to be B30K. Glad I brought my Traveler's Checks. Can change as many as I want at a time.

[guysnightlife]

The Schwaab card is good advice for Americans, but not for other nationalities.

ya thats true, there are other banks out there that have the same thing but it can be hard to find, lots of leg work