Foreign ATM card daily withdrawal limits

[hhfarang]

I bring my pension here by ATM withdrawals as I need it. I usually use Bank of Ayudhya ATMs as there have been a couple of them not far from my home for a while and because that's were we do our Thai banking. Now a couple of 7/11's have opened up in my neighborhood and there are at least three more conveniently located ATM's from other banks.

Recently, BofA's withdrawal limits and practices for foreign bank ATM cards seems to have changed. Previously, the transaction limit was 20k baht, but the daily limit was 40k baht so I could make two withdrawals back to back if needed (each incurring the 150b charge). Now, the daily limit appears to have been lowered to 30k baht, but this amount can be taken in one transaction so the single transaction limit has been raised.

Any idea of the transactional and daily limits from the other major Bank's ATM machines using a foreign bank card?:

Bangkok Bank
Siam Commercial
Krung Thai
Kasikorn
Thanachart
Siam City Bank
UOB

[lomuamart]

Some foreign banks impose their own limits so, for instance, mine is set at a max of 15K a day - they keep me on a short leash, which is just as well.
If I ever need more, then I just use the foreign exchange desks inside the bank with passport as ID.
That was a long winded way of saying that I don't know the answers as I can't take as much from ATMs as you.

[Piesat42]

One of my mates pointed out to me instead of going to the ATM weekly and incurring charges each time it is better to go to the bank once a month and hide the money under your mattress. I use SCB and draw 50/70k at a time , costs 4 pounds 50p using my LLoydsTSB Visa debit card

[PeteC]

IMO the limit is not from the Thai bank, but from your foreign bank. Mine is and I use a Bank Ayudhya machine exclusively at our golf clubhouse here. I can get 40 per 24 hour period on my ATM, and unlimited up to the account balance on my debit card. This is all set by the USA bank, not Bank Ayudhya. Pete

[STEVE G]

Yes, I'm the same. I think the limit on the ATM card I have from a UK bank is £500 a day and obviously with the exchange rates now, that isn't as many baht as it used to be.
I remember once buying a new Honda Wave with one visit to the ATM combined with what I had in my pocket but you wouldn't manage that now!

[dtaai-maai]

This is something I've been meaning to look into. I try to take as little out of my UK account as possible and as infrequently as possible, but somehow it never quite goes to plan...

When I first came here in 2003 I could take out a maximum of 300 UKP in 24 hrs from my UK account and that worked out just about exactly at 20k THB, which was fine. That 300 UKP worked its way down to under 14k some time ago, so I contacted my bank (HSBC) and upped my limit to 400. That still doesn't get me 20k, but it's near enough. I don't really need to take out lots of UK money, but the point is that it costs me 400 THB every time I make a withdrawal! Whaaaat??

So the more I can take out in one go, the less it costs me. I could probably up my UK limit again without a problem, but I've never asked TMB what their limit is or if I can increase it. It would have to be for one withdrawal of course.

[hollister]

I called UBS to adjust both my daily and monthly limits. However I mostly transfer my cah needs once a month into my Kasikorn account and use that one when in Thailand. I transfer CHF because the exchange rate applied by Kasikorn is better than that of UBS.

Each monthly transfer cost me CHF 5 only. Then in Thailand using Kasikorns ATM cost 0.- at my branch or thb 15 at any other KK branch.

The Kasikorn Visa Card also allows me to pay at any store for as much money I got in my Kasikorn account. I mostly used it at Tesco Lotus and major clothing shops.

Kasikorns ATM also allows me to top-up my SIM, pay bills, transfer money to other accounts or banks. Their online banking is available in English too.

[dtaai-maai]

I remember once buying a new Honda Wave with one visit to the ATM combined with what I had in my pocket but you wouldn't manage that now!

OMG yes! c.30k on Samui in 2003... <sigh>

[hhfarang]

No limit is set by my U.S. bank. They used to have one but you could call them and raise it. Now all I have to do is go online to raise it to whatever I want using online banking. I have it set at the moment to $1500 USD per day and could raise that. I set it to make sure it is above the maximum ATM withdrawal here so that I am never limited by my U.S. account... the point of the question about Thai limits.

For sure Bank of Ayudhya (up until about a month ago) allowed a max transaction of 20k baht and a max daily of 40k baht. I know from experience within the last week that they raised the max transaction level to 30k baht but also made that the max daily (foreign card) ATM limit.

I was just wondering if the other banks allowed more per transaction as it not only saves money in local ATM fees but also fees from my U.S. bank to do larger transactions instead of many smaller ones so I always withdraw the maximum transaction limit whether I need that much or not at the moment. I've looked into other ways of transferring money here and the U.S. bank transaction fees (from my bank at least) on transfers are higher than the multiple ATM fees added together for the amounts I need to transfer each month.

[lindosfan1]

I use Lloyds TSB. You can no do international transfers to virtually any country in the world if you use internet banking. The cost is half of the normal transfer charge. You can then draw from your Thai bank. Probably a cheaper and better way of doing it.

[hhfarang]

^ I assume to do that you have to have an account at Lloyds. I've tried to open accounts at several international banks from here and always ran into some stumbling block during the application. Did you open the Lloyds account from here on in England?

Also, my pension can only be deposited in a U.S. bank, (however one qualifies to be that). I've been researching to see if it could be deposited in Bangkok Bank as evidently they have a branch in New York. I even tried Citibank as they are the one true international U.S. bank but their transfer and ATM charges were higher than the one I use now.

I think the issues and charges for moving money from the U.S. are more complicated that from the U.K., especially since 9/11.

[lindosfan1]

I opened my account in the UK. This has only just become available and should, or will be from any bank that runs internet accounts.

[STEVE G]

Have you tried to use your card over the counter in a Thai bank HH?
I believe that some banks allow you to take more that way than from the ATM. I've done it before when ATM's have been off-line but I don't know the limits.

[hhfarang]

^ No, I haven't tried that and didn't even realize you could do that with an ATM card. I have done it in the past with a credit card.

I'll have to check that out and see what the limits are and if the fees are different than using the machine.

[STEVE G]

Incidentally, Citibank seem to allow international online tranfers:

Need to wire money in the U.S. or internationally? You don't have to visit a Financial Center. You can send a wire transfer right from Citibank® Online.
https://online.citibank.com/US/JRS/pand ... eTransfers

It might be that the rules have changed as it used to be impossible from the UK until recently as well.