Flag of ThailandThailand

Money & currency

Money in Thailand

Updated 2026-09-22

Money & Currency
฿

Thai Baht (THB)

Currency code: THB

Practical Money Tips

Exchange Booths Beat Airport Rates

Thailand has one of the most competitive street exchange markets in Southeast Asia, and the gap between a city booth and an airport or hotel desk is wide enough to plan around. Licensed chains in central Bangkok — SuperRich Thailand, VFX and the bank-run counters at Kasikorn and Bangkok Bank among them — post their rates openly and compete street by street, so comparing two or three within a few minutes' walk is ordinary practice rather than penny-pinching. Arrive with enough USD, EUR or GBP for the first few hours, change the bulk of your money once you are in the city, and check the rate you are actually offered against the posted board before handing anything over.

Thai ATMs Charge a Fixed Foreign Fee

Every ATM operated by a Thai bank (Kasikorn, Bangkok Bank, SCB, Krungthai) charges foreign cardholders a flat fee per withdrawal — a fixed amount rather than a percentage, so it costs the same whether you take out a little or a lot, and it sits on top of whatever your own bank charges. That structure has one practical consequence worth building a habit around: fewer, larger withdrawals cost meaningfully less than several small ones. The fee is set nationally and has been revised upward more than once, so read the amount the screen states before confirming rather than relying on a figure quoted to you in advance. If the machine offers to bill you in your home currency, decline it and take the baht price — dynamic currency conversion always prices the exchange worse than your own bank would.

Cash Is Essential Outside Major Chains

In Bangkok's international hotels, department stores (CentralWorld, EmQuartier) and chain restaurants, Visa and Mastercard work reliably. Almost everywhere else — street food stalls, local markets, tuk-tuks, guesthouses, temple entry, ferries and most rural businesses — runs on cash, and a card is no substitute for having baht in your pocket. Thailand's PromptPay QR system, which residents use for nearly everything, is built around Thai bank accounts rather than visitors' cards; some foreign wallets have cross-border QR links into schemes like it, so check whether yours genuinely works in Thailand before counting on it either way.

Tipping Is Appreciated, Not Obligatory

There is no fixed tipping culture in Thailand, but tips are welcome in tourist-facing service and small sums carry real goodwill. Customary practice: 20-50 THB after a street-food meal and around ten percent at a hotel restaurant; 50-100 THB per hour after a massage; rounding a metered taxi fare up to the nearest ten baht; 20-50 THB per bag for hotel porters. The convention worth knowing is the unit rather than the amount — tip in notes, not coins, since coins read as leftover change rather than as a gesture.

Note: Always check current exchange rates before traveling. Currency exchange is available at airports, banks, and authorized money changers.

Common Money Questions

What currency does Thailand use?

Thailand uses the Thai baht (THB, symbol ฿). Notes come in 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 THB; coins in 1, 2, 5 and 10 THB. The 1,000 THB note is the largest in common circulation and the one most likely to cause friction — street vendors, tuk-tuk drivers and small shops frequently cannot break it. Split large notes at a 7-Eleven, a supermarket or your hotel, and keep a working float of 20s, 50s and 100s for everyday spending.

How much cash should I carry day to day in Thailand?

Budget travellers staying in guesthouses and eating at street stalls generally manage on 1,000-1,500 THB a day; mid-range travellers in comfortable hotels with restaurant meals and paid activities plan closer to 3,000-5,000 THB. Treat those as planning bands to check against current prices rather than fixed costs — they move with the season and with where you are, since island resorts sit well above mainland levels. Whatever the daily total, carry 500-1,000 THB of it in small notes: tuk-tuks, market stalls, ferries and temple entry are cash-only and rarely have change for a 1,000.

Should I exchange money before flying to Thailand?

Bring only enough for airport transport and the first few hours. Rates at your home bank or an airport counter are consistently worse than at the licensed booths in central Bangkok, where chains like SuperRich Thailand post competing rates within walking distance of one another; Chiang Mai and Phuket have the same competition on a smaller scale. Compare two or three booths, check the rate you are quoted against the board, and change the bulk of your money in the city rather than on arrival at the airport.

Do Thai ATMs charge fees?

Yes. Every Thai bank ATM charges foreign cards a flat fee per withdrawal — the same amount regardless of how much you take out — and your own bank may add an international fee on top. Because the Thai fee is fixed rather than proportional, fewer and larger withdrawals cost less overall than frequent small ones. The amount has been revised upward several times over the years, so check what the screen states before confirming, and always decline the machine's offer to charge you in your home currency, which prices the conversion worse than your own bank will.

Can I pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or contactless in Thailand?

At modern international venues — major hotels, department stores and chain restaurants — NFC terminals take Apple Pay and Google Pay much as they would at home. The rest of Thai commercial life runs on cash: street food, local transport, markets, temples and guesthouses accept no digital wallet at all, and the PromptPay QR system residents pay with is built around Thai bank accounts rather than visitors' phones, so check whether your own wallet has a working cross-border link before relying on it. Carry baht regardless of what your phone is set up to do.

Is Thailand expensive to visit?

Thailand remains strong value by global standards, and the useful way to think about cost here is the spread rather than a single price level. A street-food meal, a local beer and a simple room in Chiang Mai each cost a fraction of their equivalent in an international Bangkok hotel, and resort areas such as Phuket and Koh Samui sit meaningfully above mainland levels for the same room or the same plate. Your daily spend is therefore set far more by where you sleep and eat than by the country itself — the same two weeks can be done cheaply or expensively without ever leaving Thailand. Check current prices when budgeting, since the absolute numbers move faster than the relationships between them.

Is it safe to use ATMs in Thailand?

Mostly, with ordinary caution. Use machines inside bank branches, shopping malls or 7-Eleven stores rather than standalone street units; skimming has been reported on isolated ATMs, so glance at the card slot before inserting and cover the keypad while typing your PIN. Where a venue accepts tap-to-pay, using a phone wallet instead of the physical card reduces how often the card itself is exposed.

How should I pay for taxis and Grab rides?

Grab, the dominant ride-hailing app, takes in-app card payment and shows the fare before you accept it, which removes the negotiation entirely. Metered Bangkok taxis are cash-only — keep 50s and 100s, since drivers frequently cannot change a 500 or a 1,000. Tuk-tuks and songthaews are cash and unmetered, so agree the fare before getting in. At airports, join the official metered-taxi queue rather than accepting an offer made to you inside the terminal.

Entry rules, visa types and practical notes live on the Thailand overview.

Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.