#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Thailand and Asia News >  >  > Business, Finance & Economics in Thailand >  >  What's the best way to send money FROM Thailand...?

## CaptainNemo

...to the UK?

If you haven't got a Thai bank account, and have a large wad of cash.

I'm assuming that MoneyGram inside the SCB or WesternUnion are about the only sensible options?

I'm contemplating trying to open up a bank account to do a bank transfer, but I don't have a WP, just a B Visa.

Any experiences?

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## FarangRed

Give it me I'll do it for you, it's getting a bit tricky now a days transferring back out of Thailand

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## CaptainNemo

^
U sure? You don't know where it came from bruv...

I think the best bet is SCB and moneygram; WU is a bit pricey.

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## CaptainNemo

I was hoping for a bit of a general thread about the vicissitudes of exporting cash out, rather than an MKP or dead thread...

My limited understanding is that you can maybe do it through a bank transfer if you can open an account, but there are limits, and it's easier done through a company; but even then there's letters that have to be written stating the source and the precise amount etc...

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## FarangRed

My understanding is, did the money come from the sale of a house? and do you have the original Foreign Exchange doc? if so then I'm led to believe you can transfer back out, if you cannot prove where the money came from I think a bit more difficult.

They are changing the rules on a daily basis cant keep up with them

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## draco888

I didn't think it was a requirement to have a WP to open a bank account?

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## SiLeakHunt

small and often, travellers cheques ?

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## draco888

depends on amount you are talking about, gold bullion coins are easy to post

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## ralphlsasser

Western Union is the most dependable, but they have limits. I believe it's $999.00 per transaction. You could do several transactions depending on the total amount you want to send. But, Western Union is expensive. If you have a non-b or a non-oa you can open a bank account.

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## Albert Shagnastier

Buy it all in silver, and make it into a belt. Walk straight into a silver shop when you get back and sell it. Don't take cash, with cash (in the UK anyway) thay will laugh at it and give you a rate about 20% worse than here. Or open an account here and use your Thai ATM there.

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## draco888

> Buy it all in silver, and make it into a belt. Walk straight into a silver shop when you get back and sell it. Don't take cash, with cash (in the UK anyway) thay will laugh at it and give you a rate about 20% worse than here. Or open an account here and use your Thai ATM there.


Have you any idea of the spread on silver? And not only that the spread on unidentifiable purity formless silver? How bulky will silver be to carry in any reasonable monetary amount? When compared to an internationally recognised gold bullion coin this silver suggestion bewilders me. Can you tell me exactly what you mean by laugh at Thai currency? I have exchanged more unusual currencies than bht and never once did it provoke laughter in the bank, nor was the spread excessive, especially compared to using a foreign ATM card and all the associated costs with that. I'd be interested to know about your experiences with the silver belt though.

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## Exige

Wrap it in brown paper, tie a string round it. Lick stamp, fix to parcel. Post it.  :Smile:

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## nidhogg

Uh, buy a cashiers cheque?

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## Albert Shagnastier

> When compared to an internationally recognised gold bullion coin this silver suggestion bewilders me.


Sure, your suggestion is fine too, buy a load of gold chains/rings, bracelets etc. Guess it depends on the amount. The belt trick I learnt from a swiss guy years ago that was bringing a lot of silver back to switzerland from India.



> Can you tell me exactly what you mean by laugh at Thai currency?


I didn't mean physically laugh - , but when a mate of mine took a load of cash from Thailand to the UK he was getting offered terrible rates 10-20% under what you would get here. He bought it all back

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## draco888

The only reasonably economic way to do it with metals is internationally recognised gold bullion coins ie maple leafs, kruggerands, eagles, pandas or nuggets. The spread on these coins will be approximately 6%.

Yes the spread on cash bank notes is high maybe around 20%

Simplest way is to open a bank account, you do not need a work permit to do so.

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## ossierob

I am retired and was able to open a Thai bank account though it is a joint account in conjunction with my wife.

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## SiLeakHunt

> Simplest way is to open a bank account, you do not need a work permit to do so.


experience tells me otherwise though it might be worth a try

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## draco888

> Originally Posted by draco888
> 
> 
> 
> Simplest way is to open a bank account, you do not need a work permit to do so.
> 
> 
> experience tells me otherwise though it might be worth a try


takes 15 mins with an ATM card issued on the spot.

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## SiLeakHunt

Things have changed since I tried 5 years ago..

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## Albert Shagnastier

> Originally Posted by draco888
> 
> 
> 
> Simplest way is to open a bank account, you do not need a work permit to do so.
> 
> 
> experience tells me otherwise though it might be worth a try


Mate, you walk down the street with 100k in cash and walk into every bank you pass. If you start soi1 I promise you will have a bank account by the time you get to Thonglor

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## alwarner

I opened an account last year with my passport (no wp) and our skirts or rather her mothers tabien bahn.

Done and dusted in 20 minutes.

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## draco888

> Originally Posted by SiLeakHunt
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by draco888
> ...


exactly! you could do the same with 1k

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## nostromo

> kes 15 mins with an ATM card issued on the spot.


Firstly you need to appear respectable. Shave and nice clean clothes. Then depends on a bank, then on a branch.  And then again you need to appear respectable back to nice and clean. So no russian-like wife beaters.
If you have some problem with Thai authorities, you will not get anything, if you are another good person you will get your atm card with the right bank. Now credit card for farang is another thing... (not difficult as I see it, but thousands of posts somewhere)

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## nostromo

forgot to mention work permit, credit history, non imm multi entry visa and all that :Smile:  - but you can do it without that if you have the money and credibility

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## Satonic

Not sure if its still the case but when I needed to open a Thai bank account I was told the green bank (Kasikorn) was the easiest to get without a work permit.

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## benbaaa

I've opened accounts at SCB, Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn and Krungsri all without a WP. If one branch says no, the chances are about 50:50 that the next branch will say yes.

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## pickel

Just tell them you need a Thai account to accept a wire transfer coming in. They'll most likely open an account for you.

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## CaptainNemo

Bumping this one.
I'm looking for remote online ways of doing it.
So at the moment, all I can find is either SWIFT or some crypto method, a few listed at coins.co.th, or opening a foreign currency account, like at SCB or UOB.
Have yet to find a branch of those that waive the almost Catch-22 WP criteria.
In ASEAN you can only send from Malaysia and Singapore on TransferWise, but not Thailand (yet?).
I am looking to send around 1,000GBP or equivalent every few weeks to the UK.
I've sent a few queries off with different people.
Any up-to-date ideas?

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## AntRobertson

Are you saying that you _don't_ have a Thai bank account?

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## Chico

Surely if you have a bank account and the transferwise apps you can send anywhere.

I sent money when in Thailand to another person in Thailand,from my account in UK,and the rates are much better as well.

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## CaptainNemo

TransferWise doesn't let you send money from a Thai bank account as the primary account to another country.
I can see UK and US accounts as sources, but a Thai account can only be a recipient.

"From the UK account" is not what I was on about, it's from a Thai account (online) that's proving to be annoyingly faffy.

You can't send baht, but you can send ringgit and singdollars from accounts in those relevant ASEAN countries, to an account somewhere in the west.

I'm looking for an online way I can send baht from a Thai account to a UK account.

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## Chico

So can't you just add another account to the app, and send money from your home country account.

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## CaptainNemo

I don't want to send money from the home country account, I want to send it from a Thai account to a home country account.

I tried, Mrs tried adding a Thai account as a source/primary account... It won't display baht as an option on the drop-down. Thai accounts cannot be sources. It says so on the TransferWise webpage on baht too.

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## Chico

How about trying on another telephone and downloading the app on there,and sending?

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## CaptainNemo

That's what I'm angling for... An alternative way to do this so I can transfer money from Thailand to the UK online whilst in the UK, Europe, USA, or wherever etc...

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## AntRobertson

Well you're doing something wrong or need to change banks. 

I send money from my Thai bank account overseas at least twice a month, takes a matter of minutes online and usually less than 24 hrs to arrive.

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## Chico

He's speaking about Transferwise.

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## TizMe

> He's speaking about Transferwise.


It can't be done using Transferwise. Malaysia & Singapore are the only SE Asia countries that can be the source of funds.

I have the same dilemma here in PH.

I ended up getting around it by transacting with a Filipina friend that works in Singapore and wants to send SGDs to the Philippines.

I have a Singapore bank account, so she deposits SGD into my account in Singapore and I deposit the equivalent PHP into her account here.

Then I Transferwise SGD to my AUD account in Sydney.

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## CaptainNemo

> It can't be done using Transferwise. Malaysia & Singapore are the only SE Asia countries that can be the source of funds.
> 
> I have the same dilemma here in PH.
> 
> I ended up getting around it by transacting with a Filipina friend that works in Singapore and wants to send SGDs to the Philippines.
> 
> I have a Singapore bank account, so she deposits SGD into my account in Singapore and I deposit the equivalent PHP into her account here.
> 
> Then I Transferwise SGD to my AUD account in Sydney.


Yeah, I find myself having to repeat myself lots and lots of times for the resident window-lickers.
I don't have a WP, I'm just a visitor, and the joint account does not give me online access. I haven't found a bank and branch that will sort me out, since I used to have a kasikorn about 8 years ago, long since subsumed I reckon, along with my ancient BKK bank account from 2002.

I am looking for an online way, a remote way to transfer money out of Thailand, not one where I have to walk into a branch with a passbook etc... I don't know how many times I have to type this for it to go in.

I don't really want to use swift because it takes time and is more expensive, and has a mild risk of going wrong by typo. You might say bollocks, but recently in the BKK bank a teller put an extra zero on the end of a transfer I did and, if I didn't know her and appreciate her other errors that go in my favour, I would be a little bit fūcked off if my money went somewhere I wasn't expecting.

I want to be able to move cash from a Thai account to a UK account on my phone when sat in an airport or something. Just quick, cheap, and easy.
If it's just going to be a ballache, then I might start looking into slightly more modern countries, like Malaysia.

Your system sounds like a nice workaround. Alas I don't have a Thai mate in Singapore or somewhere that I could trust with that.
The other snag is wanting to put the money into a Thai bank account before moving it out of Thailand.

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## Saint Willy

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

I've always been able to send money from different accounts to various countries. The trick might be that you cannot send baht. so you need a multicurrency account, transfer to USD or EU first, then you can send online.

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## AntRobertson

Guy can't work out how to do a basic online transaction and he's calling others window-lickers.  :Very Happy:

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## aging one

Uses the word "libtard" as well. 250 baht no commission and delivery in 3 hours for amounts up to $40,000 usd easy peasy from your phone. Use it all the time. But I will be damned if I let this guy know how to use it.

Google for him :Smile:

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## cyrille

Clearly he only understands 50% of the term 'charm offensive'.

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## jabir

Buy bitcoin, send it, they receive within minutes and sell.

Cheap and quick.

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## CaptainNemo

> ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> I've always been able to send money from different accounts to various countries. The trick might be that you cannot send baht. so you need a multicurrency account, transfer to USD or EU first, then you can send online.


Yes... Can't send THB. That seems to be the consistent issue.
A non-THB account is on the list of things I've already looked at, but they want either WP or retirement, neither of which apply.
I'm trying to put the cash in a Thai account, then shift it out, so it's partly a question of when to do the conversion.
I'll see if my Mrs can set something up, preferably joint, but so far kasikorn and SCB say no, and the BKK bank app won't let me do anything.
I think SCB lets you open one with USD500, and you have to maintain a balance to keep it going, but it might require a WP.
So it may be that I have to get someone to sort me out with one to simplify life.




> Buy bitcoin, send it, they receive within minutes and sell.
> 
> Cheap and quick.


That's also on the list, but I haven't looked into the details of that in Thailand. I don't know if I really want to do that, if there's a more mainstream option.

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## CaptainNemo

> Uses the word "libtard" as well. 250 baht no commission and delivery in 3 hours for amounts up to $40,000 usd easy peasy from your phone. Use it all the time. But I will be damned if I let this guy know how to use it.
> 
> Google for him


Libtard window-lickers gathering like soi dogs to try and pollute a thread again? Just spare us the sight of you sniffing each others' arses and licking each others' balls. This thread is for info for more than just me.

Western Union type things isn't my preference. There a few options like that:



> TransferMate International Money Transfers
> EUR 1,000
> 1 - 2 days
> USD 10.00
> 0.024
> GBP 978
> 
> Venstar Exchange
> USD 5,000
> ...


Best way to send money to Thailand | finder.com

The site lets you choose Thailand as source.
XE.com looks ok for small amounts, which I prefer, because I invariably do a test payment of a small amount first for peace of mind.

How To Wire Money to/from Thailand (Multiple Options)

The main snag I seem to have is that my BKK bank account won't let me do anything online.
I can't even log in to set up a standing order, so it's not just about dropping 40,000 into an account every month to satisfy visa rules, it's also that I can't pay people that I need to when I'm not there, which just ridiculous. The only way I can see is to get a work permit. I don't want to just pile up money in a Thai account that I can't access until I land, it's impractical.

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## Luigi

Post the Thai ATM card to a relative in the UK.

They withdraw whatever for you and then deposit it into the UK account.

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## CaptainNemo

Interesting,  thanks. That will mean fees and stuff, and finding a reliable relative might be tricky.

I have a joint thai card which we can both use (but I have it with me in the UK), she has her own accounts with three big Thai banks, plus her own UK one, and another UK joint with me, I got the same UK and yet another UK one. I guess I can just DIY, I'll pop down to HSBC and see what the cost of extracting the cash is.

I am only in the UK intermittently and not on land for long, especially not in winter.

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## Chico

Do you have the Transferwise debit card?

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## TizMe

> Do you have the Transferwise debit card?


Same problem as using Transferwise direct. You can't pay in with THB.

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## CaptainNemo

> Do you have the Transferwise debit card?


Yep, and business account and personal.
I mean you can use a company I think, but that defeats the object.
I could today send 40,000 to my Thai account, and maybe pull it out of an ATM in the UK ( not sure about daily withdrawal limits).
That might work, with some fees and stuff taken off.
But it's not ideal, because the point is to move money around wherever as and when you want, from online.
If I could have a GBP/THB account in a Thai bank with user-friendly t&c's, and a decent app, might be ok.
Thailand is seeming more like Tiresomeland for all this pointless bureaucrap and archaic banking stuff, but obviously, most of SEAsia is like this, some of it even more of a chew.

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## Chico

Send it to me I'll send it to you free of charge. :Smile:

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## jabir

Similar to the ATM card, your wife could get a Thai credit card which can be used in UK; but that also incurs extortionate exchange rates. 

Or bitcoin. :Smile:

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## CaptainNemo

I'm starting to think I may as well hook up with a bird in a cheaper country with less bureaucracy.

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## Topper

When I was in the PI, I hit up the ATM for 15K pesos (10K thb) with a 250 peso charge.

No problem.

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## AntRobertson

> I'm starting to think I may as well hook up with a bird in a cheaper country with less bureaucracy.


A guy who hasn't figured out how to transact money internationally after 8 years is probably not much of a catch.

 ::doglol::

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## CaptainNemo

> When I was in the PI, I hit up the ATM for 15K pesos (10K thb) with a 250 peso charge.
> 
> No problem.


Yeah, my Thai card works fine in UK cash machines, and no charge, so given my shift pattern, that seems the simplest way to put the spondies back into the UK account, just have to tolerate shit rates until TransferWise can add baht local accounts to their repertoire.

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## Bogon

My wife and I have separate SCB accounts. On the app, you can do international transfers.

The only catch is that it is for Thai nationals only. 

I transfer the money to her and then she transfers the money to England. Really easy process and you can do it all on your phone.

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## Saint Willy

> Really easy process and you can do it all on your phone.


Exactly, ways and means.

And if he cannot figure this out after almost a decade ...

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## aging one

It's funny Nemo an admitted Trumptard does not have a clue. But the Libtards can do it easily and cheaply from their phones. Quite telling.

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## Bogon

> Exactly, ways and means.
> 
> And if he cannot figure this out after almost a decade ...


(1) Open SCP app
(2) Choose the 'International Transfer' icon
(3) Complete the fields for the recipient (amount, name, bank name, account number, sort code, recipient's address.)
(4) Press send.

Says it can take up to 2 business days for the money to be in bank. When I did it, it took exactly 15 minutes.
The app does not charge you a fee and also doesn't rip you off on the exchange rate. The converted amount received is shown before sending it.

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## jabir

> Yeah, my Thai card works fine in UK cash machines, and no charge, so given my shift pattern, that seems the simplest way to put the spondies back into the UK account, just have to tolerate shit rates until TransferWise can add baht local accounts to their repertoire.


You're not alone waiting, though I can't see TW exporting baht from Thailand while the country is ruled by paranoid control freaks. But could work by offering a share of the profits.

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## AntRobertson

> the resident window-lickers


I get alerts on my phone tied to favorable exchange rates and have made three transfers this month alone -- though granted it probably should've been two -- all via the same phone and all finalised in mere minutes.

How many transfers have you made in the eight years since starting this thread?

 ::doglol::

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## Chico

Gentlemen, I think the good member is looking for advice on how to send,so rather than derailing another thread, wouldn't it be more helpful to others who may wish to know the same information, to give your expert advice on such matters.

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## AntRobertson

> I think the good member is looking for advice on how to send


And he has been given it.

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## Chico

^ Have you shared any of your experiences that maybe able to help yet?

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## AntRobertson

Yep.

Have you actually read the thread that you're being all sanctimonious about?

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## Chico

^Well its good to hear,you've made a positive contribution to the thread,I'm sure he will be most grateful for your wisdom.

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## AntRobertson

> I'm sure he will be most grateful for wisdom.


Unfortunately he isn't / wasn't and instead elected to be rather priggish about it and start calling people "window-lickers".

Sad.  :Sad:

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## Chico

I feel for you brother, sometimes its best to say nothing.

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## cyrille

> Have you actually read the thread that you're being all sanctimonious about?






> Well its good to hear,you've made a positive contribution to the thread



That's a 'no', then.

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## cyrille

And he'll be confused about what it has to do with harmonicas.

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## CaptainNemo

> My wife and I have separate SCB accounts. On the app, you can do international transfers.
> 
> The only catch is that it is for Thai nationals only. 
> 
> I transfer the money to her and then she transfers the money to England. Really easy process and you can do it all on your phone.


Sounds good.
As I've already explained a couple of times, the BKK bank apps that we have don't let us do that.
I can't get an SCB or a new Kasikorn (I had one before without any problem, but it's long gone, and they won't give a new one without a work permit).

Maybe there are some branches that give accounts out without work permits, I could only get a joint one which won't let me use the app.

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## CaptainNemo

> Exactly, ways and means.
> 
> And if he cannot figure this out after almost a decade ...


So, when you read the thread earlier, which bits actually went in? Or are you now parroting Gollum?




> (1) Open SCP app
> (2) Choose the 'International Transfer' icon
> (3) Complete the fields for the recipient (amount, name, bank name, account number, sort code, recipient's address.)
> (4) Press send.
> 
> Says it can take up to 2 business days for the money to be in bank. When I did it, it took exactly 15 minutes.
> The app does not charge you a fee and also doesn't rip you off on the exchange rate. The converted amount received is shown before sending it.


You missed step 0. Get an account, which you can't do if you're not a pensioner and not on a work permit.

I have actually written this earlier on this thread. 




> I feel for you brother, sometimes its best to say nothing.


...yeah, but the desperate need for attention, and obsessive stalking across threads to try and redress the aching butthurt is overwhelming for Golkum. ...don't feed the pigeons, they're only purpose is to leave a mess, and trash threads, by pretending to make meaningful contributions, whilst clearly not doing that and simply trying to get some attention, and destroy what's left of the forum.

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## AntRobertson

> You missed step 0. Get an account, which you can't do if you're not a pensioner and not on a work permit.
> 
> I have actually written this earlier on this thread.


And it's actually incorrect.

It is entirely possible to get a Thai bank account without a WP but, as per, I'm pretty sure you aren't actually interested in hearing anything that doesn't match your preconceptions -- which is why 8 yrs later you still haven't managed to sort it out, instead choosing to be an arrogant and abusive wanker as is your want.

 :Dunno:

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## CaptainNemo

> I didn't think it was a requirement to have a WP to open a bank account?


I used to have BKK bank and kasikorn, but that was 8 years ago and I had a business visa, now only one bank gave me an account without a WP, which is a joint one with my wife. Other banks won't do it without a wo, as they say on their websites. It's not clear yet whether this is a loc branch being helpful, and other branches in the capital being more strict, but either way, the app won't let me do anything with it.

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## AntRobertson

> I didn't think it was a requirement to have a WP to open a bank account?


It isn't.

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## Bogon

There is no step 0. You don't need a Thai bank account, your missus does.

Only Thais can use the international transfer facility.

As explained earlier. You put the money in your wife's SCB account and she transfers it. Took me 15 minutes last time.

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## CaptainNemo

> There is no step 0. You don't need a Thai bank account, your missus does.
> 
> Only Thais can use the international transfer facility.
> 
> As explained earlier. You put the money in your wife's SCB account and she transfers it. Took me 15 minutes last time.


I can't do that.
The BKK bank app will not let me even access it, because it's a joint account, and only she has access to the app.
I can't get an SCB account. The point, as mentioned earlier, is to put ฿40,000 into a Thai account, and be able to move all or part of it to a non-Thai account, I e.: a UK account.
I can easily put money into her account from a UK account via TransferWise, I did it the other day, and yes, it takes minutes.
What I can't do, is put money from the UK into a Thai account and then - when not in Thailand - transfer anything from a Thai account to another Thai account or anywhere else, because I can't use the app 
I can pull the money out of my Thai account with the ATM card in a UK cash machine, up to £500 a day then put it into a UK account, but that's it.
I guess it's possible that the BKK bank branch in London might let me do transfers from one Thai account to another, but that's a bit impractical when you're in Aberdeen.

BKK bank seems to be generally easier, but their app is shit.
I have looked into moving the account, but I don't know if it's worth it.

SCB has a good app, but seems strict about wp, even in central Bangkok.

Kasikorn has a good app and used to be great, but the local branch in bkkwants a wp.

Haven't tried Krungthai, Krungsri or any smaller ones.
Opening a Bank Account in Thailand | iglu

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## Bogon

Is your wife in Thailand?

If yes, then she can spend 10 minutes opening an SCB account and problem solved.

If no, then I can see your predicament.

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## CaptainNemo

> Is your wife in Thailand?
> 
> If yes, then she can spend 10 minutes opening an SCB account and problem solved.
> 
> If no, then I can see your predicament.


She is, and she has, but I still won't let me use the BKK bank app... It's for her use only.
Moreover, even if the SCB let me have an account (which they won't), I would still not be able to sign my signature to open the account or tap in a pin.

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## Bogon

This is gonna be my last stab at this. 

You are in Thailand? Your wife is in Thailand and your money is Thailand?

You want to move money from Thailand to England?

(1) Your wife opens an SCB account in her own name.
(2) You give her whatever money you want and she puts it in her account. 
(3) She transfers it to wherever you want it in the world.

I really can't see what I'm missing here?

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## Saint Willy

> The BKK bank app will not let me even access it, because it's a joint account, and only she has access to the app.


The bank will not let you access it or the wife? 

now we discover the crux of the problem.

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## Saint Willy

> I really can't see what I'm missing here?


I think the wife is the problem, but he wants to pretend it is the bank.

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## HuangLao

> This is gonna be my last stab at this. 
> 
> You are in Thailand? Your wife is in Thailand and your money is Thailand?
> 
> You want to move money from Thailand to England?
> 
> (1) Your wife opens an SCB account in her own name.
> (2) You give her whatever money you want and she puts it in her account. 
> (3) She transfers it to wherever you want it in the world.
> ...




 ::chitown::

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