The official minimums on 24 September 2026: ฿20,000 for a visa-exempt arrival or tourist visa, ฿500,000 for the DTV, ฿800,000 or ฿65,000 a month for retirement, ฿3 million for the O-X, and the LTR's dollar thresholds. How long each balance must be held, and where embassies ask for more than the e-Visa site.
Thailand runs on QR payments from street stalls to hospitals. How PromptPay works, which foreign apps can scan Thai QR codes, what still needs a Thai bank account, and how to avoid being stuck with cash only.
The fee schedules of eight Thai banks on 24 September 2026 all charge ฿250 per withdrawal on a foreign Visa card and ฿350 on a foreign Mastercard, not the ฿220 many guides still quote. What that costs as a percentage, Krungthai's 5% charge if you accept conversion on screen, and the counter withdrawal that is cheaper.
Opening a Thai bank account as a foreigner depends more on the branch and your visa than on the bank. Which visas work, the documents to bring, why a tourist visa is hard, and the tricks that make a branch say yes.
On 23 September 2026 SuperRich's Ratchadamri head office paid ฿33.18 per dollar, ฿37.80 per euro and ฿44.05 per pound; Kasikornbank and Bangkok Bank posted rates 1.0–1.7% lower. What that means on £500, the SuperRich airport branch, which notes get the best rate, and why the ATM costs more than either.