All Aussie Related Stuff (excluding the old age pension)

[scorecard]

40 minutes ago, dodgybros said:

It is not about 'fee free', idiotic concept, it is about the amount that lands in your Thai bank account to spend! Transferwise is simply better, and I get mine in 4 hours from Aus.

 

I use several Thai banks, all set up for Internet banking and I use the internet banking to pay all my bills, transfer funds to my Thai son etc. All very easy to set up and use. No bank charges for local funds transfers. 

 

I downsized to 1 bank in Oz, with limited funds in the account and with  internet banking, just in case I need to make a payment in Australia. 

 

I have 2 regular monthly payments from Australia to 1 bank in Thailand, both incur very minimal transfer charges out of Australia. 

 

When funds hit my Thai bank (usually next day, occasionally same day as transfer from Australia) I instantly get an SMS message alert connected to my Thai mobile number. No charge for the SMS for alert from my Thai bank.

 

Moving to LOS you need a Thai mobile no., why bother to keep using Telstra? Service and call charges quite low compared to Telstra. 

 

Once here get a Thai phone number, install the free LINE chat and videochat app, transfer the contacts from your Telstra list and then you can chat and do videochat with all your contacts world wide totally free on LINE and no time limit on calls or videochats, no peak period restrictions. And good voice and videochat quality. 

 

So easy, no need for any complications.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by scorecard

[dodgybros]

9 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

I use several Thai banks, all set up for Internet banking and I use the internet banking to pay all my bills, transfer funds to my Thai son etc. All very easy to set up and use. No bank charges for local funds transfers. 

 

I downsized to 1 bank in Oz, with limited funds in the account and with  internet banking, just in case I need to make a payment in Australia. 

 

I have 2 regular monthly payments from Australia to 1 bank in Thailand, both incur very minimal transfer charges out of Australia. 

 

When funds hit my Thai bank (usually next day, occasionally same day as transfer from Australia) I instantly get an SMS message alert connected to my Thai mobile number. No charge for the SMS for alert from my Thai bank.

 

Moving to LOS you need a Thai mobile no., why bother to keep using Telstra? Service and call charges quite low compared to Telstra. 

 

Once here get a Thai phone number, install the free LINE chat and videochat app, transfer the contacts from your Telstra list and then you can chat and do videochat with all your contacts world wide totally free on LINE and no time limit on calls or videochats, no peak period restrictions. And good voice and videochat quality. 

 

So easy, no need for any complications.

 

 

 

 

 

You have quoted the wrong person, I have Thai bank account and phone and am currently living in Thailand, I was making comparison between smartbaht and TW to indicate that regardless of fees, TW still puts more money into your account.

[scorecard]

3 minutes ago, dodgybros said:

You have quoted the wrong person, I have Thai bank account and phone and am currently living in Thailand, I was making comparison between smartbaht and TW to indicate that regardless of fees, TW still puts more money into your account.

Sorry.

[faranglopburi]

21 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

I use several Thai banks, all set up for Internet banking and I use the internet banking to pay all my bills, transfer funds to my Thai son etc. All very easy to set up and use. No bank charges for local funds transfers. 

 

I downsized to 1 bank in Oz, with limited funds in the account and with  internet banking, just in case I need to make a payment in Australia. 

 

I have 2 regular monthly payments from Australia to 1 bank in Thailand, both incur very minimal transfer charges out of Australia. 

 

When funds hit my Thai bank (usually next day, occasionally same day as transfer from Australia) I instantly get an SMS message alert connected to my Thai mobile number. No charge for the SMS for alert from my Thai bank.

 

Moving to LOS you need a Thai mobile no., why bother to keep using Telstra? Service and call charges quite low compared to Telstra. 

 

Once here get a Thai phone number, install the free LINE chat and videochat app, transfer the contacts from your Telstra list and then you can chat and do videochat with all your contacts world wide totally free on LINE and no time limit on calls or videochats, no peak period restrictions. And good voice and videochat quality. 

 

So easy, no need for any complications.

 

 

 

 

 

Ok thanks for the tip. The problem I have is I receive an incapacity pension from my Super fund and they will only make payments to an Aussie bank, so I am stuck with having to leave the Commbank account open. Here is where I am having an imagined problem of trying to transfer between Commbank and my Thai acct (when I open one that is). That is why why think I will have to leave Telstra active so I can receive the SMS or maybe they will send the SMS to a Thai mobile as another poster has suggested. But how do I open a Thai mobile phone before moving overseas?

[Salerno]

17 minutes ago, faranglopburi said:

But how do I open a Thai mobile phone before moving overseas?

 

I have heard of people having problems changing their phone number with a bank while overseas but not sure how common it is or which bank (no pun intended). I do know it's a pain in the <deleted> even from Australia (had to call multiple banks recently to change my number).

 

If you really want to get a Thai number before leaving Oz:

• Get a friend in Thailand to send you a SIM (preferably one of the better options they can get from Lazada which you activate online). or
• See if any of the SIM sellers on Lazada will ship to Australia (some sellers do, not sure about SIM sellers though). or
• Get one online from other suppliers such as https://simcorner.com/products/thailand-travel-sim-card-ais or https://www.amazon.com/thai-sim-card/s?k=thai+sim+card (not very good value but people seem to feel more confident with Amazon for example - get a decent SIM when in Thailand and port the number; other than Lazada the online options tend to be mainly tourist SIMs).

[Old Croc]

1 hour ago, faranglopburi said:

Is this CommBank or MyGov? Or both? Did you give just the Thai mobile no. alone or the international prefix as well?

I use Westpac, at the time it was the cheapest for money transfers. Now I use Transferwise (Wise) to move it from the bank to my Thailand account.

On MyGov I still use email, password and personal questions to sign in. I've never updated to the SMS system.

My Thai phone number the bank uses has the country code and drops the initial 0 from my 10 digit number.  IE:   +66 (0)987654321

[Nemises]

2 hours ago, faranglopburi said:

 I can't imagine it would be cheap to have international roaming active on a long term basis. So what do you guys do? 

Costs me $A20 a year to keep my Aus mobile number.

The Aus SIM can be kept on a spare phone or inserted into your current phone whenever you’re expecting an SMS from a bank or MyGov etc. 

 

Costs nothing to receive SMS’s. 

 

[MAF666]

3 hours ago, faranglopburi said:

Hopefully moving to Thailand in the near future and have a query;

 

I'm with Commonwealth Bank and they have this security feature where they send you a code via SMS the first time you transfer money to a new account. How will this work in Thailand if I'm transferring 400000THB to my Thai bank account? The mobile phone is with Telstra and won't work unless I have international roaming activated which would be expensive in the long term.

I'm also thinking of MyGov website as well. Same deal to login you have to receive a code via SMS. I can't imagine it would be cheap to have international roaming active on a long term basis. So what do you guys do? 

I have a skype number for 02 (Sydney region) that looks like a fixed line, anyone can call or sms from Sydney for the cost of a local call. The call will find me anywhere in the world. Cost ~$50pa

[scorecard]

59 minutes ago, Nemises said:

Costs me $A20 a year to keep my Aus mobile number.

The Aus SIM can be kept on a spare phone or inserted into your current phone whenever you’re expecting an SMS from a bank or MyGov etc. 

 

Costs nothing to receive SMS’s. 

 

 

My provider in Thailand is AIS. I was travelling frequently to Vietnam, Singapore and Australia and I needed to make funds transfers from my Thai bank to my Thai son and others in Thailand using internet banking.

 

AIS set up my phone number so that:

 

- I was on the minimum package (about 450Baht a month) and I paid this by automatic bill payment from my xx Thai bank on internet banking.

 

- Roaming was turned ON.

 

- But they also set up that the maximum charges for roaming in any time period was 0 zero Baht.

 

This allows OTPs from my Thai banks to come quickly to my phone in a drop down message which cancels in about 3 seconds but also appears and stays in my phone messages specific to my bank name. I can of course delete it easily from my phone messages if I want, and I do that regularly.  

 

It works well.  

 

When in Australia I use my Telstra SIM for local calls. If I want to use internet banking on my Thai bank accounts I take out the Telstra SIM and insert my AIS SIM and I still get the OTP password on the quick drop down, then change the SIM back to Telstra. And it also appears in my phone messages.

 

I've never had any charges for roaming from AIS.

 

I also have a MyGov account in Australia, I've deliberately never set up/activated the SMS message to be activated when I try to login to MyGov.  This was deliberate because I was concerned about not getting the SMS code when abroad or when using different SIMS and therefore couldn't open MyGov. 

 

Seems to be that a password and additional questions is enough.

Edited March 5, 2021 by scorecard

[dodgybros]

6 hours ago, faranglopburi said:

Ok thanks for the tip. The problem I have is I receive an incapacity pension from my Super fund and they will only make payments to an Aussie bank, so I am stuck with having to leave the Commbank account open. Here is where I am having an imagined problem of trying to transfer between Commbank and my Thai acct (when I open one that is). That is why why think I will have to leave Telstra active so I can receive the SMS or maybe they will send the SMS to a Thai mobile as another poster has suggested. But how do I open a Thai mobile phone before moving overseas?

Please never ever transfer money from Commbank (or any other Aus bank) directly to a Thai bank account, do your own research and check other third party possibilities eg Transferwise, other than the first transfer you will not need an SMS (OTP) and you will save a bucket load of money.

 

Right now Commbank will give 22.1 thb per dollar (exclusive of fees), transferwise will give 23.26 (inclusive of fees).

 

Commbank have a really great facebook page, I put a message in there and they will call you back in Thailand, after going through normal ID checks they changed my Aus number to my Thai number and activated it with no hassles.

[gearbox]

8 hours ago, faranglopburi said:

Hopefully moving to Thailand in the near future and have a query;

 

I'm with Commonwealth Bank and they have this security feature where they send you a code via SMS the first time you transfer money to a new account. How will this work in Thailand if I'm transferring 400000THB to my Thai bank account? The mobile phone is with Telstra and won't work unless I have international roaming activated which would be expensive in the long term.

I'm also thinking of MyGov website as well. Same deal to login you have to receive a code via SMS. I can't imagine it would be cheap to have international roaming active on a long term basis. So what do you guys do? 

I have an Aldi Mobile sim, with roaming turned on. Credit of $15 keeps it active for an year, and I use that credit to buy a monthly combo package when I'm back.  20gb data plus unlimited calls for 1 month is $25, and the pay as you go credit can be used to buy these packages.

SMS messages received are free, and in many countries the call charges are very reasonable, 50 cents to send an sms, and $1 to call a phone.

Before leaving Oz I did tons of research on this and it was the cheapest way to maintain Australian number when overseas. So far for more than 2 years it worked well in at least 10 different countries. Very easy to top it up to keep the number active on their web site.

[faranglopburi]

Thanks for all the responses everyone! I now have an idea of what to do. Now waiting for the move to happen hopefully January next year should give me plenty of time to organise things.

[scorecard]

12 minutes ago, faranglopburi said:

Thanks for all the responses everyone! I now have an idea of what to do. Now waiting for the move to happen hopefully January next year should give me plenty of time to organise things.

 

Good luck for a happy and successful move.

 

[scorecard]

14 hours ago, gearbox said:

I have an Aldi Mobile sim, with roaming turned on. Credit of $15 keeps it active for an year, and I use that credit to buy a monthly combo package when I'm back.  20gb data plus unlimited calls for 1 month is $25, and the pay as you go credit can be used to buy these packages.

SMS messages received are free, and in many countries the call charges are very reasonable, 50 cents to send an sms, and $1 to call a phone.

Before leaving Oz I did tons of research on this and it was the cheapest way to maintain Australian number when overseas. So far for more than 2 years it worked well in at least 10 different countries. Very easy to top it up to keep the number active on their web site.

 

We all have our own circumstances and concerns etc., when I first moved permanently to Thailand I kept very strong ties to Australia on many items including food, shaving cream and more.

 

After a year I realized I didn't need most of these 'items' / 'ties', mainly because living in Thailand I discovered other products and services which I liked and perhaps even better than what I was used to and which eliminated the need to ask friends to bring certain food items, clothing items, and more.

 

I guess this happens with most of us, all part of the journey.

 

 

 

 

[oznomad]

Overseas roaming / SMS issues.

I have, for several years, used Amaysim.

The balance is valid for 12 months. If away from Aus for more that the year, just go online and add a bit extra to extend the validity a further 12 months.

When I go back to Aus, I pick a call / internet plan that suits for while I am there, then go back to 'pay as you go', ie no payment.

Incoming texts overseas and local are free. Very good for authentication.

Get $10 free credit by using this link

http://amaysi.ms/r/axOPYFMj

If only used for authentication, that means zero costs for year 1. Sweet.

[LosLobo]

On 3/5/2021 at 5:15 PM, faranglopburi said:

Hopefully moving to Thailand in the near future and have a query;

 

I'm with Commonwealth Bank and they have this security feature where they send you a code via SMS the first time you transfer money to a new account. How will this work in Thailand if I'm transferring 400000THB to my Thai bank account? The mobile phone is with Telstra and won't work unless I have international roaming activated which would be expensive in the long term.

I'm also thinking of MyGov website as well. Same deal to login you have to receive a code via SMS. I can't imagine it would be cheap to have international roaming active on a long term basis. So what do you guys do? 

Commonwealth Bank can send OTP via Commbank App via internet to your phone .

MyGov login can be now accessed by a Digital Identity.

A phone number is not neccessary! An internet connection will suffice!

[scorecard]

11 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

Commonwealth Bank can send OTP via Commbank App via internet to your phone .

MyGov login can be now accessed by a Digital Identity.

A phone number is not neccessary! An internet connection will suffice!

-

Edited March 17, 2021 by scorecard

[LosLobo]

2 minutes ago, scorecard said:

-

Home | Digital Identity

[pdinbkk]

On 3/5/2021 at 2:19 PM, dodgybros said:

It is not about 'fee free', idiotic concept, it is about the amount that lands in your Thai bank account to spend! Transferwise is simply better, and I get mine in 4 hours from Aus.

FYI, the time taken for Transferwise to pay out is dependent on the amount being transferred.  Today, anything over AUD$4,078 is quoted as taking 2 days, vs 4 mins for anything under this amount.

[scorecard]

On 3/17/2021 at 4:50 PM, LosLobo said:

Home | Digital Identity

On a different point, are you aware of anybody who receives a DVA disability pension and receives the OAP through Centrelink electing to have all payments (disability pension and Centrelink OAP) combined into one payment, paid 4 weekly to an account abroad, by the DVA?  

[LosLobo]

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

On a different point, are you aware of anybody who receives a DVA disability pension and receives the OAP through Centrelink electing to have all payments (disability pension and Centrelink OAP) combined into one payment, paid 4 weekly to an account abroad, by the DVA?  

You can have your Centrelink Age Pension transferred to a DVA Age Pension.

 

Why did you apply for a Centrelink one instead of a DVA one in the first place?

 

Social security age pension overview | Department of Veterans' Affairs (dva.gov.au)

[giddyup]

I just received a letter and a form from my bank  (ANZ) in Australia asking for details re tax residency. I have lived in Thailand for 12 years and don't pay any Australian tax as I'm below the tax threshold. The only details asked for on the form are my current address and whether I'm a tax resident of Australia. It doesn't ask for my TFN or passport number so not sure what other info is required. Anyone been asked for this info from their bank?

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

I just received a letter and a form from my bank  (ANZ) in Australia asking for details re tax residency. I have lived in Thailand for 12 years and don't pay any Australian tax as I'm below the tax threshold. The only details asked for on the form are my current address and whether I'm a tax resident of Australia. It doesn't ask for my TFN or passport number so not sure what other info is required. Anyone been asked for this info from their bank?

I got one from my credit union two days ago. My advice would be fill out the form with the minimum information asked for.

I am basing my continued Australian tax residency on having an Australian residential address, and a financial interest in that address.

I understand the rules may change soon to only one criterion, being outside Australia for more than 183 days.

What threshold are you below? Could you PM me please if you don't want to publish on this thread.

[giddyup]

5 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I got one from my credit union two days ago. My advice would be fill out the form with the minimum information asked for.

I am basing my continued Australian tax residency on having an Australian residential address, and a financial interest in that address.

I understand the rules may change soon to only one criterion, being outside Australia for more than 183 days.

What threshold are you below? Could you PM me please if you don't want to publish on this thread.

Oops, maybe I'm not! I just worked it out, I have a total income of about A$30,000, of which Centrelink is about 50% the other 50% is a super pension. The Tax free threshold is only about $18000, so maybe I'll get hit with back taxes. That could be substantial over 12 years.

[Will27]

20 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Oops, maybe I'm not! I just worked it out, I have a total income of about A$30,000, of which Centrelink is about 50% the other 50% is a super pension. The Tax free threshold is only about $18000, so maybe I'll get hit with back taxes. That could be substantial over 12 years.

If you are a non-resident for tax purposes, and it seems you probably are, there is no tax free threshold at all.

[Nemises]

Packet of red Marlboros now $A50 (apparently) in Aus. 

Ah yes, the “lucky country” indeed…

[oznomad]

2 hours ago, giddyup said:

I just received a letter and a form from my bank  (ANZ) in Australia asking for details re tax residency. I have lived in Thailand for 12 years and don't pay any Australian tax as I'm below the tax threshold. The only details asked for on the form are my current address and whether I'm a tax resident of Australia. It doesn't ask for my TFN or passport number so not sure what other info is required. Anyone been asked for this info from their bank?

Yes, you want to be tax resident of Australia.

If not, they will steal 32.5% of your income (from your follow up post) from dollar 1. There is no threshold for tax non-residents.

Your age (over 60?) will have a lot to do with it too.

[Will27]

6 minutes ago, oznomad said:

Yes, you want to be tax resident of Australia.

If not, they will steal 32.5% of your income (from your follow up post) from dollar 1. There is no threshold for tax non-residents.

Your age (over 60?) will have a lot to do with it too.

What has age got to do with it?

[giddyup]

37 minutes ago, oznomad said:

Yes, you want to be tax resident of Australia.

If not, they will steal 32.5% of your income (from your follow up post) from dollar 1. There is no threshold for tax non-residents.

Your age (over 60?) will have a lot to do with it too.

Thanks for the info. Yes, I'm well over 60, in fact turn 80 in a couple of months, but that wouldn't stop the ATO trying to grab what they can.

[Lacessit]

6 hours ago, Nemises said:

Packet of red Marlboros now $A50 (apparently) in Aus. 

Ah yes, the “lucky country” indeed…

Frankly, I don't know how a smoker can afford to smoke in Oz.

It's why we are here, a pensioner in Australia that does not own the roof over their head is stuffed.

Just paid the registration on my car, 1600 baht = $65.

Probably ten times that in Oz.