Money
Do Thai camps take card payments?
Updated 2026-09-01
The short answer
Larger camps usually take cards or bank transfer, and smaller ones often prefer cash in baht. Assume you will need some cash for the first few days, especially for deposits and anything paid outside the camp office.
Where cards are accepted there is sometimes a processing fee added, which is worth asking about before you hand it over rather than after it appears on the receipt.
Local bank transfer is the default for a lot of longer stays and is straightforward once you are set up, though setting it up as a visitor is not always simple.
Cash still runs the edges of the trip: scooter deposits, room deposits, the laundry, the food stall, the massage. ATM withdrawal fees add up if you take small amounts often.
Worth knowing
Get a receipt for any prepaid package, and make sure it says what happens if you stop training. Verbal terms are not terms.
Still deciding where to go?
Six questions, and we will tell you which camps fit and which facts about them we have not confirmed.
Money
Asked alongside this one
What does a month of training in Thailand cost?
The middle of the monthly rates we hold is 10,000 baht, from the 26 of 44 camps we list that print one, and those 26 run from 3,999 to 18,000. Treat it as the training line and nothing more: a month is four costs, not one, and the training is usually the smallest of them.
Is training in Thailand cheaper than at home?
Per session and per hour of coaching, Thailand is dramatically cheaper than most Western gyms, particularly for pad work with an experienced trainer. Per trip, the flight dominates, so short trips rarely pay for themselves financially and long ones easily do.
Should I tip my trainer?
Tipping trainers is common and appreciated but not compulsory, and it is normally done at the end of a stay rather than session by session. If you have had one trainer holding pads for you most days, a tip at the end is the usual gesture.