A Trick Play

[jimnbkk]

I get my cash for everything from my SCB account via ATM. The problem is, I usually get either 2,000 or 10,000 at a time, and it all comes in 1,000 baht notes. Now, 1,000 baht notes are fine at 7/11 or similar stores, but if I present Aek at Two Guys with a 1,000 Baht note for a 30 Baht ice tea, he gets all squinty-eyed with me.

After much careful thought (not easy with somebody of my vintage), I have come up with what I consider a trick play to outwit the forces of evil that manage the ATMs here in LOS. I'm sure this is not particularly 'tricky' for those of you who are smarter than I, but if there's somebody out there that is not smarter than I, here is what I have learned:

1. enter your PIN as before
2. instead of accepting the 'canned' Baht outputs on the left side of the screen, press the button on the lower right corner that says something in Thai and the word English. (Note that I'm using an SCB machine here; I have no idea of other banks' machines use similar scheme).
3. When you get an english screen, (there may be another button-push or two before u get to this screen) it will ask you to enter the amount of cash you want. Just enter 900 Baht!!
Magically, you will get either a 500 Baht note and 4-100 Baht notes, or you will get 9- 100 Baht notes.

It took me a long time to realize how easy this is.

[Dodger]

Thats brilliant Jimnbkk.

Just how did you figure all that out. It must have been like the Devinci Code.

Eureka?
You must be the 6 billionth person on the planet to figure that out.

[painai2]

Also, when you go to Family Mart or 7-11, I try to give a 1000 baht note for anything I buy. They give you change without any problem. So many times at dinner, all customers at a table use a 1000 baht note to pay their check-bin.
Then, they wonder what takes so long to get their change while the poor waiter tries to make their change.

Great idea. And when I go do my monthly trip to the ATM for 20,000 baht I'll just do 900 baht withdrawals 22 times and charge up 20 baht * 22 = 440 baht in ATM service fees!!!

I agree that 500 baht notes are often key during the "negotiations".

Another one is the skytrain stations that only give you 10 baht coins in chnage. How many times might I have saved 5 baht in a taxi or on a motorbike if I had five baht coins. I do tip, but I do have a system that is often exceeded with the lack of five baht coins.

[donald1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibkDXTquE3k

ingenious!!!!!! ( a ripoff from SNL)

[youtube:balaswot]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDMH0vgMRYU[/youtube:balaswot]

[Dax]

....made my Saturday morning.........thanks for the laugh.

[jolyjacktar]

Both Hands, i loved the You tube vid, had a nice chuckle. I remember in a bar once giving 500 bht for 2 50bht drinks and getting numerous wraps of 1 bht and 5 bht coins back in the change. God my pockets were heavy for a few hours whilst off loading them arround boys town LOL.