I've done that twice with my US passport as well, the process at DMCW is pretty quick, only took me about 1 hour and the embassy recommends you transfer your visas asap.

Indeed, sadly it has been abused all too often and by many.

Pity this ed visa is so restrictive...

Pity they cannot develop a customized advanced class to suit your needs. Years ago I was an ELT instructor at ProLanguage, mentioned above, and that is what they did for their advanced Thai language students.

You mean that your Thai skills are now so fluent it is impossible to continue your studies???

If you travel First or Business class, most airlines offer you Fast Track services.

I found small denominations of US$ the most convenient for day-to-day expenses when traveling around Vietnam and Cambodia.

@Dee ******

Hong Kong is a very fine example of a place which has a card called "Octopus" which that govt has managed to integrate across their entire public transport system (railways, subways, buses, ferries and taxis) and several retail businesses empires. Thailand on the other hand is having difficulty just getting the MRT snd BTS to agree on a single card payment system. I agree the desire is there but they have a long way to go to make this a popular and trusted form of payment.

@Dee ******

personal experience from living here, my banks have discontinued their mobile payment services due to multiple failures. I have had people send me payment via "K-Bank" but that is it. Beyond convenience stores offering digital payments to customers, I see most people still using trusted cash.

Most people I know prefer cash and distrust mobile app payment options for fear of hacking.