Money, ATMs, and PromptPay
Thailand is a cash-and-card country, not a foreign-phone QR country. Withdraw baht in large, rare hits at a bank ATM. Decline the machine converting to your home currency. PromptPay is for Thai bank accounts.
Use cash plus card, not foreign-phone PromptPay. Cards work in malls, hotels, and Grab. Cash still runs national parks, many longtails, ordinary SRT windows, and the noodle stall that does not own a reader. Super-Rich and a bank booth beat an airport counter for notes. ATMs beat both if your home card refunds fees.
Thai ATMs charge a flat operator fee on foreign cards, on top of whatever your bank adds. Krungsri's schedule effective 2026 lists 250 THB for a foreign Visa and 350 THB for a foreign Mastercard. Kasikorn and SCB have published the same split. The screen shows the number before you confirm. Believe the screen, not a 220 THB blog from 2023.
How to take cash out
| Move | Why | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Use a bank ATM (Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn, SCB, Krungsri, Krungthai) | Machines in 7-Eleven can fail or skim more often | Daily limits often 20,000 to 30,000 THB. The fee is flat, so hit the ceiling. |
| Choose Thai baht, refuse the ATM conversion | Dynamic currency conversion is the quiet extra cut | The "convenient" USD or EUR total is the trap. |
| Ignore AEON advice | That 150 THB network closed in February and March 2024 | Old island blogs still recommend it. |
| Test the card at home | Some issuers block the first Thai authorisation | A taxi rank is a bad place to open an authenticator. |
PromptPay and QR
PromptPay is the Bank of Thailand system that links a Thai ID or mobile number to a Thai bank account. The QR on the stall is that system. Wise and Revolut cards do not become PromptPay because you landed. Some ASEAN and Greater China apps can scan Thai QR under cross-border schemes. If your bank is in Europe, the US, or Australia, assume they cannot.
Tourist prepaid wallets exist. For a two-week trip, one large ATM withdrawal and a card for hotels is less theatre. Hotels and Trip.com stays take cards. Cheow Lan, Erawan, and Fine Arts booths want notes.
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Common questions
- How much cash on day one?
- Enough for two park tickets, a longtail, and dinner that refuses a card. For most people that is 3,000 to 5,000 THB after the first ATM hit, not a mattress stash.
- Does Wise avoid the Thai ATM fee?
- No. The Thai operator fee still prints on the screen. Wise also publishes region-specific ATM rules. Read your own app. Some Wise cards cannot withdraw at Thai ATMs at all.
- Can you live on PromptPay for two weeks?
- Not from a typical US or EU bank app. Carry a card and cash.