Safe To Use Credit Cards In Thailand ?

Credit Card Fraud

For all intents and purposes, using a credit card in Thailand is pretty safe but everyone will have different experiences. There are some who say they'd never use one and only deal with cash and then there are others, like us who feel it's fine.

If you are coming to Thailand and intend on doing some shopping then you might want to bring travellers checks and cash them as and when you need them but if you are planning on doing more than just some casual shopping, then a credit card might be a more practical and sensible option.

Whilst there is credit card fraud in Thailand, it's probably no worse than in other countries and being a victim is not likely if you are careful.

What Are The Main Issues With Using A Credit Card In Thailand?

The main issue seems to be that if you don't notify your bank or credit card company, they could block it if you try to use it in Thailand as there are reports of credit card fraud and theft from this region. However, we feel that as long as you use your credit card in trustworthy places, you have as much chance of suffering from fraud as in your own country.

Trustworthy places will be the main shopping malls and department stores such as Central, Siam Paragon, Central World and Emporium.

Hotels and larger restaurants will also be safe but as with anywhere, it's the staff and not the establishment that can be the isse.

Travel agents should also be fine but make sure they are ATTA ( Association of Thai Travel Agents ) certified. One place we can heartily recommend is Mighty Travel which can be found at Silom Complex:

Mighty Travel International Co., Ltd.
1 st Fl., Silom Plaza, 491/18 Silom Rd., Bangrak, Bangkok 10500,Thailand.
Tel: (66 2) 236-9091 Fax: (66 2) 236 9097 e-mail: mighty@mightytravel.com

What To Avoid?

Avoid markets, small stalls in places like MBK, Pantip, Platinum Fashion Mall and othr places where there are small stalls.

We'll add that you should be careful of some tailors. Do some research first.

Using Cards At ATM Machines

There are hundreds of Cash Machines ( ATM ) around Bangkok and Thailand. Many accept credit cards and you can withdraw cash and be charged that day's exchange rate when you get your bill.

There have been a number of reports about skimming scams which is when I fasle card reader is attached to an ATM machine and your card gets scanned by an illegal scanning device. This allows the criminals to either steal your card (it doesn't come back out) or create a new one with your scanned information.

Just watch out when you put your card in a machine. Check the machine for false looking facias and odd looking machines. Having said all this though, this has made headline news in Thailand and clamp downs have been made and machines are now much safer than before.

ATM machines in department stores will probably be much less likely to have any false fronts.