Originally Posted by
Firemansam
If it's an ongoing money transfer if its viable I find western union to be quite good.
I send money monthly to my fiancee in Vietnam, costs me $10aud and the exchange rates are quite good.
I was looking at giving her a visa card to use, but crazy expensive and bank transfers were also ridiculously expensive.
So if where she is living has a WU agent maybe look at that too.
If they are withdrawing amounts of 20,000 to 25,000 at a time, an ATM may be cheaper at appx $7 per withdrawal. If you send in larger amounts, a bank transfer is very convenient. But, the fees will be from about $25 and up.
A regular bank transfer to Thailand is cheaper than Western Union. Plus the receiver doesn't have to do anything... it's automatically there for the person here to withdraw at their convenience. And, if the Thai bank account is in the same province that they withdraw from, there are NO FEES for them to access the funds .
I have often sent money from a Canadian bank to Thailand. And, vise versa. With a few simple details, it can be done pretty easy. Bank Swift Code, Address, Name of Receiver and another handful of details.
Western Union is more expensive, but sometimes more convenient for the sender. You can send from any Safeway or WalMart, as well as Money Mart and others. But, I have been declined by Western Union to send money. Maybe they thought I was being scammed. It sucked. They charged more and still wouldn't take my money. I have, however, used them a dozen more times. The funds are instantly accessible in Thailand. Expensive, but convenient.
I prefer and trust the bank transfers more. Large sums of cash in this country attract the wrong kind of attention.