It’s not a pretty sight. Getting into a tuk-tuk almost anywhere around Bangkok ensures you will pay more than a bus ride, a metered taxi ride, or a ride on the trains. It doesn’t get any better when your taxi driver insists, ‘no meter!’ It’s enough to make any farang think twice about traveling across Thailand. I credit Jim over at the Tripologist for starting the conversation — after initially starting a comment, I realized there was much more than a comment on the topic.
A great example of dual-pricing happening right under your nose – the line just above the English prices shows a lower price for Thais (80 and 140 baht, respectively, in the Thai numerals).
Without further ado…
Table of Contents
1a. (If you’re a Thai resident), get the Thai price.
I’ll simply say here that I’ve had little difficulty getting the Thai price as I’ve traveled. While the manner will vary by your credentials, showing my bank’s debit card (something you cannot legally get as a tourist) and explaining that I’m a Thai resident has worked just fine. If you’re working in the country and paying taxes, all the more reason to enjoy some of the benefits. To be clear, it doesn’t always work the first time. Between limited English, a lack of knowledge, or an inflexible mindset, they may be stuck on the ‘you pay foreign price!’ sentence. A calm manner, combined with a bit of persistence, will see you through.
1b. (If you’re a tourist to Thailand), know and accept the price before traveling there.
You won’t be getting any discounts, and if a staff member extends you one, there’s a chance they may be expected to put in the difference. Some of the best places to see across the country cost 100 baht or less — with many of them completely free.
2. Get to your destination via public transportation or your own transportation.
Easier said than done, in some cases — yet I dare say my wife and I have done it, with very little Thai ability, most weekends since we arrived. We’ve yet to buy a car (and probably won’t), but renting a scooter is surprisingly easy in most towns. While the intercity system of songthaews and minivan buses is at best choatic, the prices can’t be beat (most songthaew rides are 10–20 baht, and the most I’ve ever paid for an intercity minivan ride is 200 baht).
3. Reset your pricing mindset.
To the vast majority of Thais you interact with, you are rich. You may fret at your teaching job ‘only’ paying 30,000 baht a month, or that your travel budget is ‘only’ $500 for the rest of your time in Thailand. Compare that with the official Thai minimum wage of 300 baht — for the day. You may well have a cocktail that costs more than a Thai person makes over the course of a day.
4. Do your research.
There’s plenty of times when a lack of information will cause you to pay more. It’s one thing I try to counter on this humble blog, At worst, touts or drivers bank on the fact that you don’t know where you’re going, what a fair price is, or that you may actually have options.
5. Speak and read Thai.
I’ll freely admit I’m struggling with this one, so go ahead and call me a hypocrite if you like. I’ll push out a quick ‘sa-wad-di-kap’ and keep a poker face on how much I actually can understand. Along the same note, put away the fancy camera and smartphone when talking prices. While it’s (probably, generally) safe, it all but reminds the other party of your relative affluence.
6. Eat where — and what — the locals eat.
Most locals aren’t chowing down on artisan pizza or washing it down with German beers. Those nights are fun, but even in Thong Lo’s hoity-toity area are enough easily found street food options. Don’t like noodles? Order something else — the ‘point and smile’ approach has worked well at places that lacked an English menu.
The larger malls generally have food courts as a reasonably priced option — the mall staff has to eat somewhere…
7. Alcohol kills your budget.
This is difficult to type, but it’s true. Anyone seriously conserving money would do well to either A: enjoy cheaper drinks, or B: none at all. It’s so easy to throw away several hundred (or thousand) baht a night on drinks for you, your friends, or whichever cutie slides up next to you. This is where the big spenders love to impress — and that ain’t me.
But…. nightlife! I live for it! Yep, there’s no getting around alcohol and nightlife go together better than Batman and Robin. That said, there are always options — and there’s no law that says you have to drink alcohol at a bar. I’m always up for hearing about non-alcohol nightlife options — if you know of one, share in the comments.
8. Always be willing to walk away.
It’s quite rare to have only one option. This is where being informed and researching comes to help — or failing that, having a smartphone to help you do the research on the spot. Even if a tuk-tuk is the only way there, there’s more than one of them around. When shopping, remember the same things are usually on sale at plenty of other places.
