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Hotel Safes, cash machines, Thai Bank account


Nightcrawler

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How much do you trust hotel Safes? 

I have never lost any cash in Thailand and usually keep a few grand in cash in one of those standard hotel room Safes. That said, I have never felt 100% confident as there are bound to be a couple of Master keys about and we  generally just change the code when checking in a room. 

So all my money is in a, safe and 8n the event of theft maybe not a great deal of chance of getting it back, not to mention Passport and travel documents, although e tickets are sent by email. 

I always carry a couple of bank cards but the exchange rate has never bee. As good as exchanging cash at a local booth. 

Had a Thai Bank account many years ago in Phuket which I emptied and no longer have the details of card etc so have never used it since

How do you keep your money  safe when on holiday? 

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I use the hotel room safes.

Only time I lost money from a safe was one which was behind the counter in a hotel on Patong beach back in 1984.The hotel refunded me 50% although to be fair I didn't lose a great deal.

In the early 80's in Pattaya I used to use a safety deposit box in a bank but got caught out by one of the many Thai bank holidays when I was supposed to be travelling back to work & everything I needed was locked away.

I've had an account with Bangkok Bank in Korat for a while now but I always forget the pin so have to get to Korat to reset it.I like to have a few days in Bangkok before going anywhere so have to take some cash with me.

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I now have a Thai Bank account , I was only on a 30 day tourist visa but used an agency to assist with the process 

On former long trips I brought cash , but I also had a small mini safe to keep in the hotel safe as extra security 

6E977D0D-FC08-4AE3-A6E5-011159D7D5FB.jpeg

 

when I was travelling with a laptop and lots of expensive camera equipment, I brought along a pacsafe just in case the hotel ones were too small 

18C32731-35EA-4A75-A542-918D75B6A901.jpeg

 

I've never had an issue with anything being taken from my room when traveling, but get wary if I see any staff members walking around with a King Edward.... 😉 

 

 

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21 minutes ago, Stillearly said:

I now have a Thai Bank account , I was only on a 30 day tourist visa but used an agency to assist with the process 

On former long trips I brought cash , but I also had a small mini safe to keep in the hotel safe as extra security 

6E977D0D-FC08-4AE3-A6E5-011159D7D5FB.jpeg

 

when I was travelling with a laptop and lots of expensive camera equipment, I brought along a pacsafe just in case the hotel ones were too small 

18C32731-35EA-4A75-A542-918D75B6A901.jpeg

 

I've never had an issue with anything being taken from my room when traveling, but get wary if I see any staff members walking around with a King Edward.... 😉 

 

 

I like this "safe-within-a-safe" idea, good idea for documents and phones, etc... I've used hotel safes everywhere and have never had any problems with theft but there is always a first time....I have a Kasikorn account that I opened almost ten years ago when all you needed to do so was a hotel card and I generally don't keep a lot of cash in the hotel safes; my laptop is an 11" MacAir that fits in most hotel/condo safes I've had. 

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I would never trust a room safe, nor the safes that are sometimes provided behind the receptionist counter. Instead I always travel with and use a Pacsafe. Bought this one five years ago and it's held up great. Carry a length of cable that I use to secure it to whatever I find in the room that can't be moved.

Venturesafe_25L_GII_60300_1140x487_V2-01.png

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6 minutes ago, forcebwithu said:

I would never trust a room safe, nor the safes that are sometimes provided behind the receptionist counter. Instead I always travel with and use a Pacsafe. Bought this one five years ago and it's held up great. Carry a length of cable that I use to secure it to whatever I find in the room that can't be moved.

Venturesafe_25L_GII_60300_1140x487_V2-01.png

Looks good. How much would one of these cost? 

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5 minutes ago, Nightcrawler said:

Looks good. How much would one of these cost? 

Amazon has the pack listed for $99.15 USD (link). Perfect size for carrying a laptop and other odds and ends.

Edited to add: Here's a link to the cable I bought at the same time I purchased the pack.

Edited by forcebwithu
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Remember tcs,used to take half in tcs half in cash ! Luckily never had a problem with hotel safes,would still use them tho i got my kasikorn account,banks hmm dont like to have to much in them,i dread thinking about the retirement visa option and leaving all that cash in a thai bank,its a pity they would not accept uk bank accounts to show this cash id have the visa now if they did.

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57 minutes ago, Phantom51red said:

Remember tcs,used to take half in tcs half in cash ! Luckily never had a problem with hotel safes,would still use them tho i got my kasikorn account,banks hmm dont like to have to much in them,i dread thinking about the retirement visa option and leaving all that cash in a thai bank,its a pity they would not accept uk bank accounts to show this cash id have the visa now if they did.

I used to feel the same way about Thai banks. So much so that when I first moved here I kept most of my living expenses in a safe in my room. Now after 10 years of never having a problem with any of the three Thai banks I deal with (BKK, K, & SCB) I have no qualms about keeping my cash in any of these Thai banks.

As for the extension to stay, I deal with an agent for that. Main reason is I usually can make more in investment income on the 800k than what the agent fee (12,500B) costs me. Another is it eliminates the time and potential hassle of dealing with immigration directly.

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I have had a Bkk Bank account now for near on 18 years and never had a problem with them....in fact I would say I have had better service from them than any of the Australian banks I have dealt with for over 50 years or so.

As I live in LOS...when I do travel I usually do not take a large amount of cash...usually carry enough for three days or so... but on those occasions have no problem using the hotel safe ....as to date...touch wood... have not had a problem.

cheers

 

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As somebody reponsible for amongst other things the running of a hotel in Pattaya the room safes were nothing but trouble for me.

Give the customers a room safe and what do they do?

1. Put all their valuables on top of the safe, not inside it.

2. Leave the safe door wide open with all their valuables inside.

3. Come back pissed at 03:00am, put all their valuables in the safe and forget the combination they used.

4. Come back pissed at 03:00am with some girl they picked up and left the safe door open. This was the source of most room thefts. More than once, the customer was on his first night in Pattaya.

It became so common for a room cleaner to find a safe door left open that it became necessary for a cleaner to be accompanied by another member of staff when first entering a room. This was to protect the cleaner who was always the first person suspect when thefts occured from rooms. In such circumstances the room was locked and left uncleaned until the customer returned.

5. "Somebody has stolen 10 -20-30-50 thousand baht from my locked safe."

Hours looking at CCTV coverage;interviews; staff searches; crying cleaners; police reports; police interviews....... all for nothing in virtually every case.

"Are you sure the girl you have staying with you for the last week does not know the safe combination you used?"

"The police wish to interview your girlfriend." :default_dirol:

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2 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

I used to feel the same way about Thai banks. So much so that when I first moved here I kept most of my living expenses in a safe in my room. Now after 10 years of never having a problem with any of the three Thai banks I deal with (BKK, K, & SCB) I have no qualms about keeping my cash in any of these Thai banks.

As for the extension to stay, I deal with an agent for that. Main reason is I usually can make more in investment income on the 800k than what the agent fee (12,500B) costs me. Another is it eliminates the time and potential hassle of dealing with immigration directly.

Yes i gotta admit never had any probs with k bank.

Sounds like a plan regarding the agent,makes sense certainly if interest or investments is more than the fee,i think i might look into this,tho i might go back offshore before years end but its something to keep in mind using an agent tit eh,cheers.

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I opened a Kasikornbank account nearly 20 years ago when it was simple.  Not over concern for safety, but because you get a better rate doing a large wire transfer in than by any other method.  As I usually came for about five weeks at a time and was in two week millionaire mode the whole time, it worked out.  I had a Pacsafe for my passport, etc.  I never left cash in the room.  I've been short changed on occasion but never been robbed or had anything taken from my rooms.

Now that I live here I just do two wire transfers a year to another Kasikornbank account that doesn't have an ATM card attached, and just transfer to my other accounts as needed.  I'm also only in two week millionaire mode for a few days a few times a year on my visits to Patts.

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9 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

I would never trust a room safe, nor the safes that are sometimes provided behind the receptionist counter. Instead I always travel with and use a Pacsafe. Bought this one five years ago and it's held up great. Carry a length of cable that I use to secure it to whatever I find in the room that can't be moved.

Venturesafe_25L_GII_60300_1140x487_V2-01.png

I'm always looking at being more secure so I'll be buying one of these before my next trip.

Thanks for the info.

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I never had a problem with money disappearing from my room when in Thailand, quite the opposite. I sometimes left a bit of money for a tip in a very obvious place and upon return had to chase the room cleaner to get her to accept the tip.

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Bangkok Bank and K Bank accounts and CCs with Bangkok Bank for over 15 years and never an issue and now with the cardless ATM withdrawal can not lose or forget my card in an ATM I trust the banks here.

Regarding Hotel safes I had the access code to open safes in rooms at Secrets and had to more often than you would think. Forgotten PWs Dead Batteries Ect. If someone had to get a flight at 2 AM in the morning and they could not get into the safe to get their PP and other items well good luck getting a Safe guy out in a speedy manor at that time.

I had a customer that told me he NEVER uses the safes as others must know how to get them open. He was correct as it is needed. I told him best way for him then was to put his stuff in a rolling suitcase and take it everywhere he goes ☺️

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11 hours ago, Freee!! said:

I never had a problem with money disappearing from my room when in Thailand, quite the opposite. I sometimes left a bit of money for a tip in a very obvious place and upon return had to chase the room cleaner to get her to accept the tip.

For a while we had to put a "tip Box" in the room for customers who wished to leave a small tip for the room cleaner. Believe me they earned it if you saw how some customers behaved after returning pissed.

The reason for the instigation of the tip box was after I was called to Reception to see a customer who wished to complain about a theft of money from his room by the cleaner. The "THEFT" was the 100 baht note he had left on his room pillow when he vacated the room that morning and told Reception to have his room cleaned.

The cleaner was in tears when she learned of the complaint although I asssured her that as far as I was concerned she had done nothing wrong. Which is basically what I told the customer but somewhat more forcefully.

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5 hours ago, Yesitisdakid said:

Bangkok Bank and K Bank accounts and CCs with Bangkok Bank for over 15 years and never an issue and now with the cardless ATM withdrawal can not lose or forget my card in an ATM I trust the banks here.

Regarding Hotel safes I had the access code to open safes in rooms at Secrets and had to more often than you would think. Forgotten PWs Dead Batteries Ect. If someone had to get a flight at 2 AM in the morning and they could not get into the safe to get their PP and other items well good luck getting a Safe guy out in a speedy manor at that time.

I had a customer that told me he NEVER uses the safes as others must know how to get them open. He was correct as it is needed. I told him best way for him then was to put his stuff in a rolling suitcase and take it everywhere he goes ☺️

 

15 minutes ago, Jambo said:

For a while we had to put a "tip Box" in the room for customers who wished to leave a small tip for the room cleaner. Believe me they earned it if you saw how some customers behaved after returning pissed.

The reason for the instigation of the tip box was after I was called to Reception to see a customer who wished to complain about a theft of money from his room by the cleaner. The "THEFT" was the 100 baht note he had left on his room pillow when he vacated the room that morning and told Reception to have his room cleaned.

The cleaner was in tears when she learned of the complaint although I asssured her that as far as I was concerned she had done nothing wrong. Which is basically what I told the customer but somewhat more forcefully.

You guys must have dealt with more than a few daft situations over the years,and also had the patience of saints dealing with some difficult circumstances and customers,interesting to hear,thanks.

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1 minute ago, Phantom51red said:

 

You guys must have dealt with more than a few daft situations over the years,and also had the patience of saints dealing with some difficult circumstances and customers,interesting to hear,thanks.

I worked days - Larry nights.

Once a month I used to go to the bank and withdraw 1 million baht ( or more) in cash to pay the wages. Most of the time a Secrets car took me to and from the bank although eventually I used the motorbike on my own.

The cash had to stay in the main safe overnight and then the next morning I would sit with the two office girls as they made up the individual wages.

I had been an accountant in a previous life but never handled cash.

The first time I deposited the money in the main safe overnight I could not get it off my mind and could not sleep.

Had I locked the safe?

I ended up phoning Larry and asked him to go into the office and try the safe handle.

Larry and I have some unbelievable, but true, stories we could tell but if we start relating stories about happenings at Secrets we will get shot down by this forum's Secrets haters.

Locked - I got some sleep.

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2 hours ago, Jambo said:

Larry and I have some unbelievable, but true, stories we could tell but if we start relating stories about happenings at Secrets we will get shot down by this forum's Secrets haters.

I think the only Secrets "haters" are the jealous ones who weren't a part of a pretty good forum for most of the time, although it did go into decline a bit towards the end.

Go on, start the thread "When Larry met Jambo", if nothing else you can take the piss out of Tommy D. Don't forget the goat.

 

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25 minutes ago, fygjam said:

I think the only Secrets "haters" are the jealous ones who weren't a part of a pretty good forum for most of the time, although it did go into decline a bit towards the end.

Go on, start the thread "When Larry met Jambo", if nothing else you can take the piss out of Tommy D. Don't forget the goat.

 

Even if they can't spill the secrets secrets we could use it as a excuse to stick it to tommy

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10 hours ago, Jambo said:

For a while we had to put a "tip Box" in the room for customers who wished to leave a small tip for the room cleaner. Believe me they earned it if you saw how some customers behaved after returning pissed.

The reason for the instigation of the tip box was after I was called to Reception to see a customer who wished to complain about a theft of money from his room by the cleaner. The "THEFT" was the 100 baht note he had left on his room pillow when he vacated the room that morning and told Reception to have his room cleaned.

The cleaner was in tears when she learned of the complaint although I asssured her that as far as I was concerned she had done nothing wrong. Which is basically what I told the customer but somewhat more forcefully.

What a dickhead - I've been leaving tips for cleaners for years and I just put the bills under the pillow. I'm actually a pretty tidy guy myself but I can easily imagine some of the crap the cleaners have to put up with from others. 

In one venue I kept leaving tips like this and the money would be on the table when I returned - I had to find the manager and tell him to pass on to the cleaner that it had been left for her deliberately, she was just too honest for her own good. 

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