Survival Guide - Bangkok - page 336

Money
› Currency The basic unit of Thai currency is the baht. There are 100 satang in one baht.
Coins come in denominations of 25 satang, 50 satang, 1B, 2B, 5B and 10B. Paper cur-
rency comes in denominations of 20B (green), 50B (blue), 100B (red), 500B (purple) and
1000B (beige).
› ATMs You won't need a map to find an ATM in Bangkok - they're literally everywhere.
ATMs accept major international credit cards and many will also cough up cash (Thai
baht only) if your card is affiliated with the international Cirrus or Plus networks (typic-
ally for a fee of 150B). You can withdraw up to 20,000B per day from most ATMs.
› Credit cards Credit cards as well as debit cards can be used for purchases at many
shops and pretty much any hotel or restaurant, though you'll have to pay cash for your pa ̀ t
tai . The most commonly accepted cards are Visa and MasterCard, followed by Amex and
JCB.
› Money changers Banks or legal moneychangers offer the optimum foreign-exchange
rates. When buying baht, US dollars and euros are the most readily accepted currencies,
and travellers cheques receive better rates than cash. British pounds, Australian dollars,
Singapore dollars and Hong Kong dollars are also widely accepted.
› Tipping Tipping is not a traditional part of Thai life and, except in big hotels and posh
restaurants, tips are appreciated but not expected.
Public Holidays
Government offices and banks close their doors on the following national public holidays.
For the precise dates of lunar holidays, see the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) web-
site, www.tourismthailand.org/See-and-Do/Events-and-Festivals .
› New Year's Day 1 January
› Makha Bucha Day January/March (lunar)
› Chakri Day Commemorates the founding of the royal Chakri dynasty; 6 April
› Songkran Thai New Year; 13-15 April
› Labor Day 1 May