Getting cash fromCredit/Debit Cards

Visa and Mastercard works fine in the ATM machines you'll find everywhere in Patong and Karon beach. You can also get money from the exchange booths but why should you when you have ATMs?

Hint!

If you destroy the magnetic stripe on your card your only way to get cash is to visit a Bangkok Bank office or exchange window, they can help you. My hotel room keycard destroyed my cards due to magnetic inside the keycard, I had to visit a lot of banks before getting help from Bangkok Bank! Thanks to them!

Exchange

The rates at exchange booths of major banks are pretty good but avoid these at the hotels or airport, they give you bad rates. You will get the best rates if you with cash from ATM machines, but it also depends on what fee's your bank charge, so you should withdraw larger amounts rather than small amounts.

Timezone

Thailand's timezone is GMT+7, seven hours ahead of GM/UTC (London). Sweden and central europe belongs to GMT+1. Thus, when 16:00 in Phuket the time is 10:00 in Sweden and 09:00 in London.

The official year in Thailand is reckoned from 543 BC, the beginning of the Buddhist Era. Year 2008 is equal to 2551 in Thailand.

Electricity

220v, 50Hz. The wall electrical outlets are usually of the round, two people type or two flat type. Some outlets accept both. What I've seen thais mostly use the flat type and in hotels there are often the type that accept both. It's easy to find adapters in electronic shops for any international plug shape.

Taxes

Value Added Tex is 7% altought this is applied to the manufacturer price, not the retail price. Hotels often add 7% VAT and a service charge of 10% to your room bill.

Postal rates

Airmail letters are charged 17 Bht ton Europe and Australia and 19 Bht to USA. Postcards are charged 12 Bht.

Telephone

Thailand's country code is 66. For international calls it's cheapest to call abroad from CAT (Communications Authority of Thailand) offices, often attached to the main post office. Althought there are many internet/email shops that offer telephone/fax service too. Avoid to make calls from your hotel, tought. (Expensive!) There are two kind of public pay phones in Thailand, the red one is used for local city calls and the blue one for both local and long-distance calls within Thailand. At bangkok airport you can use your credit card at card phones to make international calls, I am not sure if Phuket airport had such phones. Europe GSM cellular phones works fine in Thailand. Local cellular phone numbers begin with area code 01. If you make local calls from your cellular phone, don't forget to put 076 before the number,which is the area code for Phuket.

Clothing

Clothes are relative inexpensive and take the opportunity to get tailor made clothes at modest prices, but aviod the cheapest ones and those who offer 24 hours service. In my opinion, leave your clothes at home and buy your traveller wardrobe here.