Keeping Kasikornbank account active while away

[Drew345]

I used to go to Thailand twice a year for long stays. Then once a year. Then COVID hit and I haven't been there for more than 2 years. 

I have a decent amount in my kasikornbank account, so want to make sure it stays active. I log in and check it from time to time. Last year I just transferred 50 Bt to a friend there and he transferred it right back. I hate to bother him again this year.

Any creative ways to keep an account active while gone for a long period of time (years)? I guess I could just transfer the 50 Bt (or just 10 Bt even) and not even mention it to my friend. Anyway, just wondering if others have a creative solution to keeping accounts open. Thanks!

[richard_smith237]

Too late to do while you are away...  But, set up two separate accounts and do the transfer between then. 

 

OR, if you want to keep your phone number active, top up to that. 

 

OR, someone on here may help you. 

[Heng]

Might not help if you're not here to set it up, but what I do with my accounts everywhere is have more than one account and regularly (I set a reminders on my phone to 'jiggle' my accounts every 5 months) just make transfers to myself online or through each bank's app on my phone.  

 

Kind of the old engineering adage: two is one, one is none.   Always have two bank accounts everywhere... it also works as a safety valve, one account has risk exposure via an ATM card, connections to automatic billing, etc., the other is a higher value account which has no connections except to your other bank account.  

[pookondee]

Why would you want to leave it there anyway?..

earning no interest and not knowing when you will be able to go back.

 

If its a large amount, i would be more inclined to set up international banking and start sending dribs and drabs back home when the exchange rate is favourable.

 

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, pookondee said:

Why would you want to leave it there anyway?..

earning no interest and not knowing when you will be able to go back.

 

If its a large amount, i would be more inclined to set up international banking and start sending dribs and drabs back home when the exchange rate is favourable.

 

 

For someone not working here but paying regular visits (pre-covid) the convenience of keeping a local bank account open cannot be under estimated - it doesn’t need to hold much money until someone comes over and deposits their money in for local use. 

 

 

[pookondee]

24 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Too late to do while you are away...  But, set up two separate accounts and do the transfer between then. 

 

OR, if you want to keep your phone number active, top up to that. 

 

OR, someone on here may help you. 

 

He would have to keep his Thai Sim and phone active anyway, as Kasikorn online transactions require entering a code that is sent by text message to your phone.

 

As others have stated, he could keep topping up his phone credit via his internet banking page,

and (if with AIS) use the dial up service to transfer credit to a friends phone.

 

I must say though,

why your friend even bothered sending back the 50baht has me scratching my head.

Same as why he is even asking advice here if he can just send 10baht amounts to his friend and be done with it.

 

 

 

[sikishrory]

I think the minimum is 2000 baht from memory. Anything under that and they make it inactive.

I keep that in addition to doing small transfers between accounts.

Keep in mind if they ripped you off in the beginning with something like a K Max debit card that has a higher annual fee of like 800 baht (can't remember exactly) that it will drain your idle account.

I also noticed in the last year or so that while abroad it wouldn't let me make any little transfers even with the active Thai phone number to verify. In the past that was never an issue and not exactly sure how that works

[garni]

I belive, his question is, how the bank account stay open. Without transfers the account will be closed after 1 year. You must send money to your account, send 1000 baht. 

[Iforbach]

Yes my mate came back and no money left in his ..account .I think it was kasikorn ..you hv so much in i think 2000..I mean 50 baht ..come on ..:) 

[natway09]

The value for a non working non  resident keeping the bank account active is pretty obvious..

Forget about all the soothsayers as you obviously plan to return & the account will be very useful, EVEN if it has cost a little to maintain.

I would transfer 5,000 Bht (approx) 4 TIMES A YEAR,

I used to have someone update my book for me on a regular basis

See you here soon, I hope

[kensawadee]

MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.........

I have 2 KASIKORN accounts and have had many other Thai Bank accounts     I have learned that year after year if you keep a minimum of 500 baht they will never close an account.  Keep in mind that if you have an ATM Card there is usually a fee deducted annually which could drag you below the 500. So if you have 2000b or more you should be good for a couple years.... 5,000 or 50.000b and not fears....

MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE......

i normally was back and forth from USA to Thailand every 1 or 2 months.... I had two KASIKORN accounts on my cellphone --- I could transfer money instantly to some Thai Lady Friends, who were hurting from no work due to Covid 19. I could top up my Thai AIS phone SIM card from my home in the USA even with my USA sim card in my phone === As long as I had WiFi....... KASIKORN uses WiFi even while you are in Thailand or overseas...... SO, ANYWAY I WAS WELL FIXED..... UNTIL.... ONE DAY.... I lost my phone (and inside the phone cover I stored my Thai AIS SIM card- lost also)... So I called KASIKORN IN THAILAND, from the USA and asked how I could recover my access to my account.... KASIKORN told me that I must come into a branch with identification and recover it 'OR' call from my PHONE which they have on record (this SIM card lost with my phone) and they can re-install my on-line banking..... NOW I am almost 14 months unable to go to Thailand and I have an alternative method to send money to my friends and it works worldwide.... online you will find 'TRANSFERWISE' (RECENTLY CHANGED THEIR NAME TO SIMPLY--- WISE)... (Now I must use them to transfer money and pay an extra dollar or two per transfer)

But My suggestion --- DON'T LOSE YOUR PHONE ..... or ... AS WITH MY PRESENT i-PHONE.... Have 2 phones programed as ONE with all your info on both.... I-Phones can do that, I have learned.... 

BUT I still must wait to go to Thailand later and Prove Myself to a KASILORN branch to re-install my banking on my phone as before...

My own personal experience..... I hope it helps........

[Caldera]

If you don't want to inconvenience or embarrass your friends with the occasional small transfer, just make a similar transfer to a charity once in a while, as a donation. Or top up your phone if you need to, as said.

 

[khunPer]

Most bans leave an account for long time if the deposit is over 2,000 baht or 3,000 baht. You should be able to check it on the bank's homepage.

 

If the deposit is under a certain amount, most banks will debit a service fee from inactive accounts until the deposit reach zero, then they'll close the account.

[Drew345]

Thanks everybody. I like the idea about doing a small transfer donation to a charity every so often.  I just made a small transfer to an old friend and didn't bother him with an explanation. I didn't need a cell phone number OTP (one time password) to do the transfer, just did it online with my password. Maybe the phone number OTP requirement is a new thing and my account is 20 years old. 
Anyway, thanks for all the great ideas and can't wait to get back to Thailand. I'll just have to wait until both Thailand and South Korea (where I live) drop the quarantine requirements.