You can still use cash for almost everything, I have local bank accounts but still mostly use cash. The main thing I value the local bank for is the stuff that needs a local card, like Shopee, although I've heard SOME foreign cards will work on that.

If you can get a good foreign travel card from your home country, ATM use isn't too bad, this does depend on where you are from. For Americans with something like Schwab, using an ATM is as cheap as Wise transfers, even slightly better. You can also try bank counter cash advances, this skips the 250B Thai side fee. Not all will do them but if you look around maybe you can find a bank that will. Most of the cost is your home bank though not this 250B, so important to minimise that. Take the max out of the ATM each time.

Wise lets you do transfers to most Thai accounts and it's often instant, you can use this to pay rent.

The QR system is convenient if you forget cash and just have your phone but it's really a convenience over cash, I have never found a place in Chiang Mai that will not take cash either. In COVID times it was encouraged but that's over now. Maybe in Bangkok.

@El***

Depends on the card. Does it have a watermark?

Anonymous participant 524 the problem is they aren't telling him WHAT wasn't sufficient.

@Ern****

O-A as the initial visa is 1 year I think you can do the 65k from the start, you don't need 800k in a Thai bank.

My understanding, you should be able to get a "Confirmation Letter of International Fund Transfer" from Bank of America in Bangkok (the bank that actually received the international transfer). This will confirm for immigration. As your bank said you'd need to contact BoA to get this.

@Ste***

if they did close an account they would give your money back, they wouldn't hold onto it. Once you have an account open, at least historically, they don't tend to close them, even if rules for new accounts change. Plenty of people still with accounts they opened on tourist entries when that was easy, ten years ago. This thing, for now just with Russians, is different in this regard.

@Ste***

I don't think it's "written somewhere" but the actual experience of people trying to open accounts on DTV is that it's next to impossible. They are being treated differently to other long term visas.

@Mi**

Elite is a 5 year visa just like DTV is, and both are tourist visas. I know they assist with bank accounts but regular tourist tourists used have no issues opening bank accounts either. Just saying they are the same class of visa.

@Gra***

Elite is also a tourist visa

@Jo***

DTV is also a tourist visa. There were no changes made to work permit regulations for the DTV, and it also comes stamped "Employment Prohibited". The legislation establishing DTV even says if the recipient wants to "work in Thailand" they need to change visa type. All this indicates they don't consider remote work "work in Thailand".