Money for shopping

[siam]

Hi

What is the best way to bring money holiday money?

Is it best to bring UK travellers cheques, US travellers cheques or UK cash or Thai Baht?

I know each has its benefits and drawbacks but what have you found to be the best.

Will I need Thai money at Bangkok Airport for any taxes, Visa etc on arrival?

[Sawatdee]

You will find a few tips on this recent post:

http://www.thailandguidebook.com/cgi-bin....;t=4900

Basically, people are advising to exchange your money once you are in Thailand as the exchange rate is better. UK nationals can get a free visa on arrival. You can change money at the airport.

[mat]

Bring sterling travellers cheques.do not buy small cheques as you are charged a fee per cheque.I would bring £100 cheques or £200 and when excanged carry enough for the day with you and the rest in the hotel safe.Bring a £20 note and change at the airport,this will be enough for food,taxi to hotel etc.
Mat.

[sally]

This is a subject dear to my heart as I need money for shopping!

I have been looking into the best way to bring money into Thailand. Up until now I have always brought in cash and then exchanged it in Thailand as the rates in Thailand are far higher than in England.

However, I have just discovered that with a Nationawide Flexiaccount you can withdraw cash from the ATM machines without paying commission!

This is what it says on their website:
http://www.nationwide.co.uk/

<span style='color:red'>No commission fees on purchases abroad&#33;
If you have a Nationwide VISA Debit card you won&#39;t pay commission on any of your purchases, making the Nationwide Current Account your perfect travelling companion. Other major lenders can charge up to 2.75% for transactions made overseas. Every time you use your Nationwide VISA Debit card abroad, you save money&#33;

No commission fees on cash withdrawals abroad&#33;
You can withdraw cash abroad with your current account card in the same way as you can in the UK, with access to over half a million cash machines world-wide. Other major lenders can charge a cash withdrawal fee of between 1.5% and 2.75% in addition to a commission charge of up to 2.75%. There are no charges from Nationwide* which means using a current account is a great way to spend on your travels.</span>

The only thing I don&#39;t know about is the exchange rate they use. I expect it will be England&#39;s one which, as I said earlier, is lower than the rate you would get in Thailand.

With online banking, this is good news for all you expats in Thailand&#33; I know my brother will be pleased. All you need to do is come back to England to set up an account

[SiamJai]

Great news, Sally&#33;

I&#39;ve always used my international MC and Visa cards linked to American bank accounts to get some quick ฿ using any ATM in Thailand When I first withdrew money, I too was wondering about the commission fees and exhange rates. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that there were no additional fees deducted from my accunt after the withdrawals. So, what you said above is also true for MC, and American bank accounts.

One caveat though: DO NOT rely on your cards if you ever visit the neighbouring Laos&#33; Apparently, there is an anti-ATM policy there, as there is no ATM in the entire country&#33; A better idea would be to bring some extra suitcases to carry the wads of cash that you will have there. (1 &#036;US = 10,000 Kip&#33;&#33; )

Quote[/b] ]Will I need Thai money at Bangkok Airport for any taxes, Visa etc on arrival?

I didn&#39;t have any of the local currency when I arrived, and I did fine. Like most major international destinations, Bangkok&#39;s Don Muang Airport accepts the US dollar. Have a nice trip&#33;

[mat]

I have used an ATM and the exchange rate was several baht less than if I had gone into the bank and changed cash ot travellers cheques.

[Mike]

Quote[/b] ]However, I have just discovered that with a Nationawide Flexiaccount you can withdraw cash from the ATM machines without paying commission&#33;

This is what I&#39;ve used for the last couple of years, and it&#39;s been great. I think (though I&#39;m not entirely sure) that the exchange rate is the interbank rate, which is much better than the standard rate you&#39;d get changing GBP to THB in England. Definitely the way to go if you&#39;re a UK citizen in my opinion. Other banks seem to charge 1.5% but with a relatively steep minimum charge of &amp;pound;1.50.

Quote[/b] ]One caveat though: DO NOT rely on your cards if you ever visit the neighbouring Laos&#33; Apparently, there is an anti-ATM policy there, as there is no ATM in the entire country&#33; A better idea would be to bring some extra suitcases to carry the wads of cash that you will have there.

That&#39;s not entirely true, there is the odd ATM about here and there but none on the international networks I think. There&#39;s a fair few places that can charge your credit card for you and give the cash there and then (minus a fee, of course) which are useful as a backup.

Quote[/b] ](1 &#036;US = 10,000 Kip&#33;&#33; )

...and given that the most prevalent note by far is the 5000 kip one, chances are you&#39;re going to have a fair few to carry around. I changed 3000B into kip when I first got into Vientiane and felt like a millionaire with all these 5000 kip notes bulging out of my wallet&#33; Sadly, they didn&#39;t last for all that long though

[SiamJai]

Quote[/b] ] there is the odd ATM about here and there

Mike, are you serious?&#33; Where? Those sites should be elevated to &quot;national monument&quot; importance, lol. Employees of the tour company in Nong Khai, and those of Bangkok Bank in Vientiane should update their info as well.

Quote[/b] ]There&#39;s a fair few places that can charge your credit card for you and give the cash there and then

Yep, that&#39;s true; especially in Vientiane, where there are at least half a dozen banks almost next to each other. However, the only one that can do this with MC is Bangkok Bank. The others accept Visa only, or none. Also, spending half a day in a queue is not the ideal way to spend precious vacation time, IMO.

While we are at the topic: visitors might think they are smart when they plan to use Thai ATMs in Nong Khai to get cash right before entering Laos. Well, I did anyway. Boy, was I wrong or what? Three out of the four ATMs I&#39;ve visited in Nong Khai were out of cash, and the fourth one had a ฿ 4000 daily withdraw limit. That may or may not be enough, depending on how long you want to stay in Laos.

Quote[/b] ]felt like a millionaire with all these 5000 kip notes bulging out of my wallet&#33; Sadly, they didn&#39;t last for all that long though

I felt exactly the same way&#33;&#33;&#33; I was quite excited when I went to the morning market next to the hotel. I was already thinking how I gonna carry all the goodies back home. Much to my disappointment, only the numbers changed - the proportions remained the same. :/ It became even more obvious when the sellers fluently quoted prices in Thai Baht and US dollar as well as in the local currency.