I know Chase Sapphire has a huge bonus right now for new cardmembers. And a total of 5 points/miles per dollar when you book through Chase travel. We just used it to fly from Koh Samui to LA on EVA airlines. Price was exactly the same as if we booked on EVA directly.

@Brendan *******

Not true. You can apply wherever you are as long as it's not in Thailand. Additionally, you can convert from visa exempt tourist to non-o in Thailand.

@Steve ******

On the application, yes, but on the actual Evisa, it doesn't - it simply states:

Visa type: Non-immigrant O

There is no mention of retirement, visiting Thai family, volunteering, etc.

Thus, the question from the bank employee about what type of visa, as different categories have different requirements.

@Sean *********

Exactly. And to their point, it's a valid question. Hmmm - you want to open a bank account, you came on a retirement visa, you're not old enough to receive social security, so how do you make money? 🤔 And remember, this was just weeks after the government crackdown on foreigners with Thai bank accounts.

@Sean *********

Because I'm too young to receive social security and I came on the "retirement" (I guess I have to use that term VERY carefully now) Non-O visa, they wanted proof that I was indeed retired. This was in March of 2025. February 2025 was when all the government crackdowns on illegal/mule/scam accounts began, thus extra scrutiny from the banks in opening new accounts for foreigners.

@Sean *********

not sure what you mean when you say "I did a auto in country" 🤔

You can definitely apply from Vietnam. We did our Non-O retirement from Da Nang - they use Ho Chi Minh City embassy. Several friends we know have gotten the DTV from Vietnam (both HCMC and Hanoi) The standard processing time is 5 business days, but may take a bit longer if additional documentation is required. So a month in Vietnam should be plenty of time and I believe you will enjoy your time there.

@Steve ******

call it if you want, but I have no reason to lie. So you do realize you have to have a long-term visa to open an account, right? So you do realize when you get the Non-O visa, it doesn't state on the actual visa what category it is, right? So you do realize the banks have the authority to approve or deny opening an account, right? So when the employee at Bangkok Bank asked for proof of retirement, I complied. Not that I owe you (or anyone) a detailed explanation, when you question my honesty and integrity, I will respond accordingly. To quote the late, great Gene Wilder "you lose, good day sir!"

@Greg **********

exactly. I based my reply on his amount of $1163 in social security which is far below the threshold. On the official Thai Evisa website, it states 65k (currently over $2,000 USD per month) monthly income. This is under the category Retirement "pensioner aged 50 or above with state pension..." So while it doesn't specifically say this amount HAS to be fully from pension (or social security for US purposes) it also DOESN'T say that either. Thus, in my case, and I believe the OP's, the 800k is advisable.

@Ling ****

understood. I based my answers on the OP being from America and my personal experiences as an American getting a Non-O retirement visa and 1 year extension.