[dizbuster]

I worked in the banking sector for many years and now work in the software industry selling systems to banks !! The booths at the airport which are banks, will give you the same as you would get from a branch - as they are branches themselves. Non-bank exchanges should be treated a little differently and you should make sure of the rate first before exchanging. I have found that using the ATM machines is good, as you don't have to worry about carrying cash around, or leaving large amounts in your room, safe, deposit box etc and the rate ATM's give are very close to that you would get in a branch, but remember the admin fee for the withdrawal, for example GBP2.50 or 2.5% of the transaction amount, whichever is greater. I prefer using ATM's purely for convenience.

However, the best rates to be had, are thsoe obtained from your fellow countrymen who own bars or restaurants over in LOS. It is in their interest to exchange money from time to time, especially if they are going back home for a little while and it never gets recorded in the books (nudge,nudge,wink,wink-say no more !!). I know a bar owner in Pattay who pays me a better rate than any bank, sometimes as much as a baht over the bank rate, as he wants sterling and it's still cheaper than him going to the bank to change up his baht for sterling. This means we are dealing "within the spread" i.e the difference between the buying and selling rates. Finding someone like this is not always easy, but if you meet a fellow countryman of yours, then it's always worth mentioning a you may find someone that is interested.

Cheers
Diz