The short answer

At Suvarnabhumi (BKK), skip the arrivals-hall booths and follow the "Train to City" signs down to the basement (B) floor. The private exchange counters next to the Airport Rail Link station pay close to city rates, and are open from early morning until late evening.

At Don Mueang (DMK), where most budget and domestic flights land, there's no specialist counter inside the terminal. Change only enough for your journey, or use an ATM with a fee-free card.

Either way, a UK card with no foreign fees is the simplest option: withdraw ฿20,000 at an airport ATM, pay the ฿220 machine fee once, and always decline the ATM's offer to convert to pounds.

Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK): where to exchange

Suvarnabhumi is where flights from the UK land — direct services from London and most one-stop connections through the Gulf, India and Europe. After immigration and baggage reclaim, you come out into the arrivals hall on Level 2.

Level 2 — the arrivals hall

The exchange booths here are run by Thai banks. They're open around the clock, they're the first thing you see, and they pay the least. Rates are typically several percent below the mid-market rate — independent comparisons put airport bank booths at around 3% to 7% below. On £500, that's £15 to £35 handed over for the convenience of not walking downstairs.

They have their place: if you land in the middle of the night and the B floor counters are closed, change just enough for a taxi.

Floor B — by the Airport Rail Link

Go down two levels from the arrivals hall, following the "Train to City" signs, then the currency exchange signs. In the corridor next to the entrance to the Airport Rail Link station, you'll find a row of private exchange counters. The best known is SuperRich — specifically SuperRich 1965, the orange-branded company, which now runs the airport branch (the green SuperRich Thailand closed its airport counter). Several competing changers sit alongside it, and occasionally beat it by a small margin.

The SuperRich airport counter is open daily from about 5:30am to 11:30pm. For major currencies, rates are typically within about 1% of mid-market and close to what you'd get at its branches in central Bangkok. The bank counters on the B floor, including one in front of the rail link entrance, pay much less — walk past them to the private changers.

You'll need your passport. Count your baht at the window and keep the receipt.

ATMs at Suvarnabhumi

There are plenty of ATMs at Suvarnabhumi, run by Bangkok Bank, Kasikornbank, Krungthai, Krungsri, SCB and others. You'll find clusters in the arrivals hall on Level 2 and on the B floor near the Airport Rail Link, plus more on the departures level.

Every one of them charges a foreign card a fee — typically ฿220 per withdrawal, about £5 — on top of anything your own bank charges. There's no fee-free ATM at the airport for a UK card.

Using an airport ATM is a good choice if:

• Your card is fee-free abroad — Chase, Starling, Monzo, Kroo and similar add nothing, so you pay only the ฿220.
• You withdraw a decent amount — ฿20,000 at once makes the fee about 1.1%. ฿3,000 makes it more than 7%.
• You decline conversion — when the screen offers to charge you in pounds, choose "decline" or "without conversion".

Using one is a poor choice on a standard high-street card, which typically adds about 2.75% to 2.99% on top, sometimes with a fixed cash fee as well. In that case, exchanging cash on the B floor is cheaper.

For a full comparison of which UK cards work best at Thai ATMs, see our guide to the best cards for Thai ATM withdrawals.

Don Mueang Airport (DMK)

Don Mueang, Bangkok's older airport to the north of the city, handles budget airlines — AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air and others — on domestic routes and flights around Asia. You'll arrive here if you connect through Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or another regional hub on a low-cost carrier, or fly in from a Thai island.

Exchange options inside the terminal are limited. There's no SuperRich at Don Mueang; the counters in the arrivals hall, and the three bank booths just before immigration, all tend to offer similar rates — reported at around 5% below mid-market.

A better option sits just outside the terminal. Happy Rich, a private exchange company, has a branch next to the SRT Red Line Don Mueang station, reported to open from about 5am to 10pm, and another reached via the skywalk towards the Amari hotel and the old Don Mueang railway station. Its rates are reported to be several percent better than the terminal bank booths, though still a little behind Suvarnabhumi's B floor.

The rest of the advice is the same: change only what you need for the journey, or use one of the many ATMs in the terminal with a fee-free card. If you're flying out of Suvarnabhumi later in your trip, that's the better place to change a larger amount.

Airport options compared

What each option costs for about £200 of baht, against the mid-market rate of about ฿44.38 (12 October 2026). Scroll sideways on a phone.

Counter margins are typical published figures (thaiest.com, travelcurrencyguide.com, 2025–2026). Wise fee from 0.43%. Standard card based on a 2.99% non-sterling fee. Rates change constantly; check the board on the day.

How much baht you need when you land

Less than you might think. Most of what you'll pay for in your first few hours can be paid by card, and the main cash cost — getting into town — is modest.

Getting from Suvarnabhumi into Bangkok

• Airport Rail Link — ฿15 to ฿45 to Phaya Thai, running roughly 5:30am to midnight. Since November 2025 you can tap in and out with a contactless Visa or Mastercard at marked gates, so you don't need cash at all.
• Public taxi — from the taxi counters on Level 1. You pay the meter, plus a ฿50 airport surcharge, plus any expressway tolls. A trip to central Bangkok typically comes to around ฿300 to ฿500. Most drivers want cash, and tolls are paid at the booth as you go — have some ฿20 and ฿100 notes.
• Grab or Bolt — ride-hailing apps with set prices, payable by card in the app. Often similar to a metered taxi.

Getting from Don Mueang into Bangkok

• Airport buses — routes A1 and A2 cost ฿30; A3 and A4 cost ฿50. Pay on board in cash, or by Visa or Mastercard.
• SRT Red Line — from the station across the skywalk into Bang Sue, with connections to the MRT.
• Public taxi — meter plus surcharge and tolls, as at Suvarnabhumi.

Add a drink, a snack and perhaps a Thai SIM or eSIM (the counters accept cards), and ฿1,000 to ฿2,000 covers most arrivals comfortably. If you're arriving late at night, heading straight to an island, or travelling as a family, aim for the upper end.

Want to land with baht already in your pocket at a known rate? Convert pounds to baht in a multicurrency account before you fly, then spend it by card or withdraw it at the airport.

You may also want cash to show if Thai immigration asks for proof of funds — officially ฿20,000 per person or ฿40,000 per family — although few visitors are asked, and a recent bank statement may also be accepted. Our guide to how much cash to bring from Britain covers this in detail.

Airport money traps to avoid

• "Pay in pounds" at the ATM. Airport ATMs will offer to convert your withdrawal to sterling. Always decline — it typically costs 6% or more extra.
• Converting all your money in the arrivals hall. Change a taxi fare at most, then go downstairs or into town.
• Taxi touts inside the terminal. Use the official public taxi counters on Level 1, the limousine counters (more expensive, but fixed and legitimate) or a ride-hailing app. Anyone approaching you in the arrivals hall offering a cheap taxi is best ignored.
• Drivers who won't use the meter. Public taxis from the official rank must use the meter; the surcharge and tolls are the only extras.
• Charging in pounds in shops and cafés. Airport card machines may offer to charge you in GBP. Choose baht.
• Small withdrawals. At ฿220 a time, a ฿2,000 withdrawal costs 11% in fees. Take out ฿10,000 to ฿20,000 at once if you'll use it.

Flying home: leftover baht and VAT refunds

Leftover baht

There are exchange counters on the departures side of the airport, including after immigration, but you'll get a better rate changing baht back into pounds at a specialist counter in town before your last day. Bring your passport — money changers selling you foreign currency must see it or take a copy. Coins can't be exchanged, so spend them on a last coffee or donate them.

You can take up to ฿50,000 in baht out of Thailand without declaring it. If you'll be back within a year, keeping a few thousand baht at home for your next arrival saves you exchanging twice.

VAT refunds

Thailand refunds the 7% VAT on goods bought by tourists at shops displaying the "VAT Refund for Tourists" sign, if you spend at least ฿2,000 (including VAT) in one store on one day and take the goods out of Thailand within 60 days. Ask for the VAT refund form (P.P.10) and tax invoice when you pay.

• Before check-in: show the goods, forms and receipts at the Customs inspection point.
• After immigration: claim at the VAT Refund office. Jewellery, gold, watches, glasses and pens worth more than ฿10,000 must be hand-carried and shown again here.
• How you're paid: refunds of up to ฿30,000 can be paid in baht cash, by bank draft or to a Visa, Mastercard or JCB credit card. Above ฿30,000, only a bank draft or a card transfer is available. Fees are deducted.

If you take the refund in baht cash after immigration, you'll either need to spend it airside or change it at the departure-side counters — so a card refund is often more useful for larger amounts.

Living in Thailand and flying back and forth?

Many British expats in Thailand fly home once or twice a year and bring sterling back in their hand luggage. For spending money, that's fine. But carrying large amounts of cash through airports is risky: you must declare more than £10,000 when leaving the UK and more than US$20,000 when entering Thailand, insurance cash cover is limited, and cash leaves no paper trail if you later need to show where money came from — for a condo purchase, a visa deposit or a tax question.

If you're regularly moving money from the UK to live on, there are better ways: planned transfers at good rates, the right accounts in both countries, and a clear view of how your pension, savings and investments should be arranged now that your life is in Thailand.

The best cards for landing in Bangkok

With one of these, the airport ATM costs you only the ฿220 machine fee — and you don't need to carry much cash from home.

Your airport money checklist

• A fee-free card — and a backup on the other network (Visa and Mastercard).
• Clean Bank of England notes if you're exchanging cash — ideally £50s.
• Your passport to hand for the exchange counter.
• At BKK: go down to floor B and use the private counters by the Airport Rail Link.
• At DMK: change only the fare, or use Happy Rich by the Red Line station.
• Withdraw ฿10,000–20,000 at once and always decline conversion.
• Some small notes for taxi tolls and tips.
• VAT forms and receipts ready for Customs before check-in when you fly home.