Best Way to change UK, Pounds into Thailand, Baht before Thailand Holiday?

[jamesconner3 10]

I would like to change some money into baht for my holiday in thailand, I was wondering if anyone knows what the best way is to get the highest exchange rate?

 

I understand that hotels/airports dont give a good rate...

 

 

Thanks

[ANGELFIRE1 10]

I would like to change some money into baht for my holiday in thailand, I was wondering if anyone knows what the best way is to get the highest exchange rate?

 

I understand that hotels/airports dont give a good rate...

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Your Bank?.

 

Regards

 

Angel.

[ab6262 202]

change a small amount here into Baht then take the rest either in cash or US dollar cheques and change at a Thai bank or street money changer shop, hotels and airports = bad rates.

[callippo 10]

don't buy any baht here at all. The same goes for any other south east Asian currency, Malaysian ringgit, or Filipine pesos. You'll get terrible rates.

 

I assume you'll be arriving at Suvarnbhumi airport in Bangkok. Change up say £150-200 there, enough for your first couple of days, the rates are not as good as in town, but still not bad - certainly better than you can get anywhere in the UK, including London, where it's always best to buy foreign currency compared to provincial cities like Sheffield. Loads of bureax de change to choose from, and they're open 24 hours. The ones with the better rates are AFTER you pick up your bag from the carousel.

 

bear in mind that travellers cheques make sense in Thailand, as they introduced quite steep charges for ATM withdrawals a couple of years ago. It costs only 33 baht to cash a £200 cheque - much better value than withdrawing 10,000 baht from an ATM. And cheques are very easy to cash - not just at moneychangers in tourist areas, but in every single bank in the entire country, with no exceptions. It's 33 baht across the board everywhere for TC's, except with the hotels that take them - they charge 60.

 

and there is no preference for US dollars in Thailand, unlike some other south east Asian countries, so there's no need at all to bring any of those. Euros, pounds, Australian dollars are equally as generally accepted as US currency.

Edited June 14, 2011 by callippo

[jamesconner3 10]

don't buy any baht here at all. The same goes for any other south east Asian currency, Malaysian ringgit, or Filipine pesos. You'll get terrible rates.

 

I assume you'll be arriving at Suvarnbhumi airport in Bangkok. Change up say £150-200 there, enough for your first couple of days, the rates are not as good as in town, but still not bad - certainly better than you can get anywhere in the UK, including London, where it's always best to buy foreign currency compared to provincial cities like Sheffield. Loads of bureax de change to choose from, and they're open 24 hours. The ones with the better rates are AFTER you pick up your bag from the carousel.

 

bear in mind that travellers cheques make sense in Thailand, as they introduced quite steep charges for ATM withdrawals a couple of years ago. It costs only 33 baht to cash a £200 cheque - much better value than withdrawing 10,000 baht from an ATM. And cheques are very easy to cash - not just at moneychangers in tourist areas, but in every single bank in the entire country, with no exceptions. It's 33 baht across the board everywhere for TC's, except with the hotels that take them - they charge 60.

 

and there is no preference for US dollars in Thailand, unlike some other south east Asian countries, so there's no need at all to bring any of those. Euros, pounds, Australian dollars are equally as generally accepted as US currency.

 

 

yep, will be arriving at Suvarnbhumi airport.

 

THANK YOU CALLIPPO

[eggirons 10]

Im in Thailand at the moment and the Baht is fluctuating so fast here you can`t keep up with it.The best on offer was 48.50 to the pound on Pattaya Klang just near fish shop up from beach road.They were the best offer around,most are only giving 47.98 or 48.02 as of today.So get at least enough to get you here in a cab or bus and change when you get here.You are allowed to carry up to £10,000 on the plane in cash as long as you have bank statement showing withdrawal.

Taxi fare should be no more from bangkok airport to Pattaya than 1200 to 1300 baht just barter with the driver before you get in.Bus fare on lower floor is 123 baht so take your choice.Good Luck

[johncocker 10]

don't buy any baht here at all. The same goes for any other south east Asian currency, Malaysian ringgit, or Filipine pesos. You'll get terrible rates.

 

I assume you'll be arriving at Suvarnbhumi airport in Bangkok. Change up say £150-200 there, enough for your first couple of days, the rates are not as good as in town, but still not bad - certainly better than you can get anywhere in the UK, including London, where it's always best to buy foreign currency compared to provincial cities like Sheffield. Loads of bureax de change to choose from, and they're open 24 hours. The ones with the better rates are AFTER you pick up your bag from the carousel.

 

bear in mind that travellers cheques make sense in Thailand, as they introduced quite steep charges for ATM withdrawals a couple of years ago. It costs only 33 baht to cash a £200 cheque - much better value than withdrawing 10,000 baht from an ATM. And cheques are very easy to cash - not just at moneychangers in tourist areas, but in every single bank in the entire country, with no exceptions. It's 33 baht across the board everywhere for TC's, except with the hotels that take them - they charge 60.

 

and there is no preference for US dollars in Thailand, unlike some other south east Asian countries, so there's no need at all to bring any of those. Euros, pounds, Australian dollars are equally as generally accepted as US currency.

 

out of interest callipo what travlerers checks do you use ?

 

I have met people there and in SE asia having difficult time cashing them especially AM ex.

[callippo 10]

best brand, without a doubt is AMERICAN EXPRESS. Next best is VISA. Thomas Cook, you'll probably just get a blank stare. It'll be Thomas Who?

 

Thailand is streets ahead of the other countries in conversion of TC's. They cost only 33 baht to convert. Every single bank in the entire country accepts them with no exceptions and charges the same price. Only forex desks in hotels which you should avoid anyway because of bad rates charge more, but even then only a 60 baht fee. Following the introduction of steep foreign ATM fees in 2008, travellers cheques, which were never a bad option to begin with, became even more attractive than they were before in Thailand.

 

Malaysia is the same as Thailand in the sense that every bank accepts them but the conversion fee is considerably higher, I think it may be as high as 9 ringgit. Service time also takes much longer in Malaysian banks and you can be waiting 15-20 minutes, even when there isn't a queue. They're just useless. The Thais get on with it, as far as commerce is concerned and are quick compared to them. They don't mess about. I'd pass on travellers cheques in Malaysia.

 

Cambodia and Laos : you might think that US dollar TC's are preferred because you can spend US dollars on the street, but they're not really. Any forex place that accepts travellers cheques will accept pound ones, Euros, Aussie $ as well as US $. They charge 2%, so it's not a flat fee like Thailand, you you'll pay more for a two hundred pound TC than you would for a 100 pound one, unlike in Thailand where it's the same however high or low denomination the cheque is. Good idea to have some US dollars cash for these two countries though. You can spend Thai baht on the street throughout Laos, which is a bit like an annexe of Thailand really, and also in the border areas of Cambodia.

 

Philippines : forget about travellers cheques. They're impossible to use outside Manila, Boracay, Alona Beach : only the top touristed areas accept them and even there you'll have to look.