When finding a gym, how is the monetary aspect of the terms fulfilled?

[moranpearl17]

HOW ARE THE FINANCES HANDLED IN THAILAND?  CASH ONLY?  

When you find a gym that you like and they agree to train you and take you on as a member; how do you pay them.  Aside from it being in Thai money? Do you have to pay up front for 3 months or 6 months depending on your intended commitment?  Are there American banks in Thailand where you can handle your banking without having to open an account at a Thai bank.  What are the terms of your gym arrangements and are there clauses.    Can you pay month to month?    How easy is it to find an apartment?  Is it cheaper to share the costs with another individual?  

[Nina Nutting]

Thailand is very easy going, you'll be paying cash and can pay, daily, weekly, monthly, as the thais say 'its up to you..'  There are no American banks in Thailand, there are international ATM machines, but if you are staying fopr longer than a few months and have the right visa i would recommend opening a Thai bank account. 

unless you are sponsored there wont be any clauses, its not like the west they wont have you signing contracts or anything like that. Its not regimented in Thailand, so dont worry.

 

Getting an apartment, well that depends on length of stay. you can get Long term or short term condo rental, and depending on the area there are lots of price ranges. If you share or not depends on where you want to be and what you can afford.  You will have to pay a large deposit, and also if renting long term, you will need to have the correct visa paperwork.

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

HOW ARE THE FINANCES HANDLED IN THAILAND?  CASH ONLY?  

When you find a gym that you like and they agree to train you and take you on as a member; how do you pay them.  Aside from it being in Thai money? Do you have to pay up front for 3 months or 6 months depending on your intended commitment?  Are there American banks in Thailand where you can handle your banking without having to open an account at a Thai bank.  What are the terms of your gym arrangements and are there clauses.    Can you pay month to month?    How easy is it to find an apartment?  Is it cheaper to share the costs with another individual?  

Every gym I've ever been to you just pay cash. There are some very big gyms that somehow allow for "pre-pay" online, which I don't recommend at all unless you've already been there and know the gym/area/training. Sometimes discountrs are offered, but unless you already know you like the training and area, don't do it. If you're paying in cash you might even consider just paying for a day or a week before committing to a longer stay. Getting stuck somewhere you don't like due to having already paid sucks and it happens to enough people that I've heard about it a bunch.

When I first came to Thailand we used Traveler's Checks and ATM. The checks require that you have easy access to a bank where you can cash them, but ATM's are everywhere. There's a 200 Baht transaction fee every time you use one, which can add up, so you'll want to do large withdrawls instead of taking out a few hundred Baht per day or whatever. Your bank might also have foreign transaction fees that are in addition to the fees of these ATM's, so look into that. Also advise your bank that you will be traveling and have some kind of contact number for if there are issues with your card. I've had more than a few friends have difficulties with their bank cards - either not being able to withdraw anything because of security lockdown due to not telling their bank they were traveling, or some kind of limit on what they can withdraw, making it like $30 at a time which is a HUGE waste of money. Not everywhere accepts credit cards - malls and Big C, Lotus, etc do, but most restaurants and shops don't - and there are high foreign transaction fees on those, so skip the credit card unless it's absolutely necessary.

Apartments are very easy to find, but there are some difficulties. Some places do not accept westerners because you have to register with Immigration to do so. However, if there are already westerners at your apartment building, they know how to deal with you. Not everyone has contracts to sign, which can be good but it can also bite you. If you're staying for 1 month or so, there's generally no contract. Anything 3 months or more might require some paperwork and deposits and all that, but it's fairly simple. The cost per month rarely includes electricity/water, but per day and week often do. If you end up staying for a longer period of time and sign some papers, you'll need to pay first month's rent plus a deposit that's usually equal to the month's rent. That's for insurance and damages and all that, but generally you get it back when you leave or they take out the last month's charges from it. 

It's always cheaper to split the bill, but having a roommate can have some serious drawbacks. It's up to you what makes you comfortable, but most apartments are a single room with a bathroom and maybe a balcony. Having a roommate means sharing the bed in most cases.

[moranpearl17]

Thanks for the replies all!