dsquared37

It's super easy all you need to do is....

...follow Diplomatico's advice.

nkedel

I wonder whether the counting limit is specific to bill size; I usually withdraw something ending in "900" to end up with small bills (a few ATMs I've used in the past have smaller notes still, and 990 or 980 is nice if you can get it, but Citi only goes down to 100s) and the 15900 or 16900 that I've typically pulled at current rates is 24-25 bills total.

Dieuwer

Isn't SuperRich the best deal regardless of using a no-fee debit card? Their spread seems very tight for $100 and $50 notes.

transpac

Possibly, assuming you have $50/$100 bills on you.

I see 32.87 - 32.92 at the various SuperRich(es) today (Sat., 4 Jan 2014 18:30) now - for $100 bills, $50's are a bit less.

Visa rate is 32.91314 now.

Also factor in transport costs, if any, to get to the real SuperRich(es) on Ratchadamri Rd.

I did a fee-free ATM withdrawal yesterday (3 Jan 2014) at an AEON ATM, I got 32.643, while the Visa web-site gives 32.64347 for that same date.

Dieuwer

So you did worse than going to SuperRich.

transpac

I don't know...

1.) I do not know what SuperRich(es) rates were yesterday.

2.) I did not have any $100 bills.

3.) I did not spend ~ 150 baht to travel to/from Ratchadamri Road.


My best guess though, is no, I did not do worse.

Diplomatico

It's been my experience that VASU, near Soi 7 Sukhumvit, beats Superrich on $100 notes.

Cameron38

If you have a Fidelity ATM card linked to your cash account, they will also refund the service charge.

HKtraveller

It depends which Superrich. There are 2 companies and Superrich1965 gives the good rates only at 2 locations.

transpac

As of 16 January 2014 AEON ATMs remain fee-free.

I think there are now ~ three separate and distinct "Superrich" money changing companies, with head-offices in/around the Ratchadamri Road area.

Superrich/blue-green typically has the best rates on their web-site but whenever I've gone there the rates are the same (EUR) at blue/green and yellow/red/orange so I just go to the one with the shortest line.

http://www.superrichthailand.com/new/exchange.html

http://www.superrich1965.com/rate.php


There have been some reports of shady dealings at Vasu - miscounts, substitution of counterfeit bills - so most Thais avoid Vasu.

http://www.vasuexchange.com/

HKtraveller

These rumours are around for a while. I still go there if I need to change a small amount (a few thousand Baht). For large amounts only Superrich.
By the way, is there a recent limit of what you can exchange at Superrich? I heard something about that.

RustyC

Well, I s'pose it was all but inevitable, but notable holdout AEON is now part of the ATM price-fix in Thailand, probably caving into pressure from the other banks.

Went from B0 on Feb. 10 to guess-how-much on Feb. 11? That's right...the same B150 that all the other Thai banks and foreign ones like Citibank are charging, which is about $4.60 and one of the highest rates in the world.

Even by U.S. standards, where banks tend to watch competitors and match their increases, this one reeks of in-your-face collusion. And before you do the "Why should they be giving something away for free?" bit, be aware that ATM withdrawals from banks other than your own have NOT been free for a very long time. They have collected and continue to collect the interchange fee, which is what your bank is collecting from you if it charges $1.75, $2 or whatever just for using another bank's ATM. Some banks will waive that, often with a minimum balance, but that's just paying by another means. If you're surcharged on top of that, you're paying twice. And sustaining one of the world's highest surcharges requires an oligopolistic "solidarity" that would be a bit much even in the U.S.

Thankfully the practice hasn't spread to Malaysia, where the interchange fee is still fine for most banks.

As for countermeasures, I'll likely look into the Schwab account or anything similar (I have one that does some rebates, though with a cap). Though one wonders how long Schwab or others can keep rebating at nearly $5 a pop without some kinds of limits if the scourge spreads. Thailand is still one of few places where traveler's checks make some sense, but that keeps getting more challenging on the U.S. side with Amex closing down its own offices and banks dropping the offering, citing lack of demand.

ft101

It's been on their website for a while now.

The only thing missing was the date but now that's confirmed as well.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thail...l#post22038321

CrazyInteg

Can somebody please define "farang accounts"? I noticed somebody posed the question on another website but nobody could give an answer.

Are Thais charged the fee?
Are AEON bank ATM card holders charged the fee?
Are only non-AEON ATM cards charged the fee?

Thanks

CrazyInteg

Found the info: http://www.aeon.co.th/aeon/af/aeon/u...,-9294&lang=en