currency

We have been told that it maybe better to buy US dollars and convert them to Thai Bhat then take travellers cheques or any other form of currency - any views on this

currency

Answer to this is no.You get a better rate in thailand by far.Why change to us dollar which you wont get a good rate over here.When you arrive at the airport you can change english money there and once you get to your destination many places to change rest of your money.To be honest again travellers cheques you will be charged commission, i would take some english currency and i use my atm card you get an even better rate with this.I also use nationwide flexie debit card,they dont charge to use this ,really is brill card to use

currency

Who told you that !

In my opinion that advice is wholly incorrect.

There is no reason in thw world to change your home currency into US$ and then change again.

Do not change any currency in your home country, you will receive a far better exchange rate in Thailand.

1%26gt; A few hundred of your home currency ( sorry not sure which country you are from ) and you can change those on arrival in Thailand or whenever.

2%26gt; Having some %26#39;old fashioned%26#39; travellers checks/cheques is still a good idea, they last for years and years so even if you do not use them this trip they are still good for future travels for years to come.

3%26gt; ATM / Cash cards - my advise is to have at least 2, preferably from %26#39;different banks/card co%26#39;s. In case any %26#39;system%26#39; is down, perhaps have 1 Visa and 1 Mastercard/ Amex etc

Tell your bank / credit card issuer you are travelling, ask ';their advice'; on cards, most good banks will glady issue extra cards where you can draw money from your home account.

I in fact use %26#39;specific cards%26#39; when I travel around against using my %26#39;main%26#39; cards that I use at home.

That way i can keep travel expenses seperate from home use/bill paying etc.

Don%26#39;t change anything to US$, change money on arrival in Thailand. Keep a mix of cash notes, t/checks and cards. When you go out and about keep 1 card in hotel safe and 1 card on you. If 2 of you travel together each have cards.

I would rather advise to take some money with you which you can exchange once you arrive at the airport or in one of the exchange booths, which can be found at many places.

You get very good rates in Thailand exchanging your money, I even think the £ is rated at 61 Baht at the moment.

Changing your money locally to dollars will give you a very bad exchange rate and you won%26#39;t get more baht out of your dollars if you do the comparison.

Never used travelers checks before so I can%26#39;t tell you anything about it.

We always take our Nationwide flex account debit cards with us(we now have one each,in case anything happens to one of them).We have used these in several countries including Thailand with no problem.There are NO charges when using this card.

We also take a credit card for paying larger sums...like hotel bills etc.

Maybe get a little sum changed to Thai baht before you go....£50 would pay for taxies and a meal when you get there

If you open an account make sure it is a FLEX account.

MARGARET

Hi;

ATM is the Best choice for getting the banht in Bangkok. Remember to notify the bank before taking off to airport.

Don%26#39;t bring baht to Bangkok , there are plenty of baht for everybody who need them here.

Just take cash - your own currency - and credit cards. Don%26#39;t bother with traveller%26#39;s cheques. they are old technology and a rip off. I haven%26#39;t used them in over 10 years of travelling - savvy travellers don%26#39;t use them anymore.

There is no need to change your money over to US dollars and then to Thai baht - just use your own money and change it in Thailand for baht. You get a better rate for changing money over if you do it in Thailand.

I use debit cards from my credit union checking account, they pay any ATM fees - even overseas. I also bring cash and travelers checks.

If you can get travelers checks without any commission bring some along. My credit union sells travelers checks without commission so it is an easy decision to pick some up. Only take the largest denomination you can get because there is a 33 baht fee to cash each one. You don%26#39;t want a lot of fees for small travelers check denominations. You can always change Thai baht back to your home currency at the airport when you leave for home.

A travelers check gives you some peace of mind and security against thievery - just remember to record the serial numbers and keep that info separate from the checks. You can record travelers check numbers in an email that you send to yourself and save. When you need that info (and any other ';need to remember'; information) just find the nearest internet shop and open that email.

A travelers check will give you a slightly better rate of exchange than cash and the 33 baht fee is cheaper than many ATM charges. With US dollars you do get a slightly better rate of exchange with $100 and $50 bills compared to smaller sizes. Not sure if this works the same with Pounds.

With any ATM withdrawal take out the maximum so you don%26#39;t have a lot of fees for small withdrawals. I never use credit cards for cheap purchases in shops and especially restaurants to cut down on the possible credit card fraud.

Good luck.