@Ian *******

no. Just send to wise in your own currency. Exchange to Bhat with wise and send to your Thai bank.

From experience ….

This is from Wise ….

If you or a friend have a Thai bank account, use Wise to make a transfer ahead of time and save even more. Not only does Wise use the real mid-market exchange rates (which almost always beats the banks), but because your money is received and sent locally in both your home country and in Thailand, all those nasty international fees magically disappear. Give it a try.

So what to do is …..

Send cash from your US Bank to your Wise account.

In Wise, exchange from USD to Thai baht when you are happy with the exchange rate.

Send Thai baht from Wise to your Thai bank account.

Withdraw Thai baht from your Thai baht bank account at ATM.

Doing it this way you are saving yourself a lot of cash….

Low or no fees from US bank.

A very good rate of exchange. Better than US and Thai banks.

A small Wise fee to send.

No charge to withdraw from Thai bank at ATM.

Cost of Living in Manila is 9.3% lower than in Bangkok (without rent)

Cost of Living Including Rent in Manila is 9.0% lower than in Bangkok

Rent Prices in Manila are 8.0% lower than in Bangkok

Restaurant Prices in Manila are 12.6% higher than in Bangkok

Groceries Prices in Manila are 10.0% lower than in Bangkok

@Mike ****

you think? Well here are the hard facts. No argument.

Cost of living 9.6% cheaper in the Philippines using major cities as a comparison

@Joseph ********

I did exactly the same. Purchased as good as new Yamaha Xerox for around 5Ok

@Brandon ***********

for example mate... Twice I gave advice from experience and twice my post were deleted stating I gave false information. I do not lie. I give advice by my own experiences and find that insulting.

Reluctant to comment, as it will probably get deleted. Yes you can live comfortable on your pension if you don’t go crazy. Try pay it all to Wise or Revolut. Exchange and transfer at least 65k baht per month for 12 months. This will help with next years visa. Try get proof of your pension. This will help with your first retirement visa. As for bikes or scooters. Hire a small 125cc. Much safer.

If damaged you require a new passport. From experience, it’s easier to replace a lost or stolen passport than one that is damaged.

I would rather use a company that gives you final price without hidden extras. Seems these guys conning people now. To the best to the worst in such a short time.