Can I Get A Thailand PayPal Account?
Posted in Thailand
A guy named Kevin has written a great post on how to set up a PayPal Thailand Account on his blog. If you’re just staying in Thailand temporarily, it’s hit or miss whether you’ll be allowed to open a bank account as the law requires a work permit (while some bank staff reportedly aren’t very strict on the issue). Still, as the PayPal Thailand setup guide there indicates, the best bank to go for is Kasikorn Bank (it’s the green one). The rest of the instructions are explained at the site.
What does this have to do with backpacking? Well, if you’re planning on “backpacking” in Thailand for months on end, there’s sometimes or even often a need to move money around cheaply. With the new THB 150 fees on international ATM withdrawals, combined with already steep charges in many countries for withdrawing overseas to begin with, you can be looking at $10 to withdraw cash from an ATM in Thailand. It’s usually much cheaper to send the money over from a US account (or from your parents) using PayPal and then pull it out from your Thai account with no ATM fee.
