Money & paymentsBy Clever Tourists · Published
Use both in Thailand: a card for hotels, malls, chains and bigger restaurants, and cash (baht) for markets, street food, small shops, local transport and tips. Cards cover a lot in Bangkok and tourist resorts, but you cannot run a trip on them. The cost of getting cash is the other half of the story: guides we read put the usual foreign-card ATM fee at about 220 baht per withdrawal, with some reports of 250 to 350 baht, so you should withdraw less often and in larger amounts. We were in Thailand from December 2022 to January 2023, from Bangkok through Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and Khao Sok to Ao Nang, which means we saw the full range from city malls to small northern towns.
Free toolWork out the exact tip on any bill →Pick the country, enter the bill and get the tip in local currency — including the places where service is already on the bill.• Hotels and larger guesthouses: usually accept Visa and Mastercard, though small guesthouses may prefer cash or add a surcharge.
• Malls, department stores, supermarkets and chains: 7-Eleven, Tops, Big C, Starbucks and similar take cards and contactless.
• Mid-range and upscale restaurants, spas and tour operators in tourist areas: card is normally accepted, sometimes with a surcharge.
• Ride-hailing apps: Grab and Bolt can charge a card, though cash is also an option; see our Grab vs Bolt guide.
• Street food, night markets and small restaurants: many stalls take only cash, and prices are small, so carry 20, 50 and 100 baht notes.
• Local transport: songthaews, motorbike taxis, tuk-tuks, some ferries and small-town buses.
• Temples, small entrance fees and donations, plus massages, laundry and tips at small shops.
• Rural areas and islands: the north around Mae Hong Son, national parks such as Khao Sok, and smaller islands, where ATMs and card terminals are fewer.
Our Thailand tipping guide explains how much to leave and why small notes matter.
Thai banks charge foreign-card holders a flat fee per withdrawal. The most common figure in guides is 220 baht, and some 2026 reports show 250 baht, and up to 350 baht with certain foreign Mastercard cards; one guide lists AEON at 150 baht. We could not confirm these figures against bank fee schedules, so check the screen, which shows the fee before you confirm.
• Withdraw the maximum the machine allows, because the fee is per transaction, not per amount.
• If the ATM offers to convert the amount into your home currency, decline and choose baht. That rate is set by the ATM operator and is usually worse than your bank's.
• Use a card with no foreign transaction fee and ask your own bank whether it refunds ATM fees.
• Use ATMs inside banks or malls, not unlit machines on the street. Cover the keypad.
A practical approach is to withdraw enough for a week of small spending: street food, transport, markets and tips. For a budget traveller that is often a few thousand baht, and a mid-range traveller using cards for hotels and restaurants will need less. Our Thailand trip cost guide gives daily bands; use them to size your withdrawals.
Split your cash between a wallet, a bag and your hotel safe. Keep a second card, ideally on a different network, in case one is blocked or swallowed.
When a terminal asks whether you want to pay in baht or your home currency, choose baht. Paying in your home currency lets the merchant pick the exchange rate, which usually costs more. The same applies at ATMs. Tell your bank before you travel so a foreign payment is not flagged, and carry a card from at least two networks.
Hotels may ask for a card to hold a deposit; check that it is released at checkout. Keep receipts until the charge posts.
For safety and scams, including card skimming and taxi rip-offs, see our Thailand safety guide. For a broader answer about cash and cards across 20 countries, read cash or card for international travel. Our Thailand six-week route shows the order of cities, and the Thailand things to know page covers everyday basics.
A typical day in Bangkok might run like this: card for the hotel and a mall lunch, cash for a morning coffee at a street stall, a motorbike taxi or songthaew, a temple donation, a market dinner and a massage tip. In Chiang Mai the old city and its night markets are almost entirely cash, while the riverside restaurants and boutique hotels take cards. In Khao Sok or Mae Hong Son, treat cash as the default and withdraw before you leave a larger town, since ATMs there are fewer and sometimes empty.
Keep a few 20-baht and 50-baht notes handy; vendors often cannot change a 1,000-baht note, which is what many ATMs dispense. Break large notes at a 7-Eleven or supermarket where you buy something anyway.
Contact your bank's overseas number immediately, which you should save before you travel, not rely on remembering. Keep a backup card from a different network and a small cash reserve in a separate place from your wallet. Never let a stranger who offers to help at an ATM touch the card or the keypad; our Thailand safety guide covers skimming and bag-snatching risks. If a machine keeps your card, go to the bank branch during opening hours with your passport.
Yes, in hotels, malls, chains and many mid-range restaurants. Street food, markets, local transport and many small shops need cash.
Guides we read give about 220 baht per withdrawal for foreign cards, with some reports of 250 to 350 baht. Check the fee on the screen before you confirm.
Pay in baht. Choosing your home currency lets the merchant or ATM set the exchange rate, which usually costs more.
Enough for about a week of small spending, then withdraw again. Withdraw in larger amounts to reduce the number of flat ATM fees.
Yes. Tips are small and in cash, and notes of 20 to 100 baht are the most useful.
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