Originally Posted by
mrnik2007
Im going to BKK for the firrst time.
My US Bank offers travelers cheques in Baht denominations.
Do banks still charge a handling fee to cash them?
I never knew you could get a TC that was in Thai baht from a US bank; I think you would probably have to pay the 33 baht fee per check just the same. Anyway, I would get the largest denomination you can get to eliminate lots of fees for small checks. Would the conversion rate be favorable at all? Usually if you get Thai baht in a different country than Thailand your rate of exchange is less. (Pay it now or pay it later??)
I have 2 different credit union debit cards (one with Visa and one with MasterCard,) the credit unions pay my ATM charges up to 5 per month. They covered my ATM charges from my Thai withdrawals last month.
Those credit unions also issue travelers checks without any charge to members too! Only problem is that the largest size I can get is $100 US. (American Express.) I record the serial numbers of these TC's in an email that I send to myself and then save into memory. If the checks are stolen I can just recall that email with the serial numbers if needed for replacement or police investigation. When I travel I also record the serial numbers of my hundred dollar bills in case they are ever needed.
So, if you are a frequent user of ATM's overseas you might want to check out the benefits of a credit union account in your own country, perhaps they also have the same benefits.