Visiting Serbia: How to Pay and Spend Money?

Recommended article by Wawa, See You Again

- Serbia uses the Dinar currency, abbreviated as RSD

- Approximately 115 Dinar equals 1 Euro, and is equivalent to about 39 THB (baht) (#Exchange rate in Serbia, September 2023)

- Payments are accepted in Dinar only; no other currencies are accepted.

If you plan to visit Serbia, we recommend carrying a debit card—specifically a Travel Card debit card for spending abroad. While several banks in Thailand have issued Travel Card debit cards to choose from, if you are traveling to spend in Serbia, only these 2 cards can be used in Serbia. They can also be used worldwide wherever you travel and support all currency exchange rates, because these 2 cards support spending in every global currency, whereas other cards have limited supported currencies and do not support Dinar. 

The  Travel Card debit cards that can be used in Serbia are these 2 cards:

1.Journey Debit Card from Kasikornbank

Clickhttps://www.kasikornbank.com/th/personal/debit-card/pages/journey.aspx

This card offers fantastic privileges! You can access airport lounges, namely the Miracle Lounge, 1 time / calendar year at Suvarnabhumi Airport (international and domestic departures) and Don Mueang Airport (international and domestic departures) 1 time / calendar year simply by presenting your JOURNEY debit card along with your boarding pass before using the service. For more details, click to read at the link Click https://www.kasikornbank.com/th/personal/debit-card/pages/journey.aspx

2. ttb all free card from TMBThanachart Bank

Click https://www.ttbbank.com/th/personal/deposits/transactional-account/ttb-all-free

What is a  Travel Card debit card, and how does it differ from a regular debit card or credit card?

A Travel Card debit card is a debit card designed for overseas spending without the 2.5% foreign currency conversion fee for card swipe transactions on card terminals (however, online transactions may still incur fees).

In short, this card can be swiped at payment terminals without the 2.5% currency conversion fee, and can also withdraw cash from ATMs. Whichever country you visit, you can withdraw local currency directly from an ATM at a very low withdrawal fee, saving you from having to look for money exchange booths. Gone are the days when you had to exchange cash Euros in advance and then convert them into Dinar in Serbia. Simply switching to carrying a Travel Card debit card instead will make your life so much easier.

We recommend bringing both of these 2 cards to Serbia, so in case an emergency arises where a payment fails due to a temporary bank system error, you will have another card available to spend instead.

How to use the cards :

 - Both of these 2 cards work the same way: as long as you have funds in your account, you can swipe to make payments or withdraw cash from ATMs immediately without wasting time converting money through banking apps in advance like other cards. You must set a 6-digit PIN in advance, which you must remember. 

- You can simply tap the card on the terminal without having to insert the card into the machine. 

Using the card for payments on card terminals :

For small amounts, simply tap the card on the machine without entering your 6-digit PIN to complete payment. For low amounts, merchants will not ask you to enter a PIN. 

For high payment amounts: Simply tap your card on the card reader, then enter your 6-digit PIN and press the green button to confirm. You will only need to enter a PIN for high amounts according to the threshold configured by each merchant, and the shop will let you know to enter your PIN.

Please note: When paying by card in Serbia, you must tap the card on the machine yourself without handing it to the cashier, unless the tap payment encounters an issue, in which case the shop will insert the card into the reader instead.

2 key benefits shared by both cards :

- Both cards can be used worldwide, no matter which country you visit.

- Both cards can be used to spend in any currency worldwide.

- Neither card requires exchanging currency in advance in banking apps; as long as you have funds in your account, you can use the card right away.

- Both cards can be used abroad as well as in Thailand, allowing you to make card payments and withdraw cash from ATMs in Thailand, whereas other travel cards are restricted for use overseas only.

Card Security: You can temporarily freeze or unlock your card via your banking app. However, be careful not to enable or disable card usage during non-operating hours—specifically from midnight until early morning Thailand time—because you will not be able to complete the transaction (please check with your bank for their specific operating hours regarding these settings).

Safety Tips for Using Your Card: If a card payment is unsuccessful, always request a failed transaction slip from the card machine from the merchant.

- If your card payment fails because the shop says the transaction didn't go through, you should always request a failed transaction slip from the card machine as proof. This protects against dishonest merchants falsely claiming a payment failed, causing you to swipe again and get charged twice.

- In case of a banking system error or crash where money has been deducted from your card but has not yet reached the merchant—causing the card machine to record a failed transaction slip—you should always ask for this slip from the card machine. Having this failed transaction slip as proof will allow you to request a refund from your bank later.

Additional Things to Know:

 - When you receive a new card, always remember to activate it first.

 - Set a 6-digit PIN and make sure to remember it, as you will need the PIN for ATM cash withdrawals and for high-amount card transactions.

 - We recommend adding your new debit card to your banking app so you can manage settings and check your spending balance directly in the app.

 - You can easily track your card spending via your banking app, which will send payment notification alerts.

 - If you want to receive SMS transaction alerts on the Thai SIM card you bring to Serbia, we recommend calling your mobile carrier's call center to request: "Enable incoming SMS while abroad." You do not need to turn on data roaming and pay expensive roaming fees—just requesting international incoming SMS is enough. This allows you to receive card transaction alert SMS whenever you are abroad. Don't forget to configure your phone and SIM settings to ensure it can receive messages.

 - Always check the receipt from the card machine to make sure the charged amount is correct, as merchants can sometimes make mistakes and overcharge.

 - You should check your card transactions every time you use your card to ensure there are no duplicate charges, especially when the card is not approved on the first swipe and is swiped again successfully, to verify that you are charged only 1 time and there is no duplicate charge.