Why is it important for expats to open a Thai bank account?

ATM fees 250 baht per withdrawal

All my bills are depited from my account as direct debit. It would hardly work from domestic account or atleast it would be expensive. A permanent phone subscription reguires a local bank account.

Life.

I’m as confused as you Sasha… been here ages and never needed it…

Also , I like how all the people on here who don’t have an account ( because they can’t get one ) are justifying why they don’t need one.

Let’s be honest you would have a Thai bank account in a heart beat if they would let you open it 🤣🤣🤣🤣

This will grind some peoples gears. I opened a KASIKORNBANK bank last week on a DTV 👌👌👌👌

Another option

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Do you like paying $5 everytime you want to widthdral money?

Having a Thai bank account would be great

Can pay just like locals do with QR code even at small market stalls.

i live here for 3 years and never missed a bank account. dont have, dont need… having one would not even improve my life by 1%…

Are you 12 or what?

Bought a condo, collect rent for my condo when I'm not in Thailand, pay utilities, earn interest on THB savings (1.5% with SCB EZ Savings account), cash the check from revenue department for my withholding tax refund for bank interest after filing a tax return, opened a Bitkub account, shop on Lazada without using cash on delivery, order food from Grab and have them leave it downstairs so I can go down and get it at my convenience, pay deposit for small hotels that don't have online booking options, pay hospital bills without the foreign card surcharge. The real question is why you would not want to have a bank account? It's not strictly needed but it makes many aspects of life more convenient and there are basically no fees for having one. I don't see any disadvantage of having one, only advantages. The only people that say it's not useful are people that are unable to open one.

I love using cash. I break my bills at a 7-11/Lotus/Big C/any local shop that sells alcohol.

The cash is a private transaction.

Charles Schwab refunds my ATM fees. I also use that debit card on Lazada.

Rent can be paid at a bank counter or cash deposit machine. Banks are open 7 days a week at retail locations until the evening.

And f@ck Grab delivery. They charge restaurants over a third of the cost. You get food that’s lukewarm, have to wait for it, paid more for it, 17 plastic bags, and the chore of doing dishes.

Almost certain I get a bigger portion when giving the cash direct and eating there. AND it tastes better!

Who doesn’t have 30 minutes to go eat? You lose more than that waiting for delivery.

End of rant. Peace out.

Its not essential but it makes everyday transactions so much easier.

living here a few years and never had thai bank account, not a big deal for me

Your a tourist

Why should they allow on a tourist visa

Restaurants

Grocery stores

Grab take credit card

Pay rent by wise

What else you need

Cash for markets and street food

Get an atm fee free account

The real question is why wouldn’t you want a Thai bank account to pay for food delivery, shop on Lazada, pay for Grab, send money to friends and family, use cardless atm anywhere, keep xXx,000thb on hand without carrying a bucket of cash. Imagine living in US and not having a local bank.

Scanning qr codes at shops and transferring money to my thai friends when we go out

They're mostly 'digital creators' who want to make a video about the process of opening one

I use mine to pay my rent, water, power, scan pay when out and send friends money when we split the check. Keeps me from carrying a ton of cash all the time.

If you plan to make an Asian country your home a significant percentage of each year it makes sense to have a bank account in that country.

You can easier transfer support to your Thai cutie 🥰

It avoids you having to pay a 250 baht atm fee + any extras your home bank charges you. I do cardless withdrawals and transfers within Thailand and there are zero fees.

Do you have a bank account where you come from? Do you even know what a bank account is? If not, look it up. One of the best invention of the modern world. People living in a modern society just use it because it's convenient.

Rent and other local payments. I have local bank accounts but pay for most day to day items cash. I am not fecking about with a phone and QR code for a few hundred Baht.

I use it to scan and pay multiple times a day. You can't use any other methods to scan and transfer money to personal accounts, like Bolt riders, Grab delivery riders, most small restaurants and sales stands.

I also use it to get cash from ATMs without having to carry my card on me.

The transfers are instant, so I can pay my rent or others bills without delays.

And the exchange rate + fees when using foreign cards in ATMs will eat a big chunk of your money, over time.

Except for avoid atm fees it’s worthless

Have you ever looked at the exchange rate foreign banks give you? Some will also charge fees on top of that

It makes living in Thailand easier.

Ive been thinking that too