Money and ATMs on Koh Phi Phi

Where the ATMs are

The banks are in Tonsai Village: Siam Commercial Bank near the pier and Krungsri Bank on the main lane, both with ATMs and currency exchange in opening hours. More cash machines stand along the main lane, near the hospital and on the Loh Dalum side of the village. All of them are within ten minutes on foot of the pier.

Outside the village there are no ATMs. If you stay on Long Beach, Loh Bagao or Laem Tong, withdraw in Tonsai before you take the longtail. On busy evenings and after a holiday the machines can run empty, so do not leave it to the last day.

Fees and exchange

Thai ATMs charge foreign cards a fixed fee, at the moment about ฿220 per withdrawal, on top of whatever your bank adds. Withdraw the daily maximum rather than small amounts. Choose to be charged in baht, not in your home currency, when the machine offers the choice. The exchange counters in the village take euros, dollars and pounds at rates a little worse than Phuket or Krabi.

Cards work in most hotels, dive shops, travel agencies and the bigger restaurants, sometimes with a 3 percent surcharge. Thai QR payments need a Thai bank account. Longtail boats, market stalls, massages, beach bars and the national park fee are cash only.

What you pay in cash

The ฿20 cleaning fee at the pier when you arrive. The park fee of ฿400 for adults and ฿200 for children on every boat trip to Phi Phi Leh and Bamboo Island. Longtail taxis, about ฿100 to ฿150 per person to Long Beach. The porters at the pier, a few baht per bag. A Thai meal in the village from about ฿100, a seafood barbecue from about ฿300, a beer ฿80 to ฿120, a cocktail bucket on the beach around ฿300.

Tips

• Bring a few thousand baht from the mainland. Phuket and Krabi airports have exchange counters and ATMs with the same fees.
• Keep small notes for longtails, drinks and the pier fee.
• Two cards from two banks are better than one. A swallowed card takes days to replace from the island.