Payment Options (w/o Thai Bank account)

This comes up a lot in the comments. Please do add or correct, but this info is correct based upon my own personal experience:

TagThai Pay&Tour

- Prepaid credit card

- Can only be loaded at (I think any) Kasikorn Exchange kiosk. (I did in Samui.) Contrary to some comments I've seen, I was able to do with THB, did not have to actually exchange currency.

- Cannot pay Personal accounts with QR code, so that's most small restaurants and shops out.

TrueMoney

- Top up by cash at any 7-11, Lotus, and various pay points.

- Some people have completed the additional verification by uploading a copy of DTV visa and entry stamp under the work permit section of documents. That then allows payment to personal QR codes.

- It's also handy for paying Electricity and Water. (Keeps the history.)

- I have not been able to top-up by credit card since additional verification, but others claim this is possible.

DeepPocket

- CAN pay personal QR code

Load by credit/debit card, cash at BigC or Lotus.

- Pricier fees than the other two.

- (Was recommended to me by a friend who's an expert in payments, so seems to have solid backers, but I'm not personally endorsing this or anything else.)

* Moreta Pay

- Can connect to US bank, do SEPA transfer, or UK Faster Payments, or credit/debit

- No personal QR codes

- Works in other Asian countries

Is there any QR Pay app for payments that I can easily access as foreigner?

🚨UPDATE on third-party banking options like DeepPocket and Moreta, often considered alternatives for DTV holders without Thai bank accounts.

Be aware, online banking apps such as DeepPocket and Moreta have recently become popular, attracting many users.

However, after a surge in sign-ups, DeepPocket has altered its terms of service. Now, the QR-Scan feature is limited to 30-days and they will charge you 399THB every month for it!

Additionally, I ordered and received a Debit Card through the mail after waiting over a month, only to discover it's valid for less than a year…

So, if you believed these apps could fully substitute for a traditional bank account, think again! I strongly suggest securing a Thai bank account for seamless management of daily expenses.

I had my doubts from the start, suspecting these offers were too good to be true. Beware of these dubious apps that suddenly appear, tricking users into signing up only to impose fees later on.

Get a local bank account if you can!

If you’re on a DTV visa and struggling to open a bank account, I’ve just found something that works: DEEPPOCKET.

I signed up yesterday and got approved this afternoon. You can top up at Big C, Tesco Lotus, or even bank branches by following the app instructions. I tested it out by having a friend send me 500 baht via QR scan, and so far, no issues.

It’s only been a day, but it’s already making things easier. At least I don’t have to carry so much cash around anymore. I’ll be using this until the banks decide what to do about DTV visa holders.