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How can DTV visa holders pay utility bills and purchase a car without a Thai bank account?

Oct 3, 2025
5 days ago
For those under DTV visa, how do you pay utility bills and day to day stuff? Like other than cash, are there possible ways to pay digitally for rent and stuff? Better to have a digital trace rather than rely on receipts.

And another big question, how do you buy a car if you can't have a thai bank account?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
DTV visa holders have various options for paying utility bills and making purchases without a Thai bank account. Payment methods include digital wallets like TrueMoney, online transfer services such as Wise and Revolut, and physical methods like paying at 7-Eleven or using cash. Concerning car purchases, it's suggested to explore payment options that do not require a Thai bank account, although some users emphasize the importance of having a local bank account for ease of transactions.
DTV VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
Henrik *****
If a Thai bank account is so important, then get a visa that is eligible for a Thai bankaccount.

Simple as that.
Anonymous ******************
Wise for big purchases.

Electric bills can be paid at 711 with normal credit/debit card.

My AMEX for cash withdrawals (only 50 instead of 250 thb)

MC or Visa for anything else.
Amir *********
Truemoney is nice. they also have virtual debit cards!
William ********
Moreta Pay and you can use Lazada to pay electric bill and other utilities
John **************
Have you been living under a rock for the past 10+ years...

Revoult

Wise

Moreta

True money Wallet

And there's many more multi currency bank accounts from home countries...
Luke *******
WISE is the safest option, the problem with Wise though is that they charge a very high commision depending on where your card/bank is from.

When I was using WISE I had to pay a ฿1,000-฿1,500 fee for my ฿18,000 rent.

It really depends on where your bank is from
John****
Cash is king i find no issues in it also if you give rent money there is a rental agreement paper right so no worries
Anonymous ******************
Deeppocket lets you topup with a foreign debit/credit card, but charges something like a 4% for each topup if i remember right. Limitless number of QR scans and works even for personal ones now, compared to Truemoney which has a limit of 30 personal QR scans a month.
Mike *****
Wise, Revolut, cash and TrueMoney
Lee *******
For bills I just walk across the road to 7-11 and hand over my bill. They scan, take my money (cash or card) and staple the receipt to the bill and then give it me back. Easy.
George *******
Get married to a Thai National and let them deal with it all, simple 😁
Lynda ******
We use wise to pay bills, rent, etc

We use Revolut or Charles Schwab for day to day transactions or atm withdrawal
Thu ********
Can probably transfer from Wise/ Revolut.
Anonymous ******************
Your options: Moreta pay / credit cards / cash

True money is OK but it relies on cash topup. So may as well keep the cash yourself. Better to not rely on online stuff so much as you can see what happened.
Paul ********
Moreta pay only allows payment to business QR codes. Many Thai shops and restaurants use personal QR's so have a backup as it won't always work.
Anonymous ******************
That's what cash is for. Those businesses operating out of their personal qr codes would probably prefer cash anyway as they are not even registered/licensed as a business.
J **************
Pay bills using cash
Paul ********
In here you will likely be told you shouldn't own a car on a tourist visa even though you can live in Thailand every day for 5 years on a DTV with same day border bounces. I'm one of the lucky ones (so far) with a still working Bangkok Bank account that I opened in 2021 on a non-o visa. Prior to 2021 I have paid my utilities to my building juristic person and other larger payments via Wise transfers to avoid forex fees and bad exchange rates. For ATM withdrawals try and find a bank from your home country that refunds all ATM fees. I know Canada and the US has them and likely others. There isn't a decent PromtPay alternative without drawbacks so you'll want a way to access cash without paying a 250 THB ATM fee each time.
Anonymous ******************
@Paul *******
shouldn’t own a car why ? That’s a pretty idiotic statement based off a visa status. So you may as well not sign a lease contract 😂
Paul ********
Anonymous participant 681 Speaking of idiots, you should reread what I said. 🤣
Robin *********
@Paul *******
it is possible to own a car though, as you will only need a residence certificate, which they issue also in tourist visas. My Thai wife bought her car with cash
Paul ********
Elías ********
@Paul *******
Anybody with a visa, included DTV, can open and use fully functional TrueMoney accounts.
Paul ********
@Elías *******
I know. Look into the drawbacks.
Paul ********
DTV is not a non-immigrant visa. The TrueMoney app wants 2 photos: "Take a photo of your first page of non-immigrant visa" and "Take a photo of your non-immigrant VISA page in your passport". I've tried what you said but as the screenshot shows, it shouldn't work. That being said, this is Thailand...🙃
Paul ********
@Elías *******
@Džeina ********
I just installed and registered TrueMoney with my passport and Thai number. Transferred in 100 THB from my BB account and tried to do a PromptPay purchase. It didn't work. I called in (1420) and they said I need to upgrade, which for foreigners means a non-o visa or Thai driving license. How did you "unlock all services" to access PromptPay on a DTV?
Džeina *********
@Paul *******
how strange, I didn’t really need to do anything, just register and it worked 😳
Paul ********
@Džeina ********
When did you register on TrueMoney? And you were on a DTV at the time?
Elías ********
@Paul *******
I just uploaded a photo of my DTV PDF file trhu the app 🤷🏻
Paul ********
@Elías *******
I'll give it a try but it's not supposed to work. 🙃
Elías ********
@Paul *******
Other Documents > Passport with non-immigrant visa. Need to upload both the visa itself and the stamp of last entry that confirms you're a DTV holder. Why do you say it's not supposed to work?
Džeina *********
@Paul *******
same as when you withdraw cash unfortunately. Not every bill can be paid with Wise or in cash, some only with scan.
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Džeina ********
with cash? Isn't that too much?