Service review

UnionPay card from a Russian bank

Withdrawing baht with your own card, ranked #10 of 10 for Phuket in 2026.

Home / UnionPay card from a Russian bank

What It Is

A UnionPay card issued by a Russian bank lets you withdraw baht from Thai bank ATMs without any intermediary. It is the only entry in this ranking that involves no service at all — and the only one that has to be arranged before you fly, since the card cannot be issued once you are in Thailand.

A Mir card is not an alternative: it cannot be used to pay or to withdraw cash in Thailand.

How It Works

You withdraw at a Thai bank ATM as you would at home. Two charges apply to every withdrawal. The machine's owner charges first: at Krungsri, since 11 March 2026, that is 250 THB for UnionPay and Visa and 350 THB for Mastercard. Your own bank charges second — Rosselkhozbank, for example, takes 2% with a 299 RUB minimum on rouble accounts for withdrawals at other banks' machines.

Daily limits are set by the issuer, and availability of a particular card can change at short notice, which is why it is rarely wise to treat it as the only way to get money on a trip.

How It Compares

Against every exchange service here, the card wins on independence and loses on cost: two fees on each withdrawal, and no way to negotiate the amount in advance. Four withdrawals across a fortnight at a Krungsri machine cost 1,000 THB in ATM fees alone before the issuer's percentage.

Against 2Change, which pays for the withdrawal itself and confirms the baht figure before you send anything, the card is the fallback rather than the plan. It suits visitors who already hold one and need occasional small sums.