The short answer

Book longer journeys and tours in advance online with a card that has no conversion fee, such as Capitec or GoTyme — domestic flights, sleeper trains, ferries and popular day trips. You'll usually get a better choice and price, and the payment goes through in baht at the card network rate.

Keep cash — around ฿2,000 to ฿3,000 (about R1,000 to R1,500) in small notes — for metered taxis, tuk-tuks, songthaews, national park fees, tips and the many small tour operators, boat owners and dive shops that prefer it or add a fee for cards.

Use Grab or Bolt in cities, paying by card in the app, and tap a contactless card on Bangkok's MRT and the Airport Rail Link. Whenever a website or card machine offers to charge you in rand, choose baht.

Domestic flights

Domestic flights are the quickest way to cover Thailand's long distances — Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, Udon Thani or Chiang Rai in an hour or so. Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air, Thai VietJet, Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways all fly domestically, mostly from Don Mueang (the low-cost carriers) and Suvarnabhumi.

Book on the airline's own website or app, or through a booking site, and pay by card. A few things to watch:

• Pay in baht. Airline sites often let you choose the currency. If you choose rand, the airline converts at its own rate — and some South African banks add a cross-border fee to rand payments to foreign merchants. Choose baht and your card converts at the network rate.
• Check payment fees. Some low-cost airlines add a payment or processing fee depending on how you pay. Check the final total before you confirm.
• Add bags at booking. Low-cost fares often exclude checked luggage, and adding it at the airport costs much more.
• Use a credit card for larger bookings. If an airline cancels or fails, it's easier to ask your bank to dispute a credit card payment, and it's the lender's money while it's investigated.

For connections, remember that Bangkok has two airports about an hour apart by road. Allow plenty of time if your international flight from Johannesburg or Cape Town lands at Suvarnabhumi and your domestic flight leaves from Don Mueang.

Trains, including the sleeper to Chiang Mai

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) runs long-distance trains from Bangkok's Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Chiang Mai, the north-east, the south and the Malaysian border. The overnight sleeper to Chiang Mai is a classic journey in its own right.

Fares are modest: Bangkok to Chiang Mai on the sleeper typically costs about ฿800 to ฿1,100 (about R390 to R540) in a second-class air-conditioned berth and ฿1,900 to ฿2,400 (about R930 to R1,180) in a first-class cabin, with lower berths costing a little more than upper ones. Book online through SRT's D-Ticket system about 30 days ahead, because popular sleepers sell out at weekends and in the high season, and show the e-ticket on your phone. Station counters sell advance tickets too — bring your passport, and cash in baht is the safest way to pay there. Booking agents and travel websites also sell train tickets for a service fee, which is worth paying if you can't get the SRT site to accept your card.

Short local and commuter trains are paid in cash at the station, often for just a few baht.

Buses, minivans and ferries

Buses and minivans

Government and private bus companies connect almost every town in Thailand, and minivans fill in the gaps — to Hua Hin, Pattaya, Kanchanaburi, Khao Yai and the ferry piers. At bus terminals you'll usually pay cash at the company's counter. Many routes can also be booked online by card, which is easier at busy times and saves a trip to the terminal.

Travel agents in tourist areas sell combined bus-and-boat tickets to the islands, often including hotel pick-up. They're convenient, usually paid in cash, and priced with a margin; compare the price with booking direct.

Ferries and speedboats

Ferries link the mainland to the islands — Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in the Gulf, Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi and Koh Lanta in the Andaman Sea. Lomprayah, Seatran and others sell tickets online by card; in October 2026 Lomprayah sailings from Koh Samui to Koh Tao were listed from ฿700 (about R340), taking 1½ to 2¾ hours depending on the boat.

Book ahead in high season and around holidays, when popular sailings fill up, and keep cash for the pier: some charge a small pier or environmental fee, and longtail boats and local ferries are cash only. Check what a joint ticket includes, such as the bus or minivan to the pier and the transfer at the other end, and check the refund policy before you pay, because rough seas can cancel sailings.

Booking online in advance usually means paying by card in baht, a confirmed seat and a clear record if a sailing is cancelled.

Getting around Bangkok and other cities

BTS Skytrain fares are ฿17 to ฿65 on the Sukhumvit and Silom lines. The BTS doesn't accept contactless bank cards yet, so use cash or QR at the machines, a single-journey ticket or a rechargeable Rabbit card; contactless payment is expected as part of a unified ticketing rollout targeted for 2027. On the MRT (the Blue, Purple, Yellow and Pink lines) and the Airport Rail Link, you can tap in and out with a contactless Visa or Mastercard — make sure contactless and international use are switched on in your banking app — and on a card with no conversion fee there's nothing extra to pay.

Grab and Bolt are the easiest way to get around Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya: add a South African Visa or Mastercard in the app and pay automatically, with no cash, no haggling and a fixed price before you book. Some banks charge a small fee per international online payment — Capitec charges R2 — which may apply to in-app rides. Metered taxis take cash, so ask for the meter (“meter, please”) and have small notes. Tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis are cash too, with the price agreed before you set off, and songthaews (shared pick-up trucks) usually charge a small fixed cash fare per person on set routes, more for a private hire.

How to pay for each type of transport

A quick reference for getting around Thailand. Scroll sideways on a phone.

Fares from Khaosan Road (sleeper train, August 2026), Thailand Insider Guide (BTS and Airport Rail Link, 2026) and Ticket2Attraction (Lomprayah, October 2026). Checked October 2026.

Tours, day trips and activities

Elephant sanctuaries, island-hopping, cooking classes, zip lines, white-water rafting, temple tours, kayaking, off-roading — Thailand has endless things to do, and there are two main ways to pay for them.

Booking online in advance

Booking through an online platform means paying by card, seeing reviews and the cancellation policy before you pay, and having a confirmation in your inbox. For popular trips in the high season — the Similan Islands, Phi Phi, the best elephant sanctuaries — booking ahead may be the only way to get a place. Pay in baht if you're given the choice, and use a credit card for larger bookings.

Booking locally

Tour desks, hotel receptions and travel agents sell the same trips on the ground, usually for cash, sometimes with a card surcharge. Prices can be negotiable, especially out of season, but you get less information about the operator and fewer options if the trip is cancelled. Ask exactly what's included — transfers, lunch, equipment, park fees — and get a written receipt.

Some operators take a deposit when you book and the balance on the day, so keep the receipt. Weather often cancels boat trips, so check whether you'll get a refund or a new date before you pay. Park fees, equipment hire and tips are often paid in cash on the day, even if the tour itself is prepaid. And check that your travel insurance covers the activity, because many policies, including free credit-card cover, exclude some adventure sports.

Diving and dive courses

Thailand is one of the world's most popular places to learn to dive, and Koh Tao in particular is famous for good-value courses. In 2026, an Open Water course on Koh Tao typically costs around ฿11,000 to ฿12,500 — roughly R5,400 to R6,100 — including certification and equipment, with fun dives for certified divers around ฿800 to ฿1,200 each.

Many dive shops prefer cash, and some add a fee for card payments. On a ฿12,000 course, a 3% card surcharge is ฿360 (about R176) — more than the R70 plus ฿220 it costs to withdraw ฿20,000 from an ATM on a Capitec or GoTyme card. Ask about card fees before you sign up, and get a receipt for any deposit.

Marine park fees are often charged on top of dive trips in national marine parks, usually in cash. Liveaboards to the Similan and Surin islands are usually booked and paid in advance, often with a deposit, which makes them a good use of a credit card. Insurance matters most here: many travel policies limit diving to a maximum depth or exclude it unless you add cover, so check yours, or get specialist dive cover, before you go.

Golf

South African golfers will find Thailand excellent value, and Hua Hin, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket and the Bangkok area all have dozens of courses. Expect three separate payments. The green fee runs from around ฿1,500 (about R735) at local courses to more than ฿6,000 (about R2,940) at championship venues, usually payable by card at the clubhouse or in advance. The caddie fee, around ฿350 to ฿500, is paid to the club, as caddies are compulsory at almost every course. And the caddie tip, around ฿400 to ฿500 in cash, goes directly to your caddie after the round.

Buggies (carts) are included at some high-end courses and cost around ฿600 to ฿800 at others. Pay the club in baht by card where you can, and carry enough cash for tips and drinks on the course. Golf packages that bundle green fees, transfers and hotels are often cheaper than booking each round yourself, particularly for groups.

Fishing

Fishing is another big draw — deep-sea and game-fishing charters from Phuket, Pattaya, Krabi and the Gulf islands, and freshwater fishing parks and lakes around Bangkok and in the north. Charter boats usually take a deposit when you book and the balance on the day, often in cash; day tickets at fishing parks and lakes are normally cash too. As with diving, check whether your travel insurance covers time on a boat, and agree in writing what the price includes — tackle, bait, fuel, food and transfers.

National parks, temples and dual pricing

Like some South African parks, Thailand charges foreign visitors more than its own citizens at national parks and many attractions — a system known as dual pricing. National park entry fees for foreign adults are set in four bands: ฿100 (children ฿50) at category 1 parks, ฿200 (children ฿100) at category 2, and ฿300 (children ฿150) — about R150 — at category 3 parks, including popular ones such as Erawan. The Similan and Surin islands charge ฿500 (children ฿250).

Vehicle fees are extra — for example ฿20 for a motorbike and ฿30 for a car at Erawan. Bring cash: park offices often don't take foreign cards, and digital payment options are mostly designed for Thai bank apps. Temples, museums and attractions vary; major sights increasingly take cards, but small temples and local attractions are usually cash only.

If you've booked a tour, check whether park fees are included — they often aren't.

Tips for guides, drivers and crews

Tipping isn't compulsory in Thailand, but it's appreciated, especially by guides, drivers and boat crews whose wages are low. A small cash tip — ฿100 to ฿300 (about R50 to R150) for a day guide or driver, a little more for a private tour or a good boat crew, and around ฿400 to ฿500 for a golf caddie — is common. Tips are almost always given in cash, so keep some small notes aside.

Living in Thailand: paying like a local

Once you live in Thailand and have a Thai bank account, paying for transport and activities gets much easier. Thai banking apps pay any Thai QR code in seconds — at market stalls, piers, park offices and small operators that never took foreign cards — and you can top up transport cards and pay for tickets from your phone.

Some attractions offer residents the Thai price if you can show a Thai driving licence or work permit, so it's worth asking. And regular domestic travel adds up: a good card with no conversion fee for bookings, a Thai account for day-to-day spending and a sensible way of moving money from South Africa all make a difference over a year.

If you're planning a move, the bigger questions are how to set up your money, retirement income and insurance for life here — that's where our team can help.

The best ways to book and pay

Book the trips ahead, and carry the right cards for the rest.

Your getting-around checklist

• Book flights, sleepers and ferries ahead online, in baht.
• Add your card to Grab or Bolt before you land.
• Switch on contactless and international use for the MRT and Airport Rail Link; cash or Rabbit card on the BTS.
• Carry ฿2,000–3,000 in small notes for taxis, songthaews, parks and tips.
• Ask about card surcharges at dive shops and tour desks.
• Check what tours include — transfers, park fees, equipment.
• Check your insurance covers diving and the activities you plan.
• Always choose baht when a website or card machine offers rand.