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Which ATM's give out the most cash?


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I have often wondered... to get an ATM card back from a hungry machine, by chatting to the lovely ladies inside, are you required to prove identity or anything? I actually have an ATM card where my name is not on the card... it works, I just keep using it.

 

This is entirely hearsay, I've never had a machine eat my card (knock on wood) but they ask you for some sort of ID. AGAIN, though, the emphasis is on common sense. If you did *not* just lose your ATM card in the machine, you'd be taking one hell of a chance to come in and claim you did -- and especially a foreigner, asking for a card with a foreigner's name on it. But more common sense - even if you got the ATM card of the last guy who lost his ATM card and did *not* walk in to try to reclaim it, how useful would it be? It's right up there with counterfeiting 10-baht banknotes - a huge amount of work, plus a large risk, for almost no gain. Without the pin, most ATM cards are useful for springing trashy doorlocks, not much else. You could rush home, try to make an online purchase before the guy cancels his card, but what a lot of work for that unlikely chance.

 

So the bank will give up the card *fairly* quickly, but wants some sort of ID, that's what I hear.

 

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This is entirely hearsay, I've never had a machine eat my card (knock on wood) but they ask you for some sort of ID. AGAIN, though, the emphasis is on common sense. If you did *not* just lose your ATM card in the machine, you'd be taking one hell of a chance to come in and claim you did -- and especially a foreigner, asking for a card with a foreigner's name on it. But more common sense - even if you got the ATM card of the last guy who lost his ATM card and did *not* walk in to try to reclaim it, how useful would it be? It's right up there with counterfeiting 10-baht banknotes - a huge amount of work, plus a large risk, for almost no gain. Without the pin, most ATM cards are useful for springing trashy doorlocks, not much else. You could rush home, try to make an online purchase before the guy cancels his card, but what a lot of work for that unlikely chance.

 

So the bank will give up the card *fairly* quickly, but wants some sort of ID, that's what I hear.

 

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I have had this happen 3 times so far since I have lived here, and didnt get my card back from any of them.

 

First they require your passport.. no problem there. BUt they (or at least the 2 banks I had issues with - 2 cards from 1 and 1 from the other) not only required that the signature on the card be there, they required that they be able to read it and that it matched the name on the card as well as the passport. On my first card the signature had worn off - was gone... the second and third times the signature was there, but nobody can read my signature - its a bit of a scrawl, and they said since they could not read it they could not return my card, even tho the name on it was the same as on my passport... er well one one of them it was, the other was a business card with my business name.

 

In short, do not expect to get the card back. In all cases I requested that the card be physically destroyed, which they did. Takes 3+ weeks to get a new card :(

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In short, do not expect to get the card back. In all cases I requested that the card be physically destroyed, which they did. Takes 3+ weeks to get a new card

 

Frosty, think about switching banks, and not just because they are effing with you over eaten cards. It takes me about 5 minutes to get an ATM card at Bangkok Bank.

 

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What the foregoing does tell you is that even if you have to go back to your room and get your passport, at least you have a chance of getting your card back if its outside a bank whereas you might never track it down if its a random machine. Anyone staying at the North end of Patts might like to remember that there are fully operating banks with ATMs on the first floor of Big C on Second Road.

 

As a matter of interest has anyone tried to withdraw cash using the in-branch facilities. I havent in LOS but if I need a reasonable amount of cash in my homeland I always take it to the counter and use the counter machine and advise them how I want the funds.

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As a matter of interest has anyone tried to withdraw cash using the in-branch facilities. I havent in LOS but if I need a reasonable amount of cash in my homeland I always take it to the counter and use the counter machine and advise them how I want the funds.

 

Pretty well everyone does this in Thailand. Go in a bank, about half the people there are doing this. In Thailand, the ATM is still more of an emergency machine than a real-life "teller". A *lot* of deals are still done in Thailand with cold, hard cash rather than cheques or plastic.

 

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Pretty well everyone does this in Thailand. Go in a bank, about half the people there are doing this. In Thailand, the ATM is still more of an emergency machine than a real-life "teller". A *lot* of deals are still done in Thailand with cold, hard cash rather than cheques or plastic.

 

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Thanks Joe. After that answer I would have to be pissed or mad to use a random machine on the street. I do after all have an in room safe in all the places I stay at so should be able to manage things.

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Frosty, think about switching banks, and not just because they are effing with you over eaten cards. It takes me about 5 minutes to get an ATM card at Bangkok Bank.

 

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Well when I asked the eaten card question I specifically meant a foreign card, so I could wait 3 weeks too. Seriously I have 2 cards that could present problems. One doesn't have my name on it at all, another, they have mis-spelt it.... and I never have my passport with me.
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Well when I asked the eaten card question I specifically meant a foreign card, so I could wait 3 weeks too. Seriously I have 2 cards that could present problems. One doesn't have my name on it at all, another, they have mis-spelt it.... and I never have my passport with me.

 

Oh, sure, foreign yes. If that's what Frosty meant, then sure, definitely.

 

But IMO - If you live in Thailand, you shouldn't be using a foreign card in kerbside Pattaya ATMs. I do my transfers inside the bank. I do almost all transactions inside the bank. By "inside the bank" I *might* use their machines in there there to update my bank book, make a deposit -- the machines that are locked up every night at 7pm or whatever. If it's really busy, long lines, I might use the ATM. But I'm using my Thai card for all of this.

 

If it's 11pm and I suddenly need some cash, I go to the ATM in a mall (usually) or the 24-hour bank lobby - and use my Thai card to get some cash - and even then I still hope I'm not in Pattaya at the time.

 

Again, this is people living in Thailand or very frequent visitors who have a Thai bank account.

 

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Oh, sure, foreign yes. If that's what Frosty meant, then sure, definitely.

 

But IMO - If you live in Thailand, you shouldn't be using a foreign card in kerbside Pattaya ATMs. I do my transfers inside the bank. I do almost all transactions inside the bank. By "inside the bank" I *might* use their machines in there there to update my bank book, make a deposit -- the machines that are locked up every night at 7pm or whatever. If it's really busy, long lines, I might use the ATM. But I'm using my Thai card for all of this.

 

If it's 11pm and I suddenly need some cash, I go to the ATM in a mall (usually) or the 24-hour bank lobby - and use my Thai card to get some cash - and even then I still hope I'm not in Pattaya at the time.

 

Again, this is people living in Thailand or very frequent visitors who have a Thai bank account.

 

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I recall the Bangkok Bank in Pattaya doesn't have any ATM machines inside (soi 6).... in there there is a passbook update M/C and another for depositing money.

I use my foreign card sometimes as that is where I want the money to come from.... and being a bit tight I am restricted to Aeon machines. In Pattaya the one in the Mall always seems to be offline.... and I do go to BigC South often.... hence I am at the Aeon machine in front of Homeworks. I would be struggling to get back my card in the event of problems as there obviously is no bank there, and my card doesn't have my name on it! Perhaps I should just arrange for money to be sent over periodically and restrict myself to the BB card.

 

Fortunately I do plan better than to need to make a withdrawal at 11pm... or my lifestyle is somewhat different.

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I use Siam Commercial Bank. I used another bank's ATM and it ate my card. I didn't bother to try to get it back. I went to my bank branch, cancelled the card, got a new card with a new password. I think the bank fee was 200 baht. Quick and easy.

 

All the ATM machines I use have a limit of 20 bills. That is 20,000 baht. If I need more than that. I make a normal withdrawal from my account. I don't like to carry that much on my person anyways.

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Perhaps I should just arrange for money to be sent over periodically and restrict myself to the BB card.

 

Whatever, the specifics are a different topic. But my point was that I don't personally think it's wise to be sticking foreign cards in where they don't really belong, heh. I was thinking a bit about this exchange, and I really can't remember the last time I used a foreign card in Thailand. I "ship" money by transfer, yep, or on occasion carry it.

 

I have used my Thai cards in foreign ATMs though, come to think of it. But there's just something off-putting about doing the reverse except in the most dire circumstances, which I seldom have.

 

Fortunately I do plan better than to need to make a withdrawal at 11pm... or my lifestyle is somewhat different.

 

Oh, once in a while there's a family emergency or whatnot. Seldom, but yeah, I think based on what I "know" about you from this forum, you are one heck of a better planner.

 

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Oh, once in a while there's a family emergency or whatnot. Seldom, but yeah, I think based on what I "know" about you from this forum, you are one heck of a better planner.

 

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Hardly.....if I happen to be in town around 11pm for sure the cards have already been left 'at home'..... or maybe that does make me aware of my limitations!
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