Thailand Trip in October - Looking for Recommendations and Info Regarding Entry

ClioB on 07/06/2022 - 21:49
Last edited 07/06/2022 - 21:57

Hi all,

My family is travelling to Thailand from mid Sep to mid Oct, I plan on joining them from October 4th to 17th by the looks of things. I read a bit about the weather and where to go around that time of the year and most recommend Bangkok or Chiang Mai in the North, my family was thinking they could enjoy a good ol' time at the beach in Phuket but doesn't sound like that would be an ideal time?
Has anyone been around that time of the year and has recommendations?

Anything I need to know for entry? Is it still a requirement to have a min US$10k travel insurance & go through the Thailand Pass process and get approved?

Lastly, I've been looking at 'no international transaction fee' cards for the first time. If I get the Latitude 28 card, would I still be charged if I draw cash from the ATM? It says in the terms there's a Cash Advance Fee of AU$4 or %3, whichever is higher, from my understanding drawing cash from the ATM is basically this? And there's also a Payment Handling Fee of $AU2.5 if paying in person? Is there a workaround to avoid these? Just have to try and pay whatever is possible online?

TIA!

Travel Asia Thailand

Comments

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 07/06/2022 - 22:35
    +1

    I have been to Thailand twice this year; the entry requirements are gradually being relaxed and come November, I expect the whole Thailand Pass will be dropped - it is just admin BS to me.

    The current rules are:-

    1. Fully Vaccinated Persons must :

    Register on Thailand Pass
    Attach passport and certificate of vaccination
    Attach proof of insurance with at least 10,000 USD coverage for medical treatments in Thailand (COVID-19 test, both prior to and after arriving in Thailand, is no longer required)

  • dasher86 on 07/06/2022 - 22:45

    You're better off taking cash…
    ATMs charge crazy ATM withdrawal fees.
    The owner type.

    • cauilfield on 07/06/2022 - 23:25

      wrong. See below

  • cauilfield on 07/06/2022 - 23:28

    I have been through ThaiPass - where I got it last minute, my thing got declined as they were not happy with my insurance. Apparently they required me to proof that the cover is $10k, I had to attach the entire PDS to the ThaiPass - so be careful and ensure to demonstrate the cover (yet every AU issued insurance gives you unlimited cover in most of the cases). I had to reapply, and luckily got it approved in an hour while sitting at the airport - but it could have got delayed.

    In terms of cash - I stopped brining cash with me since I joined ING direct - as long as you follow their rules (deposit $1k + 5monthly transactions) they will reimburse all your ATM fees, and the FX rate is usually better than the local ones offered overseas.

    My tip: bring few hundred in cash just in case, rest can be on your ING card - withdraw as required.

    • samfisher5986 on 08/06/2022 - 08:45

      Never been to Thailand so I'm curious…

      Do their ATM's not charge fees? because ING will only reimburse five of them which is not enough for a reasonable holiday unless you like to hold way too much cash.

      In my experience international ATM's do charge large fees, I think part of this is the ATM knows you are from overseas.

      • JimmyF on 08/06/2022 - 10:03
        -1

        In my experience international ATM's do charge large fees, I think part of this is the ATM knows you are from overseas.

        I was in Thailand recently (this year), yes it is 220 thb fee per transaction so basically about $9AUD.

        So you're better off getting 1 large amount of cash out rather than 2 or 3 smaller amounts.

        • cauilfield on 08/06/2022 - 21:29

          ING will reimburse them all. Tried million times

          • JimmyF on 08/06/2022 - 21:52
            -1

            @cauilfield: Then happy days…. Just letting the OP know what the fees are incase they don't have ING.

          • samfisher5986 on 08/06/2022 - 23:42

            @cauilfield: You clearly haven't kept up to date with current ING policies.. they will only rebate 5 transactions per month.

            • cauilfield on 09/06/2022 - 07:26

              @samfisher5986: oh, indeed. You are right. apologies

            • cauilfield on 09/06/2022 - 07:30

              @samfisher5986: I just went through my statement for May 2022, out of 9 ATM fees, I got 8 or 9 reimbursed back… which means their system is all over the place now..

              • samfisher5986 on 09/06/2022 - 08:59

                @cauilfield: Its possible this was over two months. I doubt they would be giving out more then what they are offering, they limited it for a reason.

      • cauilfield on 08/06/2022 - 21:28

        ING will reimburse all fees, literally I have seen them reimbursing some stupid fees as I had an ATM charging me $7.00 all reimbursed back.

        You need to deposit $1k + make 5 transactions in Australia, in order for this ATM rebate to work for the next calendar month.

        • samfisher5986 on 08/06/2022 - 23:43
          +1

          You clearly haven't kept up to date with current ING policies.. they will only rebate 5 transactions per month.

          This is coming from someone who has used this exact feature overseas.

          • Skinnerr on 25/06/2022 - 23:56

            @samfisher5986: Yeah ING are sneaky pr!cks with constantly changing terms for fees.

            Also what about using cards to actually pay for things via EFTPOS (surely Thailand has eftpos?)? Any extra fees for that?

    • ClioB on 08/06/2022 - 22:49

      Great info, this helps so much!

      Just to confirm, if I get the card and I'm flying in October, I just need to deposit at least 1k and settle 5 transactions in October to enjoy this service?
      Can I stop doing this when not planning on flying and re-do it when I plan to again?

  • Dogs on 08/06/2022 - 08:07

    Take cash use your citi bank card as backup. I have a Macquarie bank card as well they reinburse atm fees not sure if that applies to Thailand. From
    Bangkok you can catch the overnight train to Chaingmai. Go to Suykhothai on the way and you can rent bicycles to ride around the old buddhist ruins which spans many acres. Buddhist history is very interesting and old monasteries and ruins have a wonderful atmosphere.

    • samfisher5986 on 08/06/2022 - 08:47

      Macquarie bank only refund domestic fees so at least in my experience you'll be paying fees on a regular basis if you use ATM's internationally.

  • JimmyF on 08/06/2022 - 09:15

    Anything I need to know for entry? Is it still a requirement to have a min US$10k travel insurance & go through the Thailand Pass process and get approved?

    As of today the answers are Yes, yes and yes. The PCR on arrival and the RAT tests have recently been dropped.

    So basically get travel insurance, get your intl vax cert, and apply for the thailand pass. Job done.

    Side note - Print out all these documents as it makes it easier at check in/customers to hand them over rather than handing your phone over.

  • ClioB on 08/06/2022 - 22:36

    Thank you all for your comments. Great stuff!

    Re travel insurance - it just has to satisfy the cover of at least USD$10k right? I don't need to get a special one that covers Covid related stuff? (is that even a thing? I don't travel much)

    Any travel insurance providers you can recommend?

    • cauilfield on 10/06/2022 - 09:01

      any travel insurance that covers medical expenses of at least US $10k. I think I went with allianz as it was the cheapest one.

  • ItsBatman on 26/06/2022 - 19:04

    Thanks to @Iwantthatbargain, I got to know that from 1st July the Thai pass is no longer required

    https://www.thailand-business-news.com/tourism/90800

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