Internet Banking

[Guest Astrrro]

Just opened an account with Ayudhya cause my teerak has an account there and I want to do electronic transfers between the accounts.

 

Having a problem signing up for internet banking. Their system does not like my telephone number or zip code. I checked with the bank and I'm inputing the five digit Thai zip code that I gave them but I ddi not provide them with a landline number.

 

I want to get registered now.

 

How many digits should a landline have. Can u probivv an example for Pattaya? Does it start with a 0? Is there an 8? If dashes where do they go?

 

Zip codes are five digits right? An example of one you know is good?

 

Frustrating.

[Guest Astrrro]

After many hours of effort by me and customer service reps it seems the problem is all sorted out.

 

[Gaybutton]

After many hours of effort by me and customer service reps it seems the problem is all sorted out.

That's good. You had your problems solved by the time I saw your message. Just for the record, land line numbers are 9 digits and you do not use dashes when trying to fill out any kind of online applications.

[Guest jtrack33]

Using Bangkok Bank on-line service, you can transfer on-line to any other bank account. To set it up initially, you need to have registered your mobile phone number previously so you can receive a one-time password SMS and enter it in the web page to initiate the third party account.

 

[Gaybutton]

Using Bangkok Bank on-line service, you can transfer on-line to any other bank account.

That's not limited to Bangkok Bank. That can be done with almost any Thai bank now. Each bank has its own method for setting it up.

[Guest Astrrro]

That's not limited to Bangkok Bank. That can be done with almost any Thai bank now. Each bank has its own method for setting it up.

 

I guess I could just do transfers between my Kasikorn account and my teerak's Ayudhya account but think that transfering within just one bank makes it easier to sort out problems if they occur.

 

Did a test run of 100 baht and it went smoothly.

[Gaybutton]

I guess I could just do transfers between my Kasikorn account and my teerak's Ayudhya account but think that transferring within just one bank makes it easier to sort out problems if they occur.

You really have nothing to worry about. I do that sort of thing constantly and have done so online with Thai banks for years. I've never had any kind of problem at all. Also, when the transfer is done, the banks provide a confirmation that you can save and/or print out, just in case of a problem. Even if you don't do that, they all have a button to click for a history of your transactions.

 

When making an online transfer, before the transfer goes through a confirmation page comes up that shows the amount you are transferring and the name of the party to whom the transfer is going. They do that just in case you might have made a typo. That gives you the opportunity to double check before hitting the 'confirm' button.

 

Some banks even have an OTP (one-time password) requirement before the transfer will go through. They send the password to your choice of Email or text message to your mobile phone. You use that password to fill in a blank on the confirmation page before the transaction will go through. Every time you do that a different password is sent. That's why it's called a one-time password.

 

Even when paying bills or simply topping off a 1-2-Call account a confirmation page will come up.

 

It's really quite safe and convenient. As I said, I've never had any trouble and I don't know anyone who uses Thai online banking who has ever had a problem.

 

As a matter of fact, the only problem I have is finding a bank whose online payments system covers every bill I need to pay. I still have to pay my electric bill, water bill, and car payment at 7-Eleven or at a bank. I can't find a bank that lets you pay the local Pattaya electric bill and water bill online. The odd thing about my car payment is that there are several banks where you can make the payment personally, but they don't include the same company on their online payments system.

 

If I remember correctly, Bangkok Bank (and probably others) does allow you to set up a monthly automatic deduction to pay the electric bill, but I don't like doing things that way. I prefer to make online payments manually. That way I'm the one in control of what day and time the money leaves my account.

[2lz2p]

GB, I agree with you. Even in US, I would not allow any company to direct debit to my checking account -- if they make a mistake (which does happen sometime), the money is "gone" until you can get it sorted out -- same with debit cards that can be used like credit cards if they get lost, stolen, or compromised - reason I only use them in ATM.

 

I too wish we could use online banking to pay electric and water here in Pattaya - but, a quick trip to the 7-11 is not too bad --- usually the bf takes care of it. My experience in using the online transfer within Bangkok Bank (my bank) or to accounts in other banks is the same as yours -- no problems. But, I still use my screen capture software to capture the "confirmation" page, which has the details and confirmation number, and save it to a file (backed up periodically). BKK Bank currently does not charge a fee for same bank transfer within the same branch. Not sure about the other banks, but Bangkok bank has 3 different fees for interbank transfer -- 25 Baht for immediate, 12 Baht if you want transfer the next day -- there is a middle amount if you want it done by the end of same business day (haven't used that one and don't recall the fee). Since it pops up with a T Express logo, my guess is all the banks use the same service for the interbank transfers.

[PattayaMale]

I use the direct debt to pay electric and water. Even though I thought it was automatic, one time I had the electric cut off even though the payment had been drawn against my account. The reason given by the bank was that someone made a mistake and typed in the wrong bill number. It was solved but I was not so happy.

 

Billing is a problem it seems. We (my Thai friend) do a good job of keeping all payment receipts. We have had to show a paid receipt on a couple of occasions to prove something was paid.

[Gaybutton]

We (my Thai friend) do a good job of keeping all payment receipts. We have had to show a paid receipt on a couple of occasions to prove something was paid.

Definitely keep those receipts. I keep all my receipts for six months before disposing of them. Here are a couple examples as to why:

 

One morning I was sitting here at my computer when all of a sudden my electricity went out. I went outside to find an electric company technician disconnecting my electricity! I asked him why he's doing that and he said I hadn't paid my bill. I asked him to wait a moment. I came back outside with the paid receipt. He had a look and said he will reconnect the electricity for me, but I have to pay the 50 baht reconnect fee! He wasn't pocketing it. He gave me a receipt for it. I wasn't about to stand there having a big argument over 50 baht, but I did ask him why I'm being charged a reconnect fee when it was their mistake to disconnect the electricity in the first place. He only shrugged. I didn't bother pursuing it further. I considered myself lucky I was home when he was there or I would have had to go to the electric company, take a number and wait lord-knows-how-long, still pay a reconnect fee, and then wait again for someone to get around to dropping by to reconnect.

 

The other example occurred only a short time ago. My mail came and I received a notice informing me that I owed money on my car payments. Every month I pay exactly the amount I'm supposed to pay. I asked a Thai neighbor to call them for me and find out what this was all about. I had my paid receipt in my hand in case it was needed. Are you ready? The problem was that I was 3 baht short on my last payment! 3 baht! I wouldn't have been surprised if they sent someone over to repossess the car with 3 baht due. I had the neighbor tell them I'll pay the difference when I make the next car payment. The company was kind enough to accept my offer . . .

[Guest Astrrro]

Even when paying bills or simply topping off a 1-2-Call account a confirmation page will come up.

 

How does this work GB?

 

Does your phone automatically get the credit or is a code number sent to your email address or mobile?

 

Is this just for convenience or is there a discount?

 

[Guest fountainhall]

Bangkok Bank (and probably others) does allow you to set up a monthly automatic deduction to pay the electric bill

 

I have an account at Bangkok Bank just for automatic payment of on-going utility bills. In more than 8 years, there has never been any problem.

[Gaybutton]

How does this work GB?

 

Does your phone automatically get the credit or is a code number sent to your email address or mobile?

 

Is this just for convenience or is there a discount?

The mobile phone gets the top-up instantly. Whether you have to enter a code number depends on the bank.

 

I don't use 1-2-Call myself. I use DTAC. I have an account with them, so I simply receive a bill each month. However, I do often put some money into the mobile phones for boys I like.

 

I think one of the easiest is via Siam Commercial Bank. They all work pretty much the same, but with Siam Commercial, you simply select which service you want to use, 1-2-Call, DTAC, True Move, or whatever. Then you enter in the mobile phone number you want to top-up. Then you select the amount you want to provide. It starts with 50 baht. You can select 50 baht, 90 baht, 150, 300, 500, or 1000 baht. Then, once you select the amount, you hit the submit button and presto! The mobile phone has been topped up and your account has been debited for the amount you sent.

 

Just like that . . .

 

By the way, if you don't have online banking you can do the same thing at ATMs.

[Gaybutton]

I have an account at Bangkok Bank just for automatic payment of on-going utility bills.

I'd like to know if they simply debit your account or if they contact you somehow first, let you know the amount to be debited, and you get some sort of control over whether to allow the debit to go through and have some control over the date and time for the debit. If you have control over it, I'm going to consider doing it. Sometimes I'm not in town when the bill comes and they don't give you very many days to pay it before they send someone over to cut off your electricity.

 

Do you use automatic payment for both water and electricity?

 

Also, what did you do to set it up? Can you set it up online or do you need to go to the bank to set it up?

[Guest buckeroo2]

I have my electric bill automatically deducted from my Siam Commerce Bank acc't. They have been doing this for about 3 ys and I have never encountered any problem. My meter is read at about the same each month and the deduction happens about 2-3 days after the meter is read. I do not authorize the monthly payment and I do not control when the payment is deducted from my account. But that is why I set it up - so I do not have to worry about when the bill is paid. About 10 days after the amount is deducted from my bank account, I receive a statement from the electric company showing the meter reading at the beginning of the period, the reading at the end of the period, and the amount deducted from my bank account and all affiliated dates. I am not absoultely positive but I believe I took my bank account information to the electric compamny and they filled out the appropriate forms and I signed the authorization. I do not think I did anything at Siam Commerce Bank in regards to setting this up.

[Gaybutton]

I do not authorize the monthly payment and I do not control when the payment is deducted from my account.

That's exactly what I don't want. I don't like the idea of waking up one morning to find money has been deducted from my account without my confirmation first. If that's the way it works, I'd rather pay it myself when I decide to pay it.

[Guest jtrack33]

GB, I have been using direct debit for my electricity bills with Bangkok Bank for 8 years and never a problem. The first direct debit I set up was for my condo in Bangkok with the MEA. I went to the bank with a recent electric bill and my bank book and it was all working in 2 months. The document I receive is in two parts. the top half shows the previous period and how much deducted from which account and when. the bottom half is a bill for the next period... usually received about 4 days after the meter reading...showing how much will be deducted and when. The deduction date is about 10 days after receipt and just about one day before what would normally be the due date. If you don't agree with the amount, you have enough time to query it with MEA or stop payment by contacting the bank or by transferring the entire contents of your account into another account on-line. I have an investment fund account and can almost instantly transfer between the savings account.

For my houses in Ubon, I have direct debits set up via PEA(Provincial). That involved taking recent bills to the bank and either taking a bank-certified document to PEA or letting the bank do it..which takes one month longer to go into effect. Again a document is sent showing past and future payment but I am not sure how much in advance you receive it as it goes directly to Ubon.

Incidentally, the PEA bills for my houses have the name of the account holder on them..ie my name even though the houses are not registered with the land folks in my name. This proved to be a great help when applying for a True Visions satellite tv connection as it was considered as an extension of my Bangkok condo account and tied in with my true Move account altogether bonus and so I only pay Bht176/month for 39 channels.

[Guest Hedda]

That's exactly what I don't want. I don't like the idea of waking up one morning to find money has been deducted from my account without my confirmation first. If that's the way it works, I'd rather pay it myself when I decide to pay it.

 

GB, you are living in the dark ages. The whole purpose of internet electronic banking is to forget about having to do chores that technology can do for us, whether we are here in Thailand or traveling overseas. I've had my electric, water, telephone, condo fee, Satellite TV and internet service paid automatically from my Thai bank account for years without any problems. Each payment shows on my banking statement with an ID code which I can access from any computer 24/7.

 

Have they ever made a mistake ? Not as far as I know, but even if some errors have crept in over the years, not having to bother with paying bills myself is well worth the risks or costs of mistakes. At my age, there's little time left to waste.

[Gaybutton]

GB, you are living in the dark ages.

If you are comfortable with that, fine with me. But I'm not comfortable with anything to do with money unless the one in complete control of it is me. I don't dispute that it is trouble free. I believe that. But trouble free or not, I prefer to pay my bills at the time I choose and I prefer it is I who keys in how much my account will be debited, not a computer and not another person.

 

So, for the time being, I think I'll remain in the dark ages.

[Guest jtrack33]

GB, that's very noble of you and I commend your steadfastness under a relentless attack by banking ne're-do-wells. But you did say in an earlier post:

"I'd like to know if they simply debit your account or if they contact you somehow first, let you know the amount to be debited, and you get some sort of control over whether to allow the debit to go through and have some control over the date and time for the debit. If you have control over it, I'm going to consider doing it."

I did explain in response to your comment that yes they do contact you first and they do let you know the amount and you do have the chance to stop the payment. As regards control over the payment date and time, I don't really see how by doing it manually you can get a better day and time than just before the due date.

 

You also said: "Sometimes I'm not in town when the bill comes and they don't give you very many days to pay it before they send someone over to cut off your electricity." Isn't that even more reason to have direct debit?

[Guest buckeroo2]

GB, that's very noble of you and I commend your steadfastness under a relentless attack by banking ne're-do-wells. But you did say in an earlier post:

"I'd like to know if they simply debit your account or if they contact you somehow first, let you know the amount to be debited, and you get some sort of control over whether to allow the debit to go through and have some control over the date and time for the debit. If you have control over it, I'm going to consider doing it."

I did explain in response to your comment that yes they do contact you first and they do let you know the amount and you do have the chance to stop the payment. As regards control over the payment date and time, I don't really see how by doing it manually you can get a better day and time than just before the due date.

 

You also said: "Sometimes I'm not in town when the bill comes and they don't give you very many days to pay it before they send someone over to cut off your electricity." Isn't that even more reason to have direct debit?

 

Absolutely every recurring monthly bill that I have is set up to be deducted from my bank account and I consider it a godsend. I travel back and forth between the US and Thailand - 3 months here and 3 months there. Before auto payment became an option I used to overpay when I was traveling and estimate and then add some extra to make sure that all bills were paid for 3 months in advance to make sure some utility did not get turned off for non-payment while I was gone. I see all of the transcations, can review them for accuracy and make any inquiries should some charge look suspicious after the fact. I look at it like automatic deposit - everythjing is done seemlessly - and I never have to go to the bank to make deposits or write a check to pay a bill. I would never ever go back to the dark ages - except for mobile phones - to which I refuse to succumb - I will go to my grave never owning one of those things.