Thanks for the update. Which non-o visa did you get?

There's no reason to have Sprint or any other US carrier if you live here. You can get a Thai sim card and pay less than $20/month for phone and internet service if you want. It's SOOOO much cheaper here. As for talking with friends back home, install Line or WhatsApp, then tell your friends to do the same. Line is the big app here, really, and if you meet new people here in Thailand, you'll likely be exchanging Line contacts...

Chaeng Wattana has bank branches for all the major Thai banks. Do it there and it'll take you five minutes because they already know all about it.

You will need 20,000 thb or equivalent in ANY currency, but it must be cash. There are not ATMs before passport control, so you must have it when you get off the plane. You should have a ticket (air or bus) out of the country (leaving before your visa expires), and you should also have proof of lodging. In 5 years, I've never been asked for proof of lodging, but I've been asked once for proof of departure.

Did they tell you why you were refused? What was the reason? What country is your passport?

There's not much there, and what is there closes at midnight. For some music, ladies, and dancing, check out the Hoongthip disco opposite the hoongthip hotel.

Sorry to hear about your difficulties. So much has changed in the past couple years. When I moved here 5 years ago, a friend of mine had been living here on tourist visas for over 17 years. My, how things have changed...

Interesting to hear what the locals think. Always good to get updates. Good luck tomorrow!

Just to clarify: the two guys I referenced DID get visa stickers in their passport, but they were only for 30 days. Although I didn't mention this in the original post, I did hear one of them asking why he got the sticker if they were only giving him 30 days. This, unfortunately, is the last thing I heard before I walked out with my visa. Perhaps

@Thomas *******************

is correct and maybe one of them will see this and clarify.

No, this was not necessary.