1 GBP gets 29 Baht

[newalaan2]

Def NOT when I passed through this evening. All give the same rate which was 41 baht per GBP. TT in Pattaya gives almost the same as XE currency which is 43.

Whilst I generally would have held the same view ( certainly re here in the UK) I believe that several members have reported that some of the booths in Swampy are actually giving at least just a good as rate ( if not better) than some of the booths in silom etc !?

Apparently there are booths on the lowest level of the airport at the entrance to the rail link which give considerably better rates than the major bank booths in the arrivals area.

Gerefan……..as Captain Swing and Nirish guy suggest all the booths on the arrival levels or anywhere in the airport apart from those on the very lowest floor (-2?) where the rail links to central Bkk are, give exactly the same poor exchange rate no matter which bank logo they have. But the booths on that lowest floor give as good a rate as any of the Surawong/silom places and more than TT in Pattaya. Start of June when I arrived I changed all my Sterling £50's at one of the Superrich booths on the airport lower floor and got just under 43baht-£, none of the Pattaya exchange booths including TT could match it.

TT is no longer even the very best in Pattaya since they opened so many branches around the city, they are obviously better than the banks but some of the small independent booths often beat them narrowly. I checked online when I was at the booths on the lower floor and compared them to TT who were at Bt42.65 compared to 42.95 at the airport. Only X-One on Surawong down from Tarntawan matched the airport booths on lowest floor. It's not a great difference but I was at the airport already and didn't have to go out of my way, and on the rate for the Sterling I had to change the difference paid for the Limo to Pattaya, and as I was met by Limo driver right after I exchanged it, the cash was safe on my person until I checked into hotel in pattaya and deposited in safe.

Updated info as at start June.

[frequent]

You guys do know that banks off ATM cards now, right? And they magically work in basically every ATM machine in the world.

I guess you get dinged 200 baht, but just pull out the maxium, and it's probably cheaper and definitely a lot easier than screwing around with
exchange booths.

Since the maximum from an ATM is around 20,000 baht it doesn’t sound that good a deal. It also depends what the home bank’s fees/rules are about cash withdrawals overseas

[poshglasgow]

Whilst I generally would have held the same view ( certainly re here in the UK) I believe that several members have reported that some of the booths in Swampy are actually giving at least just a good as rate ( if not better) than some of the booths in silom etc !?

Personally I've found a small back of shop type chinese exchange booth place up one of the streets beside in Patpong market who seem to give exceptional rates and so I intend to keep using them. To be honest I actually wondered ( feared) exactly HOW they were managing to give the rates they did that was worried about counterfeit money etc being used perhaps, but so far so good and no one has refused any notes they've given me to date and on talking to a few locals about it they simply said he was playing the long game and going for study business rather than the quick kill of some of the main street booths, who can be an absolute rip off if you're not on your toes.

So, as you say I now change enough for the first day or two to tide me over and then pop along to them when needed and so far so good.

* Oh I should add if ever in Bali NEVER do that and ONLY use the formal exchange places and not the local shops as those fuckers will skim and scam you every single time ( I know from sore experience and having to have some serious words with said shop keeper to get him to return my scammed money!!!)

The 'new' notes issued to me by a discreet 'exchange booth' in a Soi just off Patpong were, I was informed, designed to derail any tendency to produce counterfeit notes based on the status quo. The 'new' 1000 baht notes that they gave me bore a striking portrait of Judy Garland (complete with ruby slippers) cuddling Toto. I queried it, of course, but they replied: "Had you a brain, heart and courage there would have been no need to ask such an impertinent question!"
I stared at them in disbelief and said:
"Life is sad, believe me, Missy,
When you're born to be a sissy
Without the vim and verve.
But I could change my habits, never more be scared of rabbits
If I only had the nerve.
I'm afraid there's no denyin' I'm just a dandelion,
A fate I don't deserve.
But I could show my prowess, be a lion not a mowess
If I only had the nerve."

I've still got most of the notes, for no one would entertain them in Pattaya - except for one: the wicked witch of the east in Jomtien, who recognised them instantly as legal tender in the land of the Emerald City. She's off to see the wizard to ask for assistance in having the handle of her broom surgically removed from her arse, following a disagreement with a customer.
"What number you like, dahling?"

[frequent]

I checked a couple of fee schedules for using a domestic ATM card in a foreign ATM; the standard fee appears to be 3% of the value. If - and we're talking Thailand here - you can find a Thai bank that is in an international network with your bank, the 3% fee may be waived. However if your international bank is the largest domestic bank in the USA as far as personal customers goes (I'm speculating) - Bank of America - you're screwed as good ol' BoA has no interest in Asia part from China

Any other suggestions, cdnmatt?

[cdnmatt]

HSBC.

[frequent]

HSBC.

Excellent. Are there many HSBC ATMs in Thailand? https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowT...y-Bangkok.html

[frequent]

The cheapest way to hold and move money about these days is the Transferwise Borderless account. If you have a Thai bank account it's a piece of cake, although transfers to Thailand can take up to 36 hours so needs some planning. Residents in the UK & Europe can get the Transferwise debit card

https://transferwise.com/au/borderle...avbar#coverage

[Up2U]

Looks like UK members here do have a few options. I guess I'm lucky, no foreign transaction fees and my Thai bank card fee (220 baht) is reimbursed at the end of the month.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cr...-credit-cards/

[goji]

Def NOT when I passed through this evening. All give the same rate which was 41 baht per GBP. TT in Pattaya gives almost the same as XE currency which is 43.

For fuck's sake, 41 is not almost the same as 43. Without even getting the calculator out, I can see this is almost a 5% loss.

Some people spend a long time on holiday & if we go through life pissing 5% of our money down the drain, when no extra effort is required to eliminate most of that waste, it has bad consequences.
For example, if you work 30 years, are you happy to defer retirement by 1.5 years to pay for all the 5% losses taken along the way ?

Incidentally, my total loss on forex for the last Thai trip was 0.4%, compared with XE mid market. I changed the whole lot into baht in the station under the airport, which is as convenient as it gets.

You guys do know that banks off ATM cards now, right? And they magically work in basically every ATM machine in the world.

200 baht on a 10,000 baht whithdrawal = 2% loss.
Also, it's quite common for banks to charge a 2.75 or 3% loading on the forex.
Total loss 4.75%++. Much worse than changing cash (as little as 0.4% loss).

Even if you go to one of the very few cards which do not have this (at least in the UK), there is still the 200 baht fee.

[scottish-guy]

The way things are going in Sunee and BT you soon won't have to worry about the rate you're getting as there will be nothing worthwhile to spend it on.

Except 119B breakfasts, the occasional meat loaf dinner party held in a toilet cubicle, and "fine dining" such as lasagne made with noodles