Money

Cash is king on Koh Lanta. Most local restaurants, massage shops, markets and small businesses only accept cash. Bigger restaurants, hotels and convenience stores like 7-Eleven take Visa and Mastercard, but don’t count on it everywhere. Always have cash on hand.

Photo by Q L on Pexels (free to use)

ATMs #

ATMs are scattered across the island, mostly at 7-Elevens and bank branches. You’ll find them in Saladan, Klong Dao, Long Beach and Klong Nin. There are two banks in Saladan (SCB and TTB), and a Kasikorn ATM near Southern Lanta Resort at Klong Dao Beach.

All Thai ATMs charge a 250 THB fee per withdrawal on foreign cards. This is unavoidable, so withdraw as much as you can in one go to reduce the hit.

Which ATM to use #

Not all ATMs are equal. Krungsri (yellow) ATMs let you pull 30,000 THB per transaction, while most others cap at 20,000 THB. That difference matters when you’re paying a flat fee every time.

Look for the yellow Krungsri ATMs. At 30,000 THB with a 250 THB fee, you’re paying about 0.8%. At an SCB machine doing 20,000 THB, that same fee costs you 1.25%.

Use the Krungsri location finder to find one nearby: select ATM and enter postal code 81150.

The chance of an ATM on Koh Lanta skimming your card is very, very low, but not zero. So try to use the same ATM every time you need money.

Decline the currency conversion #

Cards for travel #

If you’re staying for a while, a Wise card is worth getting before your trip. It converts at the mid-market exchange rate with a small fee (around 0.4-0.6%) and has no foreign transaction fee on card payments. For ATM withdrawals, you get 2 free pulls per month (up to 200 EUR for EEA-issued cards, or 100 USD for US-issued cards), then a small percentage fee after that. The Thai ATM surcharge still applies on top.

Your home bank debit or credit card will also work at ATMs and larger shops, but check what foreign transaction fees they charge. Many banks add 1-3% on top of the exchange rate, which adds up over a month.

Mobile payments #

PromptPay is Thailand’s QR payment system. You’ll see QR codes at many shops and restaurants, but you need a Thai bank account to use it directly.

TrueMoney Wallet is more accessible for foreigners. You can sign up with your passport and a Thai SIM card, then top up at 7-Eleven (max 3,000 THB per top-up). The wallet cap is 50,000 THB. It works at shops displaying TrueMoney QR codes.

That said, most short-stay visitors just stick with cash and cards. Mobile payments are a nice bonus if you’re here for a few months.

Currency exchange #

There are exchange booths around Saladan and in tourist areas along the beaches. Rates are okay but not great compared to Bangkok. SCB in Saladan has an exchange window that’s accessible outside banking hours.

If you’re flying through Bangkok, exchanging some cash at a SuperRich counter at Suvarnabhumi Airport will get you a better rate than anything on the island. There is no SuperRich in Krabi or on Koh Lanta.

For the best overall rate, use a Wise card for purchases and withdraw cash from Krungsri ATMs when you need it.

Tipping #

Tipping is not required in Thailand, but it’s appreciated in tourist areas. Some rough guidelines:

• Restaurants: Check if a 10% service charge is on the bill. If not, leaving 5-10% for good service is a nice gesture. At local Thai restaurants and street food stalls, tipping is uncommon. Rounding up or leaving the coins is fine.
• Massage: 50-100 THB for a standard Thai massage. 100-200 THB for longer spa treatments. Hand it directly to the therapist.
• Taxis: Not expected. Rounding up the fare by 10-20 THB is enough.
• Hotel staff: 20-50 THB for porters or housekeeping if you feel like it.