What makes Thailand a special case
Thailand is more convenient than most destinations: the country has its own instant payment system, PromptPay, working around the clock, and a developed network of commercial banks that accept transfers from abroad. The money arrives in baht, and the conversion happens once rather than twice.
The difficulty is elsewhere — in how exactly the money gets from a Russian account to a Thai one. Direct banking routes do not work at every bank and are not always predictable in timing, so in practice people use ways around them.
- The currency of delivery — the Thai baht (THB) — dollars and euros sent to a local account usually arrive with an extra conversion
- PromptPay — the national instant payment system: a transfer by a phone number linked to a Thai account
- The banks — Bangkok Bank, Kasikornbank, Siam Commercial Bank, Krungsri and other commercial banks
What the cost of a transfer is made of
The cost is made of two parts: the stated fee and the conversion rate. The second part is almost always bigger than the first, but it is harder to notice — it hides in the difference between the market rate and the one your amount is counted at.
That is why comparing services by the fee alone is pointless. A 0.5% fee at a rate two percent worse than the market costs more than a 1% fee at an honest rate.
Ways to send money: what actually works
Below are the routes used in practice. The choice between them is set not so much by price as by what the recipient has: a Thai account, a phone with PromptPay or only a passport.
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To a Thai bank account
The money arrives in baht by the account number. The recipient's name in Latin letters and the account number are needed. The usual option for rent, tuition and regular payments.
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By phone number through PromptPay
Delivery takes minutes and works at night and on weekends. A phone number linked to a Thai account is needed.
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Through cryptocurrency
You send rubles and the recipient gets baht on their account: the USDT step stays on our side, and the recipient does not have to deal with a wallet.
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In cash
When there is no Thai account at all — in the first weeks after moving, for instance, while the account is not open yet.
Comparing the options
| Option | What the recipient needs | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| A Thai bank account | The name in Latin letters and the account number | Usually the same day |
| PromptPay | A phone linked to an account | Minutes, at night and on weekends included |
| Through cryptocurrency | An account or a wallet — their choice | From 15 minutes |
| Cash | A passport | As the meeting is arranged |
What is needed from the recipient
The list is short, but it is better checked before the transfer: a mistake in the name or the account number turns the payment back, and that takes more time than the transfer itself.
- The first and last name exactly as at the Thai bank — in Latin letters, without shortenings
- The account number or the phone number for PromptPay
- The name of the bank, if the money goes to an account
- An understanding of the currency they expect: baht, dollars or USDT
Timing: what it depends on
PromptPay is the fastest — minutes at any hour. Delivery to a bank account usually goes through the same day, but it depends on the recipient's bank and on whether the transfer landed in working hours.
The longest is a direct bank transfer by SWIFT: several business days, with possible deductions by intermediary banks along the way that nobody knows about in advance.
Where money is lost
The most common loss is not the fee but the double conversion. If rubles are first exchanged for dollars and the dollars for baht, the rate applies twice, and neither time in your favour.
The second most common is a floating rate. If a service sets the rate at the moment of delivery rather than at the moment of the request, the final amount can differ from the one you counted on, and there is nothing to complain about: you agreed to a percentage rather than to an amount.
A locked rate is not a courtesy of the service but the only way to know in advance how much the person at the other end will get.
Common mistakes
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The name does not match the bank record
A Thai bank checks the recipient's name against what is stated in the account. A shortening or a different transliteration is grounds for returning the payment.
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A transfer to a card without checking
In Thailand money is credited to an account rather than to a card number. A card number instead of an account number is the most common reason for a delay.
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Counting at the rate from a search engine
The rate in search results is the interbank one, and no exchange service in the world works at it. What has to be compared is the final amounts.
How it works at Globe_EX
We lock the rate at the moment the request is agreed, count the amount with the 1% fee and name the result before sending. There are no limits on our side, and the timing starts from 15 minutes.
To arrange a transfer, message a manager on Telegram or WhatsApp: the amount and the recipient's details will be needed. The rate on the site comes from the official Central Bank rates and from an exchange and is refreshed three times a day — the figure in the calculator is the same one the manager sees.
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A 1% fee
The same for every destination and every amount, already taken into account in the calculator.
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From 15 minutes
The manager names the exact timing for your way of collecting the money before payment.
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The rate is locked
Before payment rather than at the moment of delivery: the amount in baht is known in advance.
