Money in Thailand: A Tourist Guide to ATMs, Cards and Exchange
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Thailand is one of the most visited countries in the world and a common first-time destination for backpackers in Southeast Asia.
Whether a first-timer or a seasoned Thailand traveler, I am sure you will find my top tips, based on firsthand experience, about money in Thailand, extremely useful.
I’ve put together everything I know about ATMs, exchanging money, and using your card in Thailand to help you save some cash and feel like you’ve beaten the system of omnipresent fees.
| Best foreign currency to bring | USD, Euro, GBP, etc. |
| Where to exchange? | SuperRich exchange bureaus |
| ATMs without a fee | None. All charge a 250/350 THB fee. |
| Can you withdraw USD directly? | No |
| Can you use Revolut and Wise? | Yes! |
| Cash or card? | Mostly cash |
This is everything you need to know about money in Thailand as a tourist!
Currency in Thailand
The currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht with code THB.
Owing to the huge number of foreign visitors, the Thai Baht is one of the most traded currencies in the world. Yeah, it’s not as widely used as the US dollar or the Euro, but go to any Southeast Asian country with Baht and you will have no problems.
Thailand’s Decimal Day came almost a century before the one in the UK. Ever since 1897, the currency in Thailand (or Siam until 1939) has been conveniently divisible by 100.
One Baht equals 100 satang, at least in principle. In practice, satangs are very rarely used due to their low value. You may come across 25 satang and 50 satang coins, in which case, keep them as a souvenir – you won’t manage to buy a lot with them (~0.007 and 0.014 USD respectively).
Thai Baht coins are in denominations of 1, 2, 5, and 10. A new 20 Baht coin is planned but has not been released yet.
The banknote denominations are 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1000. The largest banknote, 1000 THB, is worth around 28 USD, so you won’t have to carry a large stack of cash like in neighboring Laos or Indonesia.
Can you use your card in Thailand?
Yes, you can use your foreign card to pay at most places in Thailand.
Foreign card payments are becoming quite common in big cities. Hotels, restaurants, convenience stores (7-Eleven requires a minimum of 200 THB to pay by card), supermarkets, and even local tour operators will accept payments by card.
Some may charge you a 2% to 5% commission, but it’s not very common.
Cash is king for smaller supermarkets, traditional open-air markets, family-run guesthouses, and most businesses in smaller towns.
Nearly everyone also accepts payment by QR code. However, obtaining the means to pay via QR code yourself is rather troublesome (unless you are a permanent resident), so I will not cover it. Just stick to cash.
ATMs in Thailand
ATMs are everywhere in the cities of Thailand. Behind every corner, inside convenience stores and malls, at gas stations, and in all airports.
You will have no problems finding an ATM almost anywhere you go in the country, mountains, or islands.
Visas and Mastercards have universal acceptance by ATMs. Other card types are also accepted on most ATMs.
The maximum withdrawal amount on ATMs is between 10.000 THB and 30.000 THB.
It’s most often 20.000 THB, but you can withdraw 25.000 THB from a Bangkok Bank ATM and even up to 30.000 THB from a Krungsri Bank ATM (Bank of Ayudhya).
A single withdrawal of 20.000 THB (~550 USD) can last you 2 weeks or more in Thailand. This, paired with the high withdrawal fees, is why you should withdraw the maximum every time (unless you have just a few days left in Thailand).
Withdrawal Fees
Here comes the tricky part – avoiding those annoying ATM withdrawal fees. I’m not talking about the fees you get charged by your bank – those you can avoid by using a FinTech solution like Revolut, Wise, Curve, or Monese.
All ATMs in Thailand charge a withdrawal fee between 250 and 350 THB (8-11 USD). Ouch!
The fee depends on the card you use: Visa gets charged 250 THB, while Mastercard gets charged 350 THB.
The banks in Thailand are a greedy cartel. I mean it – The Thai Bankers Association sets the mandatory fee for using a foreign card on all ATMs inside Thailand. In other words, the banks conspire to set the same fees – that’s the definition of a cartel.
They’ve increased fees from 150 to 200 to 220, to 250, and now charge up to 350 for withdrawals. It’s an absolutely ridiculous amount. Some Thai people earn as little as that PER DAY.
Never accept automatic currency conversion if offered by the ATM. Always let your own bank do the exchange at a better rate.
Best ATM to use as a foreigner in Thailand
There are no ATMs without withdrawal fees in Thailand.
If you want to use an ATM, it will cost you 250 THB (for a Visa) or 350 THB (for a Mastercard). That’s why you should strive to minimize your ATM withdrawals by taking out as much as possible, in one use.
You can withdraw a maximum of 30.000 THB at a Krungsri Bank ATM (also known as Bank of Ayudhya) and pay 250 THB (for Visa cards), which is 0.83% – one of the lowest fees in percentage you can get in Thailand. This is around 930 USD and may last you a whole month or more!
Mastercards simply pay more (350 THB per withdrawal). Regardless of the card you use, Krungsri remains the best bank in Thailand for foreigners.
Can you withdraw money in Thailand without paying fees?
Paying 250/350 THB every time you withdraw from an ATM can add up to a lot of money. Is there a way to avoid paying these fees? Well, kinda, but actually no.
For years, withdrawing cash directly over the counter at a Thai bank was a way to circumvent the fee. However, banks have since mostly cracked down on this. It is theoretically possible, but to be honest, not worth the time and effort.
At least on paper, you have to request a cash advance inside the bank. Request from an employee to “withdraw” money with your card. In a perfect world, they will bring out “the machine”, use it to charge your card, and give you the cash.
I tried multiple times – it was mostly for the experiment. Well, the results are below:
- The first bank I tried was a medium-sized branch of Bangkok Bank. They said they couldn’t do it.
- Second, I tried another Bangkok Bank. The employee checked my passport against my card, only to then check with his colleague and find out they don’t have “the machine”.
- Third, I tried a Krungsri Bank branch. The transaction failed 3 times in a row. I have no failed transactions in my bank statement, so that’s a fault on their side.
- Fourth, I tried a branch of Krungthai Bank. They directed me to the ATM, saying they didn’t have “the machine”.
- Finally, I managed to get money over the counter at Siam Commercial Bank. Unfortunately, they still charged me 200 THB and didn’t even confirm I was okay with this charge before proceeding. Well, I wasn’t, but it was too late, as these transactions are not reversible. Still better than the regular ATM fee, though.
- A month later, I tried at Bangkok Bank again. The employee assured me that there would not be a fee for that. However, my card was rejected by the machine.
- Then I tried SCB and Krungthai Bank next door, but both said it was not possible to withdraw over the counter, instead directing me to the ATM outside.
All in all, withdrawing over the counter is troublesome, time-consuming, and won’t necessarily even save you any money in fees.
I know of people who’ve successfully done it fee-free, but in general, it seems to be a difficult task and not worth the hassle.
Exchanging Money in Thailand
With ATM access fees being so large, it makes sense to bring hard cash into Thailand and exchange it for Thai Baht inside the country.
The best place to exchange foreign currency in Thailand is any exchange bureau office of Superrich, where the margin for the most popular currencies like USD, Euro, and GBP is as low as 0.25%!
There are two types of Superrich – exchange at the green ones because they offer better rates than the orange ones.
Don’t exchange money in your own country – this is a surefire way to get the worst possible rate. Always change your foreign currency to Thai Baht inside Thailand.
Never exchange in the airside area of an airport. The rates are horrible.
For Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), wait until you go through Immigration, then go towards the train station, and you will see 3 different exchange bureaus with identical rates. The rates are among the best in the city.
In Bangkok, all malls have exchange bureaus near the entrance. Banks are easy to come by, too.
In tourist spots like Pattaya or Phuket, there are small exchange desks every 200 meters or so on the main strips. The rates are acceptable, but never better than in Bangkok.
What currency to bring
Owing to Thailand’s globalization and being incredibly well-connected to the rest of the world, you can bring any of the big currencies to exchange in Thailand.
You will have no issues exchanging:
- U.S. Dollar
- Euro
- British Pound
- Australian Dollar
- New Zealand Dollar
- Canadian Dollar
- Japanese Yen
- Russian Rouble
- Malaysian Ringgit
- Indian Rupee
- Chinese Yuan
- Swiss Franc
- Singaporean Dollar
- Korean Won
…and the list goes on.
The currencies with the smallest margins are the USD and the Euro.
Higher denominations yield better rates.
For USD, the 50/100 rate is sometimes more than 1% better than the rate for 5/10/20.
For EUR, it’s less common to have different rates. I once saw a negligible rate difference between the yield of a 100 EUR vs a 50 EUR note. Most places treat all EUR banknotes the same, though.
How much cash to bring to Thailand?
This depends on your way of traveling and your budget. You can use your card, so there is no need to go overboard with the physical cash you bring.
Even with the high withdrawal fees, it may save you money to withdraw instead of exchanging, especially if you come from a country with a weaker currency and have to exchange twice.
On the other hand, money exchanges in Thailand (especially SuperRich) have one of the smallest margins I’ve seen in all my travels. So if your currency is a strong global one to begin with, you may as well bring a few hundred of it to cover your expenses.
When I first went to Thailand, I withdrew money using an AEON ATM (back when they existed, they were the only ones to charge “just” 150 THB fee) and exchanged a few hundred USD.
On consequent visits, I try to bring enough USD/EUR to avoid using the ATMs at all. If I have to, I use Krungsri and withdraw 30.000 THB in one go. This lasts me about a month.
Example prices
These are actual price ranges from 2026. 100 THB is around 3.1 USD or 2.6 euros. All prices below are in Thai Baht.
- Street food meal: 40-100 THB
- 1-hour full-body massage: 200-400 THB
- Budget hostel: 250 – 500 THB
- Guesthouses: 350 – 700 THB
- Mid-range hotels: 600 – 1000 THB
- Half-day group tour: 1000-2500 THB
- Public transport in Bangkok: 10-50 THB
- Bangkok to Chiang Mai train, 2nd class: ~650 THB
- Overland bus travel – ~75 THB per 100 km
- Travel Insurance from SafetyWing (covers you in Thailand): ~2 USD per day.
Bargaining
Bargaining is a part of daily life in Thailand. Especially if you’re a foreigner.
The first price you hear will usually be double the actual price. With some playful bargaining, you can expect to pay 30-40% less than what you were initially quoted.
Don’t bargain at street food stalls where the prices are already 40-70 THB per meal.
Bargain harder at markets frequented by more tourists.
Tipping
Tipping is not mandatory in Thailand. Thai people don’t tip
However, tipping is very much appreciated and will bring about a few smiles or a ‘wai’ gesture your way.
Tip 10% in restaurants, round up the bill in taxis, 20-50 THB per round of drinks in the bar, and 10-20% for the masseuse after the massage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s answer some of your most burning questions about money in Thailand.
What is the ATM withdrawal limit in Thailand?
ATMs have a withdrawal limit between 10.000 and 30.000 THB (310-930 USD).
Krungsri allows you to withdraw up to 30.000 THB in one go.
Can you use US dollars in Thailand?
You can use US dollars to pay for SOME things in Thailand. It’s incredibly rare, though.
But why would you want to pay in USD anyway? You will get a horrible rate.
The official currency is the Thai Baht – use it for all purchases in Thailand.
Can you use Revolut in Thailand?
Yes, Revolut works in Thailand. Both VISA and Mastercard work. You can withdraw from ATMs and pay at POS terminals with your Revolut card.
Similar fintech apps like Wise, Monese, Curve, N26, and Starling also work there.
If you are going to other Southeast Asian countries, you may want to read my money guides for them too: