I have never once used a phone based QR esque code app to pay for anything and don't plan on ever doing so. As is our phone, largely only kept as a satellite internet hotspot for the camp, has been stolen again, being the second phone and related new Thailand phone number to disappear in six weeks. My guess is that the survey above does not catch that aspect of "convenience" in their survey. I don't even want to imagine how bad it would be if I had been dependent on those dumb devices for much of anything. We had a simple PIN lock on both but my assumption is that somebody has a way of either unlocking it or just selling the parts for cash. I bet they don't take QR codes unless they're with the government already. :-P
Kudos to you for resisting the QR code ‘convenience’ entirely. I am sorry to hear about the phone theft again, that’s rough. If you were mostly using your phone for hotspot purposes, you could instead buy a hotspot device that uses a data sim card to generate a WIFI signal - mine is actually faster than any previous wired connection I’ve had in Thailand. I would prefer a wired router to reduce EMF exposure but I am not allowed to install one in my current condo building.
I’ve heard that mentioned before and it is a good suggestion. All of the moving around in backwoods areas has led to wifi hookup being out of the question for a few years here. Where do you buy such a thing?
Can be bought from tech malls in Bangkok like fortune town and MBK - probably find in IT stores in Phuket too. Also online via Lazada / Shopee etc. Cheap and reliable older model is the 'TP-Link M7000 4G LTE WIFI Hotspot' and costs around 1,000 THB.
I was recently up on a minor infraction at the local immigration office and was told that the fine was 2000B. When I asked for a receipt, the girl looked shocked and disappointed and said that the fine was only 1000 baht if I didn't require a receipt....
How does the cashless society deal with low-level bribery like that, because if they can't, Thailand ain't going cashless any time soon.
Or well-trained, more likely. It was said with no whispering or blushing, at a volume that suggested she was letting the (several) other officers in the room know that she was fully onboard with the program.
Interesting. I’ve often heard from Thais that when there is corruption amongst an employee’s superiors, subordinates, and peers, they become ‘trapped’ and forced to either get with the program, or be nudged out as a whistleblower.
And the girl I was talking to was most probably a trainee, no uniform, looked like she'd just been recruited from the fries counter at McDonald's, so it would have been unthinkable for her to buck the system.
Cashless only benefits those transacting as in receiving the payment on behalf of the Bankers as in Gangsters. All the rest payers purchaser/buyer loose.
Banksters/gangsters and the business receive a bonus in the form of a transaction fee. Paid by the purchaser/buyer.
The objective is simply to increase wealth of the gangster bankers.
How amazing that Visa's "study" produced the results it wanted to people to hear. It's hard for tyrants to go wrong when they set the "for your safety" trap out for fearful modern pansies. How often is the reply, "I'll risk it"?
"Contactless" is a euphemism for "unaccountable." When they decide to turn off your access, whether you really did something to offend TPTB or it's just a flex to remind you who's in charge of your existence, the "contactless" part is that you'll have no one to contact to get it fixed.
"What happens when the grid goes down?" somehow never gets raised by the kakistocracy and its fans. For the same reason, I absolutely don't get the attraction of Bitcoin and other digital currencies: They exist only until the power goes out, and then you're left without even representative coins or pieces of fiat paper.
Contactless cards are dangerous. A friend had a large amount of money taken from his account because - he suspected - someone lurking nearby when he was using an ATM was in range of his wallet and other debit cards using a wireless point of sale reader to deduct small amounts that would not trigger his SMS alerts. RFID protective wallets are essential now as one cannot opt out of contactless debit / credit cards.
As for grid down scenario or real / engineered / exacerbated / staged cyber attack - of course that is the greatest risk for everything going digital. The bitcoin maximalists don't see the trap in doing away with cash entirely. Although the financial casino ponzi of FIAT's value being debased and causing hyper-inflation is validly worrisome - I think gold-inked banknotes could play a pivotal role in the future for cash - being done in the US already: New Hampshire, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, South Dakota.
That Goldback thing is awesome. Thanks for the link. In exchange, here's one about Texas' work to make gold and silver legal tender, and an interesting (to me) reminder that the Constitution explicitly permits states to use gold and silver as currency that isn't designed to lose all its value like fiat dollars are:
My credit card information has been stolen at least five times in as many years. Twice in the last six months I had to replace my Discover card, and I hate to think how much time and money it costs the credit card companies to fight their losing battles against fraud in such cases. It's not like I'm buying crap anywhere but Amazon, either. In contrast, in 60 years I've never had a wallet or purse stolen.
I have never once used a phone based QR esque code app to pay for anything and don't plan on ever doing so. As is our phone, largely only kept as a satellite internet hotspot for the camp, has been stolen again, being the second phone and related new Thailand phone number to disappear in six weeks. My guess is that the survey above does not catch that aspect of "convenience" in their survey. I don't even want to imagine how bad it would be if I had been dependent on those dumb devices for much of anything. We had a simple PIN lock on both but my assumption is that somebody has a way of either unlocking it or just selling the parts for cash. I bet they don't take QR codes unless they're with the government already. :-P
Kudos to you for resisting the QR code ‘convenience’ entirely. I am sorry to hear about the phone theft again, that’s rough. If you were mostly using your phone for hotspot purposes, you could instead buy a hotspot device that uses a data sim card to generate a WIFI signal - mine is actually faster than any previous wired connection I’ve had in Thailand. I would prefer a wired router to reduce EMF exposure but I am not allowed to install one in my current condo building.
I’ve heard that mentioned before and it is a good suggestion. All of the moving around in backwoods areas has led to wifi hookup being out of the question for a few years here. Where do you buy such a thing?
Can be bought from tech malls in Bangkok like fortune town and MBK - probably find in IT stores in Phuket too. Also online via Lazada / Shopee etc. Cheap and reliable older model is the 'TP-Link M7000 4G LTE WIFI Hotspot' and costs around 1,000 THB.
I was recently up on a minor infraction at the local immigration office and was told that the fine was 2000B. When I asked for a receipt, the girl looked shocked and disappointed and said that the fine was only 1000 baht if I didn't require a receipt....
How does the cashless society deal with low-level bribery like that, because if they can't, Thailand ain't going cashless any time soon.
Bingo! Great example. What a versatile, quick-thinking immigration officer you encountered ha.
Or well-trained, more likely. It was said with no whispering or blushing, at a volume that suggested she was letting the (several) other officers in the room know that she was fully onboard with the program.
Interesting. I’ve often heard from Thais that when there is corruption amongst an employee’s superiors, subordinates, and peers, they become ‘trapped’ and forced to either get with the program, or be nudged out as a whistleblower.
And the girl I was talking to was most probably a trainee, no uniform, looked like she'd just been recruited from the fries counter at McDonald's, so it would have been unthinkable for her to buck the system.
Cashless only benefits those transacting as in receiving the payment on behalf of the Bankers as in Gangsters. All the rest payers purchaser/buyer loose.
Banksters/gangsters and the business receive a bonus in the form of a transaction fee. Paid by the purchaser/buyer.
The objective is simply to increase wealth of the gangster bankers.
How amazing that Visa's "study" produced the results it wanted to people to hear. It's hard for tyrants to go wrong when they set the "for your safety" trap out for fearful modern pansies. How often is the reply, "I'll risk it"?
"Contactless" is a euphemism for "unaccountable." When they decide to turn off your access, whether you really did something to offend TPTB or it's just a flex to remind you who's in charge of your existence, the "contactless" part is that you'll have no one to contact to get it fixed.
"What happens when the grid goes down?" somehow never gets raised by the kakistocracy and its fans. For the same reason, I absolutely don't get the attraction of Bitcoin and other digital currencies: They exist only until the power goes out, and then you're left without even representative coins or pieces of fiat paper.
Contactless cards are dangerous. A friend had a large amount of money taken from his account because - he suspected - someone lurking nearby when he was using an ATM was in range of his wallet and other debit cards using a wireless point of sale reader to deduct small amounts that would not trigger his SMS alerts. RFID protective wallets are essential now as one cannot opt out of contactless debit / credit cards.
As for grid down scenario or real / engineered / exacerbated / staged cyber attack - of course that is the greatest risk for everything going digital. The bitcoin maximalists don't see the trap in doing away with cash entirely. Although the financial casino ponzi of FIAT's value being debased and causing hyper-inflation is validly worrisome - I think gold-inked banknotes could play a pivotal role in the future for cash - being done in the US already: New Hampshire, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, South Dakota.
https://www.goldback.com/
That Goldback thing is awesome. Thanks for the link. In exchange, here's one about Texas' work to make gold and silver legal tender, and an interesting (to me) reminder that the Constitution explicitly permits states to use gold and silver as currency that isn't designed to lose all its value like fiat dollars are:
https://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2023/03/texas-bill-would-make-gold-and-silver-legal-tender-in-the-state/
Also, I was happy (maybe unreasonably so) to find out that Texas is starting its own stock exchange. https://www.forbes.com/sites/caileygleeson/2024/06/05/a-billionaire-backed-texas-stock-exchange-is-in-the-works-heres-what-to-know/ It makes me more hopeful that secession (Texit) is in our future.
My credit card information has been stolen at least five times in as many years. Twice in the last six months I had to replace my Discover card, and I hate to think how much time and money it costs the credit card companies to fight their losing battles against fraud in such cases. It's not like I'm buying crap anywhere but Amazon, either. In contrast, in 60 years I've never had a wallet or purse stolen.
Lol @ the copper cash image