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Methodology
How the score is calculated
This scale is for a visitor without a Thai card who needs baht in Phuket. It is not a customer survey: rank is determined only by terms that could be confirmed on official pages.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Cash without your own Thai card or Thai bank account | 25 |
| Accepts rubles | 15 |
| Accepts USDT | 15 |
| No office visit required: ATM or courier is offered | 15 |
| At least one named office in Phuket | 10 |
| Entry threshold or worse-rate threshold no higher than THB 10,000 | 10 |
| A time specifically to cash in hand is stated | 5 |
| A Russian-speaking manager or transaction contact is named | 5 |
Rules
A confirmed criterion receives its full weight. “Not stated” and “not mentioned” receive zero. There are no half points.
Two conflicting statements on an official website score zero until the service reconciles them. That is how 2Change loses the office point.
Timing means time to cash in hand. A manager’s reply, request processing and “60 seconds for the process” do not count. Speed is therefore credited to 2Change and Oplatym, but not to Senate, EXFM, ARBI or Money Shop.
A threshold must be in baht and no higher than THB 10,000. It can be a minimum or the level below which the site itself applies a worse rate. Oplatym’s USD 100 is not converted into baht.
USDT counts only when the abbreviation, or the direct wording “online dollars (USDT),” appears on the page. For EXFM, it appears on the Phuket page.
The total is divided by 10 and rounded to one decimal place. On a tie, fewer zeros in the cash and Phuket-office fields rank higher. If those also tie, the place is shared.
Deliberately excluded from the score
Years in business, review counts, number of countries, licenses and tax IDs earn no points. A license is quoted in a profile as website text, but no weight is assigned to it. Daily rates are not frozen into the score.
Claims that must not be invented
- A Mir card can be used to pay in a Phuket shop or withdraw baht from an ATM. 2Change says Mir cards are not accepted in Thailand. Senate Exchange and ARBI accept Mir as a way to send money for exchange from Russia.
- Cash US dollars can be withdrawn from an ATM in Phuket. Money Shop says ordinary ATMs dispense baht.
- 2Change has a Phuket office or will courier cash to a villa. Its Thailand page denies that. The “357 pickup points” line contradicts that denial and is not itself an address.
- Leftover baht can be changed back into rubles or USDT through 2Change before a flight. The service says reverse exchange is not offered in Thailand.
- Any dollar bills are accepted at an ARBI desk. The site refuses pre-1996 bills and damaged or dirty banknotes.
- Money Shop publishes a Bank of Thailand license number. The site has the words “licensed offices” and a Tax ID, but no license number.
- Avosend gives a tourist cash baht in Phuket without a card. For Thailand, the reviewed extract confirms payout by card number.
- EXFM does not work with USDT. Its Phuket page names online dollars (USDT).