Pink Farang ID: machine-readable?

[thurien]

our pinkish Farang Thai ID has one major draw-back: it is not machine- readable and a problem for all who are to handle them (hotels, banks, gold shops ???? etc.)

is there any chance the esteemed government of Thailand steers for a change to ultra-high tech and renders this little plastic card more consumable? have it befitted with a high-tech magnet stripe or - even more state of the art- : a chip ?!

 

Edited January 29, 2020 by thurien

[TooBigToFit]

Not sure about your question. I didn't know of this ID. FOr those like me, here's a link with some details.

Details on Pink ID for Foreigners in Thailand

[tomazbodner]

It's magnetic card but has no chip. Probably there's something on the strip at the back that could be readable (and easily faked), but having no chip, it won't be readable by any of the chip card readers. So basically it's not. As for what government would or wouldn't do - you'd have to ask them. Given my amphur having thousands of them in stock (blank ones) and would assume other amphurs as well, I'd say phasing them out and replacing with new ones would take years.

[thetefldon]

4 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

It's magnetic card but has no chip. Probably there's something on the strip at the back that could be readable (and easily faked), but having no chip, it won't be readable by any of the chip card readers. So basically it's not. As for what government would or wouldn't do - you'd have to ask them. Given my amphur having thousands of them in stock (blank ones) and would assume other amphurs as well, I'd say phasing them out and replacing with new ones would take years.

Interesting. I use mine at the local hospital and it is read by a machine that produces the bill. And yes magnetic strip not chip.

[gerrytraveller]

Can you pld advise your hospital which can read your pink card.

 

[Jeffrey346]

13 hours ago, thetefldon said:

Interesting. I use mine at the local hospital and it is read by a machine that produces the bill. And yes magnetic strip not chip.

This card is not machine readable. The ID number is manually keyed into the machine.

[colinneil]

13 hours ago, thetefldon said:

Interesting. I use mine at the local hospital and it is read by a machine that produces the bill. And yes magnetic strip not chip.

How is it possible that your card is machine readable but others are not?

Every 3 weeks at the hospital the lady has to punch in my number by hand.

[007 RED]

I go to Ramathibodi (Government) Hospital in Bangkok for dental treatment and periodic checks for eye fluid pressure.  When I first attended the hospital (a number of years ago) Mrs MoneyBaht had me registered there using my 'pink card'.  Because she was a Government Officer (now retired) it transpires that I am entitled to a reduction in the cost of treatment at Government Hospitals.

 

When I give my treatment invoice to the cashier I also hand her my pink card which she inserts into what looks like a desktop 'credit card' machine.  A few seconds later the machine produces a receipt (again which looks just like a CC receipt) and this shows my 'pink card id number (6 738x xxxx0 08 0) and the gross cost of the invoice.  

A few seconds later the cashier's printer produces my final bill showing the gross cost of treatment, the discount and the final amount due.  After payment the cashier gives me back the original invoice, the receipt from the CC type machine (as above) and a payment receipt.

 

At no time during the payment process does the cahier use her keyboard, so I would assume that the payment process is activated by her inserting my pink card into her desktop machine which reads the magnetic strip on the reverse of the card (just like the CC machines did before having a chip embedded).

 

FYI.....  I also note that if I pay using a credit card the cashier uses a different machine to the one she used for my pink card.

[Scouse123]

Thanks,

 

So guys there you have it clear as mud. It's not machine readable unless sometimes it is!

 

Thai style!

[Scouse123]

Actually found a use for mine and got the bank to insert my pink ID card as opposed to passport number for future usage.

 

Saves a lot of messing when I change full passports. I wish they would extend it as a form of ID for other uses such as bills, airplanes for domestic travel etc.

 

They manually put in my number at SCB bank!

[chilli42]

I have this pink bit of plastic wasting space in my wallet for 5 years. I am pleased to see that there is in fact any use for it .. machine readable or not.  Whenever I have tried to use it I get negative head shaking or the dreaded word “passport”.

[Maestro]

3 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

Thanks,

 

So guys there you have it clear as mud. It's not machine readable unless sometimes it is!

 

Thai style!

 

What it really means is that not all government hospitals have the necessary equipment to read the data on the magnetic strip of the pink ID card. 

[Markus700]

I have the yellow housebook but i`m not retiered yet. I come about two three times to thailand every year with tourist visa. Can i get the pink ID card or do i have to be retired?

[ubonjoe]

9 hours ago, Markus700 said:

I have the yellow housebook but i`m not retiered yet. I come about two three times to thailand every year with tourist visa. Can i get the pink ID card or do i have to be retired?

There is no requirement for you to be retired. All you need to get a ID card is a yellow house book.

[Greenside]

I find the Pink ID Card is accepted in lots of places.  The only obvious drawback is that it doesn't carry your name in English (or at least Roman Script) and so often I am asked for my driving license as well.  Since they are printed as you wait, it seems like an oversight that could easily be fixed without making the existing stock of cards redundant.

[thetefldon]

On 1/30/2020 at 10:22 AM, 007 RED said:

I go to Ramathibodi (Government) Hospital in Bangkok for dental treatment and periodic checks for eye fluid pressure.  When I first attended the hospital (a number of years ago) Mrs MoneyBaht had me registered there using my 'pink card'.  Because she was a Government Officer (now retired) it transpires that I am entitled to a reduction in the cost of treatment at Government Hospitals.

 

When I give my treatment invoice to the cashier I also hand her my pink card which she inserts into what looks like a desktop 'credit card' machine.  A few seconds later the machine produces a receipt (again which looks just like a CC receipt) and this shows my 'pink card id number (6 738x xxxx0 08 0) and the gross cost of the invoice.  

A few seconds later the cashier's printer produces my final bill showing the gross cost of treatment, the discount and the final amount due.  After payment the cashier gives me back the original invoice, the receipt from the CC type machine (as above) and a payment receipt.

 

At no time during the payment process does the cahier use her keyboard, so I would assume that the payment process is activated by her inserting my pink card into her desktop machine which reads the magnetic strip on the reverse of the card (just like the CC machines did before having a chip embedded).

 

FYI.....  I also note that if I pay using a credit card the cashier uses a different machine to the one she used for my pink card.

This is exactly the same procedure and format for the receipt I get. Interestingly I also get free health cover because my wife is a retired teacher.   I have used my ID card on many occasions the last was when I stayed in a hotel out of province. Receptionist asked for Passport I gave her ID card. I was thinking about TM 30 since ID card does not show my passport number(unless encoded on the strip). Just a thought ????

[Markus700]

To get pink ID card do i have to go to same place as for the yellow housebook?

 

[longball53098]

Yes it is issued at the same place and you need a yellow book first to get the ID card

[MJKT2014]

49 minutes ago, longball53098 said:

Yes it is issued at the same place and you need a yellow book first to get the ID card

I have a yellow book and over 60yo. Is there a list of items to take along with me to get a pink card or does it depend by district office?

[Enzian]

23 hours ago, MJKT2014 said:

I have a yellow book and over 60yo. Is there a list of items to take along with me to get a pink card or does it depend by district office?

I can testify that offices vary a lot in the number of requirements to get the card. My ex-pat lunch group is mad at me because I got my pink card with the minimum of possible requirements, while others in the group were faced with longer lists of requirements.

[Pib]

On 1/30/2020 at 10:22 AM, 007 RED said:

I go to Ramathibodi (Government) Hospital in Bangkok for dental treatment and periodic checks for eye fluid pressure.  When I first attended the hospital (a number of years ago) Mrs MoneyBaht had me registered there using my 'pink card'.  Because she was a Government Officer (now retired) it transpires that I am entitled to a reduction in the cost of treatment at Government Hospitals.

 

When I give my treatment invoice to the cashier I also hand her my pink card which she inserts into what looks like a desktop 'credit card' machine.  A few seconds later the machine produces a receipt (again which looks just like a CC receipt) and this shows my 'pink card id number (6 738x xxxx0 08 0) and the gross cost of the invoice.  

A few seconds later the cashier's printer produces my final bill showing the gross cost of treatment, the discount and the final amount due.  After payment the cashier gives me back the original invoice, the receipt from the CC type machine (as above) and a payment receipt.

 

At no time during the payment process does the cahier use her keyboard, so I would assume that the payment process is activated by her inserting my pink card into her desktop machine which reads the magnetic strip on the reverse of the card (just like the CC machines did before having a chip embedded).

 

FYI.....  I also note that if I pay using a credit card the cashier uses a different machine to the one she used for my pink card.

 

Where you said, "When I give my treatment invoice to the cashier I also hand her my pink card which she inserts into what looks like a desktop 'credit card' machine" that implies a chip is on your Pink ID card.  However, as others have mentioned a Pink ID card does not have a chip but does have a magnetic stripe on the back of the card.   I have a Pink ID card and it only has a magnetic stripe on the back....no chip on the front or back.

 

When a card has a chip you "insert" it into a machine to be read. It's inserted and stays in the machine static for a few seconds as the chip on the card and the machine communicate.  But when a card only has a magnetic stripe the card must be  "swiped" in a machine....a sliding motion through machine slot....the card does not stay static in the machine.   Now, there might be some machines out there where the machine makes the swiping motion without the cashier needed to manually do the swipe....but I've never seen such a machine in locations like hospitals, banks, stores, etc., I use my cards at.  But just because I've never seen such a card reading machine that does the swiping motion versus the clerk doing the swiping motion, that does not mean your hospital don't have one.

 

The great, great majority of card readers can read a chipped card or a magnetic stripe card.  They have a slot on the front of the machine to "insert" a card if the card has a chip....and also have slot on the side of the machine to "swipe" the card through if it only has a magnetic stripe or if for some reason they can't get the transaction to work with the chip.  The checkout clerk will swipe the card through the machine slot meant for magnetic stripe cards.

 

So, where you say they inserted" your card which implies the card has a chip, maybe you really meant they "swiped" the card or maybe you really didn't see how they used the machine to read the card....that is, inserted or swiped it....you just know they used a machine to read the card.

 

 

Edited February 2, 2020 by Pib

[john terry1001]

32 minutes ago, Pib said:

But just because I've never seen such a card reading machine that does the swiping motion versus the clerk doing the swiping motion, that does not mean your hospital don't have one

ATM machines do. If you have a credit/debit card that isn't chipped you still insert it in the same slot that you use for chipped cards and the ATM machine automatically reads the magnetic strip. You don't have to select the card type you're using and It isn't swiped manually. 

[Pib]

1 minute ago, john terry1001 said:

ATM machines do. If you have a credit/debit card that isn't chipped you still insert it in the same slot that you use for chipped cards and the ATM machine automatically reads the magnetic strip. You don't have to select the card type you're using and It isn't swiped manually. 

That is true....forgot all about that. The swiping motion is done when the machine sucks the card in. 

 

It's just I never seen such a machine that a checkout clerk uses....they have always manually swiped the card through their machine....or sometimes located on the checkout clerk's monitor....or sometimes on a keyboard like at a bank.   Like at Bangkok Bank I sometimes go in to transfer money from an acct that requires me to physically visit the branch to do a transfer (it's a special direct deposit acct for US govt payments) to another acct.  In order to complete the transfer the bank clerk "swipes" his/her employee card thru a reader on their keyboard and then continues the transfer.

[ChaiyaTH]

Always thought the pink ID cards are just for wannabes who like to show off (know some farangs who tried to tell Thais they are permanent residents while showing it, them not knowing anything, believing it lol). Anyway, if you ask me, the Thai driving license is more valuable.

[john terry1001]

12 minutes ago, Pib said:

22 minutes ago, john terry1001 said:

ATM machines do. If you have a credit/debit card that isn't chipped you still insert it in the same slot that you use for chipped cards and the ATM machine automatically reads the magnetic strip. You don't have to select the card type you're using and It isn't swiped manually. 

That is true....forgot all about that. The swiping motion is done when the machine sucks the card in. 

 

It's just I never seen such a machine that a checkout clerk uses....they have always manually swiped the card through their machine....or sometimes located on the checkout clerk's monitor....or sometimes on a keyboard like at a bank.   Like at Bangkok Bank I sometimes go in to transfer money from an acct that requires me to physically visit the branch to do a transfer (it's a special direct deposit acct for US govt payments) to another acct.  In order to complete the transfer the bank clerk "swipes" his/her employee card thru a reader on their keyboard and then continues the transfer.

Yes, Bangkok Bank employees do use various magnetic cards to do different functions, but I'm not sure how they read them, I've never looked but I have to go the the bank on Monday/Tuesday to order a twelve month statement. I will watch how they read them.

 

I've registered at two hospitals, Phaya Thai and Burapha University teaching hospital, using my pink ID card and (I might be wrong but) I don't remember them having to use a swipe machine. I was in a queue at reception and, from memory, I'm sure they used the same card reader they used for the Thai ID cards and bank cards.

[john terry1001]

7 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Always thought the pink ID cards are just for wannabes who like to show off (know some farangs who tried to tell Thais they are permanent residents while showing it, them not knowing anything, believing it lol). Anyway, if you ask me, the Thai driving license is more valuable.

No, we have them because they are more practical and convenient to use, but if you want to believe all those silly stories it's up to you. ????

[Pib]

14 minutes ago, john terry1001 said:

Yes, Bangkok Bank employees do use various magnetic cards to do different functions, but I'm not sure how they read them, I've never looked but I have to go the the bank on Monday/Tuesday to order a twelve month statement. I will watch how they read them.

 

I've registered at two hospitals, Phaya Thai and Burapha University teaching hospital, using my pink ID card and (I might be wrong but) I don't remember them having to use a swipe machine. I was in a queue at reception and, from memory, I'm sure they used the same card reader they used for the Thai ID cards and bank cards.

At the one vision hospital where I use my Pink ID card (they prefer it over my foreign passport) they don't swipe it...they don't insert it....they just manually type in information from the card.

[Pib]

24 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Always thought the pink ID cards are just for wannabes who like to show off (know some farangs who tried to tell Thais they are permanent residents while showing it, them not knowing anything, believing it lol). Anyway, if you ask me, the Thai driving license is more valuable.

Thai DLs are pretty easy to get even when a person does not have a long term visa/extension of stay.  But getting a Pink ID card requires getting a Yellow Book...generally requires a long term visa/extension of stay....usually a Thai also vouching for you during the application process.....just a lot tougher to get than a DL.. The Pink ID card just carries more weight than a DL when it comes to identification purposes....a Pink ID can do a better job of overcoming obstacles/smoothing the road with various Thai entities.  

 

Heck, last year when I went to the post office to mail a package I handed them my Thai DL versus my Pink ID card since the DL was just easier to pull out of m wallet....the postal clerk said "passport required" which I didn't have with me.  So, without saying anything like I didn't bring my passport I handed her my Pink ID card and she said OK and then continued on accepting my mailing.

 

My Pink ID card & Yellow Book as also made new bank acct openings easier for me. 

 

Maybe someday you can get a PInk ID card/Yellow Book....it can definitely help to smooth the road in many cases.

 

 

[007 RED]

On ‎2‎/‎2‎/‎2020 at 10:10 AM, Pib said:

So, where you say they inserted" your card which implies the card has a chip, maybe you really meant they "swiped" the card or maybe you really didn't see how they used the machine to read the card....that is, inserted or swiped it....you just know they used a machine to read the card.

FYI.... I am fairly tech savey, and know the difference between a card being swiped and inserted.  Also, with 20/20 vision and being only a few feet away from the cashier, I was clearly able to observe what she did with my pink card, and I can 100% confirm that she inserted the card into a card reader on her desk.

 

I have investigated the data held on my pink card magnetic strip (using a swipe reader linked to my desktop PC) and only track 1 is used, and that only contains the 13 digit ID number.  There is no other data held on the magnetic stripe.

 

If you do a search on Google (Magnetic card readers) you will find that most devices are of the swipe type but there are some that are insert only.

 

23 hours ago, Pib said:

That is true....forgot all about that. The swiping motion is done when the machine sucks the card in. 

 

It's just I never seen such a machine that a checkout clerk uses....they have always manually swiped the card through their machine....or sometimes located on the checkout clerk's monitor....or sometimes on a keyboard like at a bank.   Like at Bangkok Bank I sometimes go in to transfer money from an acct that requires me to physically visit the branch to do a transfer (it's a special direct deposit acct for US govt payments) to another acct.  In order to complete the transfer the bank clerk "swipes" his/her employee card thru a reader on their keyboard and then continues the transfer.

Also, many hotels these days use access cards for guests to open the door to their room.  These cards, more often than not, have a magnetic stipe on the rear which when inserted into the door device is read and if the data on the stripe is correct the door is opened.  Again, these devices tend to only use track 1 of the magnetic stripe so can be fairly easily cloned.

Edited February 3, 2020 by 007 RED

[Neeranam]

On 2/1/2020 at 8:01 AM, longball53098 said:

Yes it is issued at the same place and you need a yellow book first to get the ID card

Mine wasn't, I got it at the Forensic Police headquarters.