Can you still use old Thai currency notes?

If you try to search this in Google, most resources say that you can still use your old Thai currency notes, and that is right. I can verify this from my first-hand experience, and in this blog post, I'll be sharing more details about this.

A personal experience in using old Thai currency notes

When I visited Thailand for Songkran 2024, I brought along a few old Thai currency notes (less than ฿2,000) which my mom found stashed in an envelope when she was cleaning her drawer. I saw in various references and sources that I can use these old notes freely. Yet, at the back of my mind, I still have discomfort and the lack of confidence in using them to pay.

Attempt #1 - Using it to load my cash card for food court/hall

In Thailand, the food courts are all electronic. This means that you will need to top-up a cash card, and use that to pay off for your meals. When I arrived in a mall in Chiang Mai, we went straight up to the food court section to have lunch. I nervously handed by old ฿1,000 to the lady in the top-up booth, and she outrightly refused. My confidence in using the old notes severely declined at that point, so I told myself to just exchange it in a bank. 

Attempt #2 - Exchanging in a local bank (this is the safest way to go!)

After feeling defeated from the attempt mentioned above, I tried searching for a bank within the mall. Surprisingly, there was a row of banks inside. I queued up and I just showed my old notes to the officer manning the queue. He then redirected me to an account officer. 

The account officer happily assisted me and converted all my old currency notes ฿100 and above. They are not converting notes of lower value, but the lady assured me that I can easily use them conveniently (which I eventually did). In fact, she told me that I didn’t even need to convert even the larger denominations because she said, and I quote, “money is money [be it old or new]”. 

Attempt #3 - Using the smaller denomination to buy snack

With a renewed confidence from what the lady from the bank told me, I boldly handed over my old ฿20, along with some newer ones. I did not bat an eyelash. The cashier staff accepted it without facing any issues at all. 

Finally, I got to use my old Thai currency notes and bought myself some cheesy delicious snack

In a nutshell

There seems to be no issue when you use a smaller denomination of old Thai currency notes to pay directly to shops/stores. This is convenient, since banks do not normally replace old denominated notes of lower value (e.g. below ฿100), well at least based on my experience. However, if you still feel iffy, one strategy is to mix them with the latest notes when you pay. 

For larger denominations (especially ฿1,000), you may want to have them exchanged/broken down into smaller denominations in a bank because there might be cases wherein you may face reluctance from other merchants when you use them. If you have extra time, this is the best option to really do it!

Anyway, let me know of your experience, and do share here your tips by commenting in this blog post. Thanks!