![]() It is also the equivalent of the cambodian baat, and burmese kyat. It is also the equivalent of the cambodian salong, and burmese pya. The smallest silver bullet coins available in the market. Solot here literally means sixteen or sixteenth, referring to the fractional amount relative to a fueang. These are listed in the following table: Unit ( RTGS)īia is Thai for cowry, the shell of which was used as a trade medium of the same value. These were pieces of solid silver cast to various weights corresponding to a traditional system of units related by simple fractions and multiples, one of which is the baht. Its currency value was originally expressed as that of silver of corresponding weight (now defined as 15 grams), and was in use probably as early as the Sukhothai period in the form of bullet coins known in Thai as phot duang. Note also that almost all Thai banks now charge a 150 Baht (3.90 USD) fee for using a foreign ATM card.The Thai baht, like the pound, originated from a traditional unit of mass. Once again, Durant Imboden's exposes the bank's dirty little secrets. Not only that, but this hidden surcharge is on top of the flat transaction fees that banks often charge for ATM withdrawals away from home. ![]() Some banks are now tacking an additional "conversion fee" onto the Visa or MasterCard currency-exchange commission. Cash withdrawals are dispensed in local currency, and are debited from your account in your own currency - this eliminates additional currency conversion fees and commissions often assessed by traditional currency exchange bureaus." "Withdrawing cash at Visa/PLUS ATMs using a secured PIN can save you money and makes it easy to take advantage of the favorable exchange rates offered by ATMs. Here's a statement from the Visa Global ATM Network Web page: For that matter, so does Visa, which handles currency conversion for banks around the world. Most experienced travelers will tell you that ATMs are the cheapest way to get cash overseas. This practice is never encountered in hotels, restaurants or major department stores, but is quite common everywhere else. But from the merchant's standpoint, he's just being fair - if you want to use a credit card, you should pay the cost of it, and not the merchant's other customers. Of course, the credit card companies hate it when the merchant does this - it's specifically prohibited in the agreement the merchant signs with the credit card company. The reason: The credit card companies charge the merchant about these figures for handling the transaction for them. The typical surcharges are 3% for Visa or MasterCard and 5% for American Express. You should be aware that many shops in Thailand, while they may accept credits, will often charge you more for using one. While we're on the subject of credit cards. To find out more about this practice, see an article at written by Durant Imboden, one of the web's most experienced travel writers. ![]() and Canadian credit-card companies are now tacking an extra 2% to 5% fee on international transactions. If you travel with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or other credit card, watch out when charging purchases overseas. To find out what the Baht is worth in your local currency, try the Currency Converter. See our on line money gallery for pictures of Thai currency. They're all legal tender, so don't worry if you start comparing the change in your pocket and notice some differences.Īll bills and all coins have a picture of His Majesty the King, and are therefore supposed to be shown some respect. Actually, there are several versions of coins in circulation, and not a few variations in bills as well. There is also still a 10-Baht bill in circulation, which is brown in color, but these are quite rare. The one, two and five-Baht coins are silver, while the ten-Baht coin consists of a silver ring around a brass center.īills vary in size and color according to denomination: 20-Baht is green, 50-Baht is blue, 100-Baht is red, 500-Baht is purple and 1,000-Baht is white. The other coins come in one, two, five and ten-Baht pieces. They're practically useless, and as a tourist you're unlikely to encounter them unless you shop at a supermarket or department store. Travelers checks are not widely accepted outside of hotels, so change them for cash at a bank exchange, which you'll find in any and every tourist destination.Ĭoins come in six denominations: 25 and 50-Satang coins are very small and made of brass. Major credit cards are accepted by hotels and large shops, but "hard cash" is the preferred tender almost everywhere. The currency of Thailand is the "Baht" - sometimes spelled "Bath" but pronounced to rhyme with "hot." One Baht is divisible into 100 Satang.
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