Though it sounds like US persons receive regular SS all the time...

Unless US laws have changed, you may not be able to receive SSDI nor Medicare while outside the USA.

How about Indonesia, Malaysia, or Laos, which are also nice, I hear, and cheap. Especially Laos and the major university towns in Indonesia (the latter info from a cultural affairs attache in the Indonesian consulate in Songkla, southern Thailand).

Thanks for the screen shot,

@Ross *******

. Hmm... It may be possible that Wise works for TL to USA transfers on laptops (which is what I was using to access Wise) but not on cell phones? Or maybe something bad happened to Wise's service over the past few months. If the former, and if your friend does not have a laptop, than what I would do in such situations is go to a local computer shop or internet shop, wait for all the gamers to leave, and then simply use the shop's computers for a small fee. Hope this helps.

@Ross *******

Oh, THAT is even *easier*. I have done that many times through Wise, with no serious problenms that were not my fault. Again, I would need to know more about the specific problems encountered in order to respond further.

@Ross *******

All I noticed was that he said that Wise was not letting him transfer money to Thailand. I did not notice specific details beyond that. Yet I am pretty sure I have done so. Thus, my question. I am trying to help, and may need more info about his specific problem(s) first.

I used Wise for two years to send money from my US bank account to my Thailand bank account with no problem. What are the specific issues in your case?

@Michael ******

More complicated than I expected. I used Krung Thai when employed by a Thai university (KTB required by the university for direct deposit of pay). Then *after* that job ended I opened a second savings account at Bangkok Bank, and I think they requested only Passport and nothing else (but, then, I speak fluent Thai, and sometimes people give me a "pass" on the more normal details, so other people's experiences may be different.

Agent probably not needed, if already employed in Thailand. Otherwise I am not sure, and defer to

@Michael ******

above. If you do not speak Thai, simply bring a bilingual friend to the bank with you, and things should normally go smoothly for you...

The exact name escapes me right now, but the Eye Hospital on Sukhumvit Soi 23, between Phetburi Road and Sukhumvit (west side of the Soi) is said by Thai opticians to be the "oldest and best in Thailand, and they have an attached Eyeglass shop called "Moom Mong." I later got similar lenses in the city of Hat Yai (Songkla province in the south) for half the price, and the glasses worked fine, but that chain of stores is just getting up and running, and is probably available only in Hat Yai still (still, the effective discount might be worth the cost of two round trip air fairs, if you want to know the Hat Yai shop's name.....