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How to Send Money to Thailand with No Bank Fees & Save over $75 per Transaction

Transferring money to Thailand from your home country, be it the US, Canada, Australia, or the UK, has been a pain point for just about every expat at one time or another. But we all have to do it.

The scale of it is huge.

In 2017, over 5 Billion US Dollars in remittances were sent to Thailand, of which the US, Germany, Australia, UK, and Sweden were among the biggest senders. (Source)

You can bet your bottom dollar a huge amount of that was expats funding their Thai bank accounts, and of course sending money to Thai partners.

Look, we all know banks are a scam, but hiding your money under a mattress isn't exactly a safe bet these days – not that it ever has been.

This sucks: because they have us like a puppet on a string; they are free to slap on big fees and unfair exchange rates when we want to transfer money.

When you sit back and think about it, it's the strangest thing: You are charged to withdraw your own money!

Okay, so you are abroad, you expect to pay a small fee, but not for them to make a big profit out of it. And believe me, they do.

And here's how…

The 4 Pain Points of Transferring Money to Thailand

1: Transfer Fee

The SWIFT transfer fee can be anywhere from £10-25 / $15-30. If you make regular transfers, say two a month, that's going to run you near on £250 / $320 a year!

And we're nowhere near done with fees yet. Read on.

2: Receiving Fee

After the transfer fee, you get hit by the receiving bank for another amount of about the same. Bangkok Bank, for example, charges 500 Baht. So you've already paid twice to transfer your own money. And that's without the currency conversion charge.

3: Currency Conversion Charge

Out of the three fees, this is the evil one.

Most people presume you get the mid-market transfer rate. You know, the one you see on XE .com. But then you do the math and realise that you've been shortchanged, massively!

In the world's currency markets, traders define the rates at which they are willing to “buy” or “sell” a specific currency. The mid-market rate is simply the midpoint between demand and supply for a currency, and because of that, it changes all the time.

But that's as technical as you need to get. The most important thing to know is that the mid-market rate is considered the fairest exchange rate possible. The mid-market rate isn't a secret either. Its the rate you will find on independent sources such as Google, XE and Yahoo Finance.

Unfortunately it's not the rate they pass onto you. It's one of the ways they can hide the true amount they're charging. Most banks take the mid-market rate and apply a margin on top, without being transparent. So you have no idea how much they're over charging you by.

By hiding the real charge in the exchange rate offered, most providers make huge profits at your expense, and you're none the wiser.

money-transfer-comparison

You can offset the loss slightly by choosing to send money in your home currency, but many people sending money to Thailand make the mistake of choosing to convert to Thai Baht at their source bank instead of at the Thai end.

This means you lose even more money, because your bank steals a nice chunk of cash on their own exchange rate, a rate they set themselves – not the “mid-market rate”.

That said, the Thai bank will still convert your currency to Thai Baht at their own rate too, and make a enough for a meal out. But they generally won't squeeze your pockets as hard as your sending bank  (your home bank).

4: Transfer Times

So, you've had your pockets skimmed on all fronts.

You paid two transfer fees, and a currency conversion charge.

But even after they've dipped their finger in your honeypot multiple times, the banks still can't promise the money will be there within 48 hours. WTF?

Hell, sometimes it takes as long as 5-7 days!

Like It, Lump It, Or…

Sending money to Thailand is expensive, but what other option do you have except the bank?

You could carry money through customs, but then how often do you fly home to be able to do that?

To be honest, I hate carrying a ton of money around with me. It's just not safe.

Western Union is just silly expensive, and PayPal steals 3.5% on a transfer and charges up to 4% currency conversion fees. Yes, I said up to 4%! It's 3% for the UK.

Well, as you probably guessed, the point of this post is to reveal that there is a solution. Thank Buddha!

>> Enter TransferWise to Save You Money

Seriously, I have waited years for this. I was so skeptical at first. I simply didn't believe it was possible.

But hellaluja,  you can now transfer money to Thailand with ZERO bank charges, get the MID-MARKET RATE currency conversion and only pay a small fee.

Typically that fee, on £1,000 is 0.35%.

I know, it's hard to believe. But I'm doing it and so now are hundreds of my readers.

And here's the proof:

Check this out: Here is the rate I got from TransferWise on 1st August, 2018 on 1,000 GBP:

transferwise-comparison

Yes I know, the Pound (£) is weak as hell.

But now look at the bank transfer rates of two high-street banks. TransferWise beats them both, comfortably. I dread to think what some of the others would be:

transferwise comparison

Now look at the market rate for the same time of day on XE.com.

Unbelievable, right? The overall TransferWise rate is actually slightly better!

transferwise exchange rate

So: not only did I get a better rate than my bank, I got a better rate than XE. com, which is the mid-market rate.

But that's not all: I only paid a £7.46 fee. Usually, my bank (Nationwide) charges £20. Plus I'd have to pay 500 Baht (£12) to my receiving bank in Thailand.

So altogether, with the favourable exchange rate, I saved over £50 with TransferWise over transferring with my bank!

Sending USD to Thailand

For my friends from the USA, here's how things sized up in dollars:

transferwise comparison

Again, the TransferWise rate is better than the market rate below!

transferwise exchange rate

I was so over the moon with my transfer that I popped off an email to them and asked if I could get more information so I could blog here about it (see below on how it works).

They wrote back and offered to give my readers a free transfer up to £1,000/$1,000. Click that text link back there < to get the free gift.

Banks could charge you up to 5% in hidden costs when sending money to any bank account abroad. TransferWise is up to 8x cheaper. It's only fair.

How Does TransferWise Make Sending Money to Thailand so Cheap?

Well, with backing from the likes of Richard Branson, I guess anything is possible. But actually, it's quite genius.

Once you initiate the transfer, TransferWise searches for other people doing a transfer from the location you are sending to, and effectively swaps the currency.

Of course, money transfers being as frequent as they are, this means there's usually several matchers available, making the process damn quick. My first one completed within 48 hours; 2-3 days quicker than my bank.

I've had readers email me and say they received their money to Thailand within 24 hours.

The process is completed by making several individual conversions using effective market exchange rates that work in your favour.

In other words, different parts of the transfer can be converted using different exchange rates.

Normally it takes a day or two to process conversions. For bigger amounts it could take longer.

Here's a cool video that explains how it works:

Here's a Quick Benefits Summary

TransferWise was founded on the principle that people deserve transparency, fairness and better value when it comes to their money. I think the large majority of us would agree with this principle and have waited a long time for a service like this.

  1. No home country bank fee.
  2. No receiving country bank fee.
  3. Get the true Mid-Market rate currency conversion, or better!
  4. Fast transfer, especially on amounts below 5k. 48-72 hours.
  5. Once you're comfortable with the system, can use the iOS or Android app for transfers on the fly.

> Click here to get your free transfer (up to £1,000 or $1,000)

Boy does it feel good to avoid those bank fees!

Last Updated on

Comments Sort by : newest | oldest

  1. If you use a nationwide credit card to buy product you get the best rate going. I have just spent 22000 baht on a medical bill. The mid point rate at the time was 42,7 to the pound I actually got charged 42.35 with nor fees either in Thailand or UK.
    Secondly if you have a flex plus Nationwide account you can transfer 150,000 Baht a day and the only charge is 200 baht charged by Thai bank with nothing charged by Nationwide. On top of this the average mid range price is only reduced by a maximum of 0.4 average.

    Reply

    • I have a Nationwide Credit Card and a Flex Plus account. The Flex Plus account costs me £13 per month, plus the charge for payments made overseas, or foreign currency payments within the UK, made through SWIFT is £20 per time. Then I have to pay 500 Baht to receive the money to my Thai bank account.

      Transferwise consistently saves me between £30 and £50 on money transfers.

      The Nationwide Credit card is usually a decent rate, but it’s the Visa rate, not the mid-market rate. The 0 commission is good.

      Reply

  3. When using TransferWise I can not get a FET from the target bank in Bangkok (Siam). They could not trace the money. In the Transfer confirmation from Transferwise it only shows to what bank the money is sent. But not from where! The money comes from my account but actually they came fro, Bangkok Bank. Because someone in Bangkok send the same amount in the opposit direction so the money from Bangkok Bank went to my Siam bank. That I could not show in my documents from transferWise. So, no FET in case I would like to send money back to the homecountry later on of I change my mind and sell house and go back to home country. So I must pay tax on that if I can´t proof that the money comes from my home country in the first place.

    Reply

  6. Based on the description of how Transferwise operates, it seems they have found a way to legalize the gray market money transfer system that I saw used for transfers between mainland China and Hong Kong when I lived in HK. It was the system that facilitated a large part of Hong Kong’s economy, considering how difficult the mainland China government made it to send money out of China, no matter how legitimate a reason there was. As I remember, the two governments tried to end the system, because it can be used to facilitate money laundering and tax evasion, but had to relent when the cut in money flows caused temporary economic problems.

    Reply

    • TransferWise uses a simple, secure swap based on a peer-to-peer system. If someone wants to convert their pounds to euros, TransferWise’s technology finds someone who wants to transfer money in the opposite direction (euros into pounds)

      The system automatically matches the currency flows at the real mid-market exchange rate and then pays out from the local euro or pound account, meaning the money never actually moves across borders. Doing things this way means customers can avoid traditional banking fees and you don’t lose money by transferring at an unfair rate.

      Reply

  7. Hi,

    I’ve been using TransferWise for a couple of years now and had a question about how other people are using it. My typical transfer is pretty low – usually in the 10K – 30K Baht range for which I pay +/- 1.25%. But – and this leads to my question – the exchange rate for the Baht fluctuates so if I did the exchange today I’d get 33.26 THB/US$. But if I waited for a pop to 33.67 or so – my exchange essentially becomes free. I, being a cheapskate and all, find some appeal in a free dinner or massage but was wondering if I might be paying a bit too much attention to the details.

    So what do you think?: A Poll

    1) What’s an “Exchange Rate”? I just transfer the money when I need it.

    2) I follow the overall trend of the rate but you can never hit the best rate so why try.

    3) As in #2 but I’ll do a bigger transfer early in a downward trend but hold off as long as I can in an uptrend.

    4) FREE DINNER!!!??? Count me in.

    Thanks for your votes and ideas!

    Reply

    • A bit of 2 and 3: I try to do transfers at a time when the rate is favourable. I tend to track the Dollar against the Pound, so when I hear that the Pound has strengthened it generally will have against the Baht too. So I’ll check the rate and do an exchange then.

      Reply

  9. We are travelling to Australia and staying for two months holiday. We want to apply for a 90 day visa to Thailand whilst still in the U.K. can you apply for this visa and state what date you want it to run from?

    Reply

    • You can’t get 90 days unless you are visiting for something other than tourism. You can get a 60 day tourist visa, single entry or multiple entry. The multiple entry will last for six months, but you can only stay for 60 days at a time. If it is just 90 days that you need, get a single entry tourist Visa, which you can then extend for a further 30 days at immigration for 1900 Baht. For further information on visas please visit this page and leave your comments there: https://www.thethailandlife.com/thai-visa-requirements

      Reply

  10. I am another advocate of Transferwise. I regularly transfer money from the UK to my account at Bangkok Bank, to an account I have in Portugal, and more recently from the Portuguese account back to the UK. In my opinion Transferwise cannot be beaten with regard to exchange rates, amount and visibility of charges, and speed of transfer (funds frequently arrive before the estimated date). Easy to use app or website, which also allows you to monitor the status of the transaction.

    I once had a situation where the transfer to Bangkok Bank was delayed presumably because they couldn’t match with currency going the other way. But I was kept informed and the funds arrived 1 day late as advised.

    Excellent system and service.

    Reply

  11. My bank only charges me $40 USA money to transfer any amount. Transferwire is wanting to charge nearly $70 for the transfer, not including the ACH charge of $12 dollars. I could NOT recommend this, if you are transferring a large amount of money. I will say… the exchange rate matches XE and is much better than my receiving bank. But, the difference in exchange rate doesn’t make up for their fee. Better to use the bank to bank transfer. My bank in Thailand is Bank of Bangkok and they don’t charge me for receiving the wire transfer. Their exchange rate is horrible compared to transferwise. Today, transferwise 31.58, vs BKK bank 31.16. Again, even with the bad rate, it costs me less to do it from my bank in US to my bank in Thailand.
    For example, 10K is $30 less to use my bank to bkk bank for the transfer. Maybe cheaper if you are moving small amounts of money, but then your yearly figure for transferring is a lot more. I spend $80 a year, do two transfers when the THB rate is up of course.

    Reply

    • Hi Grasshopper, on 10k you would SAVE 2.6k. I reached out to Transferwise with your example and they did the math:

      Unfortunately, banks charge hidden fees in the exchange rate, which is something the user also mentions in the comment you sent through. We encounter situations like these all the time, because customers don’t actually know how much banks charge in hidden fees.

      In this case, the exchange rate markup is 1.35% (31.58 TransferWise vs 31.16 Bangkok bank). I’ve done the quick math with the details from the comment and with the 1.35% markup, the customer actually incurs $175 fees ($40 fees + $134 markup) on $10,000 transfer to THB. With TransferWise they would receive 2.6k more THB than they would with the bank, which in fact makes TransferWise cheaper. Please see details below.

      amount USD FX Fee FX markup Total fee Received THB
      TW $10,000.00 31.58 $101.00 0 $101.00 312,610.42
      bank $10,000.00 31.16 $40.00 $134.79 $174.79 310,353.60

      The fee should be subtracted from the FROM currency, which is USD in this case. So the calculation would be:
      ($10,000 – $101 (TransferWise fee + ACH)) x 31.58 = 312,610.42 THB
      ($10,000 – $174.79 (fee + FX markup)) x 31.16 = 310,353.60 THB

      Reply

    • Hi Sid, All comments are moderated before publishing because I get a lot of spam email with people advertising things or posting links to fraudulent websites. I have a spam filter but sometimes these things get through. also had incidents in the past where I have gone to sleep and woken up and seen comments on subject matters that could get me into trouble for having them published on my blog. I don’t currently see any comments awaiting moderation. if it’s something you need an answer to quickly please go to the contact page and semi-an email and I’ll get back to as soon as I can: https://www.thethailandlife.com/about-me-thailand-blog/contact

      Reply

  13. Keep in mind when comparing exchange rates that not always are you comparing same same things. They is a Nominal Exchange Rate (NER) and Real Exchange Rate (RER). Nominal Exchange Rate is the relative price of the currency of 2 countries. Or, It is the price of foreign currency in terms of domestic currency. Real Exchange Rate sometimes called as the terms of trade is the relative price of the goods of 2 countries. It tells us the rate at which we can trade the goods of one country for the goods of other country.

    Many times these are factored into the exchange along with differences between international exchange rates and domestic exchange rates.

    Reply

    • Very true: The important thing to remember is that there is only one real exchange rate. Sometimes this is called the mid-market rate, interbank rate and spot rate amongst other things.

      The real exchange rate is the mid-point between the BUY and SELL rates on the global currency markets and it constantly fluctuates. It’s the rate you find on Reuters, Google, finance.yahoo.com, etc. and the rate that TransferWise uses.

      Reply

    • It’s a good question: The system automatically matches the currency flows at the real mid-market exchange rate (as you would find in newspapers or at xe.com) and then pays out from the local currency account, meaning the money never actually moves across borders – so there is no receiving fee due.

      Reply

      • I never bothered to look until your question but at my home (outgoing bank) the transaction is shown as a “Payment”. However, BKK Bank is showing the receipt as an “International Transfer” in both English and Thai. BKK Bank does have a disclaimer that “The Transfer Reference is provided by the sender. The bank is not responsible for its content or appropriateness.” So, it would appear that TW is describing it as an International Transfer for proof that the money came from overseas while at the same time moving the money around in-country to get around the transfer fee. I hope the bank(s) don’t wise up.

        Reply

      • Based on my understanding of how Transferwise works I also suspect that there wouldn’t be an FET possible as the receiving bank does not get the funds from a foreign source. If you’re transferring Pounds, say, your transaction might go through Euros, Dollars, Renminbi and who knows what else before it ends up as Baht. But the final transfer will be in the local currency. This article kind of explains it…

        Reply

        • Exactly. The rule is that the money must be sent by Telegraphic Transfer, with a document identifying the name of the purchaser.

          Alternatively, it is possible for the buyer to ask a third party to transfer the money to buy the property.

          In theory TW is the third party, and you receive email confirmation from them to say they have sent the money, which can be shown to the bank.

          The law also states that the purchaser has to include in the transfer instructions that the purpose of this money is to buy a condominium unit. This condition is also met, because when you send money to Thailand with Transferwise you include a description of what the money is for.

          Thai bank staff often don’t know the rules of their own bank, let alone the law. If I came up against this issue I’d probably just pay a few K Baht to go to the bank with a lawyer to get it sorted.

          It’s also worth noting that: In order to obtain a Foreign Exchange Transaction Form, the amount of money must be above US$50,000; lesser amounts require the purchaser to obtain a bank certificate from the bank.

          Reply

      • My receiving bank, Kbank doesn’t want to issue the FET as it says it was a local transfer. (I had sent it via a remittance co in Singapore called GPL, cost about S$700, exchange ,bank charges, etc) They say they can’t give me FET. So 2 million plus (S$100K) has been sent but no one is willing to give me the documentation except for what I have that shows the funds came from Singapore. Not a FET form. Now trying to contact the land transfer office to see if that receipt will work. It has been a terrible experience buying in Thailand. I recommend renting. Dealing with the bank tellers has been a nightmare. Forget about land of smiles. It is a land of insults. The Kbank officer saw the GPL receipt but she shouts CANNOT, and then accuses me of “working in Thailand”.

        Reply

        • Hi Farah, please see my answer to James earlier as I addressed a few of the points in that comment. A good friend of mine runs a business in Thailand and while he loves living her he says his one annoyance is banking and the endless bureaucracy that comes with completing transactions that should be very straight forward.

          Reply

    • Transferwise only accepts deposits via local bank transfer, debit or credit card (in selected currencies), SWIFT international transfer and in the U.S. via ACH Debit or Domestic Wire.

      They don’t accept cash deposits, or cheques, and don’t have cash kiosks or ties with any other companies (e.g. post offices) who would accept cash deposits or cheques.

      Reply

  18. As one of the other posters said, I “stumbled” onto TransferWise, and have never looked back.

    When I transferred dosh through the Halifax, I was getting extortionate exchange rates, a huge bank fee to send it, and another fee for Bangkok bank to receive it.

    I save about £20 to £30 every transfer, and I heartily endorse everything that’s said in the article.

    Good exchange rates, fees of about £2.00 and lightning fast transfers – I did a transfer on a Friday night at about 22.00, and it was in the Bangkok bank account at 16.00 Saturday!

    Not only that, when you open an account on their website, you have full visibility of all your transfers, a list of all your recipients, and an extremely easy process to actually do the transfer.

    Yup, they are good and I recommend them!! 🙂

    Reply

  19. We are buying a condo and had to transfer 100K. Transferwise max is only $1000. We sent it from a remittance company and it wasn’t cheap. Now we have problems as the transfer does not show as it has come from abroad. Kbank sees it as local transfer and we can’t get a tor tor 3! We have to register at the land office and although the receipt shows the money came from overseas but as we don’t have an FX form signed from a Thai company we have issues! The company which did it from my country says the document they have given us is all they can do. Any bright ideas?

    Reply

    • Hi Farah, Transferwise limits are much higher than that:

      Private individual – $50,000 per day and $250,000 per year
      Business – $250,000 per day and $1,000,000 per year.

      I’m assuming you used Western Union or similar right? In that case, go to them and ask for a copy of the transaction record. This will show the money coming into Thailand via them and into your account. The bank should then issue the FET for you. If not, go to a lawyer and bite the bullet to pay 2-5k to get them to sort it.

      Reply

  21. Transferwise is getting faster.

    I sent a transfer from my bank in the States to BKK Bank on the evening (Pacific Time) of 8-Jan. First off I got a rate that was marginally higher than the FX rate being reported at the time (32.255 vs 32.250). I submitted the transfer at about 04:00GMT on 9-Jan, I got confirmation of the transfer at 10:14GMT on 9-Jan, and it hit my account in Bangkok at 06:04GMT on 10-Jan. Total elapsed time 26:04. Freaking amazing. It takes longer to send money between my accounts in the States.

    Reply

    • That’s super fast, much more so than SWIFT payments in the UK. I assume that the more people who use the service the faster it will become, as there will be more money flowing back and forth to facilitate other transfers.

      Reply

  22. Hi,
    I just stumbled upon a Transferwise competitor called World Remit from an article about the founder on the BBC. While a very similar concept they still play with the conversion rate to their advantage.

    For example right now to send 6,000THB from the US to my bank in Thailand would cost:

    World Remit – $192.53 including a $3.99 fee at an exchange rate of 31.82THB/1US$ Effective exchange rate: 31.162

    Transferwise – $187.15 including a $3.83 fee at an exchange rate of 32.73THB/1US$ Effective exchange rate: 32.06

    In this case Transferwise is better by about 3%.

    For 60,000THB the cost is:

    World Remit – $1,889.37 including a $3.99 fee at an exchange rate of 31.82THB/1US$ Effective exchange rate: 31.76

    Transferwise – $1,853.51 including a $20.33 fee at an exchange rate of 32.73THB/1US$ Effective exchange rate: 32.37

    In this case Transferwise is better by a bit less than 2%.

    As I write this the Baht is trading at 32.75 to the dollar.

    So Transferwise still wins but World Remit is a reasonable second place when compared to other options. Transferwise still has a significantly deeper level of support for different currencies (although still no THB-out).

    Reply

  23. Dear Jaro

    For me sending from Sweden the limit was 2 mill THB. But I could make more than one payment I think the same day. I did it 3 days later without problem and anything went well.
    You can check our XE Exchange also. They also transfer money. I did not check them out myself.
    Andreas

    Reply

  24. Hello. I am planing to move to Thailand from Australia. That involves selling my house here and buying one in Thailand and rather huge sums of money needed to be transferred. Is there any limit on the money transfer and are there any specific problems to face?

    Reply

    • None at all. I’m using the service regularly and the company is rapidly expanding, with offices in Australia, London, NY, Singapore, Tokyo and other major cities. A reader I spoke to over email this past week transferred around 60k Euros for a condo deposit and it went through very quickly. They are also launching a borderless bank account feature which I can’t wait to get!

      Reply

  25. Hi
    I want to send a larger sum money for buying a home in Thailand. How does it work? In my country Sweden, I will have to show were the money comes from.
    To the Swedish Tax agency.
    That is no problem they comes from my savings. But what happen in the other end? How will my girlfriends bank react on that if there comes
    3500 000 THB to that bank? Do they report that to the Thai Tax agency?
    And if that is so, do I get a receipt or something from you so she can show from were the money comes (from my bank in Sweden)?

    Reply

    • When buying any Condo or House in a foreigner’s name, The money has to be transferred into your Thai bank account in foreign currency and exchanged in Thailand, As an F.E.T (Foreign exchange transfer) form supplied by the Bank or maybe another banking enterprise has to be provided when signing the property deeds. You could bring the money in in cash and declare it at customs, but I would not advise that. If you did however you could exchange at Superrich whom I have talked to with a higher rate than advertised by agreement. I believe that they can also issue an FET form. I have not seen any requirement to justify where funds have come from in the country of origin, such as the UK which I am familiar with. However your country may have different regulations which you will have to clarify yourself. You will have to have a Thai bank account which cannot be opened with a tourist visa, although I have heard of exceptions. The process of purchasing a property in Thailand with all the necessary paperwork in place is simple but may take several hours to a day at the land department. It is wise to instruct a lawyer to act on your behalf o a trustworthy knowledgable land agent you are familiar with. All information on what is required for the purchase can be found online. You will require a residency certificate from the Thai Embassy in Thai as a requirement of the transfer. This certificate can be gotten expensively from your own Embassy but will need to be translated into Thai. Not advisable. It is free from the Thai Immigration but they may state a fee or not as the case may be. You will have to have an address to send the residency certificate to. A year’s visa is required for the certificate and transfer.

      Reply

  28. I just discovered Transferwise after using paypal so long, and the main 2 pains are their hidden fee on the exchange with paypal and the 5-7 day wait for money to arrive.
    Is Transferwise faster on the sending to arrival window into my current account in Thailand. This is my biggest bug bear …the wait from offshore money to come in, especially when it overlaps the Thai holidays.

    Reply

    • My experience is usually within 48 hours, maximum 72. I’d happily wait longer though because the exchange rate is always favourable with TW. I feel your pain with PayPal. I’m scared to look at how much I pay them in fees each year!

      Reply

      • Not true: We don’t ever check your credit eligibility, we simply check the personal details that are available there. This will not register on any database as a credit check. It will register that we have checked your personal information and will not affect your credit rating or credit history in any way.

        Reply

  31. Oh,l how I wish we could still get ฿54+ To a pound. Pics are old!

    TransferWise is usually the same or better than taking cash to the exchange kiosk. Last transfer I made took all of 20hours to reach the Bank of BKK from Nationwide. No fuss, no hassle just quick and accurate.

    Reply

  32. Thank you- i ve used transferwise- best rate – was great to pay deposit rent in advance- for cash pick up- as I dont have a thai bank account I found worldremit.. still not the best rate but better than western union . Or do you have a better option? It has to be a cash pick up – thanks

    Reply

  34. Please advise urgently if it is possible to transfer GBP from a UK bank account to a GBP Thai bank account (Foreign Currency Deposit account). The system doesn’t seem to provide for this and I am unable to find any reference or FAQ.

    Reply

    • Ken,
      If your FCD account is with a bank that has a branch in the UK you should be able to do the transfer directly from your bank to the branch in the UK. I know BKK Bank have this capability here in the US through their New York branch and in the UK through their London branch. I imaging some of the other large Thai banks have a similar facility.

      Reply

  36. Hi Peter
    I think there has been a reaction to TransferWise etc. My UK bank First Direct/HSBC has just offered ‘free’ international transfers to Thai bank accounts [and virtually all International Bank Transfers] They used to charge £25 per transaction……now Free if done online or £4 if done by phone.
    Of course I do not know how much my [as yet unopened] Thai bank a/c in CM will charge, but it seems like a good move all round for the transfer scene!
    Excellent blog.
    Thank you
    Mike

    Reply

    • Hi Mike, is that on all types of accounts or just selected customers? I can’t find any literature on that. My banks Halifax and Nationwide are still charging. You will still get charged a minimum of 500 Baht by the receiving bank though, so Transferwise is still cheaper (depending on the amount 🙂

      Reply

  37. I just went to do a transfer from US$ into THB and found that Transferwise’s fee structure has changed a bit. It is now a fixed amount US$2.00 + 1% of the amount converted (net of fees). So a US$200 transfer yields ฿ 6,559.50 with a fee of US$3.96. This replaces the old fee structure where smaller <฿ 6,000.00 transfers incurred a penalty and it was a flat rate (1.2%? if I remember correctly) after that. Now it looks like the fees range from about 3% for a US$100 transfer decreasing to 1.2% at a US$1,000 transfer. It continues decreasing asymptotically approaching 1% for very large transfers. (Actually, I just checked, it will get to 1% (at US$20,000 from rounding… ))

    Reply

  38. My husband and I are on a retirement extn living in Thailand and are required to show funds coming into our joint thai bank account from abroad. If we opted for Transferwiz the funds would come in thai baht and may create a problem for our retirement extension.

    Reply

    • I can’t see how. Any transfer to your Thai bank account from a foreign account will be converted to Thai Baht when it reaches the receiving bank. Some people even opt to convert to Thai Baht at the source bank so that it is sent in Thai Baht (not advisable because you get a better rate from the receiving back). Transferwise acts in the same way. The money will appear in your bank as Thai Baht. The amount required for your extension is calculated in Thai Baht, not foreign currency. For example, you need 800k Baht in a Thai bank account to secure your retirement visa/extension of.

      Reply

  39. Why are many banks in Thailand reluctant to open bank accounts for farangs with a Marriage Visa. My wife bank account is with Krungsri but they will not let me open an account with them or even add my name to my wife’s account. My account is with Kasikorn Bank but they have closed their Bank in Muangsamsip and I now have to go to Ubon which is 55 Kilometers away. I have a pension and some savings but not enough for a Retirement visa only a Marriage Visa.

    Reply

  40. Hi ! Tx for all this useful info!
    One more question : is Thailand joining the AEOI agreement ?
    Is there a limit to the amount i can expatriate to another country from my new account in Thailand ?

    Reply

    • Thailand has not announced plans to join the AEOI agreement, so exchange of information on bank accounts and tax affairs isn’t currently a standard process. There will be no limit on transfers from your Thai account to another country, as far as I know.

      Reply

  41. Hi Peter,
    Your blog is most informative as an Australian who lived for a short time in Britain I can only say”British is best”I am 69 years young and want to live permanently in Thailand I am on the Australian aged pension however will only have about $4000 to bring to Thailand.If I open a Bangkok bank account would Australian authorities know about it ? I am thinking of doing a teaching course in Thailand however if the Australian government found out I was working I would lose my pension also I would have no address in Australia anymore.I have heard you must produce a bank statement at the beginning of each year showing you have
    $40,000 Australian in your account and prove you have a monthly income of $640 to retire in Thailand I would like to live in either Bangkok or Pattaya what sort of rents would I have to pay for a One or two bedroom apartment?
    Thank you in anticipation of our reply.lwas previously in the fashion business and had some unusually style clothes made for myself which most people like so I would like to get a fashion men’s range made under my name.

    Reply

    • No, these currencies have not been added yet. You can send money to India from other countries but not from India to Thailand. On the home page there is a dropdown box where you select the country. All the available countries are listed there.

      Reply

  43. Wow! I read your blog and decided to try it out.i transferred an initial AUD 1000 on Tuesday, thinking I would get it by Friday. I was notified that I would probably get it Monday, as my bank was slow to transfer. Today is Thursday, and it just arrived in my bank in Thailand! Better rate than the banks, and a very low charge,around $8+ instead of the usual $20. Thanks for posting about this!

    Reply

  44. I am looking into the move over maybe Chiang Mai at this stage,living of my old age pension, and the 800,000 to show in an aus bank till I can set up a Thai account. So dose anyone how it work;s Then can I get it transferred in to my Thai bank account in AUD $. using TransferWise which from what I can see on line seem;s to be the best. Thank;s for any help.

    Reply

    • I was able to open an account at a branch of the Bangkok Bank in Chiang Mai with an initial deposit of 1000 Thai Baht and presenting only a UK passport with a 30 day visa exemption entry stamp. However, what they ask for in the way of documentation, visas etc depends on the manager of the particular branch and possibly on your nationality (I have heard that it can be very difficult for US citizens to open an account)

      Reply

  46. Being the sceptic I am, I did a transfer from our Australian bank to our Thai bank at the same time as going through TransferWise to our Thai bank.

    First point: The Australian bank charged AU18.00 for the transfer.
    TransferWise charged AU8.00

    Second point: The Australian bank gave an exchange-rate of 24.3350.
    TransferWise gave an exchange-rate of 25.5764.

    Third point: The Australian bank gave no notification on how long the transfer would take to arrive in our Thai bank.
    TransferWise gave a date of when it would be in our account in Thailand.

    My conclusion is, use TransferWise!

    Well done TheThailandLife for putting us on to TransferWise

    Reply

  47. Hello. A lot of good information being shared. Greatly appreciated. While your talking about the Banks, I didn’t see anything mentioned regarding Thai ATM’s. Just curious, do they have a Max Amount that can be withdrawn daily and what is the Fee Charged per withdrawal. Appreciate any information you can share. Thanks. Thomas

    Reply

  48. I just did my first Transferwise transfer from the USA to Thailand…..WOW!

    Quite the savings and fast! Great rate-better than Super Rich and I dont have to carry cash…..better than any other method out there..hands down…

    Reply

  49. Last year, I transferred GBP 10,000 from Santander Isle of Man to my Bangkok Bank FCD (GBP) account. Although not paying for FX conversions, I was charged GBP 25 SWIFT fee, GBP 45 for clearing bank fees (?) and approx GBP 12 receiving bank fees. If my math is correct, that totals GBP 82. I think these charges suck and banks are licensed crooks, but using Transferwise with their 1% service charge, I would actually be paying GBP100!? So I guess it depends on the amount transferred.

    Reply

  52. Transferwise all the way for me. I haven’t done that much research and figures aren’t my strong point but this just makes sense in theory and practice – it works. I use the app and that works really well. I send and receive. Why let the banks fleece you…that irritates the hell out of me. BTW – TheThailandlife is such a great resource my friend, very much appreciated. Thanks Ade.

    Reply

  53. I just took a look and the rate they are providing is no better than XE.com

    That was a big disappointment.

    I would rather carry money through custom and get better rates at the local exchange kioks. There are many of those in Bangkok along the MRT.

    Reply

    • You are missing the point. That is why Transferwise is so great, because it uses market rates like XE.com does. You would never get the market rate that XE shows on a bank transfer. You certainly will not get a better rate in an exchange booth in Bangkok. Sure, you might save a small fee amount, but for those living in Thailand or living abroad who want to safely transfer money to and from, there is nothing better than Transferwise. I have tried every method.

      Reply

  55. Hi, Transferwise looks great for sending money from say Uk to Thailand.
    I am going to Thailand for 1 month at the end of March to meet up with my Thai girlfriend, instead of using the ATM machines could I use Transferwise to send money to my girlfriends bank account and she could withdraw cash on my behalf, thus avoiding the 200b charge everytime??

    Thankyou

    Baz Collings

    Reply

  56. Had many problems with transferring with swift due to Thai banks. Once they held onto the money until the rate dropped (should have been the rate when they got it) before putting it in my account, lost me 40k baht. Another time they charged me again for the transfer fee when the sending bank had already done so. Now I use transferwise, you know exactly what you will get, the exchange rate and when it will be in your account. Thai banks may look modern, but the attitudes and practices are still ‘Thai’.

    Reply

  57. First of great site thank you, I’ve used direct transfer from Australia $15 no matter the amount, western union similar amount, now use TransferWise since start of this year, keeping the amounts to a few hundred Australian dollars it costs $4 and takes about 7 days

    Reply

    • The fee is included, so you won’t pay that fee on top. If you work it out, even with the fee, the exchange rate is still better than what the bank would give you. Plus you avoid the bank charge to send the money. If you send a small amount in USD, say less than 3k in one go, the fee is almost zero.

      Reply

  60. Thank you for the post, so very easy to do, I was paying $30 Aust for every transfer regardless of amount, plus the banks give you there crappy exchange rate not the going rate. Example last month I transfers money the bank exchange was 23.50 plus a $30 fee.
    With transfere wise exchange was 26.10 plus a $4 fee , thank you it has annoyed the crap out of me for a while.

    Reply

    • Yes, they are starting to lower their fees, so hopefully 2017 will bring even more savings. I just had an email from them about lowering their rates as of 15th December for sending US to the UK.

      It is now 0.85% on the first $10,000 you send, and 0.6% on amounts over the first $10,000.

      I quote: These drops are partly due to cost savings we’re able to make as our revolution gains momentum. And that, in turn, is thanks to you sharing TransferWise with your friends and family.

      The more we are, the stronger we are, and the closer we get to money without borders.

      So the more people who use the service to send money to Thailand, the more likely we are to see rate drops.

      Reply

  63. Very happy to have come across this option thanks so much for posting! Have been living in Thailand for just over 2 months and have been seeking ways of avoiding the exorbitant ATM fees here, as well as avoiding prohibitive spreads charged by banks. Your solution will save us hundreds of dollars in fees each year.

    Reply

    • They haven’t added Baht to the transfer list yet, but what you can do is register your interest to send Baht. Select ‘other’ from the currency drop-down list on the homepage and it will let you enter your email address to be notified when they add Baht to the list. Hopefully it won’t be too long!

      Reply

  70. Hi – this is great. Simply superb rates. No bank fees. However I work in Thailand as foreigner and need to send money out FROM Thailand to my home country.

    I note that TransferWise does not support THB as sending currency. Is there any other website/service that you recommend for ppl like me? Thanks much.

    Reply

  71. Thank you for the information on Transferwise. I set up an account a few months ago and have saved a fortune. Currently it is good to bear in mind that the saving goes toward partly offsetting the low GDP rate.
    Thankyou again.

    Reply

  74. Hi, is the offer through the link still valid?
    I’m entering USD to THB and I have to pay a fee ranging from 1.5% to 7%(!), depending on the amount. It looks like amounts over $500 are charged 1.5%. For under $100 the fee is probably higher than Paypal.

    Reply

    • Hi Elas, the link is still valid.

      You would only pay 1% on that amount. PayPal is the most expensive option in all cases. Even if you already have USD in your PayPal account and route them through to Bangkok Bank in the US, who then forward the funds to Thailand, you will still get a low conversion rate in Thailand from Bangkok Bank, 33-34.

      With Transferwise you get the real market rate.

      I did a test on $1000 and I see the following:

      Real exchange rate guaranteed: ฿35.3400
      You’ll save: $ 46.58

      The bank would have given you a lower rate of ฿34.1031 and stolen on the currency conversion.

      In addition to your bank’s charge, which is usually 10-20$, you would have lost $46.58 on a $1,000 transaction.

      On $100 you would save $15.

      Reply

    • It did to me at first because I’d waited so long for a service where you can send money to Thailand and avoid bank and currency conversion fees. Now I’m using this service regularly and it’s great. Super fast and really cost-efficient.

      Reply

  78. My friend (Australian) visit BKK 4-6 weeks a time for business meeting or stop over to change the flight to another country.

    He would like to open bank account in BKK, have been to a few bank but they refuse as he doesn’t have work permit in Thailand.

    Can you please advise, the bank name that foreigner can open saving account

    Reply

    • If he has a business visa then he can open a bank account no problem. Try Bangkok Bank at The Exchange Tower in Asoke, Bangkok. Take his ID card, passport, proof of address in Thailand, and visa information.

      Reply

  80. My dad wants to send me some money for my birthday from Ireland to my bank in Thailand. I’m teaching in Bangkok. He wants to know if the receiving bank will change a fee. Please let me know. Thanks in advance. Shannon x

    Reply

  81. My wife just called me to say the money had got to Thailand. Took less than 2 days. I sent $500 and got a rate of just over 54.3, no bank fees or currency conversion fees. Thanks for that link to the free transfer. Great service that is going to save me a lot of money this year.

    Reply

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