ATM Problems

Just wondering if anyone else had problems getting money out of ATM's in Pattaya yesterday? (Friday)

I must have tried about 20-30 different ATM's all day, and only twice managed to get small ammounts. I called my bank who told me the card hadn't been blocked and they had no idea why it didn't seem to be working. Considering this is my only source of funds while I'm here, it was looking a little hairy at one point.

Managed to get 10,000 this morning on my first attempt, so am not sure if there was a problem with the system or something? Anyone else have problems or was it just my card?

[PeterUK]

I usually take out 20,000B at a time, but have only been able to take out 10,000B at a time for a few days now. I wonder if the boys have been having problems with their walking ATMs too?

[Up2U]

I usually take out 20,000B at a time, but have only been able to take out 10,000B at a time for a few days now. I wonder if the boys have been having problems with their walking ATMs too?

Perhaps it linked to the exchange rate and strong baht? I used to get 20,000 baht from ATM's on previous visists to LOS but last month 17,000 was my max. Did you only try 10,000 and 20,000 or did you try some other amount (e.g., 18000)?

[globalwanderer]

I have had no problems but all card issuers have a limit, some on both daily amount and amount over a number of days. Additionally the machines have a maximum in terms of number of notes they can dispense so if it only has 100bht notes ot 500 bht notes you won't get the maximum on one attempt. I've also had problems previously because the company that manages the inter-bank authorisations system was down, so I could not get cash although my card had not been blocked. I have not needed to do so recently but have in the past got cash from an exchange booth on my credit card when the machines were not dispensing

maroonedmind, I always carry two cards to avoid this problem. If all else fails, and assuming your card wasn't eaten up by the ATM, you can get the daily rate from the Exchange booths by producing your card and passport. In case of an absolute emergency I leave ┬г200 in sterling in the hotel safe. So far have always managed to survive.

I always brings 4 cards.one VISA wish in Denmark is a Debit card, althougt they don't check if I have money on my balance, and 2 MasterCard's, one Gold without limit and one with limit, and a Diners Card. Last time I almost only used the Diners. It has improved and you can withdraw money from every ATM who have a Cirrus logo. But all cards are different from where you are living. All of my cards charge me different, but I don't care as long as I get my money to have fun.

[allieb]

ATM's (the mechanical types) can be very unpredictable like the human type, sometimes they dispense money and sometimes they don't. I always take about $3,000 of cash with me on each trip and deposit half in the Bangkok bank, where I have a visitors account and leave the other half in the hotel safe. I always use my overseas Visa and master card for shopping and use cash for bars restaurants and market shopping.

The boys have learned never to depend on one form of money dispenser as we all know. We should learn from this with our version of ATM dispensers and have back up.

[TrongpaiExpat]

You can have 20 cards and it's not going to make much difference as there are only 2 international networks for US banks, Plus and Cirrus. These networks are the interface to your local bank.

Neither Plus or Cirrus are down long but since they are US based they often take them off line for maintenance between 3am and 5am EST. unfortunately just when we are up and around in Thailand.

Then there's your local bank perhaps going off line and they also tend to schedule that in the late night hours thou some publish when on their web sites.

The last, really the first hurdle, is the local Thai bank system. Just try another.

The problem is the ATM is not going to tell you most times which of these three links are not communicating.

The solution, two cards from different banks from each network, 4 total.

"The solution, two cards from different banks from each network, 4 total."

In a way that is what I am doing ;-)

btw, in Thailand, one ATM will not give you any money, but I have often tried another ATM, and have no problem then. Some take VISA and another MasterCard even if they have the logo of both. But last time my Diners worked perfect in any ATM. Sure there is always the options to go to a change "bank".

oh i forget to tell, I am not living in the US, so maybe the transaction is differnet.

I've had similar problems before, and not just in Thailand. As described above, there are quite a few links in the chain when you use a foreign-issued card to access a foriegn account via a Thai Bank's ATM. I've had the experience where a card fails at one bank's ATM, but the same card works just fine at another bank's ATM just 2 minutes later.

I too carry 3 different cards, but also have a few thousand baht and a few hundred dollars (which can be changed at manned money-changers) as safety reserve in the hotel safe. Which is the reason why I am particular about whether the hotel I book has a safe. As a third-world country, I don't expect things in Thailand to work perfectly 100% of the time, so it is wise to have fallback options in place.

Thanks for the replies. It seems that some sort of daily withdrawal limit was probably the culprit, although it's never effected me on previous trips. Tried to get 20,000 earlier today, but it wouldn't give it to me. Tried 18,000 and it was fine, which thinking about it, 18,000 roughly works out as just under 300GBP, and 20,000 is just over, so it seems the equivelent of 300GBP is the limit. I'm sure I've managed to get 20,000 out before on previous trips without any problems. Perhaps the exchange rate was different?


Anyway, with visions of having to spend my whole trip unable to get any cash, I've now discovered just how stupid it is to rely on just one source of funds.

Thailand is no third-world country, dear. It's actually among the top 20%-40% most developed nations in the world (depending on which standard you use.

Guess you haven't traveled much.

Thank you for teaching us something new! Just let us know about what Thailand is supposed to be developed:
- corruption 67 of 179 countries http://www.worldaudit.org/corruption.htm
- democracy ranking worse with 89 of 179 countries
- prostitutes per capita (but indeed most of them doing a poor job)
- general culture of abusing foreigners shamelessly

The "development" is just a face masking a very ugly reality.

None of those things have anything to do with the level of a country's development -- and thus whether it is classified as a "third world" (ie., undeveloped) country or not.

What things do? Things like:

Per-capita GDP
Life Expectancy
Education
Literacy
Education
Standard of Living
Poverty Index
Level of Industrialization

You may look down on Thailand as being "third world", but it is in fact well into the top half to top third of all nations in all of the above areas.

"Third World" describes places like Niger, Mauritania, Papua New Guinea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, etc., etc. There is no way that Thailand is "third world" by any accepted measure of development. To call it such simply betrays your ignorance and/or lack of worldliness.

I suggest you visit some of the real third world, then come back and give us a report on Thailand.

You are of course right from a statistical point of view - I worked for a long time in Africa!

Even "developed" countries like Thailand can have huge gaps between rich and poor, corruption and a lack of democracy - meaning that our perception of such countries are negative despite their "development". My comments were meant to be sarcastic......

I've now discovered just how stupid it is to rely on just one source of funds.As have many, many bar boys

Yes, the world is an ugly old place. Let's just not lose track of the fact that Thailand is closer to the top than it is to the bottom.

Let's head rather for the top 10 %! Why loosing so much time here - Singapore (not for the democracy perception 77 0f 179) is not far.

Page 2 has been especially interesting for me; currently it reads -
Noom Lex is on your IGNORE list.
begood is on your IGNORE list.
Post by oneself
Noom Lex is on your IGNORE list.
begood is on your IGNORE list.

[PeterUK]

TTried to get 20,000 earlier today, but it wouldn't give it to me. Tried 18,000 and it was fine, which thinking about it, 18,000 roughly works out as just under 300GBP, and 20,000 is just over, so it seems the equivelent of 300GBP is the limit.

Yes, I think this is the explanation for my problem too. I withdrew 15,000 with no difficulty today and, if I ask the machine nicely, it will probably give me 18,000 next time - unless the baht has got even stronger in the meantime of course.

Thais can withdraw 40K per day from a domestic account via ATM and, not coincidentally, this is the typical contribution the Thai police or a government official asks to overlook an misdemeanour or accelerate a matter

[thaiworthy-old]

Page 2 has been especially interesting for me; currently it reads -
Noom Lex is on your IGNORE list.
begood is on your IGNORE list.
Post by oneself
Noom Lex is on your IGNORE list.
begood is on your IGNORE list.

And you're complaining?

My guess would be that your problems were due to it being February 29th. I flew on United Airlines in the US that day and all their kiosks at the airport were down in the morning because they couldn't recognize the date.