When will sex tourism become cashless in Thailand?

[abidismaili]

At home in the Netherlands I never use cash anymore since a few years.  But each time I travel to Thailand I am forced to visit ATMs

Why don’t the boys use an app that shows a QR code that you scan with your phone to pay them? No cash required  

Does anyone of you ever pay the massage fee or the bill for the drinks at a bar with your Mastercard or Visa debit card at a POS terminal at the bar? Do these venues have POS terminals that accept bank cards? I have never consciously seen one  

 

[Travelingguy]

I prefer to pay cash for certain things.  I have paid massage shops with credit card, but the tip has been in cash and I prefer that.  At home, I will pay the restaurant bill with a card, but the tip for the server is usually in cash.  I can be sure that they are getting the money, and they do not have to go through their boss.  

Also, for certain venues, I am more comfortable not using a card and just paying in cash which is more anonymous 

[colmx]

A large number of Pattaya moneyboys puts up a post on Facebook in the lead up to birthday with a QR code for anyone to send them a donation, and most Thai will be able to take payment by QR code if needed.

The non Thais are less likely to have a Thai bank account, mostly down to lack of trust and lack of knowledge on how to open an account

My BF sent one guy 5 Baht  recently after he posted, said thats all the beggar deserved!

[Raposa]

Thailand can’t go completely cashless since parts of their economy is still informal. And no, paying tips to boys should be in cash, no digital trail.

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, colmx said:

 

My BF sent one guy 5 Baht  recently after he posted, said thats all the beggar deserved!

some people like to boast of how generous their boyfriends are

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, colmx said:

The non Thais are less likely to have a Thai bank account, mostly down to lack of trust and lack of knowledge on how to open an account

 

I safely assume that there are many Thais , tilling the soil in some Ubon Nowhere  who don't have bank account and it's for simple reason , not enough spare income to bother.

As popularity of cheque cashing outlets in cities of rich world attests , even in our countries many people are going without bank account due to lack of money or sophistication or not meeting criteria to open one. 

[vinapu]

25 minutes ago, Raposa said:

Thailand can’t go completely cashless since parts of their economy is still informal. And no, paying tips to boys should be in cash, no digital trail.

I hope this will never happen anywhere during my life time anywhere , not only in Thailand. It's always good to have an option but when cash will be gone so will option.

Many things may go wrong and if they may , sooner or later they will. Technology malfunction, hackers, deliberate government's action , own or enemy's ,  just to name a few. 

Elevators are great but still even Mahanakhon has staircase.

and yes , wouldn't it to be great to be greeted by immigration officer upon arrival :" Mr Raposa, on your last trip  you have 27 transaction in Patpong bars known for prostitution which is illegal in our country , please go this  way " 

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, Travelingguy said:

I prefer to pay cash for certain things.  I have paid massage shops with credit card, but the tip has been in cash and I prefer that.  At home, I will pay the restaurant bill with a card, but the tip for the server is usually in cash.  I can be sure that they are getting the money, and they do not have to go through their boss.  

Also, for certain venues, I am more comfortable not using a card and just paying in cash which is more anonymous 

song to my ears above. 

As a matter of my own policy I very rarely use plastic when I travel and if I do, only in places making impression of reputable - airlines , hotels, department or chain stores and such but even there I try to avoid it.

I don't use smartphone for financial transactions unless there's absolutely no other option. 

Reason : I noticed that  I keep better tally of my expenses when supply of money on me  is somewhat limited.  

[vinapu]

7 hours ago, abidismaili said:

 But each time I travel to Thailand I am forced to visit ATMs

 

one of those little life  pleasures trip to Thailand lavishes on us

[TMax]

I hope Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore never go cashless, cash is king, only time I have ever used plastic in any country I have visited was to pay for hotels or some dental work in Bangkok on one occasion. I would also use the card for an emergency if it arose and that would preferably be through a bank not the atm, I hate the thought of countries going cashless but the scammers and criminals won't mind as they would step up their online scamming to new levels. 

[bkkmfj2648]

1 hour ago, vinapu said:

and yes , wouldn't it to be great to be greeted by immigration officer upon arrival :" Mr Raposa, on your last trip  you have 27 transaction in Patpong bars known for prostitution which is illegal in our country , please go this  way " 

and this is the PRIMARY reason why I would hate any local economy to go cashless - because then in that moment we lose our privacy and nosy other entities/people start looking into where and how we are spending our discretionary income.  I say, bugger off - that is my personal private business and I do not need a "helping hand" from some bureaucrat who wants to question me on how I am spending my money.

Lastly, whenever it comes to tips - I prefer to use cash for making tips - as I don't want any intermediaries to either take their cut and/or to have power over the intended tip recipient to intimidate them for a cut.  So for our guys and/or taxis - they get their tip in cash even if I pay the BOLT taxi by a linked debit card to my bank and the taxi drivers have told me that they really appreciate this - because they need to wait a long time to receive said tip into their bank account.  Furthermore, when the BOLT app asks me how much to tip - I always select ZERO and then I write in the comment box that I tipped the driver in cash but I NEVER share this amount with BOLT.

 

[colmx]

2 hours ago, vinapu said:

some people like to boast of how generous their boyfriends are

i'm pretty sure that his generosity was meant as a back handed slap at the social media beggar!

[ichigo]

9 hours ago, abidismaili said:

Why don’t the boys use an app that shows a QR code that you scan with your phone to pay them? No cash required  

Does anyone of you ever pay the massage fee or the bill for the drinks at a bar with your Mastercard or Visa debit card at a POS terminal at the bar? Do these venues have POS terminals that accept bank cards? I have never consciously seen one  

I think I've written about this in another post, but I would like both options - cash and cashless to be available. QR payments aren't available to foreign tourists (unless they have a Thai bank account), with the exception of some asian countries (Singapore and Malaysia I think) who have a reciprocal agreement. But if this wide widely available, I would use it to pay at restaurants, street food stalls, markets etc., but would tip boys in cash.

I would say that credit card terminals are available at most bars - I paid with credit card at Dreamboys once on my final night when I was low on cash. 

[vinapu]

5 minutes ago, ichigo said:

but I would like both options - cash and cashless to be available.

that's the bottom line of it, we need to have a choice.

speaking about the choice : stewardess is asking passenger "will you eat dinner / " , he answers '" do I have a choice ?", she cheerfully says back " yes , yes or no"

[reader]

Spend your cash in a bar or massage shop and it disappears into the currency system.

Charge your purchase to a credit or debit card, and transaction is preserved for eternity. 

Up to you.