Loose change

[lomuamart]

Does anyone know what the regulations are here with regard to changing coinage. We had collected quite a bit of it over the months and my wife counted it earlier today. OK, just 1,400 THB but she said we might as well change it. It was all correctly counted and stuck together with sticky tape as she said that's the way people want to get it.
So, she went off to a 7/11 and they refused it. Maybe not too surprising as it was mainly 1 and 2 Baht coins. Then to her bank which is Attuthaya and they were prepared to change but wanted 20 THB for every 100. Then off to Bangkok Bank who wanted 10 THB for every hundred. Over the road to Kasikorn who wanted 1 THB for every 100. She changed it there.
I'm just interested in whether the banks can actually do this. It's been a while since I did the same back in the UK but the banks were under an obligation to take the coinage and return the full amount. There was a limit over which shops didn't have to take it as legal tender though.
Can the banks do that here? Maybe someone with a business that gets a load of coinage and needs to change it could shed some light on the matter? I just wonder what the noodle stalls and songthaews do with all their small change? Lose 20% on it? I doubt it. Or maybe that's why prices are going up so rapidly

[STEVE G]

I take all mine up to the village everytime I go as the kids have no problem spending it, whatever coins it's in.
I remember in the UK that banks used to take it as long as it was counted out into the correct bags so they just had to weigh it.
Now in Europe you get machines in supermarkets where you can just pour it into a hopper and they give you a receipt to use against your groceries or cash in. They do charge something like 1.5% or so but I suppose that's reasonable for the convenience.
Most supermarkets here now have those self-service checkouts which are handy for pumping small coins into and getting rid of them for no loss but I don't know if Tescos in Thailand have got them yet.

[Nereus]

Interesting question Lomu, but I don`t know the Banks rules. If you Google it there is all sorts of answers, but the general consensus seems to be to take them to 7-11.

As for the Banks, if you have a current account at a Bank and you want to make a deposit, I cannot see how they can either refuse, or charge you, to take them.

[dtaai-maai]

Most supermarkets here now have those self-service checkouts which are handy for pumping small coins into and getting rid of them for no loss but I don't know if Tescos in Thailand have got them yet.

Not yet, Steve, they're still working up to conveyor belt check-outs...