The Pacific Cross website has their plan options and approximate costs. I’ve never made a claim with them but their customer service has been excellent.

@Rich ***

That is correct which is why I recommended the O. When I got my OA in 2017 there was no insurance requirement.

Some other differences:

OA is a 1 year multiple entry visa vs the O being a 90 day single entry

Each time you enter the country with an OA during the first year of validity you get a yearlong permission to stay stamp. I got 19 months on my OA before I started applying for 1 year extensions inside Thailand.

You can qualify for an OA with money in your home country bank account though you must deposit the 800,000 baht into a Thai bank account for your 1 year extension inside Thailand.

You have to get a criminal background check in your home country to get an OA. There is also a medical certificate to be signed by a doctor.

It is possible to get an O visa from your home country Thai consulate as well as being able to get it here inside Thailand.

First make sure you have an OA visa and not an O visa. Some people mix these up. You can only get an OA visa in your home country.

The OA has some unusual features. It would be helpful to know when your OA was issued and whether you have traveled outside Thailand in the past year. The answer for you could be complicated.

Brandon is correct though, at some point you can extend your visa for 1 year. There is the issue of your current health insurance policy as well. You need to ask immigration if your current health insurance policy will qualify for a 1 year extension inside Thailand.

I had an OA visa in Bangkok for 6 years.

A wire transfer is probably going to cost the same no matter how much you transfer. Transfer much larger amounts and the rate starts to look better.

I think the safest path is to buy your phone in the US. Buy it unlocked. This will cost more. Make sure it has 2 sims, physical sims or esims, doesn't matter. Have the store where you buy the phone put your US number on the phone. They should be able to do this for you. When you are in Thailand you can buy a Thai phone plan. Same thing. They can put the Thai phone number on your US phone.

What US plan you use is up to you. Test it with your bank while you are in the US. Look into the fees to use that number internationally. The US phone company knows when you are using the phone number outside the US. International use will cost more.

Regarding 2 factor authorization, check to see if your bank and any other institution you are using will allow authorization via email. Both of my US banks allow that.

@Jack ***************

TMI

@Stefan ***********

Just went through the motions. You don’t really want to be figuring this out for the first time in your moment of need as the comments in this post demonstrate.

I would say the same about the fancy Japanese electronic toilets. You should check out the controls before you need to use it.

😂 over 7 years in Thailand and I’ve never had to squat. When I was a tourist I looked it up on the internet and practiced in the back yard. The most important lesson is to make sure nothing is going to fall out of your pockets. Make sure your cell phone is water resistant.

@Graham ******

I saw a post this morning of someone who got a DTV from the UK consulate by having a few dentist appointments (Invisalign) and a letter from the dentist.

@Ken **********

I now have an LTR and it is a completely different experience at the Thailand Board of Investment office. Everyone I talk to there speaks almost fluent English. The dream come true!