Immigration and Money

[ressl]

Haven't been to Thailand for a while, so not sure of what to expect.
Immigration: coming on a one way ticket, I guess it is still not an issue with immigration, but might be one with the Airline (anyone experience with VietJet?). Do they have any QR code or app or whatever I need to do prior arrival?
Money: I have entirely run out of Baht. I don't like to exchange at the airport, so does the BTS Skytrain (I arrive at Suvarnabhumi) accept QR-Code payments or has anyone a recommendation for an ATM with good rates and low fees (ACLeda Visa card)?

[Chuck Borris]

Exchange just a few bucks for a ride to town.

[Harold69]

Exchange just a few bucks for a ride to town.

You get a much better rate if you exchange 100 dollar bills. What I would do instead is bring 50 crisp new one dollar bills without any folds or tears and some baht gold.

[Kammekor]

Exchange just a few bucks for a ride to town.

The booths in the basement near the train into Bangkok offer a slightly better rate than the rest.

[Alex]

There's currently neither an arrival card nor any online registration required for entering Thailand by air. You might have read about Thailand introducing an ETA, but that has been postponed indefinitely.

With regards to money exchange, SuperRich at the Airport Rail Link level offers much better exchange rates than the banks at arrivals. If you use ATMs, you should decline the bank's currency conversion, then the card network's exxhange rate will be applied. The bank does charge a fee for using a foreign card on top though (I think it's 220 baht at the moment), regardless of the withdrawal amount.

You can pay for the Airport Rail Link as well as for the BTS by QR code, if your Cambodian bank supports cross-border QR code payments in Thailand. ABA Bank does, for example, and that's the only one I've tested myself.

[phuketrichard]

its the airlines that "might" ask for a forward ticket
https://bookonwardticket.com/

ATMS charge 220 baht regardless what ur withdrawing and often are the worst exchange rates

change $10 on arrival at any booth rather than search out a specific one
OR
go to any money exchanger in PP, 99% will have thai baht

[Bluenose]

Before you go to Bangkok go the one of the money shops on St 298 alongside Olympic if you are near there, much better rates to get THB than you will get anywhere at the airport or at an ATM. #34 is the one I have used a lot for business as well as personal.

[Doc67]

Haven't been to Thailand for a while, so not sure of what to expect.
Immigration: coming on a one way ticket, I guess it is still not an issue with immigration, but might be one with the Airline (anyone experience with VietJet?). Do they have any QR code or app or whatever I need to do prior arrival?
Money: I have entirely run out of Baht. I don't like to exchange at the airport, so does the BTS Skytrain (I arrive at Suvarnabhumi) accept QR-Code payments or has anyone a recommendation for an ATM with good rates and low fees (ACLeda Visa card)?

I have just returned from Bangkok.

The best rates for USD to THB was from the money changer on 136 / 53 opposite Central Maket - next door to Woori Bank (formally the ABA Branch). I bought $500 and got 17060. The spot rate (on XE.com) at that time would have given me ~17170 so it cost around 100thb for the transaction, or 0.7% spread, which for a cash transaction is acceptable. I paid with an ABA QR transfer, so it was a simple and quick. The rate has declined since.

I booked one way with Sky Anchor and wasn't asked any questions about the lack of a return ticket, but it has been reported that Air Asia can get a bit picky. Maybe Viet Jet are too, but if you do get pulled, you can buy an onward ticket from https://bookonwardticket.com/ for $10 (thanks to @phuketrichard )

The MRT does accept contactless visa card payments but as of last January the BTS did not (at least not foreign cards). That might have changed since then. Be aware that your card issuer might have minimum foreign transaction fees which could get very expensive on a $0.50 train fare.

You can queue up for a ticket at the counter and pay with a card, but as it is the airport that might take some time if it is busy. If you are going to use the BTS you should get a pre-paid Rabbit Card. You will need your passport to get one, but if you are going to get it at the airport you'll have that with you. Top it up and then it is just tap-and-go through the barriers - it is a lot better than faffing around buying tickets for each journey or faffing around with phones. I left 200thb on my card from last January and it was still on there this visit, so it doesn't get wiped with many months of non-use.



Taxis: Grab are a rip off, they are nothing like Phnom Penh. For example, from the airport going to Soi Sukimvit 33, the driver at the airport tried to get me to agree to a fare of 600thb. I know this trick so I said no, and tapped on his meter. He was not pleased but obliged. The meterfare was 260thb, plus the 50 for airport pick up plus 20 for a suitcase, and 25 for the tolls. I gave him 400 in total and all were happy.

On the return to the airport, Grab wanted 521. They are effectively quoting the airprt rip-off rates. Their app always have those annoying little red arrows throbbing, implying you are in a peak fare situation. They are always there. Basically, Grab wants to charge nearly the airport mug-punter rate. I booked with BOLT and the fare was 318 all-in.

I tried Grab a few times and not only is the fare nearly 3 times the normal meter rate, they are slow to get to you. I must have cancelled at least 3 trips and flagged one down off the street. Where I stay have an almost permanent traffic congestion, but I could still flag a taxi down and got to where I was going for 50thb, whereas Grab wanted 140. I used the BTS for everything, taxis and a pain in the ass in Bangkok.

There is nothing to do at the airport apart from queue up for your turn at immigration. No more lengthy forms, just present yourself and do the fingerprint scanner and camera, it is all very quick with a UK or EU passport.

Have a good trip.

[Cowshed Cowboy]

Agree with Doc67 above that if you are planning to use the BTS a lot getting a Rabbit card is a bit of a no brainer for convenience. I checked with the MRT last week whether they had something similar I didn't know about, but alas. A bit surprising in this day and age

[Alex]

Agree with Doc67 above that if you are planning to use the BTS a lot getting a Rabbit card is a bit of a no brainer for convenience. I checked with the MRT last week whether they had something similar I didn't know about, but alas. A bit surprising in this day and age

The MRT has a stored-value card as well. Nowadays it's an EMV card, but I still have the old version. It's quite a mess with different cards on different trains.