1927 Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hi there, been coming to Thailand for many years but never thought about the bank charges i incur , on my next holiday i have to tighten the purse strings a bit so was wondering if anyone can recommend a pre paid credit card / travellers bank card ? I am based in UK Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiu-Jitsu Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 inThe problem with Prepaid cards is that you often have to pay extra to use them 'over the counter'. That leaves you at the mercy of the Thai ATM fees, unless you have access to an AEON ATM.The best value overall is Kalixa Pay, as you get the full Mastercard wholesale rate for purchases. The same for cash withdrawals, but the is a fee of £2.25 per withdrawal. So if you take out 15k baht from an AEON ATM, you'll pay around 0.8% on that withdrawal.Top up with £50 or over and use Promo Code US13M8 to waive the initial card fee.Others to consider are the ICE International GBP £ Travellers Cashcard(as you get a spare card as a back up. 1.85% fee in total) and FairFx Anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayemanomad Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 I have used FairFx cards for a number of years now and they give you one of the best exchange rates when loading money onto them. There is a choice of a Dollar card, a Euro card or an Anywhere card. As the previous poster mentioned, if you use an Aeon ATM to withdraw cash in Thailand, the 180 baht fee, which all the other banks charge, is not levied. Aeon ATMs are usually found in the large supermarkets such as Big C and Tesco. For further information go to http://www.fairfx.com/ref/yplzv this explains how the cards work, terms and conditions etc. It is possible for the initial card fee to be waived also by following that link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phetphet Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 I too use the FairFX card (UK sterling). ATMs do charge a fee, and also FairFx charge a fee for foreign withdrawals. Card is very handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiestyFarang Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 If you are worried about saving a few Pounds on card fees is Thailand the best choice as a long range holiday. I use my UK cards and get a very good exchange rate. The 3 Pound charge is tiny compared to what the holiday will cost you and you can withdraw subject to available funds up to 30,000Baht at some ATM's now so you don't need to go that often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwyn Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Best one I've used (and I got my Thai wife a card in her name so I could load the card in England when I had to go back and money was ready available in 30 seconds with no fees for transfers and no days of waiting) is Cashcard Plus. Google it and you will see mycashplus with british domain at the end. It can be used everywhere including ATMs. Hope this helps - guaranteed acceptance and so on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigphil30uk Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Have a look on http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money good advice. I personally have a Halifax Clarity Card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubascuba3 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 I don't think you can legally prepay a credit card. Halifax Clarity looks good but you're need to transfer an amount equal to your cash withdrawal each time to minimise interest. I think the best option is to open a Thai bank account, it sounds simpler than you think, then pay cash straight in and use that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfaroukh Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 The best thing you can do is to open an account in Thailand if you are planning to stay or come often. You pay one time transaction fees of around 1000 Baht but you get much better rate when you transfer from bank to bank. I always plan my trip, if I want to stay for 4 months then I know approximately how much I need and I always send little extra in case. Then use my debit card in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glb Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 It's not prepaid, but the Halifax Clarity credit card is the best I've seen: 0% load factor on cash and transactions. http://www.halifax.co.uk/creditcards/low-rate-no-fee/clarity-card/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1927 Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 (edited) If you are worried about saving a few Pounds on card fees is Thailand the best choice as a long range holiday. I use my UK cards and get a very good exchange rate. The 3 Pound charge is tiny compared to what the holiday will cost you and you can withdraw subject to available funds up to 30,000Baht at some ATM's now so you don't need to go that often. Im very sure about coming back to Thailand , thanks anyway Myself and my partner on holiday tend to visit a cashpoint every night after a few drinks, we are on holiday, it happens - think we pay like £4 ish on every withdrawal so if there is a way to save on that then just seems common sense to me, for sake of a few posts on a forum, just throwing money away otherwise. I appreciate the suggestion of taking 30,000 odd out at a time but i just would not feel safe doing that, im the type of guy who would lose my wallet. The Kalixa Pay card looks pretty handy, although the ICE card coming with a back up card is very appealing .... thanks fir the help everyone Edited January 14, 2014 by 1927 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Madcow Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Get a Thai bank account, have a Visa / Mastercard to it, transfer your money and that it. For transfer my Thai Bank take 300 baht and my home country bank around 240 baht. Then when get my money from the ATM no fee..Pretty cheap way i think.. I think i pay like 300 baht to open a bank account. first time i have to put in 1000-3000 baht, and the bank take 300-500 baht for 1 year. And was told to all ways have 1000 baht on it at the end of the year. On top of that i have internet banking from Kasikorn Bank that work super great for every thing. The Siam Commercial Bank and Kasikorn Bank Cards work in my home country all so. Only information for you, hope you can use it. Kindly JJ Madcow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKKdreaming Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 is there a Thai prepaid debit card that you can buy and load at 7-11 ? might be good for pocket money and no ATM fee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1927 Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Are you able to open a Thai Bank account online ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffnev Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Hi There are multiple providers to choose from in the UK. One option is NETELLER who offer a prepaid debit card. This account can be managed online to make it easier to look after your finances when you are in Thailand. I hope you are able to find the right provider for your needs. Thanks Jeff Edited January 16, 2014 by Jeffnev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilotman Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I have been using CAXTON for years now. My wife has one in the UK and my Mother in Law has a secondary card in Thailand. That is how we transfer money if we need to and we get a reasonable exchange rate, better than a bank transfer in any case. I would always recommend Caxton, never had a problem with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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