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.

[Keithambrose]

9 hours ago, reader said:

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.

I think the accountability issue is important. As mentioned before, China likes card or phone payments,  to keep tabs on who does what. It may be that Thailand is not that sophisticated,  but who knows. 

[Raposa]

On 10/26/2024 at 6:11 AM, 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 " 

Exactly, the OP is located in the Netherlands where this is legal and regulated. The same can’t be said for Thailand.
 

Chinese firms are increasingly selling software that allows for more heavy handed surveillance of their populations to other countries in the region. While the Thai state don’t want or need this level of surveillance, this can change. Best to have the option to pay using paper, and retain privacy.

[Keithambrose]

Incidentally,  I read today that all 7/11 stores in Thailand  will be moving to scan and pay next month.

[abidismaili]

1 hour ago, Keithambrose said:

Incidentally,  I read today that all 7/11 stores in Thailand  will be moving to scan and pay next month.

Probably won’t work then for people without a Thai bank account I understand from the above. So the tourist still needs to use cash I guess. 

[vinapu]

13 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

Incidentally,  I read today that all 7/11 stores in Thailand  will be moving to scan and pay next month.

as long as it's one of few payment options available it's fine

11 hours ago, abidismaili said:

Probably won’t work then for people without a Thai bank account I understand from the above. So the tourist still needs to use cash I guess. 

not only tourists but also Thais without bank account and illegal immigrants working in may industries

[spoon]

It maybe not too far from happening. On my visit, a restaurant in emquartier accepted only cashless payment. 

[10tazione]

4 hours ago, spoon said:

It maybe not too far from happening. On my visit, a restaurant in emquartier accepted only cashless payment. 

Starbucks in GMMTV-Tower same same.

[vinapu]

14 hours ago, 10tazione said:

Starbucks in GMMTV-Tower same same.

it's why I was there two times : first and last