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[QUOTE=IamJohnGalt; 1419192]How late are currency exchange stores open near Walkig Street? (I am arriving Pattaya about midnight tomorrow after flight into BKK.)
Thanks.[/QUOTE]Off Walking Street they stay open until 10 maybe 11. There are a couple on Walking Street that stay open until about 2am. One is a travel agency on the right past the entrance of Walking Street.
[QUOTE=IamJohnGalt; 1419192]How late are currency exchange stores open near Walkig Street? (I am arriving Pattaya about midnight tomorrow after flight into BKK.)
Thanks.[/QUOTE]I see lots of talk about exchange places and wonder am I the only one that uses an ATM?
I bring cash and travelers checks, but those are backups in case I lose my ATM cards.
Cruised the beach at 2:30pm. Yes, still a very hot part of the day. Managed to find a thick legged woman. 30, all smiles, friendly. 500 baht and a good time plus a few photos. It's all good! Pick up laundry (4 days of laundry for 120 baht) , eat, rest till about 10:30pm and walked the beach again. First girl was young, thick, maybe a little too much make up. She wanted 700 baht short time. I said: I can not. 500 baht, yes. She said 700, so I walked. Met another woman with a big butt and a big smile to match it. She wanted 700 baht too. I said 500 baht short time and she jumped all over it. Off we go. Stopped for some water, tea and juice, got on a baht bus and there we are at the hotel. Photos, shower, fool around, laughing, smiling. GFE! Paid her 500 plus 100 baht tip and off she goes. Another day in Pattaya!
[QUOTE=RBDave;1419343]I see lots of talk about exchange places and wonder am I the only one that uses an ATM? I bring cash and travelers checks, but those are backups in case I lose my ATM cards.[/QUOTE]Because Thai ATMs charge $5 in addition to what your home bank will charge you for using a machine that is not theirs as well as for currency exchange. So it is possible that you could be paying upwards of $8 per transaction to use an ATM.
[QUOTE=Mr Enternational;1419375]Because Thai ATMs charge $5 in addition to what your home bank will charge you for using a machine that is not theirs as well as for currency exchange.[/QUOTE]You can avoid the Thai ATM fee if you withdraw from [url=http://www.aeon.co.th/en/customerservices_servicelocation_atm_depositor.php][color=purple]Aeon ATMs[/url][/color]. You can find them in the Big C and Tesco Lotus.
[QUOTE=Mr Enternational;1419375]Because Thai ATMs charge $5 in addition to what your home bank will charge you for using a machine that is not theirs as well as for currency exchange. So it is possible that you could be paying upwards of $8 per transaction to use an ATM.[/QUOTE]Yes, I'm aware of the fees. I use the ATM about four times per trip, that amounts to 600 baht which is about $20. Yes, it sucks to have to pay such a fee (my bank doesn't charge, thankfully). However, in the grand scheme of things, I just add it to the cost of going to Thailand.
So for a two week holiday, let's assume a shrewd person can get a plane ticket for $1100 (from the US). Pays 1000 + 300 barfine for 14 nights = 18200 $610. 14 nights * $50 for hotel = $700, $10 per day for food ($140) , $10 for drinks ($140) , and $5 for getting around ($70). That's a total of $2760. That's about 0. 724.
I've been fairly conservative compared to what I actually spend. If I'm going to ATM 4 times, I'm getting about $2000. I pay for hotels and plane by credit card. And I usually spend $1800 for my plane ticket. I eat and drink more and pay more for ladies. So for me, it's well below a 1/2 percent of my total trip cost.
For that amount, I consider my convenience more than the amount of money saved.
I also consider security. Going to an exchange with a wad of cash makes you a target. Leaving an ATM with a wad of cash also makes you a target. But as I mentioned, if I get mugged and my card is taken from me, I have cash and travelers checks backups. But if you are bringing $2000 at once to exchange and get it all taken, you're not going to have a good time.
[QUOTE=RBDave; 1419384]Yes, I'm aware of the fees. I use the ATM about four times per trip, that amounts to 600 baht which is about $20. Yes, it sucks to have to pay such a fee (my bank doesn't charge, thankfully). However, in the grand scheme of things, I just add it to the cost of going to Thailand.
I also consider security. Going to an exchange with a wad of cash makes you a target. Leaving an ATM with a wad of cash also makes you a target. But as I mentioned, if I get mugged and my card is taken from me, I have cash and travelers checks backups. But if you are bringing $2000 at once to exchange and get it all taken, you're not going to have a good time.[/QUOTE]Everyone has their nuances. Some people refuse to be ripped off by paying bar fines and go with freelance. Others refuse to be ripped off by paying exorbitant ATM fees and instead prefer to exchange money. Others don't want to be ripped off by motorbike taxis so they rent motorbikes. Others don't want to be ripped off by whatever they feel is a rip off and instead choose an alternative.
It is not really a security issue from my standpoint. In over 100 countries and in some of the shadiest places in the world I have never been mugged. But the primary reason that I would never exchange all of my money at one time is because I may not need it all. You can exchange USD and euro in any market in the world. But if you go trying to exchange Malaysian ringgit for Thai baht then you are going to get f'ed in the a. So it is always smart to keep the dollars and euro on hand.
[QUOTE=Mr Enternational;1419389]Everyone has their nuances. Some people refuse to be ripped off by paying bar fines and go with freelance. Others refuse to be ripped off by paying exorbitant ATM fees and instead prefer to exchange money. Others don't want to be ripped off by motorbike taxis so they rent motorbikes. Others don't want to be ripped off by whatever they feel is a rip off and instead choose an alternative.[/QUOTE]You are right about that. I have my idiosyncrasies as well. I can't think of any examples right now, but I don't like to be "taken advantage of" even if it's only a small amount of money! But somehow I'm come to accept those bastard ATM charges.
Aeon ATMs don't charge the fee, but how is their exchange rate?
[QUOTE=Phordphan; 1419170]As MTG said, don't exchange much at the airport. The rate is 2. 3 baht lower. That adds up when changing large amounts.
I would reconsider changing all of it at once. USD2, 000 is about 60, 000 baht. That is quite a large pile of cash. You'll find that $100 bills are much more portable.[/QUOTE]Thanks guys for all the reply. The reason why we were going to change US$2000 in Bangkok was because the last time I was in Pattaya a few years ago, I didn't remember seeing too many money changers therefore I didn't want to run into the problem of not being able to change money when we run low. However from the reply here, it seems that there is no problem finding money changer in Pattaya. Thanks guys for all the response and help. Really looking forward to this trip even though I will have a couple of newbies with me.
I exchanged more than $1000 US at one of the popular good rate places in BKK once. From there I went to Big C to look for some clothes. There was a man who apparently was keeping close tabs on me. I assumed he was plain clothes store security. I left not because of him but because I did not find what I wanted. Down a level and far away from Big C I was in small clothing shop setup in an open space with no walls. I turned around and the same guy was within 5 feet of me. I believe that he was a pickpocket who had followed me from the exchange place. Stay sharp.
[QUOTE=Crazy4Thai;1419476]I exchanged more than $1000 US at one of the popular good rate places in BKK once. From there I went to Big C to look for some clothes. There was a man who apparently was keeping close tabs on me. I assumed he was plain clothes store security. I left not because of him but because I did not find what I wanted. Down a level and far away from Big C I was in small clothing shop setup in an open space with no walls. I turned around and the same guy was within 5 feet of me. I believe that he was a pickpocket who had followed me from the exchange place. Stay sharp.[/QUOTE]I think it happens a lot more often than people realize, but as you elude to, it happens to people not aware of their surroundings.
My MO for money handling is to go to the ATM in the day. Pick an ATM at a bank, not some crummy no name outside 7-11. When I find a good ATM, I check around for any people just sitting or standing around. Last year in Pattaya, I found a guy who was first sitting on the street, then when I looked over my shoulder before using the ATM, I saw he gotten closer to me and was watching. This spooked me, so I didn't take any money.
Before inserting my card, I give the read a good tug to make sure it is not a skimmer. And of course, I make sure no one can see my type in my PIN with my chest / stomach and hand hiding the numbers I punch. I can easily type in my PIN with just one hand without looking at the numbers.
Immediately after getting the money, I head to the hotel to put excess cash and the ATM card in the safe. I never carry more than I will need for the night, food, drinks, and ladies.
I also make sure my room is secure. If I bring a lady back, I don't want to have anything out that could be picked up easily. Also, as mentioned, I have enough so I don't have to open the safe. When taking a shower, I take my pants with money in the bathroom with me, then out again when I'm done showering.
[QUOTE=RBDave; 1419482]I think it happens a lot more often than people realize, but as you elude to, it happens to people not aware of their surroundings.
My MO for money handling is to go to the ATM in the day. Pick an ATM at a bank, not some crummy no name outside 7-11. When I find a good ATM, I check around for any people just sitting or standing around. Last year in Pattaya, I found a guy who was first sitting on the street, then when I looked over my shoulder before using the ATM, I saw he gotten closer to me and was watching. This spooked me, so I didn't take any money.
Before inserting my card, I give the read a good tug to make sure it is not a skimmer. And of course, I make sure no one can see my type in my PIN with my chest / stomach and hand hiding the numbers I punch. I can easily type in my PIN with just one hand without looking at the numbers.
Immediately after getting the money, I head to the hotel to put excess cash and the ATM card in the safe. I never carry more than I will need for the night, food, drinks, and ladies.
I also make sure my room is secure. If I bring a lady back, I don't want to have anything out that could be picked up easily. Also, as mentioned, I have enough so I don't have to open the safe. When taking a shower, I take my pants with money in the bathroom with me, then out again when I'm done showering.[/QUOTE]I recently heard of this ATM scam on the radio. On newer ATMs, cards will automatically eject. On older ATMs, you have to press an eject button to get your card back. On these older ATMs, scammers are tampering with the eject button with some kind of glue to disable it. When the frustrated customer leaves without his card, the scammers are somehow able to dissolve or bypass the glue and eject the card out. If the customer lingers too long, the ATM will automatically keep the card so the scammers will sometimes try to get the customer to leave. Most of the older ATMs are at non-bank locations like 7-11 stores.
[QUOTE=Crazy4Thai;1419476]I believe that he was a pickpocket who had followed me from the exchange place. Stay sharp.[/QUOTE][QUOTE=RBDave; 1419482]I think it happens a lot more often than people realize, but as you elude to, it happens to people not aware of their surroundings.
Immediately after getting the money, I head to the hotel to put excess cash and the ATM card in the safe. I never carry more than I will need for the night, food, drinks, and ladies.
I also make sure my room is secure. If I bring a lady back, I don't want to have anything out that could be picked up easily. Also, as mentioned, I have enough so I don't have to open the safe. When taking a shower, I take my pants with money in the bathroom with me, then out again when I'm done showering.[/QUOTE]It is most likely Crazy4Thai was being stalked by a pickpocket. They are not uncommon and are always looking for prey. If someone is taking to much interest in what I'm doing at an ATM I will give the suspect a quick and serious stare to let him know I'm wise to him. I only use ATMs inside banks such as the AEON in the lower level of Terminal 21 or the Citibank across Asok; and then I go straight to my hotel room. I make the fewest number of maximum withdrawal to minimize the fees. I always lock everything of value in my room safe. All my valuables are in the safe before I go out and when I get back anything of value on me goes into the safe. I'm not bashful about doing this while the lady is in the room. Of course I'm careful that she not see me entering the combination. I've never been picked and nothing has ever been taken from my room.
[QUOTE=Sixty Two Echo;1419373]Cruised the beach at 2:30pm. Yes, still a very hot part of the day. Managed to find a thick legged woman. 30, all smiles, friendly. 500 baht and a good time plus a few photos. It's all good! Pick up laundry (4 days of laundry for 120 baht) , eat, rest till about 10:30pm and walked the beach again. First girl was young, thick, maybe a little too much make up. She wanted 700 baht short time. I said: I can not. 500 baht, yes. She said 700, so I walked. Met another woman with a big butt and a big smile to match it. She wanted 700 baht too. I said 500 baht short time and she jumped all over it. Off we go. Stopped for some water, tea and juice, got on a baht bus and there we are at the hotel. Photos, shower, fool around, laughing, smiling. GFE! Paid her 500 plus 100 baht tip and off she goes. Another day in Pattaya![/QUOTE]Sounds nice!
Now we all waiting for your pics.
Thanks!