Phuket - Changing Money


last update: 09 May 2020


Our New Year trip for 2020 ran from late January 2020 to mid-March 2020 and involved 8 nights in Dubai and 43 nights in Phuket.

Inevitably you will have to use the
Thai Baht (code: THB), and that means changing cash into Baht or drawing money from an ATM.

Trawling through the web some people write that it is best to take cash from an ATM using your VISA card, others write it's best to change cash at a local high-street exchange shop. I found it very difficult to get a clear consensus, although everyone agreed that you get a bad rate at airports.

When making a credit card purchase I was asked if I wanted to pay in Baht or €, and I was advised that paying in Baht was better.

At Phuket airport I changed a few $US at the rate 28.77 THB/USD, which according to the web was trading at 30.64 THB/USD.

Over our 42 days in Phuket we changed some $US three times at an exchange office in 'The Central' shopping:-
Once at the rate of 30.01 THB/USD, which according to the web was trading at 31.08 THB/USD.
Once at the rate of 30.95 THB/USD, which according to the web was trading at 31.19 THB/USD.
Once at the rate of 30.50 THB/USD, which according to the web was trading at 31.69 THB/USD.

At the end of the day I felt safer with some cash in my pocket and the rest in the hotel room safe with my credit cards and our passports. etc.