It turns out that there was no hold put on my bank account because of the rather scatological purchases I had made over the past week. Instead, it seems that my bank card's magnetic strip isn't as magnetic as it used to be.
So, penniless, I was forced to act.
I have been told before that instead of going to an ATM, one can simply walk into a bank, hand over your bank card (assuming it has a Visa or Mastercard logo on it), and get money. The reason I had never done so before is because I had memories of Cambodia where the go-into-the-bank method is the only way to obtain cash... and it took an hour. (That was 5 years ago, so it has probably improved since then, but...) anyway, that explains why I waited. Besides, they might assume that I'm a criminal, confiscate my card, call the police and... well, my imagination can run amok at times.
It was with these thoughts in mind that I drove down the road, Maid Go along with me to play the part of the friendly old lady... you know... to take the edge off any suspicious vibes I might give off... and pulled in to the first bank I came to.
I walked in with my complete story (in Thai) worked out in advance, and even considered the possibility of shedding a tear or two if it came to that.
Instead, the lady took my card, photocopied my passport, had me sign a receipt, and within 3 minutes I had my 35,000 baht in my hand and I was on my way.
(That money didn't last long though: It was immediately off to Pot's school where I paid for his first term.)
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2 comments:
This have happened to me as well.
Also when the ATM card have been blocked (I have a limit on how much I can take out over a 4 day period), I just walk into a bank if I need more cash. May be wise to get a second bank account though.
My solution to the "problem" is to have a second bank account with aseparate card. If I need some emergency cash, I simply transfer the money from one account to the other by internet bank. Both accounts are in the same bank. So the funds are imediately available.
Good idea. Thanks.
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