Money in Thailand: ATMs, cards and cash
How to stop the ฿220 ATM fee and bad exchange rates eating your budget.
Thailand runs on cash more than most visitors expect. Street food, songthaews, markets and small guesthouses want baht. The catch: almost every Thai ATM charges foreign cards ฿220 per withdrawal, on top of whatever your own bank charges.
The ATM problem, in numbers
| Strategy | Thai ATM fees |
|---|---|
| Withdraw ฿2,000 five times | 5 × ฿220 = ฿1,100 in fees |
| Withdraw ฿10,000 once | 1 × ฿220 = ฿220 in fees |
Most machines let you take out up to about ฿30,000 at once. Fewer, bigger withdrawals are the simplest saving. Keep the cash split between your bag and a safe.
Five ways to pay less
- Use a travel card with no foreign fees. Wise and Revolut convert at or near the real exchange rate. Your own bank may add 2–3% on every purchase.
- Always pay in baht. When a card machine or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, say no. That option (dynamic currency conversion) uses a worse rate.
- Exchange cash in town, not at the airport. Counters in town usually give better rates than the airport desks. Bring clean, undamaged notes.
- Pay by card where you can. Hotels, malls, 7-Eleven and bigger restaurants take cards, which saves ATM trips.
- Carry small notes. Taxis and stalls often cannot change ฿1,000 notes. Break them at 7-Eleven.
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Tipping
Tipping is not expected at street stalls. In sit-down restaurants, leaving the coins or rounding up is normal. For a massage, ฿50–100 is a kind tip. Check whether a service charge is already on the bill in hotels and upscale places.
How much cash to carry
A backpacker spending ฿1,000 a day will use cash for most of it. One ฿10,000–20,000 withdrawal covers one to three weeks, depending on how much you can pay by card.
Questions people ask
How much is the ATM fee in Thailand?
Most Thai ATMs charge foreign cards ฿220 per withdrawal, plus any fee from your own bank.
Should I exchange money before going to Thailand?
Usually not. You get better rates in Thailand, especially at counters in town rather than at home or at the airport.
Can I use cards in Thailand?
Yes in hotels, malls, 7-Eleven and many restaurants. Street food, markets, songthaews and small guesthouses are mostly cash.
Is Wise or Revolut better for Thailand?
Both convert near the real rate. Neither can avoid the ฿220 Thai ATM fee, so make fewer, larger withdrawals and pay by card where possible.