Bringing your local currency to Thailand

You will undoubtedly want to bring a lot of money to spend in Bangkok, and one of the ways is to bring your country’s currency. However, you should know that some currencies do not get as good exchange as others. The most accepted currencies are the US Dollars, GB Pounds, Euros, Australian dollars, and some others. Currencies from Malaysia or the Emirates (UAE) have a very poor exchange spread. For example, they could be selling the note to you at 11.4, but will only buy it from you at 8.5 B per unit of that currency. This is compared to say, 38.4 vs 37.4 for the US dollar.

So, for those of you who are bringing those less favorable currency, it would be advisable to exchange for some US Dollars first, and then changing it here in Bangkok. Also, note that for US dollars, it is always advisable to have larger denominations. $50 & $100 bills will get you better rates than $20, $10 or $1 bills.

When changing your currency, change them at the bank currency exchange counter in the city rather than at the airport, as you will get a better rate in the city. Just change say $50 at the airport for the taxi fare, and change the rest in the city. US$ 50 will get you about 1,500 B depending on that day’s rate. The taxi fare from the airport is approximately 300-400 B (that takes you to lower Sukhumvit Road area), but may vary depending on where you are going to in Bangkok and the traffic conditions.

In summary:

• Bring US$ (or GBP or Euros)
• Get large denominations 100s or 50s
• Exchange money in the city NOT at the airport