Credit Card from a Thai bank

[deepdown]

I have a Multi O Visa and was wondering if it possible to get a Credit Card from any of the Thai Banks,even prepaid would be okay ,as long as it could be used online for Booking flights ,Hotels etc ?

[musungu]

I have a Multi O Visa and was wondering if it possible to get a Credit Card from any of the Thai Banks,even prepaid would be okay ,as long as it could be used online for Booking flights ,Hotels etc ?

Unless you are working in Thailand with a regular imcome and work permit a credit card is nearly impossible to get - so why not get one issued from your home country ?

[Ratsima]

If you have an account with Kasikorn you can get an online payment account. This works like a debit card, but you get all the numbers you need (credit card number, verification code and expiration date) to make online purchases. But, there is no physical card.

I've used it with no problems for online purchases, but I don't know how well it would work for an airline ticket purchase if the airline wants to see the actual card when you check in.

[buksida]

The above is good advice, I have one of these as I was refused a credit card (even with a work permit and regular income).

[Dannie Boy]

Assuming you have a Thai wife, can you get a credit card in joint names?

[fft100]

re. getting a card in the wifes name.

she would need to show her income (i.e. how much you transfer to her *every* month if she is not working), and assuming they said yes, the credit limit may not be as much as you would like. The guidance for credit limits doesn't appear to be much different than a European bank would use, - so the longer she has been a customer the better and the more she spends (!) - so don't think they will just assume you are good for anything and give you a high limit immediately. being realistic it will be less than 1 months income.

[hhinner]

It's possible to get a credit card in another way. Neither my wife nor I are working (in our 60s). We have a normal savings account in the wife's name at Bank of Ayudhya. We asked at the bank and found it was possible for her to get a credit card based on a "reserved" amount of money in the savings account. In our case we opted for a credit limit of 90,000 baht, and the bank placed a hold on 100,000 baht in the account. No need for any other collateral - we just can't access that 100,000 baht (other than through the card). Card repayments are deducted automatically when due, which is actually quite convenient. Of course, you need to have more money in the account to ensure that after repayments there's enough to keep the reserve at the correct level.

We did this primarily because we couldn't buy airline tickets on-line using a Kasikorn virtual card.

I think that if someone has a work permit and regular income they can shop around and find a bank that will accommodate them (or maybe even a store based card such as Tesco or Homepro?). There's usually a solution. In Australia as a 457 visitor I couldn't get a credit card, or even a Visa debit card. Eventually I got a refillable prepaid Mastercard from Woolworths which I was (and still am) able to use for anything a normal credit card was needed for (e.g. car hire).

Hope this helps.

[HHTel]

I've used my BE1st card from Bangkok Bank to purchase online. It's primarily an ATM card but has the VISA symbol and can be used as such. The first time I used it online, I was redirected to the Bangkok Bank website to get it approved for internet transactions. Since then, I've been able to use it with no problem. I haven't used it for major purchases like airline tickets so not sure if there is a limit on the purchasing power.

[Bristolian]

I've used my BE1st card from Bangkok Bank to purchase online. It's primarily an ATM card but has the VISA symbol and can be used as such. The first time I used it online, I was redirected to the Bangkok Bank website to get it approved for internet transactions. Since then, I've been able to use it with no problem. I haven't used it for major purchases like airline tickets so not sure if there is a limit on the purchasing power.

I also use my BE1st card from Bangkok Bank. The only problem is the limit is daily and not monthly. I need to transfer a sizable sum every month on a single day and therein is the problem. I needed to have this large sum set as my daily allowance, which can be used for cash withdrawals, transfers or for Visa payments. You can leave yourself very exposed if your card is skimmed and need to really take care.

[Ratsima]

We did this primarily because we couldn't buy airline tickets on-line using a Kasikorn virtual card.

I'm curious. Did you try and it didn't work, or did you avoid trying because you knew you'd have no physical card to show at checkin?

I had quite an adventure with EVA Airlines and their credit card policy which resulted in my getting a free round trip from Bangkok to LA. It's a very long story.

[blue05]

re K bank it is very easy, yes they have the virtual cards if you have the online account.

However your physical ATM card can be upgraded for internet use, just insert the card at a k bank atm and follow instructions it takes about 30 seconds and you can use the card straight away for anything you want. As long as you have the funds in the account there is no limit. Have booked many flights and hotels/agoda with this

[Big Boy]

re K bank it is very easy, yes they have the virtual cards if you have the online account.

However your physical ATM card can be upgraded for internet use, just insert the card at a k bank atm and follow instructions it takes about 30 seconds and you can use the card straight away for anything you want. As long as you have the funds in the account there is no limit. Have booked many flights and hotels/agoda with this

You've got me wondering now - I've never done that because nobody ever told me about it. I'm assuming that would be a necessity if I wanted to use the card for PayPAL.

[blue05]

re K bank it is very easy, yes they have the virtual cards if you have the online account.

However your physical ATM card can be upgraded for internet use, just insert the card at a k bank atm and follow instructions it takes about 30 seconds and you can use the card straight away for anything you want. As long as you have the funds in the account there is no limit. Have booked many flights and hotels/agoda with this

You've got me wondering now - I've never done that because nobody ever told me about it. I'm assuming that would be a necessity if I wanted to use the card for PayPAL.

very easy for paypal and the 4 digit code is sent by text to you by kbank within about 30 seconds so it is a fully verified account almost straight away

[buksida]

You've got me wondering now - I've never done that because nobody ever told me about it. I'm assuming that would be a necessity if I wanted to use the card for PayPAL.

Yes, as mentioned in the Paypal thread you can use the K-bank web card to setup the Paypal account. You can also use it to book and pay for flights.

[Big Boy]

I agree that it was mentioned, but I'd never picked up on the requirement to work 30 seconds of magic at an ATM first.