Money, Banks and Post office

Most of the banks in Cha-am are located around the main junction, but the Siam Commercial Bank is conveniently located on the beachfront. ATM are all over the place, just like anywhere else in Thailand. You can pay by credit card in major hotels and upscale restaurants, but paying by cash is more convenient (and safer) in most of the places.

Money

Banknotes and coins

The currency of Thailand is the baht. It is subdivided into 100 satang. There are 1000, 500, 100, 50 and 20 banknotes. Silver coins are 10, 5, 2 and 1 baht, and copper coins are 50 and 25 satang.

Thai banknotes and coins

Currency converter

The Currency Converter below shows the international rates (offshore rates).

Click here to check the rates used within Thailand

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ATM

ATM withdrawals are limited to 20,000 baht per transaction. If your bank granted you a higher limit, you just have to make a second transaction. So you need to make three withdrawals in a row to get, say, 50,000 baht. Be aware that ATM from most banks charge a 150 baht fee on any withdrawal made with a credit card from a bank abroad.

Banks

Banks close at 3:30 pm but you can exchange money until 5:00 pm. Banks are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and on public holidays.

For more information, see our page about Thai holidays

Post office

There are two Post offices in Cha-Am. The main one is located near the train station and the police station (western end of Narathip road) and a smaller one is located on the beach front, between soi Cha-Am North 5 and soi Cha-Am North 6.

The main Post office

Narathip Post office on the beachfront

A parcel to/from inside Thailand can take a week to arrive, or can take longer, or can take much longer. To send a letter or a parcel faster, you can use EMS (Express Mail Service).

Check the Thailand Post website (postage rates, tracking system...)

Among the usual services available at the Post office, you can use a "poste restante" address (i.e. having some mail be sent to you at the Post office, without the need to register your name beforehand). For the poste restante at the beachfront Post office, use this format:

Surname LASTNAME
Poste Restante
Narathip Post Office
Cha-Am 76121

They keep the letters only one week before sending them back, so make sure you check often if you're expecting something.

Postal boxes are also available in limited numbers.