@Roy ********

TTB is also 30k.

@Brian ********

You can absolutely get a Non-O from a Thai embassy or consulate overseas, though not all offices will issue one for every purpose. You may be thinking of the fact that some Thai embassies won't issue a Non-O for retirement, but that's due to a local policy, not a universal MFA rule.

From the description, it seems that the friend's issue was with charges from his UK bank, not from the ATM.

@David **********

That's really bad 😞 Sorry you had to go through that...

Was that long haul or short haul? And they didn't rebook you on a different flight?

The embassy will not authenticate, or accept an affidavit in lieu of authentication, for academic credentials:

@Jack ********

I had the good fortune to meet him during college when my film society invited him to receive an award - very friendly and down-to-earth guy.

@Jack ********

BTW, I love the Harry Dean Stanton avatar 👍 - from Paris, Texas?

Your numbers are a bit off.

For , the Visa rate (which is what Schwab uses) was 34.91, so the $865.65 cost that you mentioned was inclusive of the 220 baht fee (which is refunded at the end of the month, not at the time of the transaction). The actual net cost for your 30k baht was $859.35.

As for Wise's various funding methods, I don't think wires and SWIFT transfers are instantaneous (by their nature, not because of Wise). They also usually involve a fee from your sending bank, plus additional forms or paperwork. ACH wasn't on the list of options? That would usually be cheapest (a little over a dollar for 30k baht), and would be immediate.

I transferred 3k USD (106k baht at the time) last week, and it took five seconds - but that was to Kasikorn, not BBL.