home Fishing methods What plastic cards are accepted in Thailand. Thailand: money, language, rainy season

What plastic cards are accepted in Thailand. Thailand: money, language, rainy season

Instructions

First, you should decide how it is more convenient for you to import currency into Thailand. This can be done in two ways: cash or plastic cards. There is also a third way - traveler's checks, but it is not very popular in Asian countries; it is not recommended to bring such checks to Thailand, since exchanging them for money can be very difficult.

Rubles. Oddly enough, in Thailand it is quite possible to make purchases using Russian rubles. But this will not be possible to do everywhere. Rubles are accepted in some places in Pattaya and Bangkok. They can be exchanged for baht at the country's main airport - Suvarbanahumi in Bangkok. However, the course is extortionate, so this method can be considered extreme.

In general, if you fly to Bangkok airport, you can take with you almost any currency of a major country in the world. Right at the airport, even before passport control, you will see exchange offices, and the list of currencies in them is impressive, as are the rates, which are very far from the real exchange rate ratio. You can find exchange offices that accept a variety of currencies in all major cities in Thailand. The rate there is usually a little more favorable than at the airport, but it depends.

Thai baht. This option seems the most obvious and reasonable, but not everything is simple with it. Finding a bank in Russia that issues Thai currency is very difficult, even in Moscow. If you have little time in the capital, for example, you are making a short transfer in Moscow, then it will be unrealistic to exchange rubles for baht in advance.

Dollars or euros. If you are going to travel with cash, then this option is the most profitable. Dollars and euros are accepted at any exchange office, the rates are usually acceptable. A strange feature of Thai exchangers: the larger the dollar or euro bill, the higher the rate at which it will be exchanged for you.

If you take a plastic card, make sure that it is international. Some Russian banks issue cards that are accepted only in Russian banks. It is best to have a card of at least a standard Visa Classic or Mastercard Standard. One or more accounts can be linked to; their currency does not matter: conversion when withdrawing money through occurs automatically.

When withdrawing money from a bank card, you should keep in mind that conversion usually occurs through dollars at the bank’s internal rate. So, if your account is in rubles, then there will be two conversions, rubles-dollars, and then dollars-baht. Sometimes conversion is carried out through euros if the account is in euros. If your bank charges a fee for using someone else's ATM, they will charge it. There is also a commission from the Thai bank itself, usually it is at least 150-180 baht. It turns out that it is better to withdraw money less often, but in larger amounts.

Another way to receive money from a bank account: you need to come to any Thai bank with your card and passport. Some banks allow you to withdraw money without commission. It happens that the branch does not have a device to service the card, then they will recommend that you use an ATM.

What currency should you use to go on holiday to Thailand? We'll tell you what money to take with you on a trip so as not to lose a significant amount in exchange.

What is the currency in Thailand: Thai baht (THB).

What's better to leave at home?

Let's start with what currency it is better not to take at all. These are our native Russian rubles. The fact is that the Russian economy has sank greatly. The ruble exchange rate is very unstable in relation to other currencies. So it is possible that during your vacation the ruble/baht exchange rate will fluctuate greatly, creating additional hassle. This situation will not happen with the exchange of other currencies. The situation there is more predictable.

There are two more reasons why you shouldn’t take rubles with you:

For obvious reasons, there are fewer exchangers with Russian currency than with the dollar and euro.
The rate at these exchangers is objectively not the most favorable. The owners understand that they are taking a big risk by dealing with the ruble, and they increase their commission.

You can find out the baht to ruble exchange rate today using this calculator.

What money to take with you

The choice is simple: dollars or euros. Moreover, the dollar is a priority, since this currency enjoys great confidence among local residents.

This may seem strange, but the exchange rates for banknotes of different denominations are different. Therefore, take 50-100 dollar bills with you on your trip. Their exchange is the most profitable.

An important point: it is better to take more cash with you and not rely heavily on a bank card. For the reason that cards are not accepted everywhere else in Asia. And cashing out money while traveling can be an unaffordable luxury (lots of commissions). And remember that when you pay with a card in a store, you automatically transfer your money according to the bank rate at the time of purchase. This is also not always profitable.

Phuket or Pattaya –
Where in Thailand

And here is a video with small financial calculations on the topic of the article.

Updated: 10/16/2017

Oleg Lazhechnikov

861

It seems that I have already written more than once about why they are needed in general, about that, but the specific answer to the question of what money to take to Thailand remained behind the scenes. Although this is said somewhere in the comments or briefly in the articles themselves... But since I receive this very question with a certain frequency, I am filling the gap in the form of a separate article.

I would like to note that this post is relevant not only for Thailand, but also for other foreign countries, especially for those where the currency is tugriks (not euros or dollars).

The currency in Thailand is Thai baht. In Russia you can’t buy them everywhere, and I wouldn’t do it either. And why? Take dollars with you and you won’t go wrong; there are exchangers in Thailand at every turn. Only in Russia it is better to find a better rate at an exchange office.

Another no-labor option is to take with you your bank cards, which you use in everyday life. The main thing is that this card is accepted abroad, that is, those intended only for Russia will not be suitable. Any will do, but it’s better not lower than Visa Classic or Mastercard Standard. The currency of the bank card account (if you don’t bother) is not so important, but all other things being equal, dollar cards are preferable. In general, I already wrote that when traveling, I recommended using travel credit cards for payments or debit cards for withdrawing cash at a good rate. I’ve been trying to minimize cash spending for a long time, although in Thailand it’s hard to do this; terminals are only in large stores.

Details about what money to take to Thailand

I answered the question briefly, now let’s take a closer look at all possible cases, because if you go deeper and try to minimize losses on currency conversions, you will have to understand a little about the topic. But if you don’t want to, then I’ve already written the advice above.

All options on what to take

Rubles. In Thailand they are taken mainly only in Pattaya/Phuket/Bangkok and not everywhere, so they can be considered relatively useless, you will have to look for an exchanger, and the rate will be so-so. I also read that Bangkok Bank has started accepting them, but I haven’t checked it myself. The rate is listed on their website and it is extortionate.
Cash dollars and euros. On the spot, they can be exchanged for Thai baht at any exchange office or bank, of which there are more than enough in the country. This option is great for those who don’t particularly use bank cards, or simply don’t want to bother.
Bank card with ruble account. In my opinion, one of the most convenient options without any hassles if you are going on vacation for a couple of weeks. All this hassle with special cards for the sake of saving a couple of pennies is useless. And you need to know that a bank card is much safer than cash. If you lose cash, it will be over, and the card can always be blocked, plus there are transaction limits. In Thailand, you can use a ruble card to pay for purchases in supermarkets. There will be two conversions, usually through dollars (THB=>USD=>RUB).
Bank card with dollar account. More profitable option. But it is suitable for those whose income comes in dollars, or who monitors exchange rates and purchases in dollars and euros on time. For such a card there will be only one conversion (THB=>USD). Withdrawing money occurs in the same way: at ATMs and banks. It is better to take Mastercsrd, it usually has lower commissions.
Bank card with euro account. Usually so-so, because it is needed for countries where the euro is used, and not the tugrik. You need to find out from your bank how conversions occur, because there is a risk of getting into 2 conversions (THB=>USD=>EUR).

Cash dollars

Most vacationers simply take cash dollars with them. As I said above, this is a good option for those who don’t want to understand. We went to the exchange office, bought a few thousand (well, or as much as you need there) and that’s it, no additional actions or hassle with finding out bank card fees. Actually, you can continue to do this. Even if the exchange rate suddenly changes for the worse for you (the ruble rises and the dollar falls), then in a short period of time (vacation) you are unlikely to lose much. That is, changes in rates will not be noticeable to you.

However, I would still advise stocking up on a bank card, ruble or dollar. Since money can run out, it’s better to keep emergency reserves in a bank account rather than in your pocket, it’s safer. Well, winterers, in my opinion, can’t live without a map. It’s one thing to plan expenses for 1-2 weeks, another thing to plan for 6 months.

How to reduce commission costs

Is there a difference in what kind of money to bring to Thailand if you are going for the winter and not for a couple of weeks on vacation? I answered “no” for myself, and I travel further with bank cards (different currencies) and take some cash with me just in case. However, here's what else you need to do to reduce your commission costs:

Find out which banks are in your city and find out what their real commissions are for conversions (call the bank, read on forums), and also who does not have a commission for withdrawing cash from an ATM of a third-party bank. Thus, you can try to reduce expenses on all sorts of commissions, of which there can be a lot during the entire winter. True, this will take time. You can use my selection of cards as a starting point.
Withdraw not from ATMs, but at the bank's cash desk; there is no commission of 180 baht for withdrawal.
Convert your income into dollars, get a dollar bank card in Russia, open an account in a Thai bank and get a Thai card to which you can transfer money from Russian accounts or withdraw WebMoney profitably (if you have them).

Well, after you have decided whether to take dollars, rubles, or bank cards, you will need to find out. True, during wintering expenses can be completely different, both less and more.

P.S. Just in case, it’s always good to have a few hundred cash bucks in your wallet for any trip abroad, you never know what will happen to the card, or some other situation where it is impossible or inconvenient to withdraw from the card, but cash is needed urgently.

P.P.S. Due to the instability of the ruble, it makes sense not only to take a dollar card, but also to transfer half (or even more) of your savings into foreign currency.

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Mogilev

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krestalex

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There can be any currency on the card, because you will still pay about the same money for conversion. We described how currency conversion occurs in different payment systems in the article “How currency conversion occurs with bank cards.” In short, the procedure consists of two stages, that is, first your account currency is converted into dollars and then into baht, and you will pay a commission for both transactions. However, we still recommend that you use cards with rubles in your account, because in the future you will be able to use them in Russia.

Considering the fact that in Thailand you will more often withdraw money from a card than pay with it, then you should take a debit card with you rather than a credit card, because the fee for a withdrawal transaction will be significantly lower than that of a credit card.

How much does it cost to withdraw money in Thailand? What other commissions are provided?

In addition to the fee for converting your account currency into baht (assuming of course that there will be two conversions for which you will pay approximately 4% of the amount), you will pay another fee that many banks charge for cross-border transactions. This commission is different in each bank, for example, in Sberbank it is equal to 1.5% of the amount, Alfa Bank charges 1.7%, and VTB-24 charges 2% for VISA cards, and Mastercard – 0%.

Another zero commission is possible with a Tinkoff black debit card, which also belongs to the Mastercard system. By the way, we recommend this card as a debit card, because in addition to the fact that you can store money on it at 8% per annum, you can withdraw it from any ATM in the world for free, which is very useful when traveling to Thailand.

Fraud in the "Land of Smiles"

1) First of all, do not forget to inform the bank about your trip, because if you do not do this, your card will be blocked the first time you try to withdraw it.
2) Be sure to activate the SMS notification service to promptly receive information about changes in your account.
3) Be careful and follow basic safety rules when using your card. We talked about the most commonly used fraudulent schemes in our article "

Thailand. At the moment it relates to the ruble as 1:2. There are 100 satang kopecks in one baht, but they are slowly disappearing from everyday life.

There is a misconception that in tourist countries like Thailand, you can pay for any private services in dollars. In fact, the situation is completely opposite: local residents are very distrustful of any foreign banknotes.

Does this mean that you should not take dollars with you to Thailand ()? Certainly not. You need to take dollars, and the higher the denomination of the bills, the more profitable you will exchange them. This can be done immediately upon arrival in almost any city, for example.

True, it is better, after all, to give preference to a small exchanger or a bank branch on the street - this way you can win an amount equivalent to a kilo of fruit and a bottle of good beer from an exchange of $100.

The most extortionate exchange rate is in hotels in popular resorts in Thailand (). I can’t even believe that someone could take their money there. But not everyone knows that most small bank branches are closed on Sunday, and on weekdays they are open only until 15.30; therefore the phenomenon “takes place”.

It is most profitable to exchange traveler's checks in Thailand: bank displays even separately highlight their exchange rate in bold to further attract visitors. In general, exchange rates for any currency fluctuate slightly from branch to branch. With the same success as dollars, you can exchange euros, pounds and any other known world currency.

Typical currency exchange kiosks in Thailand

Due to the large number of scams with old banknotes in Thailand, you may be refused to exchange dollars issued before 1993. In some places during the exchange you may be asked for your international passport and residential address, so be prepared for this. By the way, about your passport, don’t even think about losing it, and if you do lose it, we’ve already discussed it.

Easily carried out in every major store. Just like withdrawing cash from an ATM. In addition to the commission of the bank that issued the card and the commission of the bank that owns the ATM, an amount of 150 baht is always charged. The ATM will show the final figure before you confirm the withdrawal operation. There is usually a cash withdrawal limit of 20,000 baht.

Even before flying to Asia, warn your bank about the trip: this region is associated with an increased risk of fraud and there have been cases when the card was blocked after the first transaction in Thailand.