International travel has been transformed more in the past decade than in the previous 50 years. Flights are booked instantly, hotels auto-recommend themselves, and in many major cities, cash has vanished almost entirely.
Paying, the most analogue part of travelling, has become a critical arena for digital innovation. Across Asia, from Shanghai to Seoul to Singapore, QR codes now dominate retail counters and subway gates, while mobile wallets have replaced conventional wallets.
For modern travellers, cash is no longer convenient, but is seen as a risk and increasingly useless.
This rapid shift has opened up a new competitive landscape for banks: the rise of the travel debit card.
In Thailand, one of Asia’s largest outbound travel markets and a key destination for Chinese tourists, travel cards are quickly becoming the financial product defining the future of global tourism.
Leading this transformation is the Krungthai Travel Debit Card, a product designed not only for seamless overseas spending but also to connect Thailand’s financial system with China’s powerful digital payment platforms.
CASH NO LONGER KING
For Thai travellers, the habit of exchanging wads of yuan, yen or euros is fading fast. In China’s major cities, cash acceptance has dwindled to near zero. Even taxi drivers and small vendors prefer QR payments.
Japan, once famous for its cash-centric culture, has embraced digital wallets. South Korea and Singapore operate in nearly cashless environments, said Suripong Tantiyanon, chief retail banking officer at Krungthai Bank (KTB).
Factors that have driven the shift in traveller behaviour are poor exchange rates at airports, high overseas ATM fees, and foreign cards that fail to work with local payment systems.
“Travel debit cards have emerged as the simplest solution, offering the ability to pre-exchange currencies at real-time rates, store multiple currencies, eliminate foreign transaction fees, protect core savings accounts, and link directly to local e-wallets such as Alipay and WeChat Pay,” Mr Suripong said.
“Increasingly, a card is no longer just a card. It is a traveller’s digital identity abroad.”
THAI BANKS JOIN IN
Recognising the shift, large Thai banks have launched their own travel debit solutions. The real differentiator is not simply multi-currency wallets or cashback perks, but access. To win customers’ hearts, a travel card must work where travellers actually spend money.
Nowhere is this more important than in China, home to the world’s largest outbound tourist population and a market dominated by Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Sensing this shift, big Thai banks went all in, with each offering a travel card version: the Krungthai Travel Debit Card, Kasikornbank’s KBank Travel Card and K+ FX wallet, Siam Commercial Bank’s Planet Card, Bangkok Bank’s Be1st Digital FX wallet, TMBThanachart Bank’s All Free + FX wallet combo, and CIMB’s AirAsia Traveller Card.
Mr Suripong explained why China is the ultimate test: “China’s payment landscape is unique as the market is mobile-first and QR code-led — they are deeply integrated into everyday life.”
To be useful in China, a travel card must plug into these systems, enabling foreigners to transact as seamlessly as locals. Few cards successfully meet this threshold, but KTB said the Krungthai Travel Debit Card was engineered specifically for this environment.
BRIDGE BETWEEN WORLDS
According to Tawatchai Cheevanon, chief product and business solutions officer at KTB, the bank’s card was built as an infrastructure connector, not just a spending tool.
Through a partnership with Ant Group, the parent of Alipay, users can link the card directly to China’s most widely used mobile wallets, allowing Thai travellers to pay effortlessly on subways, buses, convenience stores, restaurants, hotels, and ride-hailing services across the mainland.
The card supports pre-exchange in 20 currencies, works in more than 210 countries, offers global ATM access without issuer-side fees, charges no foreign exchange fee, and provides cashback benefits of up to 10,000 baht per year.
With premium and platinum tiers, the card adapts to different travel behaviours and budgets.
For Thai tourists heading to China, he said the card removes financial friction. For Chinese travellers in Thailand, it opens the door to familiar, safe and fast payments, said Mr Tawatchai.
The transformation works both ways. Chinese tourists, a large inbound market in Thailand, can now pay at any merchant displaying a Thai PromptPay QR code using Alipay, WeChat Pay or UnionPay, powered by KTB’s cross-border payment infrastructure.
Spending limits are generous, with average daily spending of 6,600 baht. Spending limits for Chinese travellers using Alipay are 5,000 yuan per transaction and 50,000 yuan per day.
For WeChat Pay, the spending limit is 5,000 yuan per transaction and 200,000 yuan a day, while for UnionPay users it is capped at 5,000 yuan per transaction and 25,000 yuan a day.
Thailand is the top global destination for Alipay usage, with Chinese tourists spending an average of 6,600 baht per day.
More than 2.6 million merchants across Thailand are connected automatically to the cross-border QR system, allowing payments from nine nations including China. Small vendors, night market stalls, and rural shops can receive Chinese payments instantly without additional investment.
“This is digital democratisation on a national scale,” Mr Tawatchai said.
SECURE AND TRANSPARENT
According to KTB executives, the bank’s system transfers funds in baht to Thai merchants in real time, with traceability under Thai-Chinese standards.
By eliminating cash, it removes the risks of theft, incorrect change and counterfeit notes.
Merchants receive the full amount without the fees of 1-2.5% typical of card networks. Every transaction strengthens Thailand’s economy by ensuring Chinese spending flows directly into local communities, the executives added.
Thai merchants can register easily via the Thung Ngern website or at any KTB branch. Once onboarded, they receive a PromptPay QR code automatically linked to the cross-border system.
Chinese visitors can scan and pay through their preferred wallet, with merchants receiving funds instantly and fee-free.
Consumers can apply through the Krungthai NEXT app for home delivery or pick up a card at select branches. The technology was designed to support Thailand’s push towards a digital finance economy.
As global tourism enters an era defined by cashless mobility, financial tools must evolve in tandem. Travel debit cards are no longer an add-on, but are seen as essential infrastructure enabling frictionless movement across borders.
In this landscape, KTB built its travel debit card for deeper digital integration between Thailand and China.
For Thai travellers, returning Chinese tourists, small businesses and digital-first consumers, the card represents a seamless, secure, borderless and digital way to travel.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
