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ATM surcharges on cards issued by non-Thailand banks (THB150-220 per transaction)

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ATM surcharges on cards issued by non-Thailand banks (THB150-220 per transaction)

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Old Aug 30, 2009, 5:46 pm
  #121  
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Originally Posted by maskedavenger
In the future, you might want to get USD 500 travelers checks, as the fee (THB 33) is the same regardless of the exchange amount.
Exactly. I use AMEX $1,000 checks, myself, though they are not stocked by every location which sells AMEX checks. If you buy them from your own bank, you may be able to get them to special order what you need.
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Old Sep 1, 2009, 7:13 am
  #122  
 
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Options appear to be dwindling fast. I was in a GSB branch today and was informed they now apply the 150baht fee. However, they recommended I try a new bank next door called Tisco. I got a 'communication error' and was unable to draw cash on my visa debit so I cannot confirm absence of fees or otherwise.

It looks like large denomination travellers cheques will again be option of choice. Another possibility is to open a Thai bank account and transfer cash into it via paypal, however, at the moment I'm not aware of costs of using paypal for such.
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Old Sep 2, 2009, 1:25 am
  #123  
 
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Originally Posted by ScottieFlyer
Options appear to be dwindling fast. I was in a GSB branch today and was informed they now apply the 150baht fee.
Did you attempt an ATM withdrawal at a GSB ATM? Were you notified on the screen that there would be a 150 baht service charge? Did you ultimately make a withdrawal and see that you were charged the fee?

Your post makes it sound like you asked someone if there was a fee, maybe they said yes and you assumed they knew what you were talking about?

I just completed a GSB ATM withdrawal and was not charged any fee.
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Old Sep 2, 2009, 2:00 am
  #124  
 
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Originally Posted by lomatopo
Did you attempt an ATM withdrawal at a GSB ATM? Were you notified on the screen that there would be a 150 baht service charge? Did you ultimately make a withdrawal and see that you were charged the fee?

Your post makes it sound like you asked someone if there was a fee, maybe they said yes and you assumed they knew what you were talking about?

I just completed a GSB ATM withdrawal and was not charged any fee.
The machine was out of order, hence, my visit inside. I asked the woman about whereabouts of other GSB machines as I wanted to avoid the fee. It was at this stage when she told me they are charging the fee. Maybe she believed they already were or are planning to do so soon, that was not clear. Or hopefully perhaps she misunderstood me and was referring to the normal fees Thai banks apply when someone uses a card outside their own branch/region area. For the moment I'll continue using GSB until I get some confirmation from the machine itself that fee is being applied.
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Old Sep 9, 2009, 11:47 am
  #125  
 
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I will be making my first visit to Thailand in about two months. Reading this thread, the options for ATM's that don't charge the 150B fee seem to keep dwindling.

Would travelers checks now be the preferred method? Is the 33B exchange fee universal across BKK, or the entire country?
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Old Sep 9, 2009, 5:04 pm
  #126  
 
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Originally Posted by inagaddadavida
I will be making my first visit to Thailand in about two months. Reading this thread, the options for ATM's that don't charge the 150B fee seem to keep dwindling.

Would travelers checks now be the preferred method? Is the 33B exchange fee universal across BKK, or the entire country?
The 33 THB fee is countrywide....it is a for a stamp/tax required by the Thai Gov't to be collected (and turned over to the treasury). This is how they provide all the services to the Thai people.
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Old Sep 10, 2009, 8:47 pm
  #127  
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Hi all

I can confirm that as of three days ago AEON ATMs are still free of the 150 baht fee!

I found one in the Silom Centre - but interestingly it was hardly marked at all. It was sitting beside two other heavily branded ATMs from other banks and all it had on it was a small metal plate.

I waited until the transdaction showed up on line and it was indeed without the extra 150.

Hope this helps.

Regards

lme etc etc
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Old Oct 7, 2009, 12:01 am
  #128  
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Hi, is this fee still the case in most ATMs?

I'm bringing a fair amount of cash with me to mitigate this, but was wondering if anyone had any other experiences more recently?

Thanks.
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Old Oct 7, 2009, 3:39 am
  #129  
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Do you think the risk of carrying high amounts of cash with you is lower than paying 150 BHT to get money from an ATM? Even if you use an exchange office you still pay comission, one way or another.

It's bothering as it's a tricky practice and it's good you can still find some tax-free ATMs, but I would not go 2 extra miles for one if I need the cash.
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Old Oct 7, 2009, 4:30 am
  #130  
 
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Some (OK one person so far) are reporting that GSB have started charging the 150 baht fee. I couldn't get a GSB ATM to work for me so cannot confirm. I used an AEON ATM B level Paragon and no fee, in fact they proudly announce that they do not charge the fee in the accompanying video screen.
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Old Oct 7, 2009, 10:03 am
  #131  
 
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Originally Posted by lomatopo
Some (OK one person so far) are reporting that GSB have started charging the 150 baht fee. I couldn't get a GSB ATM to work for me so cannot confirm. I used an AEON ATM B level Paragon and no fee, in fact they proudly announce that they do not charge the fee in the accompanying video screen.
I was only passing on info I got from GSB bank clerk by word of mouth; since I left BKK soon afterwards I was never able to confirm if this was true with an actual withdrawal from a machine.

Did you use Visa or Mastercard at AEON and how did exchange rate work out?
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Old Oct 7, 2009, 9:04 pm
  #132  
 
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Originally Posted by ScottieFlyer
I was only passing on info I got from GSB bank clerk by word of mouth; since I left BKK soon afterwards I was never able to confirm if this was true with an actual withdrawal from a machine.

Did you use Visa or Mastercard at AEON and how did exchange rate work out?
FWIW, I was referring to a poster on the ThaiVisa thread (75 pages, 1,875 posts) who says they were charged the 150 THB fee at a GSB ATM sometime after 1 Oct.
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Old Oct 8, 2009, 9:11 am
  #133  
 
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Can anyone tell me if there are any non-fee charging ATM's at the airport (BKK)?
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Old Oct 8, 2009, 9:14 am
  #134  
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I think if you were going to carry large amounts of currency, buying traveler checks of larger denominations would mitigate the risk of theft/loss.
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Old Oct 8, 2009, 12:44 pm
  #135  
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Originally Posted by inagaddadavida
Can anyone tell me if there are any non-fee charging ATM's at the airport (BKK)?
There are none.
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