Banks en route bkk - pty

[vnman]

Are their any banks en route from the airport to Pattaya? Or should I just bite the bullet and change money at the airport? It's going to be between 8pm and 9pm so there might not be anything open. Making a detour in Pattaya itself might not be worth the 100bt savings per hundred usd.

Also, don't banks that have a night booth in Pattaya change there quotes at night? Can't remember that one.

Funny things is that I will most likely be trowing money around like it's normal paper ones there, but here I can worry about something as small as 100bt...go figure.

You've hit the nail on the head, it's only 100 baht so why put yourself through the worry of hoping and wondering will there be an ATM, whilst sitting with a grumpier and grumpier taxi driver maybe having to drive you round several machines until you get one that takes your card, so no, airport every time for me ( actually I'm all organised for once and have 10,000 baht in my travel wallet from my last trip to cover my for my first day just to avoid even having to think about the likes of that this time :-)

[vnman]

Yeah I know that you're right. It's just that feeling of being ripped off that bothers me. Not in a healthy way I might add. Airport it is

[bruce_nyc]

Newbie Question

It's been so long since my first time there...

Am I to understand that the best exchange rates can be found a currency exchanges ( or banks? ) during business hours in Pattaya?

And the second best exchange rates are at the airport?

Nighttime in Pattaya is where the worst rates are?

[Neal]

I have always found banks and exchange booths attatched to banks to be the worst. There is one that I have always found to be the best rate.
In Boyztown Soi 3, if you are looking at the Ambiance back towards Cafe Royale, face right and walk a few feet to second road.
Go against the flow of traffic 1/2 block. There is a yellow exchange shop on BOTH sides of the street and they are owned by the same person. Best rate I have ever found.
Worst rate I have ever found is shops or bars, including mine. LOL!

Ha ha ..i was just thinking i had spent nearly every penny or baht in Thai..i had just 5 baht in my pocket..when i got off the plane at Manchester.
Talk about cutting it fine lol

[luvthai-2]

I usually just change enough money at the airport to get me thru the night and will change larger amounts (usually at Tuk Com) the nex day.

[joe552]

I'm with luv-Thai on this one - change enough at the airport for 1 night then go to a bank next day.

[bruce_nyc]

Thanks for all the excellent advice, guys.

It'd be fun to meet up with all of you for a beer some time...

This is off-topic, but.... Have you ever had a sawatdee-gay-thailand meet-up IRL (in real life)...? I bet it'd be fun.

[Neal]

I do believe some of the members will be here in July? Ask NIrish guy or someone. They all promised to lavish me with dinners and wine. :evil4:
Of course anyone else that is here or coming would be more than welcome I am sure. Give them a shout.

[bruce_nyc]

Ahh. I won't be there in July.

Will anyone be there while I'm there... August 15 through September 24......?

DaBoss, I'm assuming you live there. Yes?

[christianpfc]

The last time I changed money at the airport (about 2 years ago), the rate was similar to that in Bangkok. But recently there were reports about a slightly less favorable exchange rate at the airport. Now I take a few thousand Baht with me when I return to Europe (and back to Thailand on my next holiday so I don't have to change money right when I arrive) and I havent's used money exchange for over a year, as I can get slightly better rates at the ATM (and there is no fee for withdrawal of foreign currency with my card).

[vnman]

DaBoss, I'm assuming you live there. Yes? He's been part of the scenery for quite some time now :-)

Christian, how does that work? I always thought the Thai banks took 150tb for each transaction. Did they change that back?

[Neal]

the ATMs charge 150b per transaction. The banks just give you less at the window then what the market is paying at that moment. Maybe some have a fee also. Dont know.

[vnman]

Your right Boss, I was talking about the ATM

[fountainhall]

recently there were reports about a slightly less favorable exchange rate at the airport.
I don't normally change cash at the airport, but did notice on my return 3 weeks ago the rates were slightly worse than in town. For HK$, the airport rate was 3.83. In town, it was around 3.90 - 3.94.

[easyride]

All ATM's charge non-Thai (possibly non ASEAN) banks cards 150 baht per transaction on top of whatever your OWN bank charges you for foreign cash transactions.
e.g. my UK bank charges ┬г3 just to take money out never mind a poor exchange rate.

The only exception being AEON bank which waives the 150 baht charge but not your OWN bank charges.
Unfortunately AEON have only 3 branches in Pattaya.

[anonone]

Are any of the AEON ATMs close to either Sunee or Boyztown? Or even Jomtien complex?

I have not paid much attention to these types of things...but if there is a convenient location of one of these, it makes sense to use that one to save the 150 baht.

Thanks.

[pong]

luvthai has it right-of course.
To vnman: there are heaps of normal Thai bank ATMs in many spots in the airport, so you can withdraw with bankcard already there at the normal interbank rate. NONe (but this depends on the route you/taximeter take) really along the motorway between swampy and PTY-but again 100s when entering PTY at every streetcorner and in between-also at about any 7.
As for der chris and others: there IS a small (much smaller as usually at airports vs town in most other countries) difference between rates at Swampy and at banks in town-but also note that banks nowadays ALSo have DIFFERENT rates for different places in BKK! Area around Silom is usually the worst-as is the touristy ghetto on low-Sukhumvit.
Forgetting the 150 bt ATM-fee (AEON banks dont charge this-but they only have ATMs in some shopping centres, notably their own at Jusco/Valuamart and also some Tesco), the rates at moneychangers like SuperRich, SIAM and VASU (SUKh-somewhere near soi 11) are for BIG notes slightly better as ATM-rates (for those non-US who have not their fobia against carrying cash), but ONLY during normal mo-fri banking hours, they are adjusted downward evenings and weekends and then are roughly same as all banks offer.

[vnman]

TNX pong,

I'm not using my ATM unless an emergency. My Vietnamese banks know no mercy and will hit me with crazy commissions too. But two weeks ago I changed 100 usd at the airport and and I got around 100bt less than normal banks in the city gave me.

In Vietnam the exchange rate at the airport is the same as at the banks in the city.

[christianpfc]

Christian, how does that work? I always thought the Thai banks took 150tb for each transaction. Did they change that back?

All Thai ATMs except AEON (which is Japanese with branches in Thailand?). There are two AEON ATMs in Silom (one in the now closed for renovation Silom Complex) and there is at least one in Pattaya, the one I know is between Big C and Home Works (?) at the corner South Pattaya Road and Sukhumvit Road.

When I go to an AEON ATM and withdraw money from my bank that doesn't charge for withdrawal abroad, I have zero fees. And the exchange rate is slightly better than a few exchange booths in the Silom area I checked immediately after withdrawing.

Now I take cash (Euro) only for emergencies and all my Baht come from ATM.

[a447]

Christianpfc hat


There are two AEON ATMs in Silom (one in the now closed for renovation Silom Complex) geschrieben

I used to always use that ATM - the one upstairs, right?
When I last used it a while back, they were chargng 150 bhat.

[anonone]

Thanks for the Pattaya location of AEON ATM. Unless I have my locations mixed up, this sounds fairly close to the Magnolia Massage place of recent discussion. I might have to make a run down that way, hit the ATM and try out Magnolia.

It would be great to find a no fee ATM. I will try to report back....

Thanks again.

[easyride]

Are any of the AEON ATMs close to either Sunee or Boyztown? Or even Jomtien complex?

I have not paid much attention to these types of things...but if there is a convenient location of one of these, it makes sense to use that one to save the 150 baht.

Thanks.

These are the only three AEON ATM's in Pattaya, you really need to be in one of the locations to make it worthwhile. I tend to shop at Big C

Tesco on Naklua Road in North Pattaya (don't know where)
Tesco Extra on Pattaya Klang (formerly Carrefour) in Pattaya Klang Central Pattaya
Home Works next door to Big C Shopping Centre South Pattaya
(between Big C and Tesco Lotus on Sukhumvit 300m past junction with Pattaya Tai).

[vnman]

I read on gaybutton that banks are closed on Monday. What will be the exchange rates in the booths?

[christianpfc]

Home Works next door to Big C Shopping Centre South Pattaya
(between Big C and Tesco Lotus on Sukhumvit 300m past junction with Pattaya Tai).

As far as I remember my single visit there, I went from South Pattaya Road through the parking lot underneath Big C and found the ATM near the entrance of Home Works outside (but under a canopy / porch).

a447: the ATM in Silom Complex is/was on first floor/second floor, directly accessible from the walkway at the Sala Daeng skytrain station. There is another AEON ATM on fifth (?) floor in the building further down Silom Road that has Mac Donalds (?) and Watson's Pharmacy on the ground floor.

It's good to plan ahead, as in more than one out of five visits there was a problem with the ATMs. Once there was an error message on the screen, so I thought a re-start of the computer in the ATM might help. I found the power cable (there were a lot of cables around and an uninterrupted power supply that was not connected), pulled it, the ATM went off. I replugged it and a loud beep started. So I just went away pretending nothing had happend. When I came back (a few hours later or the following day), the same error message was on display.

[vnman]

Are any of the AEON ATMs close to either Sunee or Boyztown? Or even Jomtien complex?

I have not paid much attention to these types of things...but if there is a convenient location of one of these, it makes sense to use that one to save the 150 baht.

Thanks.

These are the only three AEON ATM's in Pattaya, you really need to be in one of the locations to make it worthwhile. I tend to shop at Big C

Tesco on Naklua Road in North Pattaya (don't know where)
Tesco Extra on Pattaya Klang (formerly Carrefour) in Pattaya Klang Central Pattaya
Home Works next door to Big C Shopping Centre South Pattaya
(between Big C and Tesco Lotus on Sukhumvit 300m past junction with Pattaya Tai).

I had to pay some deposits this week so i wanted an extra 2000. We want for the sushi buffet in tesco and i thought that it would be a good oppertunity to go to aeon. To make it very clear. If youre with motorbike or car, you realy have to park at the home works and walk to the entrance. You will find two atm at the rights side of the entrance. A bangkok bank atm which is clearly marked and a aeon atm but it doesnt have a sign or whatever. Its not something you can find just driving on sukumvit looking left and right.