Thailand is not a member of the EU, while Cyprus is. Since a few years EU regulations for opening bank accounts are very strict in order to "fight" money laundering (permit of stay, letters from employer for foreign nationals, etc.). A few years back, with a regular salary from a very renown institution in Perugia, it took me a hell of a lot of back and forth, including visits to the "agenzia delle entrate" (the Italian IRS) to be able to open a "usable" bank account and even more fuss to get a credit card. Indeed, a debit card was issued, but in 2012 several airlines only accepted credit and no debit cards, including A3!!!

At any rate, all of this is irrelevant, as the Cypriot Alpha Visa is a credit card, as described here.