Bank notes written on

[davu]

A relative visiting from the UK decided not to get a credit card but to bring cash, this despite my advice. For some reason about half of them seem to be written on and what I assume to be a counterfeit checking machine rejects them. we changed some cash for her at an exchange place on Sukhumvit where they didn't have a machine, no problem. Is there a place in Buriram, maybe Korat,  that can do the same? Alternatively anybody fancy trusting a stranger and doing a private exchange deal? A few hundred pounds I think.

[nookiebear]

It is nothing to do with a fake check machine........IF the writing is in ink/biro,You will find most of the banks will not accept them either,Pencil seems acceptable!

[Nobby]

It is nothing to do with a fake check machine........IF the writing is in ink/biro,You will find most of the banks will not accept them either,Pencil seems acceptable!

Everywhere else probably will accept them.

[davu]

Thanks. We gave the notes to our son in law yesterday who went to the bank in rice farmers' Sunday clothes and he got refused. I put on my trousers and Sunday shirt and got the business done at Krungsiri bank, very nice reception even though they did take some time checking them.
I think that this was money that had been kept under a bed as a tax free deposit for quite some time.

[smoooth2]

Withdrew some cash from a Bangkok Bank ATM in Big C today, and more than half of the notes had pencil scribbles all over them. So yes ... it does appear that doodling on your money with a pencil is ok.

On a slightly different note. Had a funny experience in Savannakhet a couple of years ago. Thought I'd do the right thing and change 500 baht into kip at the local Farmers Bank. Just so I could pay the cafes in Lao money, which does seem to be appreciated by the locals.

Anyway, the teller girl at the bank happily took my 500 baht, and reached into a cardboard beer box on the stool next to her and pulled out a huge wad of kip, peeled off the appropriate number of notes, and casually threw the remainder back into the box like she was shooting hoops.

The box was absolutely overflowing with wads of kips, and I thought it was quite amusing that a cardboard box sitting on a stool was her cash drawer.

Incidentally, zero paperwork was required. No passport, no signature ... nothing. The whole process took about 2 minutes, and I was given the full exchange rate that was prominately displayed on the illuminated board.