Recommend me a Thai bank account (joint account) please

[slimboyfat]

Married to a Thai but I'm not living in Thailand so I don't have any resident status in Thailand.
I'm looking to open a Thai bank savings account (joint account) with my wife.

Any suggestions for such an account please?

Thanks!

[birding]

I have both joint and personal accounts with the SCB, started many years ago with a personal account and then transferred it to joint acc then opened another personal acc.

Get your wife to open a personal acc with a bank in a tourist area or her home area preferably where some of the staff speak English then after a time change it to a joint acc.

Make sure they have a facility for electronic transfers from overseas with a swift code which gives same day transfers.

[Humbert]

Why a joint account? All withdrawals require two signatures. A real hassle sometimes.

[slimboyfat]

Why a joint account? All withdrawals require two signatures. A real hassle sometimes.

Are there no accounts where the withdrawal can be by either account holder?
Or withdrawal using an ATM card?

I want an account in case I suddenly croak one day then my wife can have some money to tide her over - but without it all being solely her name (and I can monitor if any money goes out!)

[Slick]

I have a regular BKK Bank Savings account. I can transfer up to 45K USD at a time into it from the states and wire out the same at once if I brought that money into the account in the first place.

The ATM cards do not have a name on them, so anyone can use it, and they work overseas. The ATM cards can also be used for purchases at places like malls, Tops, Robinson, etc... But The locals most of the time don't know this. They think all it does is give you money from an ATM.

Online banking can be used by anyone with the right credentials.

but without it all being solely her name (and I can monitor if any money goes out!)

Even if youre a co-signer, she can still just take all the money if she wants to.

Just open it in your name, setup online banking, give her the card. Monitor from the online banking webpage. Make sure the bank account is setup with a thai phone number that she doesn't have access to so that only you can get the OTOP number, if you're worried about it. With the ATM card and the OTOP/Phone number she can change the passwords & lock you out, so make sure nobody can get both the phone and ATM card.

If your overseas and lock yourself out of the account by entering the wrong password you're fucked until you can get back to Thailand and use the ATM card at an ATM with the phone & OTOP to change the password.

It takes some thought to keep it all active & secure.

[PAG]

Why a joint account? All withdrawals require two signatures. A real hassle sometimes.

Are there no accounts where the withdrawal can be by either account holder?
Or withdrawal using an ATM card?

I want an account in case I suddenly croak one day then my wife can have some money to tide her over - but without it all being solely her name (and I can monitor if any money goes out!)

We (wife and I) have separate savings accounts with SCB, and a joint account that we use for housekeeping/bills etc. We each have separate access to this account.

I bank with HSBC in the UK (though haven't lived there for 22 years), and use their on-line banking to make transfers to SCB. Cost per transfer is 4 pounds (and up to 40,000 pounds per transaction). Credited to SCB account within 15 minutes to 2 hours (during normal banking hours). Get an instant message on my phone when any movement on my SCB account, though not with the joint one (wife says this is because of 2 phone numbers).

[misskit]

Yes. SCB have joint accounts which both have separate access to.

In the US, it is a matter of an "or" account or an "and" account which makes the difference. Perhaps the same here?

[Humbert]

Yes. SCB have joint accounts which both have separate access to.

I have a joint account at Bangkok Bank. It requires both parties in person for withdrawals.

[Slick]

I have a joint account at Bangkok Bank. It requires both parties in person for withdrawals.

Unless you use your ATM card at an ATM.

You can increase your daily limit online in a couple clicks to something like 250k.

Might even be more I forget what mine is. This applies internationally as well.

You may be limited to 20k per time, but you can do it several times in one go, or in one day.

Edit:

Mine is 500K Maximum Daily Limit and can be set online with your phone and OTOP.

[birding]

You can withdraw from a joint acc with an ATM card at any ATM and it is accepted at most shops. There is a small charge for withdrawing from an ATM outside the area of the bank the account is with and different banks.

I only have one card on our joint acc but it is possible to get another so you and your Mrs have one each. I was offered but declined for the Mrs has her own bank accounts and does not need one.

If you have both personal and joint accounts money can be transferred from one to the other either on line if the bank has that facility or at the bank.

I use our joint account for everyday living and keep my personal account to mature funds for annual visa extension to stay. I either transfer money to the personal acc from the joint acc 3 months before extension to stay or transfer in from overseas. After extension to stay is complete I transfer what I want back to joint acc keeping something in the personal acc to keep it open. I do this at the local bank SCB branch and have never been asked for 2 signatures

[Humbert]

Unless you use your ATM card at an ATM.

No ATM card issued with our account. Maybe it's just Bangkok Bank. We both have other accounts so we don't bother with the joint one anymore anyway.

[slimboyfat]

Just open it in your name, setup online banking, give her the card. Monitor from the online banking webpage. Make sure the bank account is setup with a thai phone number that she doesn't have access to so that only you can get the OTOP number, if you're worried about it. With the ATM card and the OTOP/Phone number she can change the passwords & lock you out, so make sure nobody can get both the phone and ATM card.

If your overseas and lock yourself out of the account by entering the wrong password you're fucked until you can get back to Thailand and use the ATM card at an ATM with the phone & OTOP to change the password.

It takes some thought to keep it all active & secure.

I don't have a Thai phone number. Do any Thai banks use tokens instead of this phone system?

[Slick]

Dunno what that is but if you're in Thailand, which you would need to be to open the account, just buy a SIM & use that.

Otherwise, as far as I know, to make any significant changes to that account you would have to go personally to the branch you opened it from and do it.

Or make damn sure you don't fuck up and log in with the wrong password.

3 times and you're locked out and most of them.

[slimboyfat]

Dunno what that is but if you're in Thailand, which you would need to be to open the account, just buy a SIM & use that.

Otherwise, as far as I know, to make any significant changes to that account you would have to go personally to the branch you opened it from and do it.

Or make damn sure you don't fuck up and log in with the wrong password.

3 times and you're locked out and most of them.

I live in Singapore. I will happen to be in Thailand next month for a week and plan to open the account then. I have had Thai SIMS in the past but then after months and months of not going to Thailand then they expire or need topping up every few weeks or something. Bit of a hassle

I have security tokens for bank accounts I have in UK and Singapore so I assumed they are fairly common. It's like a little calculator looking thing that generates a number that you then enter into the online banking page to access it.

[Dragonfly]

Married to a Thai but I'm not living in Thailand so I don't have any resident status in Thailand.

gee, what happened to the old Singapore wife, and your kids ?

I see a Thai drama coming

[jabir]

Why a joint account? All withdrawals require two signatures. A real hassle sometimes.

Set it up as single signature for all transactions, plus your ATM card gives you some freedom from hassle. Usually works, in theory, but as with everything else in this blessed country whoever's dealing with your instructions may decide to bring out the hoops.

[Dragonfly]

Joint accounts can have either signature,

not sure what Hummert have signed up for, maybe some kind of restricted account where one signature is supervising the other signature, as some legal guardian thing for a minor.

[thaimeme]

Yes. SCB have joint accounts which both have separate access to.

I have a joint account at Bangkok Bank. It requires both parties in person for withdrawals.

Which is odd, as they're both controlled by the same holding entity.
I prefer SCB - policies, in general, are less intrusive.

Best of luck with the dual requirements with a joint account, which I believe you might be mistaken regarding such policy.

[David48atTD]

So, what we have is 2 accounts with SCB.

We live (for the moment) in the West.

Thai Partners Family occasionally need some funds to pay for stuff (like the Rego on my Thai Car).

How I do it is to have my 'Master' SCB account and then go on-line (from the West) and transfer the money required to the 'Minor' Account.

My Thai Partner's Sister has an ATM for that 'Minor' account and she withdraws the cash deposited.
With that ATM Card, she has NO access to my 'Master' Account.

We've done that for years and it's worked for us.

Hope that helps.

[thaimeme]

Thai Partners Family occasionally need some funds to pay for stuff...

Well, of course they do.
More stuff.

[Luigi]

I got a BAY Mee Tae Dai savings account for me annual Extension money that pays monthly, was around 3.85% when I opened it, it's around 1.7% now. Think you need a minimum of 100k in it to avail of these dizzyingly high monthly interest payments.

[Topper]

Slim,

Open a bank account, ask for two ATM cards and send her one with the pin number.

Doesn't matter from where, most ATM cards are international these days, right?