PLEASE HELP!
 

Hi everyone,
We are going to Thailand for 3 weeks. During that time we will be visting Bangkok, Siem Reap and Koh Samui.
Do we need to take travellers cheques? How much cash should be bring? Is it better to use the local currency or should we take US dollars?
Any other last minute tips would also be welcomed. We are leaving in 4 days and I am starting to freak out!

Thanks a lot,
T.

Forget about traveller’s cheques, they are a thing of the past. In Thailand, rely on using ATMs, but have a back up in case your first card doesn’t work.

In Siem Reap, which incidentally is in Cambodia not Thailand, you can use US$s, but in Thailand you will do much better with Thai Baht.

Thanks for the advice. I know that Siem Reap is in Cambodia, I was just saying Thailand, because the majority of our trip will be spent there. Thanks though.
How much cash should we bring to hold us over? Is $200 US enough?

Not many people on this board use travelers checks any more. I brought some last February because Rajawongse Clothiers where I purchased some custom made suits quotes in US dollars and I didn't want to carry around all that extra cash with me. As it turned out, they would have taken a personal check, drawn on a US bank, no less. There are ATM's everywhere in Bangkok that dispense Thai Baht, the currency of choice - just be sure to bring a back-up card as Tangata said. Siem Reap, Cambodia is an entirely different situation. While most of the hotels and larger restaurants take credit cards, the US dollar is the preferred currency to pay for guides, drivers, admission fees, the airport tax and for souvenirs at the markets. A couple of ATM's have sprung up in town - they dispense US dollars. There is a local currency, the Riel but it is not widely used by tourists.

As for how much cash to bring - I always bring some. There was a thread on this a while ago - mostly with regards to Cambodia. With the ATMs there now, it is less of a concern unless you plan to pay for your hotel with cash.

how much to bring??? how much are you going to buy?? we don't know your spending habits, only you know that...it depends on where you eat, what kind of food, how much each venue costs....you can eat at the peninsula for dinner and it will cost $70 (written in B of course) or you can eat at harmonique and it will cost less than $20...

flexibility is the key....ATM's are by far the best in thailand and trav checks can be a back up...credit cards are taken almost every place in thailand except in markets and street vendors, although throughout thailand they prefer cash in the form of thai baht---never us dollars...

for siem reap you should take enough US cash for what you think you will need as pointed out above and lots of one and 5 dollar bills for local purchases...its a pain....i think i took about $600 for 4 days and that was too much for the two of us...food generally is very cheap outside the hotels....in the hotels generally you can use a credit card....recent reports tell of a couple of atm's in SR but i never saw one...i would not rely on one....go prepared....they do also accept B i believe...and of course their local currency...we did not find much to buy in SR so spent little there...the artisans school did accept credit cards and we found it the best, but most expensive, place to shop...

First, a tip: You'll get more and better replies if you don't shout (all caps is considered shouting) and if you give a topic in your title, like Money Help for Thailand & Cambodia.

You will need US$ for Cambodia. We took lots of $1 and $5 for buying things near the temples, plus $20s to pay for our visas and to pay for our temples passes. You will get small change in riel, which are worthless outside of Cambodia and nearly worthless inside Cambodia. I gave any riel we recieved to beggars or donated the money at the wats.

I always use ATMs in Thailand, but I bring along a couple of $100 bills "just in case." If the line at the ATM in the airport is long, I'll just change a hundred dollar bill.

As I recall, we brought like 50 $1 bills and we used almost all of them. There are several ATM's at the airport in Bangkok - shouldn't be much of a wait.