Thai Baht For Sunday

gav88

Hello guys and girls,

First post on the forum...anyway I am going to Thailand for 2 weeks on Sunday (Phuket and Chiangmai) and realise I have left a little late to get some money as it would be touch and go to order the clarity card online?

Any suggestions? I usually change in UK and take cash with me but am a bit sceptical about doing that in Thailand. Also, what would the exchange rate be like there?

heatherw_01

You would still have time or order money to collect or even get delivered as most places offer next day special delivery.

You couldn't apply and receive a clarity card in such short notice.

Compare rates with the MSE travel money tool http://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/

eDicky

Just take your cash pounds to Thailand and change them there, the rate will be better than buying baht in UK. However, rates in the airport on arrival are not good at all (with the exception of SuperRich Exchange downstairs at the rail station in Bangkok airport), so just change enough to get you into town to a decent exchange office, or order a few for delivery before you go, if you are going to transfer directly to Chiangmai or Phuket.

Voyager2002

eDicky wrote: »

Just take your cash pounds to Thailand and change them there, the rate will be better than buying baht in UK. However, rates in the airport on arrival are not good at all (with the exception of SuperRich Exchange downstairs at the rail station in Bangkok airport), so just change enough to get you into town to a decent exchange office, or order a few for delivery before you go, if you are going to transfer directly to Chiangmai or Phuket.

Thailand is one of the few countries in the world where taking cash is the best option. Most ATMs charge a hefty fee while the majority of the money changers work on wafer-thin margins. So no sense at all in changing money in the UK: even the (bad) rates in the airports there are likely to be as good as anything you can find in the UK.

Just check that your insurance covers loss of cash, and make sure you have a money belt or similar to minimise the risk of theft.

Heliflyguy

You will get a slightly better rate if you exchange £50 notes, at Super rich at least and they always seem to have the best exchange rate in our experience. Easier to carry too.

Make sure all notes are in good condition though, no writing or rips on them as they can be quite fussy about the condition.

gav88

Thanks for the responses guys. I might just change £100 or £200 here then and take the rest in GBP and change over there.

Anyone recommend some safe places to change money in Chiangmai/Phuket?

A_T

Some banks and exchange booths will allow you to use your credit card to withdraw cash inside the branch - avoiding ATM fees. Not all will do this though.

For Visa and Mastercard the universal ATM fee is 200 baht. But for my MBNA Amex card the fee is only 50 baht.

Agree that SuperRich gives the best exchange rate and there is apparently a branch at Phuket International Airport. The banks won't be that much worse so don't waste too much of your holiday looking for the very best rates.