thecatman put a link to it, one of the first posts

https://www.thanachartbank.co.th/CDS/THANAC.../main/index.asp

You are a fool for using a bank that charges you fees. there are many non-fee banks that issue ATMS. perhaps a better name would have been thinktoolittle?

So are there any major Thai Banks which are not members of Thai Bankers' Association?

of course i will. Thailand's xenophobia -enhanced by the new withdrawal fee- has become unbearable. i will therefore put tomorrow our house and our cars on the market. asking 26.5 million Baht cash down. house without contents though! anybody interested should make up his mind fast. no dilly-dallying or tire kickers accepted, first come first served!

I think I will just open an account here and wire money in. That said, while its not a conspiracy, it does seem as though it would be illegal under the anti-trust laws of most already developed nations. (although I could very well be wrong about that). So it goes... in most life situations, these little hiccups can be avoided if you are clever. the dumb and lazy will just pay the crazy fee, as you have described.

This has what to do with the thread apart from letting everyone know you have a few bahts worth of whatever.

W A ****

This post has been edited by sheff_mick: 2009-04-07 16:59:08

Your joking right? Do you seriously think any tourist/foreigners is going to change their minds and not go to Thailand because of this? If you live here and depend on cash from overseas then simply do a wire transfer once a month or so.

Tompa,

monthly wire fees will certainly add up. better to do once a year.

Many major British, European and American banks are most certainly not private stand alone businesses, you could be sure the same rules would apply to Thai banks in similar circumstances.

This post has been edited by sanmiguel: 2009-04-07 17:40:38

It'd be good to know the actual cost of using the machine and the setting up the computer system that transfers the money, id be willing to bet it'd be nearer a few baht then to 150 baht, this 150bht does seem excessive, thing is most tourists using Atm's in Thailand wont know about this extra charge until they return home.

Yeah, basically. Also, most tourists will be getting charged just like thinktoolittle because they did not know or bother to find a fee-free atm card anyways.

That, I do not know, but here's a list of the banks that are members :

Bangkok Bank
Krung Thai Bank
Bank Of Ayudhya
Kasikorn Bank
Thai Military Bank
Siam Commercial Bank
Standard Chartered Bank
Siam City Bank
BankThai
UOB Bank
Thanachart Bank
Tisco Bank
Land And Houses Retail Bank
ACL Bank
Kaitnakin Bank
Thai Credit Retail Bank

This post has been edited by thecatman: 2009-04-07 17:50:30

I'm not quite sure you understand TonySoprano, It doesn't matter if you have a fee-free ATM card from your home country, you'll still be charged. This charge is being made by the Thai Banks, not your home country bank.

The only time you'll be able to withdraw from an ATM and not get charged this fee is when you use your Thai ATM card, something very few tourists are likely to have.

This post has been edited by thecatman: 2009-04-07 18:06:05

and if it was known that the fees are excessive then what? UN Security Council sanctions? add up the blocked capital for the cost of thousands of ATMs as well as their content and then repeat "cost nearer to a few Baht". providing ATMs is a service rendered which is not free of charge. no bank transfers any money without charging a fee, that applies to the initiating and to the receiving bank. cashing from an ATM is nothing but a transfer. the only thing excessive is the number of installed ATMs in Thailand.

Thank goodness Don't use one now

thecatman

quote ... The only time you'll be able to withdraw from an ATM and not get charged this fee is when you use your Thai ATM card

use your Thai ATM card in the branch you have an account in = NO Charge

use the same card at ANY other branch of the same bank ( or any other ) anywhere in thailand

= a 20 baht charge

thats what happens with my thai millitary bank and krung thai accounts at least.

regards .....dave2

i sometimes go to my bank with my card and passport if i want larger amounts ,no charge made ,does anyone think you will be able to do this ?
nationwide charging 1% plus 150 baht ,quite a chunk as i use atm 6 or 7 times a month.

When we put our card in the ATM will they tell us there is a charge ?

Also the uk limit is £300 and you cannot withdraw 15,000 now ..........If you get 52 baht to the £ maybe you can.

So it does'nt make sense to withdraw small amounts.

Most, if not all, European banks have been or will be charging for ATM use abroad. This generally comprises an ERTF ( Exchange rate transfer fee ) of up to typically 2.75% per transaction and a further commission fee usually limited to a maximum of say £5 per transaction. Withdrawing say 10,000 bt would involve a cost of £10 or thereabouts. The proposed Thai fee of 150bt is therefore quite modest in comparison and probably of no concern to the average tourist prizing ease of convenience over economy. However, an expat using ATMs accessing foreign accounts would have to be foolish ( or rich enough ) to fund his residence over a prolonged period. Increasingly, lower limits on withdrawals have been imposed necessitating more frequent usage thus adding to bank profits.

Frankly, an annual transfer to a domestic account appears to be the best route and probably one which the Thai would wish to encourage for obvious reasons.

Listen, you newbie. All your idiotic posts all over the board just imply you have no idea where you are.

Your Thai woman is driving you nuts. That happens to social rejects from the West.

Rookie, "think too mutt " is a Thai expression for a very anxious state of mind. That's when they get crazy and make you a fool, running like a headless chicken , as we can see you running every day on this board.

About the banks, Siam City Bank has no fees for using their ATMs. Big deal - they don't but the originating banks do.

if there is a 20 baht charge, some say there is. there is currently no mention of it.

Possibly or maybe the Thai monopolies commission or similar body, would say that it is illegal for all the banks to collude into making such a deal ....... not exactly creating a free open market im sure you'd agree.

Surely all bank charges in Thailand are governed by the same laws, if Thais were to get charged 150 baht (which as all i know they do) then surely this would be seens as excessive profit and the government could put limits on such cartel like profiteering.

But Thailand have been used to a one sided free trade agreement with western nations for so long that they dont know what free trade is.

Miguel,

Which bit of my post did you not comprehend?

I think the handwriting is on the wall for continuing increases in the costs of ATM use here in Thailand, either from the home country end or the Thai end. Banks worldwide are trying to increase profits and this is an easy way. Less favorable currency conversion rates or charges are probably coming too.

Unfortunately, I think the best means of getting my monthly U.S. retirement money will be via money transfer. When I visit my daughter there in June, I plan to research out the best financial institution to use. I would rather not use a bank, but rather a credit union somewhere which usually has much lower fees overall. However, I read somewhere on TV that one bank (I think Citibank) allows wire transfers to be evoked online, which is a huge advantage over having somebody back home on a joint account go to the bank to initiate the transfer each month.

All that said however, our biggest concern/vulnerablity is the conversion rate from our home currency to the baht. ATM usage charges, although annoying as hel_l, for most of us are much less a factor in the determination of our net monthly income over time.

Yeah, Dave, I am aware of Thai banks charging a small fee for using different ATMs around the country like you pointed out, that's why I put 'this fee', as opposed to writing 'a fee' meaning that I was referring to the 150 Bt charge in particular.

This post has been edited by thecatman: 2009-04-07 23:29:57