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[QUOTE=Giotto]Slylock,
Look, Nic has a small birth defect - he is French :) !
He is not really speaking English - it is more or less Frenglish! He comes across quite straight sometimes ... but remember how you were when you were 15 years old ... :):).
Giotto[/QUOTE]
I have a large defect. I am American! And unless I try real hard I come across straight. I think you know what I mean, your German after all! LOL
Slylock
[QUOTE=Slylock]I will buy you the beer. To bad I will be the one drinking it![/quote]
No chance, if you buy [b]me[/b] the beer then I won't be giving it back to you to drink :D
[quote]How about some Perrier?[/QUOTE]
Perrier is for Pussies! I like my water from the Tap (yes, not healthy but I like to take chances)
[QUOTE=Slylock]Ummm, Nic...Why would you be staying Saturday night with Giotto? Is there something we should all know? :)[/QUOTE]
Well I will not stay the night with Giotto (sorry to all those who were hoping) but will be having Breakfast with him on Saturday. Now if some brave souls want to join, that's fine.
Caviar Breakfast @ 4,999 per person :D
[QUOTE=NicFrenchy]Well I will not stay the night with Giotto (sorry to all those who were hoping) but will be having Breakfast with him on Saturday. Now if some brave souls want to join, that's fine.
Caviar Breakfast @ 4,999 per person :D[/QUOTE]
Washing down 5000 Bht caviar with tap water. That would be a oxymoron.
I will be happy to buy you a glass of tap water from the Sports Bar at LL during my next trip up to BKK... (but only if Giotto has it on sale, I will be on a limited budget)
[QUOTE=IrishLager]I arrive into BKK at 1am on May 17th. I'm gonna need to exchange about $2000 USD into THB and I don't feel like the airport exchange counters give the best rates. Back in November I got a 32.8-$1 rate when the exchange rate was fluctuating a tiny bit (like it does everyday) but at a rate around 35-$1. Where is the best place in BKK these days to get the most favorable exchange rate? I have an account at Siam Commercial so should I just go straight to the bank to get it done? I will need a few THB for the taxi into town and for the FL I'll pick up in either the Nana car park or an after hours joint like Spicy, Boss or Lucky, so I'll hit up the airport counter for 5,000 THB or so.[/QUOTE]
In general airports give the worst rates, so change only a minimum at the airport and change in the city at a bank or private exchange counter. Also you should try to make your exchanges from Monday to Thursday. After business on Friday the rates get poor for the whole weekend. This is a general observation for all countries....
[QUOTE=IrishLager]I arrive into BKK at 1am on May 17th. I'm gonna need to exchange about $2000 USD into THB and I don't feel like the airport exchange counters give the best rates. Back in November I got a 32.8-$1 rate when the exchange rate was fluctuating a tiny bit (like it does everyday) but at a rate around 35-$1. Where is the best place in BKK these days to get the most favorable exchange rate? I have an account at Siam Commercial so should I just go straight to the bank to get it done? I will need a few THB for the taxi into town and for the FL I'll pick up in either the Nana car park or an after hours joint like Spicy, Boss or Lucky, so I'll hit up the airport counter for 5,000 THB or so.[/QUOTE]
The best rate is available where all the money changers go. That is Superrich. Secrch google for that name. They have a spread between buying and selling of 5-20 Satang. Only open during banking hours though.
[QUOTE=Tiger 888]The best rate is available where all the money changers go. That is Superrich. Secrch google for that name. They have a spread between buying and selling of 5-20 Satang. Only open during banking hours though.[/QUOTE]
Superrich looks like THEE place to exchange. Thanks Tiger 888. Will be easy for me to hit the branch on Suk Soi 22.
[QUOTE=IrishLager]Superrich looks like THEE place to exchange. Thanks Tiger 888. Will be easy for me to hit the branch on Suk Soi 22.[/QUOTE]
If you want to change smaller amounts, VASU on the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 7/1 is also very good. If you don't change thousands, the difference won't equalize the taxi fare.
By the way: The best rates are only available at Superrich at the location on Ratchadamri Road. I tried Sukhumit Soi 22 and they have completely different (worse) rates.
No "Other areas" rubrique in Thailand? Like nothing happens outside of Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya?
ATM Fee's!
It was reported and discussed earlier that some Thai banks are charging a extra fee for foreign ATM cards that make withdraw transaction in Thailand. I personally reported that Siam Commercial Bank was charging a extra 20 baht per transaction. It was also reported by PinkPearl that there were reports that Thai banks were going to charge 7 times or 250 baht per transaction for each Farangs.
Just the other day I read in the Bangkok post that the Thai Banking Assoication has authorized a fee for us Farangs that withdraw money out of their ATM'S with a card issued outside of Thailand whether you are living here or on vacation. The set fee I read was 150 baht per transaction.
Today, I was at Tesco, in Pattaya and I placed my foreign ATM card inside the Bangkok Bank ( Blue Machine ) as I have done for the last few years to get my monthly allowance the respond to me was " All ATM cards are welcome here " I requested the amount and the response back to me was " to be issue this amount there is a 150 baht charge " I cancelled. Went to all the others bank machines, purple, yellow, green, etc... and they all inform me of the extra B.S. greedy capitalistic charge that I was going to have to pay to a Thai bank that has the same Thai mentality, that when you are losing money or not making enough charge more! to make up for the difference. What is a guy to do? I guess I have no choice at this point until I find another more convienent way of getting my monthly money from the U.S.
LBM
[QUOTE=LittleBigMan]ATM Fee's!
It was reported and discussed earlier that some Thai banks are charging a extra fee for foreign ATM cards that make withdraw transaction in Thailand. I personally reported that Siam Commercial Bank was charging a extra 20 baht per transaction. It was also reported by PinkPearl that there were reports that Thai banks were going to charge 7 times or 250 baht per transaction for each Farangs.
Just the other day I read in the Bangkok post that the Thai Banking Assoication has authorized a fee for us Farangs that withdraw money out of their ATM'S with a card issued outside of Thailand whether you are living here or on vacation. The set fee I read was 150 baht per transaction.
Today, I was at Tesco, in Pattaya and I placed my foreign ATM card inside the Bangkok Bank ( Blue Machine ) as I have done for the last few years to get my monthly allowance the respond to me was " All ATM cards are welcome here " I requested the amount and the response back to me was " to be issue this amount there is a 150 baht charge " I cancelled. Went to all the others bank machines, purple, yellow, green, etc... and they all inform me of the extra B.S. greedy capitalistic charge that I was going to have to pay to a Thai bank that has the same Thai mentality, that when you are losing money or not making enough charge more! to make up for the difference. What is a guy to do? I guess I have no choice at this point until I find another more convienent way of getting my monthly money from the U.S.
LBM[/QUOTE]
I am afraid you have to live with the idea that a bank has to cash some money for a service. Whether it is too much or not, it is another story. But it is a fact a fee for a rendered service is nothing strange and unusual.
Why should they do that for free?
[QUOTE=LittleBigMan]ATM Fee's!
It was reported and discussed earlier that some Thai banks are charging a extra fee for foreign ATM cards that make withdraw transaction in Thailand. I personally reported that Siam Commercial Bank was charging a extra 20 baht per transaction. It was also reported by PinkPearl that there were reports that Thai banks were going to charge 7 times or 250 baht per transaction for each Farangs.
Just the other day I read in the Bangkok post that the Thai Banking Assoication has authorized a fee for us Farangs that withdraw money out of their ATM'S with a card issued outside of Thailand whether you are living here or on vacation. The set fee I read was 150 baht per transaction.
Today, I was at Tesco, in Pattaya and I placed my foreign ATM card inside the Bangkok Bank ( Blue Machine ) as I have done for the last few years to get my monthly allowance the respond to me was " All ATM cards are welcome here " I requested the amount and the response back to me was " to be issue this amount there is a 150 baht charge " I cancelled. Went to all the others bank machines, purple, yellow, green, etc... and they all inform me of the extra B.S. greedy capitalistic charge that I was going to have to pay to a Thai bank that has the same Thai mentality, that when you are losing money or not making enough charge more! to make up for the difference. What is a guy to do? I guess I have no choice at this point until I find another more convienent way of getting my monthly money from the U.S.
LBM[/QUOTE]As of last week, Kasikorn and Ayuthaya were still not charging the ATM flat fee.
Bionicman,
" Why should they do it for free "
This is where we part ways! No one is saying that any Bank in Thailand or any bank in the world should be providing a service for free! For example: if you are a American ( since I don't know you ) and you remember way back when you were able to use a ATM and they didn't charge you for using another banks ATM and then one day the machine says if you want money it's another buck I'm sure you were'nt very happy? What about your own bank charging you fees for everything including taking out your own money! Are you happy with that!
As for free! There is no bank in Thailand or any bank in any country when you use your ATM machine that isn't already making a percentage from the transaction! So your thoughts that Thailand banks were allowing Farangs to withdraw money all these years, doing the conversion for you was doing it for free and out of the goodness of their hearts because Thailand is the LOS and free is insane. Do you think the counters at the Thai airport is converting your dollars to baht for free? Look at the board and see the difference between buying and selling.
This issue was addressed in January when I was home in the States with my cousin wife who is a top executive with Bank of America as she knows my situation well and knows I have been drawing money from my checking account through ATM'S in Thailand. It is simple how Thai banks or any bank make money from a withdraw from a foreign ATM... If the days exchange rate is 35.50 the bank ATM machine that you use gives money to you at 35 they make .50! get it! it's not free and has never been!
I have no problem with paying a fee and have been doing so for all these years but as I noted this charge of 150 baht is only being charged to foreign credit or debit card holders and not Thai's! To me it is the same as going to a bar and ordering a Leo Beer and I pay 75 baht while a Thai guy next to me pays 45 baht.
Once again this is a Bullshit charge on top of profit they are already making. I do agree with you that I have to live with it until I find a better way to get around the system.
LBM
They also need to remember that IF it gets too "expensive" then people can go INTO the bank and make a withdrawal for slightly more than the max an ATM can do as well. "Point of sale" is how it's described on the statement you will get later.
The "other alternative" is that people might just take their money and go elsewhere. The charge in Cambodia was $2 (similar to a US bank machine)
IF they are charging 150B (totally above the 'reasonable amount' for the service provided - that might be "50B" - then people wouldn't complain) then I just might do my main initial conversion of, say $500 at the airport in cash and be done with them until I can go into the bank itself
You could always take travellers cheques may be this would be a cheaper way now.