Holiday in Thailand how to pay for stuff
Discussion
Hi, I've got two weeks in koh samui at the end of july. What's the best way to pay for stuff overthere? Was gonna take cash but I don't want to be taking hundreds over with me, so was considering getting a credit card which I would pay off when I return. Do many places take cards over there? Don't really want to use my debit card over there due to the charges I would get. Anyone got any suggestions?
Thanks
Thanks
www.fairfx.com Prepaid card we spend a lot of time in Australia and use one of these, just load it up before you go. It costs £1.50 and 1.4% every time you take money out from a cashpoint but you get a very good exchange rate and it works out as a better value than taking cash, plus it's more secure.
Bluequay said:
www.fairfx.com Prepaid card we spend a lot of time in Australia and use one of these, just load it up before you go. It costs £1.50 and 1.4% every time you take money out from a cashpoint but you get a very good exchange rate and it works out as a better value than taking cash, plus it's more secure.
I can echo the above 100% - I was there with a mate for a few days and he swore by these charge-up-before-you-go cards. His was a MasterCard I believe....Hear this though. DO NOT EVER ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL AROUND ASIA WITH AN AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD!!!
I wasted a day of my four days buggering about trying to pay for things with Amex - NOBODY took it, even when they had signs in the window saying they did, this included the airport Forex places and all the hotels.
Eventually, after much arguing, and 2 hours being driven around (the bend)in a taxi, I managed to convince the Marriot (American) Resort in Phuket that it was entirely possible to bill my card and give me cash.
I will never again rely on an Amex outside Europe and the US.
You have been warned!
if you can get credit then a better card is the Halifax clarity card.
They don't charge you any feees to withdraw cash, or a fixed rate either. They do give you a free free astercard or Visa card rate which is infintely better than using cash or travellers cheques- often better by 15%!
Their APR is typical 16%, but you get the normal interest free period on purchases- so if you pay for most purchases you will get the best possible rate but no fees whatsoever. If you withdraw cash they charge you interest from the withdrawal date (we withdrew £1k and paid it back 2 weeks later and it cost us barely £2) but its so minimal to be irrelevant- certainly cheaper than the cost per transaction of using a pre-pay card.
Money saving expert has some good reviews of travel money anyway.
Whatever you do don't take cash- on our honeymoon we spent a goodlny chunk whilst out there- £4kish iirc- the difference between the halifax card and cash would have cost us an extra £660 if i remember correctly- enough to have a second weekend break away!
They don't charge you any feees to withdraw cash, or a fixed rate either. They do give you a free free astercard or Visa card rate which is infintely better than using cash or travellers cheques- often better by 15%!
Their APR is typical 16%, but you get the normal interest free period on purchases- so if you pay for most purchases you will get the best possible rate but no fees whatsoever. If you withdraw cash they charge you interest from the withdrawal date (we withdrew £1k and paid it back 2 weeks later and it cost us barely £2) but its so minimal to be irrelevant- certainly cheaper than the cost per transaction of using a pre-pay card.
Money saving expert has some good reviews of travel money anyway.
Whatever you do don't take cash- on our honeymoon we spent a goodlny chunk whilst out there- £4kish iirc- the difference between the halifax card and cash would have cost us an extra £660 if i remember correctly- enough to have a second weekend break away!
Get a few hundred quids worth of Thai Baht before you leave, by all means use a pre-paid credit card. I just used my HSBC debit card to get money out of the hole in the wall whenever I needed. Stuff is so bloody cheap there that a slightly erroneous exchange rate from the bank would mean bugger all in the greater scheme of things.
As Nico G said above, forget AMEX, I was with him on this trip and I observed what a ball ache it was from my deck chair! :-)
As Nico G said above, forget AMEX, I was with him on this trip and I observed what a ball ache it was from my deck chair! :-)
Just be very careful which ATM machines you use though. There was a programme on TV earlier this year where a young 16 year old lad and his Dad were accused of trying to tamper with a cash machine, the people who used it before them tried to fiddle it, and the police arrested the Brits. The two of them are still in jail two years later and not actually been charged with an offence. Best to use an ATM at the airport or in a very public place.
Thanks for the advice, having looked into it i think ill be going down the credit card and some cash route. I get charged nearly £5 per transaction when I use my debit card in europe. With the comment above about the american express I have found most the credit cards are mastercard or visa has anybody ever had trouble with either of these being accepted in Thailand?
Hotel take Visa and MC no problem apart from that cash is king, Having lived in Asia for years I wouldn't consider using a credit card oustide a major shop or hotel, and I've never had a card cloned or any other problem, Atm fine to get cash, but don't use the one's you see in 'Transit' vans type things. there are Atm's all over KS.
like all of asia, for big ticket items like hotel bill / car hire etc, use a credit card.
Otherwise, cash all the way, you won't need many bhat to get by with day to day stuff.
Your hotel room should also have a room safe, keep extra cash / spare credit card in there.
edit - should have read all posts, i have just repeated the previous two, but it backs up what they say.
Otherwise, cash all the way, you won't need many bhat to get by with day to day stuff.
Your hotel room should also have a room safe, keep extra cash / spare credit card in there.
edit - should have read all posts, i have just repeated the previous two, but it backs up what they say.
Edited by XJSJohn on Thursday 16th June 08:10
One other thing to mention...
Make sure you let your card issuer know exactly which countries you will be and when! I got stuck in a small town in Laos run out of money and my card being declined at the ATM. A somewhat heated phone call to the bank followed!
It was the banks fault as the dumb girl on the phone did not know how to spell Laos! My HSBC online account allows me to enter all my travel plans manually which is quite handy! They also do free cash withdraws from their ATM's arouns SE Asia if you are going to a few different cities.
Make sure you let your card issuer know exactly which countries you will be and when! I got stuck in a small town in Laos run out of money and my card being declined at the ATM. A somewhat heated phone call to the bank followed!
It was the banks fault as the dumb girl on the phone did not know how to spell Laos! My HSBC online account allows me to enter all my travel plans manually which is quite handy! They also do free cash withdraws from their ATM's arouns SE Asia if you are going to a few different cities.
XJSJohn said:
like all of asia, for big ticket items like hotel bill / car hire etc, use a credit card.
Otherwise, cash all the way, you won't need many bhat to get by with day to day stuff.
Your hotel room should also have a room safe, keep extra cash / spare credit card in there.
edit - should have read all posts, i have just repeated the previous two, but it backs up what they say.
This.Otherwise, cash all the way, you won't need many bhat to get by with day to day stuff.
Your hotel room should also have a room safe, keep extra cash / spare credit card in there.
edit - should have read all posts, i have just repeated the previous two, but it backs up what they say.
Edited by XJSJohn on Thursday 16th June 08:10
Having spent the best part of 4 months in Thailand recently, I can swear by Caxton FX card. Same as above, charge up online and spend away.
You will find that places do accept card. However I would have plenty of cash on you, as you will find that you can haggle just about any purchase you can make over there, if you are paying card this will make it a lot harder to do!
Where are you staying on Koh Samui out of interest?
You will find that places do accept card. However I would have plenty of cash on you, as you will find that you can haggle just about any purchase you can make over there, if you are paying card this will make it a lot harder to do!
Where are you staying on Koh Samui out of interest?
JackR6 said:
The Centara grand Beach resort in Chaweng
Nice, make sure you pop in here for some food! We stayed there and it was brilliant!http://www.akwaguesthouse.com/
Also If you get a chance, rent a scooter and head over the other side of the island to Nathon, it's definitely worth a look.
Oh and the full moon on Haad Rin Beach Koh Phanang, you can get a boat there and back on the day, it wasn't expensive either. (only book from a travel agent though!)
Having lived in Thailand now for 3 years, I can only really agree that XJSJohn is correct. Cash is king out here, so I would literally be leaving cash in the safe in the hotel and not worrying about which card to use. Yes it is cheaper to a certain point, but not so much like people think. A decent meal will cost the same as in the UK if you want to eat in the better restaurants etc. Of course street food is cheap, but it all depends whether you want to sit in the heat of the sun. Remember it's rainy season now so if you're hiring a scooter, in the 7/11 you can buy a big plastic poncho thing for only a few Baht that's ideal. I'm going way off topic now so have a great trip.
P.s
If you are renting a scooter, check your health insurance covers you and take pics of the rental bike before you take it.
P.s
If you are renting a scooter, check your health insurance covers you and take pics of the rental bike before you take it.
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