Thai Elite Visa for Digital Nomad ?

Dear expats and nomads,

I have been living on and off in Thailand for around 5 years on a variation of tourist and education visas. 

On a recent visa trip from Vietnam the airport immigration officer at DMK airport took me into the office and told me that I have been in Thailand too long and would be sent back to Vietnam. 

I receive my income in the USA which I then send to my Thai bank account for living expenses.

After some discussion with the immigration officer without going into too much detail, I had to pay him 5000 BHT to be allowed entry into Thailand this time and was told to get the correct visa next time.

At first I thought it was crazy that I had just been bribed by the immigration officer for 5000 BHT to enter into Thailand but it’s actually still cheaper than buying the Elite Visa.

I am still now actually considering the Thai Elite Visa but curious if this is going to lead to anymore troubles in the future or possible denial of entry on other basis of health insurance or anything else?

I work at home online running my own USA based websites, I don’t want this to be later considered as working illegally without a work visa. 

500,000 THB for the Elite Visa I feel is a acceptable price if it’s removed all the headaches but I also recently hear about people with elite Visa still getting fines for TM30 and now we have the Covid-19 situation.

Should I wait for the elite visa or get it quickly? Any tips on the pros and cons would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Andy 

Howdy,

I’m working here and I have an account at SPDB. I have a debit card.

I am 24 and really excited I finally have a job that allows me to save money AND travel. In the US I had a rewards credit card that helped with airline miles but I was convinced to close it when I moved here.

Now I would like to get a credit card, preferably one that I could get airline miles rewards on. Since most my travels for the next few years will be here in ASIA I was looking at a local card, maybe something that put miles toward airlines.

But what I have learned so far.

1. China doesn’t like to give cards to non Chinese.

2. If you don’t have a cr@p load of money, work for a top 500 company, and/or work visa it is impossible

3. If your unlucky, no credit card.

So I am assuming I can’t get a local credit card. I see nothing but bad news on the forums and articles. What I don’t see is anyone talking about using an international card.

Is it possible to open an American rewards card with my SPDB account? So it is easy to pay it off? I would only use the card to buy airplane tickets, hotels, basically travel stuff.

Since most is bought online, it might not have to be local. Is that possible? Or do American credit cards not accepting on Chinese internet? ( taobao, east china air, etc ) I’ve always had my Chinese gf buy things online for me because she has a rewards card.

It’s true. China Banks don’t really issue credit cards to non Chinese.

I have a past experience too.

I bought an apartment and taken a loan with the local bank.

Then they issued me a credit card with a credit limit of only RMB$10,000/-. I tried to apply for another credit card because the limit is too little for me to use when on overseas business trip.

I tried two local banks, China Merchant and Shanghai Pudong Bank. But both rejected me without a reason.

I don’t know who gave you the advice to close your U.S. credit card.

Always handy to have one, especially for online transactions (non-Chinese web sites). Like /profile/27-moonovermiami/?do=hovercard” data-mentionid=”27″ href=”<___base_url___>/profile/27-moonovermiami/” rel=””>>@MoonOverMiami, I also use Capital One because of the lack of foreign transaction charges.

You can’t use it everywhere in China, but Visa / Master card do still have decent coverage with larger retailers in Shanghai.

/profile/27-moonovermiami/?do=hovercard” data-mentionid=”27″ href=”<___base_url___>/profile/27-moonovermiami/” rel=””>>@MoonOverMiami This is what I do too. Every few months I transfer a decent amount back to my US bank accounts, one to my university’s credit union, and another to Wells Fargo. A ton of local supermarkets (as opposed to ones that have an eye on foreign customers) accept VISA and Mastercards as well. And if they don’t, I tell them to wait for me while I go to the nearest ATM. All the ATMS I’ve come across accepted both cards as well, and I’ve never had problems. Of Course, because of the international fees and such, I do strategize on how I use my cards.

I’m quite surprised you canceled your American card, really. It’s not just that it’s hard to get Chinese credit cards, but from what I’ve heard and seen, there are a ton of hurdles obstructing expats like us who want to pay on foreign sites. And of course, if you buy digital stuff (on iTunes, Google, or Amazon), the address of your card is crucial.

I’ve also never heard of using Chinese bank info to sign up for a US credit card. Do you still have accounts in the US? Of course, what US banks will be interested in will be your credit ratings first, assuming you have a Social Security number (which I think you do, based on what you have revealed).

If you’re really desperate, and depending on the US Bank, you could ask to have a card linked to your parent’s accounts.