Is withdrawing funds from my THB Wise account using a debit card subject to a 220 baht ATM fee?

@Evan ******

Good luck! There’s no place in the world I would rather be.

@Evan ******

I always first transfer from home bank to Wise and then from Wise to Bangkok Bank. Never tried skipping the intermediate step. 

@Dave ********

Above I was talking about a Thai bank card, not the Wise card. I never use the Wise card for Thailand payments or purchases. But the Thai bank card gets used at Villa, Central Market, Lazada, etc.

I do use the Wise card sometimes to pay bills in the USA from my Wise balance.

But the number one usage I make of Wise is to move funds from my USA bank to Thai bank.

@Evan ******

all you have to do is go to immigration and ask for a letter to open a bank account. Then you take this letter to Krabi Bangkok branch along with your passport/visa and they will open an account for you.

@Evan ******

Just go to a good agent with 3000-5000baht in hand, and literally a couple hours later you’ll be all set up with an account, debit card and online ap at a reputable bank like Bangkok Bank. A small price to pay for a lifestyle-changing improvement in how you deal with your finances. In Pattaya, Manareet’s in Soi 13-2 is hard to beat, but there are others.

I know this is a very controversial subject, so spare me the virtue-signaling outrage from the usual suspects. Yes it’s certainly possible to do it cheaper on your own, but it will likely cost you more than you expect in terms of time spent tracking down a branch and bank employee who will see you through to a successful conclusion. To each his own.

@Evan ******

if you wait, make sure you ask your school to write you a letter to open a bank account. They should do it for free and the first bank I went to with the letter did it for me.

@Evan ******

not really as you can use it at places that take visa/MC with no additional fees and you'll have locked in the exchange rate thats good for you. Some banks charge foreign transaction fees when using their cards in any circumstances

@Evan ******

I only use wise to transfer to my thai account. If you use the card at tesco or big c for shopping there is no fee. All foreign travel cards get the fee not just wise