Thailand currency: the baht and how you pay
The baht, the satang, and how cash, cards and QR payments fit together.
By the Local SIM Thailand team, checked October 2, 2026
The short answer
Thailand's currency is the Thai baht (THB), written ฿ and divided into 100 satang. Cards are accepted at hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and tourist attractions, while cash still matters for small vendors, local markets, street food and rural areas. Change money at banks or official exchange booths, and use an ATM inside a bank or a busy public place.
- The baht, THB, written ฿: 100 satang to the baht.
- Cards: accepted at hotels, malls, restaurants and attractions; cash for small vendors, markets, street food and rural areas.
- Thai QR payments: visitors from eight nearby markets can scan with their own banking apps.
- Exchange: banks and official booths; airport counters open around the clock at higher margins.
- Card safety: use ATMs inside a bank or a public place, keep your PIN covered and check your statements.
Checked October 2, 2026
Cash and cards, in practice
Cards
- What to know
- Accepted at hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and tourist attractions; less so at small vendors.
Cash
- What to know
- Still useful for local markets, street food stalls, small vendors and rural areas.
Thai QR
- What to know
- Visitors from Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Hong Kong can scan with their own banking app.
Exchange
- What to know
- Banks and official exchange booths; airport counters are quick, with a poorer rate than the city.
The baht in practice
Cards, cash and QR
The national QR system lets visitors from eight nearby markets pay with their own banking apps; elsewhere, cards cover the big places and cash covers the small ones.
Exchange counters
Use banks or official booths. Some airport counters stay open around the clock, at higher margins than in town.
At the ATM
Card and ATM fraud is reported in Thailand: use machines inside a bank or a well-lit public place, keep your PIN covered and watch your statements.
The bottom line
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Cash covers the markets and the card the rest; each plan is paid by card before you fly, so landing needs no stop at a counter.
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What is the Thailand currency?
The Thai baht, written THB and with the ฿ symbol, and divided into 100 satang. Cards work at larger places, cash at markets and small vendors, and money is changed at banks or official booths.
Can I use my card in Thailand?
Most international cards are accepted at hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and tourist attractions, but small vendors, local markets, street food and rural areas still expect cash.
Where can I change money in Thailand?
At banks and official exchange booths, or from an ATM. Airport counters open around the clock and are convenient, but their rate is usually poorer than in the city.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
- Royal Thai Embassy, Ottawa: Thailand country profile (currency and satang)
- Government of Thailand: currency and exchange
- Government of Thailand: payment methods for international visitors
- Government of Canada, Thailand travel advice (money and card fraud)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Thailand safety and security (bank card fraud)
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