If you arrive in Thailand before you receive your DTV by email, you will get a 60 day visa exemption upon arrival. Sometime after that, you must cross a border and return to Thailand to activate your DTV.
I live 6 months in Thailand and 6 months in the USA for the past 3 years.
If you have B800k to deposit in your Thai bank account, that is the best way for us. Remember…B65k a month’s times 12 months is B780k, they are both virtually the same, but if you have a problem and need to return to the US for a longer term, it could take months to stop the B65k monthly transfers.
I dd 3 years ago on a Non-O marriage visa. I didn’t know to get a re-entry stamp so my visa was voided when I left Thailand. I learned.
I did last year on a 30 day visa exemption, plus a 30 day extension. Then I applied for a 60 day tourist e-visa while visiting Korea. I arrived in Thailand before I received the tourist visa, so another 30 day visa exemption, then a border run (in Cambodia for 20 minutes) to activate my 60 day tourist visa and a 30 day extension to get me 6 months of Thailand. This worked better than I expected.
Currently I arrived 6 weeks ago on a Non-O marriage visa that I renew soon to get a 1 year extension.
If you don’t look destitute you can game the system a little bit.
Always try to get the correct visa for your situation.