Just phoned Nationwide Customer Services

I asked:

"When using my ATM Current Account Card in Thailand, will I get the onshore rate (68.5ish) OR offshore rate (65ish)

Answer:

It has nothing to do with onshore OR offshore.

The rate given on any particular day, is dependant on the VISA rate:

The VISA rate can be seen here:

http://corporate.visa.com/pd/consumer_serv...HB&rate=0.0

Therefore, the rate for Nationwide card users is indeed the better rate, currently around 68.5.

So I will not now bother with TC's - I'll just bring 4 cards with me.

i hear other banks will soon follow nationwide's excellent example.

The wife uses our Nationwide debit card no problems and always a good exchange rate. Better than any other option I know of (for UK).

More useful information on this issue can be found:

Cheaper Spending Overseas

I withdrew an amount a few days ago at the Krung Thai Bank using my Nationwide ATM card, and indeed the exchange is 68.xx. KTB also tack on a B20 charge for use of their machine as do most banks here.

Are you sure? I have never seen nor heard about that before.

Yes, quite sure............. have been drawing cash from it for the last 6 months. Still the cheapest method I believe.

Why don't you just go to another ATM and get your hard earned cash for free, I know 20 baht is not much but I am sure in the last 6 months this must run up to a few thousand baht or more just think what you could have spent that money on

By the way I have 2 Nationwide ATM cards and I have never been charged using them at any ATM all over Thailand

Yep I agree 100% this is the way to go, if you have a wife or GF and are back in the UK and need to send money to Thailand just open a second flexi account and give the ATM card to your wife/ GF with the pin number and she can use it out there without you have to pay any charges, it beats paying £25 a time to send money to Thailand, I have been doing this for over 2 years and never had a problem

I think all Thai banks charge 20 baht (sometimes 23 baht) when you uise another bank's card in their ATM's.

I must say that I never noticed the charge when looking at my statements in the days before I retired, but even if you drew out cash every day for 2 weeks, the total charge would still only be 280 baht. Not worth worrying about IMHO. I now draw cash 4 or 5 times a month so the extra cost to me is only 80 or 100 baht per month.

Alan

note that if you are using a credit card from Australia or the US your bank will whack you with an additional 1.5-3% charge when they issue your statement