General Reports

[Explorer8939]

Typical sponsor loser story:

This bargirl is begging her sponsor for cash for her birthday. What he doesn't know is she is in Oman making big money.

[Allover]

On my last trip I discovered that a lot of places now accept Samsung Wallet Pay formerly know as Samsung Pay. Which probably means they also accept Apple Pay. I used my Samsung phone with Samsung Wallet to pay at 7-11's and many restaurants. Since Samsung Wallet keeps my credit card number private (they use a virtual number) I find this to be a very safe method for using my credit card. The exchange rate is excellent, too.

[TooDirty]

"Minimum to open A minimum deposit of US $25,000 is required to open a Schwab One International account. ".

Good to know, hadn't seen mention of that anywhere either.

[TooDirty]

Oh interesting maybe my next trip I'll see if one of my guests would let me use their address LOL.

Let us know how it goes if you do set it up. Wondering what rate they use when you do decide to move some money to the Thai bank.

Doing some searching other than just word of mouth I've seen mention of Schwab having $25 transfer fee which gets reduced to $15 if the transfer is made online.

[Lcale1982]

I know folks use their Schwab accounts to avoid ATM fees, but I just heard something I haven't seen mentioned in any WSG forum previously. Once you have a Thai address you can contact Schwab to have your account converted to an international account. Once you've done that you can avoid transfer fees when moving money to your Thai bank. Only catch is I think this only applies to USA accounts.

Oh interesting maybe my next trip I'll see if one of my guests would let me use their address LOL.

Let us know how it goes if you do set it up. Wondering what rate they use when you do decide to move some money to the Thai bank.

[Mr Enternational]

I know folks use their Schwab accounts to avoid ATM fees, but I just heard something I haven't seen mentioned in any WSG forum previously. Once you have a Thai address you can contact Schwab to have your account converted to an international account. Once you've done that you can avoid transfer fees when moving money to your Thai bank. Only catch is I think this only applies to USA accounts.

"Minimum to open A minimum deposit of US $25,000 is required to open a Schwab One International account. ".

[TooDirty]

I know folks use their Schwab accounts to avoid ATM fees, but I just heard something I haven't seen mentioned in any WSG forum previously. Once you have a Thai address you can contact Schwab to have your account converted to an international account. Once you've done that you can avoid transfer fees when moving money to your Thai bank. Only catch is I think this only applies to USA accounts.

[Explorer8939]

https://aseannow.com/topic/1307148-t...ng-foreigners/

It's hard to know if this is a real crackdown.

[TConor]

[Deleted by Admin]

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report was redacted or deleted to remove sections of the report that were largely argumentative. Please read the Forum FAQ and the Forum's Posting Guidelines for more information. Thank You!

[SubCmdr]

In order to keep myself from getting into trouble as a newbie / new poster. I will stick to colors instead of names. I am an expert in nothing Pattaya. But some experiences translate across countries. And I am reporting mine.

After pulling money out of several different brands of ATMs during my trip I now exclusively use the yellow ones. They have the name that starts with a K and often are next to the TT Money Exchange booths that are also yellow. The yellow ones allow me to pull 30,000 THB at a time. I prefer using "cash on the barrel head" as they say. Untraceable.

As for money exchanges I was walking past a TT Money Exchange booth tonight after stopping at a local place and having them make me some chicken fried rice. Made fresh while I waited and nice portion. I got it for take out and enjoyed it in my "room". 50 THB. But I digress. It was showing a rate of 35.77 THB for 1 USD.

Newbie tip: It is best to think in the currency of the country you are in. Here in Thailand that is THB. I use a simple method to translate THB into USD in my head. 100 THB is 3 USD. And in addition, learn LOCAL prices and get yourself off the tourist economy. Now, everyone can spend their money how they choose. Just friendly advice from a newbie / new poster but experienced worldwide expat.

[Paolo99]

I 100% would not recommend the climbing that he is talking about. Safety standards are not the same here as in other countries. As in guys working on skyscrapers with no safety harness. Road crews repaving or digging big ass ditches in the road with flip flops on. Mfs getting electrocuted daily in their homes due to faulty wiring. Folks falling off balconies because the railing only comes up to your knees.

I agree 100% with what you said and would add fires in big hotels (I personally avoid big hotels mostly for this reason) or nightclubs (especially the ones you can enter only by taking an elevator like Sugar Sugar in Bkk).

[SubCmdr]

Could you explain how you "correct the problem by becoming a resident" in Thailand? You don't seem to know much about Thailand. Thailand doesn't grant residency to foreigners, much less citizenship. Thailand grants only visas. Even the visas where it says "resident" (like the new LTR, ie "long-term-resident" visa), are still nothing but visas.

You are telling me that when you get a residency visa (say for retirement) all it grants you is the ability to stay in the country?

If Thailand is not like other countries where if you get a residency visa you get a national ID card to go with it (I. E. The cedula granted by the Colombian or Dominican Republic governments) when they grant you a residency visa.

First trip to Thailand OH great one. I bow to you superior expertise. Please educate me. ROTFLMAO!.

[XXL]

Tramadol is classified as the same as most opiate drugs that need a doctor's prescription in most cases. It is a mild opiate, but I would be very surprised if it was available as an over the counter medication that did not need a doctor's script. I just had a full knee replacement and tramadol is very helpful when the pain returns and my leg starts to stiffen up. Do you know which pharmacy would provide it without a prescription? Thanks.

I thought it was OTC because I got it no questions asked from the first pharmacy I asked. Can't remember where, small pharmacy in Pattaya somewhere (2nd Road? Soi Bukao?). What I got was pure Tramadol.

[Explorer8939]

From my experiences lending money to "anyone" is a bad idea. If you do it, might as well consider it a gift. Everyone in their life, including themselves, is a higher priority to them than paying you back is.

The only things I'm pretty sure I know about bar girls is they do not like to walk very far at all, and they like to eat often. Pay for a ride to get them back to your hotel, and maybe feed them on the way too.

I had a lady try the "Escalator" con on me.

She started by borrowing and paying back 1000 baht. Then 2000 baht.

Then 3000 baht. Prompt repayment.

But the next day, she asked for 10,000 baht. That was the loan she would never pay back, so I declined.

[Explorer8939]

I am 52 and from the US and plan to visit Thailand for trekking, hiking, climbing. I want to do things that involve the jungle, camping and seeing the natural beauty of the country. I would love to find a female companion to act as my wilderness, backcountry guide plus be very willing and open to sex. What is the best way to find a 20-30 yr old who is active and interested in the outdoors? Has anyone camped in Thailand in there national parks? . Trying to see if I can combine my love of hiking / climbing with a Thai hotty. I would likely stay for 7-10 days.

This is not culturally a thing in Thailand. You will probably spend your vacation looking for a willing lady. If you find one, there is a high probability she will want to bail after a few days.