He said the exemption period for the fee waiver was from 13 April until 23:00 on 17 April and would also apply to deposits at ADMs. He finished off by saying that all banks affiliated to the Thai Bankers Association were providing feeless transactions for the four days in line with the national government’s policy of returning happiness to the people.
While fees are free for cardholders withdrawing cash from their own bank in the province the cards were issued in, fees apply for all other withdrawals. These are somewhere between THB15 and THB30. Customers pay THB10 for every THB10,000 deposited via an ADM.
Transaction fees of THB200 apply when foreign tourists withdraw cash on cards issued in their home countries. Mr Duangdee did not say whether these fees would be waived for Songkran or not. The festival commemorates the traditional Lanna New Year and is celebrated with waterfights in key locations like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Koh Samui and Phuket.
Thai banks give customers Songkran New Year gift
News in Asia
The Thai banking union is giving customers a present to mark the annual Songkran Festival next week. Kobsak Duangdee is the Thai Bankers Association’s general-secretary and he says customers will be able to withdraw cash from ATM machines across the nation without paying transaction fees.