Sarah DDS

Does that mean the Citibank ATMs at Asoke junction are now charging?

dsquared37

The charges are active for Thailand based banks. Citibank, HSBC etc are not charging the fee.

BigE

update:

HSBC is gone.

Citibank (Asoke) is now charging 150 baht too, on top of a bad exchange rate (at least 1% below Super Rich). They do warn you. For reference, the exact same transaction at the same ATM machine about 1 week prior cost $7 less (I'm not sure whether the extra $2 purely reflects fluctuation in the fair exchange rate, or whether Citibank also increased their buy/sell spread).

Aeon might be the lone standout, now (though I didn't try it because they don't take my ATM card).

Other than Aeon users, cash is king.

transpac

AEON is still fee-free, great rate as well. They have many ATMs, perhaps those with the easiest access are in Terminal 21 (Asoke BTS/Sukhumvit MRT) lowermost level; Central Rama 9 (Rama 9 MRT) 5th floor; Ekkamai (new mall, south side attached)...

2 on the basement level of Terminal 21 at Asoke BTS/Sukhumvit MRT
2 on the 4th floor of Big C Ratchadamri (across from CentralWorld)
1 in the basement/parking level of Siam Paragon, Siam BTS
1 in the parking structure entrance at Big C Extra On Nut, On Nut BTS
1 on the 3rd or 4th floor of MBK, about midway thru the mall, National Stadium BTS
1 outside in the bus stop area at Victory Monument, Victory Monument BTS
1 on the ground floor, far end, of Tesco Lotus FortuneTown, Rama 9 MRT
1 on the second floor of Silom Complex (but that mall currently is closed for renovation)

and many more...

http://www.aeon.co.th/en/customerser..._depositor.php


Mondays here are Sundays in the U.S. so some may hit a 'closing' period.

mario33

I wasn't charged a couple of weeks ago, no big loss since its so difficult to locate a Citibank in Thailand.

For me there is still CIMB ...

CrazyInteg

It's free* to open up a local account at a Thai bank. Then use your Thai ATM card to avoid the fee.

* some places require a deposit to open the account

dsquared37

Most (all?) banks charge to get an ATM card and any card usage outside of the municipality where the account was opened will also be charged.

Of course it will something on the order of 10 or 20 THB per transaction rather than 150 THB.

transpac

I’m not sure how practical this is for the typical tourist/visitor? And most banks/branches will not allow a foreigner to open an account on a tourist visa/exemption – yes, I know some banks/branches selectively allow this. And you have to deposit some cash, from a transfer or currency exchange. And U.S. citizens must FBAR foreign accounts.

Not sure what you mean by requiring a deposit, other than to say, yes, you need to deposit cash in THB to open an account and have available for ATM withdrawals. Most banks charge a 200 THB annual fee for an ATM card, which gives unlimited activity in region, and some number of free uses at other in-region bank’s ATMs. Fees can quickly pile up when using your own banks ATMs in other parts of Thailand, or exceeding the limit on monthly uses of other bank’s ATMs in our out of the region.

If you live/work here for say more than 6 ~ 8 months per year then it might be advisable to set up a local account. It wouldn’t seem to be advisable for the typical tourist or visitor?

Some home-country banks/accounts/cards offer refunds of the 150 THB fee.

dsquared37

Indeed, that's why I bank with Schwab. However I still choose to use Aeon ATMs so the Thai banking system doesn't get that 150 THB.

BigE

If you can get a Thai bank account, how do you get the money in there? I see that you could carry in a wad of cash, exchange it at Super Rich, then deposit it into your Thai bank account for future withdrawals. That's safer than carrying all the cash around with you, for maybe 200 baht per year (plus about 20 baht for withdrawals outside the region where you opened the account).

I've heard that people with accounts at Bangkok bank (maybe the only Thai bank with offices in the U.S.?) can transfer money from the U.S., but I'm not sure what the fees are and whether the exchange rate is good.

Another question: now that Aeon is apparently the only bank in Thailand not charging the 150 baht for foreign ATM withdrawals, which U.S. banks give an ATM card that can be used there without charging an additional fee of their own?

Capital One charges no fees and offers accounts with no monthly maintenance fees, but I haven't been able to use my ATM at Aeon since Capital one changed to the Cirrus network a few years ago.

ING (now acquired by Capital One) wasn't charging any fees, then they were, then I heard that they have stopped (but did not verify). They seem to use the Mastercard network (for the moment), so it might work at Aeon.

Any other recommendations?

mario33

Had HSBC actually withdrawn from Thailand ?

I am still a bit shock Citibank has actually started charging a fee since their moto is no ATM fee worldwide ( not true in Australia ). Does the BHT150 fee actually appear on the screen ?

dsquared37

Schwab is fee free and is good about full reimbursement of ATM fees. They hit my account once a month.

I used to bank with HSBC (still have the account) but they sold to Bank of Ayuthaya sometime in 2011 and were planning their Thailand departure in June 2012. While I don't know if they left in June I believe they are long gone at this piont.

It was part of their selloff in many Asian countries.

yosithezet

And now BAY is up for sale.

yosithezet

Either carry a wad of cash and change at Vashu or wire money in from anywhere in the world.

CrazyInteg

If you are in Thailand, then you can simply deposit money into the account, or use one of the electronic deposit machines.

Bangkok Bank, has an option to transfer via your Paypal account. That way you don't have to deal with any cash. For more options see: http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBa...rfundsnew.aspx