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The Thailand currency is the baht (THB, ฿), and in late September 2026 one US dollar bought about 33 of them. Money in Thailand is easy in most ways: ATMs on every corner, exchange booths with honest rate boards, cards accepted in any mall. The catch is the 220 baht almost every Thai ATM charges on a foreign card. It’s enough to make it worth thinking about how often you withdraw.
Thai money in 30 seconds
- Currency
- Thai baht (THB, ฿), split into 100 satang. About 33 baht to US$1 in late September 2026.
- Notes
- 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 baht. Coins: 25 and 50 satang, 1, 2, 5 and 10 baht.
- ATMs
- 220 baht per withdrawal on foreign cards at most banks, with limits around 20,000–30,000 baht.
- Cards
- malls, hotels, chains and hospitals. Cash for street food, markets, tuk-tuks and songthaews.
- Exchange
- licensed booths in town beat the airport counters.
- Customs
- declare foreign cash worth more than US$20,000.
- Respect the notes
- they carry the King’s portrait. Never step on money.
Thai baht notes and coins
Five banknotes are in circulation. The current series, issued from 2018, carries the portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X). Older notes showing King Bhumibol are still legal tender, so you’ll get a mix of both.
| Note | Colour | Roughly worth | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 baht | Green | About 60 US cents | A bottle of water, a short motorbike taxi, small tips |
| 50 baht | Blue | About $1.50 | A plate of pad kra pao or a bowl of noodles from a street cart |
| 100 baht | Red | About $3 | A market meal with a drink, a tip for a massage |
| 500 baht | Purple | About $15 | A one-hour Thai massage, a restaurant dinner |
| 1,000 baht | Brown-grey | About $30 | Hotel bills and tours; small vendors often can’t change it |
Coins matter more here than in Vietnam. The 10-baht coin, silver with a gold-coloured centre, is the one you’ll use most, and 1, 2 and 5 baht coins come back as change at 7-Eleven. Satang coins are nearly worthless and mostly stay in jars.
ATMs love giving out 1,000-baht notes. Break them at 7-Eleven, supermarkets or your hotel, not at a noodle stall at 11 pm.
How much is the Thai baht worth?
Trading Economics put the dollar at 33.42 baht on 25 September 2026. For mental maths, 100 baht is about $3 and 1,000 baht about $30. Divide by 33 and round, and you won’t be far off.
ATM fees in Thailand: the 220-baht problem
Almost every Thai bank, Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn, SCB, Krungthai and Krungsri included, charges 220 baht per withdrawal on a foreign card. Your own bank may add a fee and a currency margin on top. There’s no fee-free network for foreign cards anymore. AEON machines have been reported to charge less, but we haven’t confirmed a figure, so read the screen: the fee shows up before you accept.
What you can control is how often you pay it. Limits run from about 20,000 to 30,000 baht per withdrawal depending on the bank. Taking 20,000 baht at once makes the fee about 1%. Taking 2,000 five times makes it 11% on each withdrawal. If you don’t want to carry a big stack, leave most of it in the hotel safe.
Say no to the conversion offer
Thai ATMs often offer to charge you in your home currency, sometimes with a pre-ticked “accept”. Decline it and choose “without conversion” or THB. The machine’s rate is worse than your bank’s.
Cards, contactless and QR payments
Visa and Mastercard work in malls, hotels, chain restaurants, cinemas, hospitals and most shops in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui. Tap-to-pay is common in the cities. Some smaller businesses add a surcharge of a few percent for cards, so ask first if the bill is big.
Thailand still runs on cash at street level: food carts, night markets, motorbike taxis, tuk-tuks, songthaews, small guesthouses and a lot of island beach bars. Grab and Bolt let you pay rides by card in the app, which is the easiest way around haggling over change.
The QR code at nearly every stall is PromptPay, Thailand’s instant bank-transfer system. Thai customers pay everything with it. Paying it from a foreign phone only works if your wallet or banking app is linked to Thai QR, and coverage varies by country and app. Test it on something cheap before relying on it.
Where to exchange money in Thailand
Licensed money changers in town, SuperRich being the best-known name in Bangkok, usually give better rates than banks and much better than the arrival-hall counters. Change only what you need for the first day at the airport, or use an ATM there.
Expect to show your passport. Rate boards often list a better rate for $100 and $50 notes than for $20 and below, and damaged or marked bills may be refused, so bring large, clean notes.
Bringing money into Thailand: customs and proof of funds
Foreign cash worth more than US$20,000 must be declared to Thai Customs, both on arrival and on departure. Thai baht leaving the country is capped too, at 50,000 baht for most destinations and more for neighbouring countries, which only matters if you’re carrying a lot.
Immigration officers can also ask to see proof of funds: 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 per family, in cash or equivalent. The rule dates from 1980, checks are at the officer’s discretion, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand reminded visitors of it on 6 July 2026 while stressing that nothing new was being introduced. Most travellers are never asked, but it’s one more reason to arrive with some cash.
The planned 450-baht tourist entry fee was still not being collected in September 2026. It was going through public consultation in August, with collection expected to start in 2027. The one entry formality that is required now is the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC).
Handle Thai money with respect
Every Thai note and coin carries the King’s image, and the monarchy is protected by some of the strictest laws in the world. Stepping on money is taken as an insult to the King. If a coin rolls away, don’t stop it with your foot; pick it up with your hand. Don’t write on notes, and don’t crumple them up to throw on a counter.
What we would actually do
Arrive with a little baht or change a small amount at the airport, then make one big ATM withdrawal a week, or change clean $100 notes at a licensed booth in town. Pay hotels and malls by card, rides through Grab, and keep 20s and 100s for everything else.
Next, read tipping in Thailand for what those 20s and 100s are for, and the best time to visit Thailand by coast. Travelling further? See our guides to Vietnam currency and money in Korea.
All our Thailand guides, from the TDAC to the baht, are sorted by topic in one place: the Thailand travel guide.
Keep a few small notes for the ride into town: airport taxis add a 50-baht fee and expressway tolls to the meter, as our guide to Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok explains.
Going to Pattaya? Keep some coins: a baht bus ride now costs 15 baht. Our Bangkok to Pattaya guide has the bus, taxi and Grab fares to get there.
Sources
- Bank of Thailand — banknote series in circulation.
- Trading Economics — USD/THB rate, 25 September 2026.
- Thai Customs Department — declaring foreign currency above US$20,000.
- TAT Newsroom, 6 July 2026 — proof-of-funds reminder for foreign visitors.
- Nation Thailand, August 2026 — status of the 450-baht tourist entry fee.
Data checked: 2026-10-04
