katjs Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Hi all, Just wondering how everyone paid for there surgery overseas. I'm a little nervous about taking all cash over when I go and can you withdraw from ATM once you are there and then exchange in THB. I keep thinking imagine going all that way and losing my $$ and coming home boobless:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz68 Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 I have only been over for a holiday - not surgery! but i took all my money over in cash and also took a credit card just in case. It is quite a bit cheaper to exchange your money over there so what i did was take AU$ over and kept them in a safe in my room and then exchanged it for THB as needed (they have exchange places everywhere!) If you withdraw from an ATM while over their it generally charges you really high fees depending on your bank. It really comes down to what you are going to be comfortable doing but i found that as long as you are careful it is quite safe over there Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow06 Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 http://www.hifx.com.au/ Try this organisation. I asked the same question and was recommended this crowd. Its really good - no fees. Top rates paid much better than the usual banks. All you need is a scan or photo (jpeg file) of your passport/license and a recent bill to verify your address. Then your good to do business with them when your ready. I intend to transfer my money through them in January. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chacha Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Have a look at bank west, we got platinum credit card has no exchange fee, or annual fee. Worked well for me, just needed to let them know we'd be doing a big payment when we were travelling in Thailand. ChaCha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monmon85 Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 I took all my surgery money in cash and took a debit card as back up. I was a bit paranoid with the cash and it went straight into the safe when i got to thailand. I did go over budget (i shopped and shopped and shopped - ooops) and had to use my debit card while there. I received a $150 THB fee from the ATM and $6 AUD charge from my bank every withdrawl. My cousin has just been over for a BA and she paid the hospital direct for her surgery. Suppose it comes down to individual preference. Good luck with your surgery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katjs Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Thanks all - that's helpful - shadow06 the exchange rate for hifix is great -I'll read it all to see how it works. I am really not comfortable taking that amount of cash on me. I think I'd have heart failure. Thanks Chacha - I was wondering about CC but wasn't sure how much extra all the fees etc would so will check out bankwest too. Hope you are recovering well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francoise Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 I took over $1500 in Thai Baht, and then everything else on my Citibank Debit Visa and Commonwealth Bank Debit Mastercard. I used two cards to pay for surgery, and it wasnt a problem. Just make sure you let the banks know before you leave that you're going to be making large purchases overseas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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