The national bank recently revealed the surprising information that most Thais don’t know that their debit cards can be used as credit cards and that this is why they are rarely used in the country in that way.
Bank of Thailand official Siritida Panomwon Na Ayudhya said that the national bank will start a campaign aimed at informing Thais about this useful service that is already included with their debit card contract. The bank will try to teach people that they can use a debit card in place of cash and also in place of credit cards, without the large interest fees, reported National News Bureau.
She said that most Thais believe that the cards are only ATM cards, and that their function is limited to withdrawing cash at bank machines.
The national bank also plans to install Electronic Draft Capture (EDC) devices in at least 560,000 stores nationwide by March of 2018, greatly increasing the places the cards can be used for everyday purchases.
