The number to compare is not the fee
You worked a month for this. Before you press send, two minutes on one thing.
Most people compare the transfer fee and pick whoever charges least. But the fee is only half the cost. The other half is the exchange rate they use to turn your shekels into baht, and nobody puts *that* on a sign.
Anywhere advertising "free transfer" usually takes it back on the rate. The money disappears quietly, and you never see a number for it.
Compare properly, using one figure
Ask every provider the same question.
**If I hand over 3,000 shekels, how many baht land in the account at home?**
That single number is the answer. It already contains the sending fee, the exchange rate, and the receiving fee. Whoever delivers the most baht is cheapest. Nothing else needs working out.
The main channels
Israel Post into Bangkok Bank
This is the route most Thai workers in Israel use. There is a post office in almost every town, and the recipient does not have to travel to a main branch.
The Israel Post sending fee is **USD 8 per transfer**, and Bangkok Bank's receiving fee is **70 THB per transfer**. The recipient can withdraw at any Bangkok Bank branch or ATM nationwide.
Bank transfer from an Israeli bank
Possible, but usually more expensive, because correspondent banks in the middle take their own cut — and they can deduct it without telling you in advance.
If you use this route, ask explicitly who pays the intermediary fee.
The Bank of Thailand's fee comparison tool
The Bank of Thailand publishes a comparison of international transaction fees across every Thai bank. It shows what each one deducts on the receiving end. Search for the Bank of Thailand's financial consumer protection centre fee comparison.
Things to watch
Sending through someone else
There is always someone in the group offering to send it for you. Sometimes the rate is better. Sometimes it is just easier.
But if the money does not arrive, you have no receipt, no company on the other side, and nobody to complain to. That amount is your whole month.
If you do use someone, at least get a screenshot of the transfer every time, and do not send a large amount through somebody you have just met.
The recipient's name must match exactly
The recipient's first and last name must match their bank account and national ID **letter for letter**.
One character wrong and the money sits in limbo, and chasing it across borders takes weeks. Get someone at home to photograph the front of the bankbook and copy from that. Never from memory.
Send larger amounts, less often
Most fees are charged per transfer, not as a percentage.
Sending once a month therefore keeps more of your money than sending once a week. If the family needs money more often than that, agree on how to spread it out rather than paying four sets of fees a month.
What to bring
Your passport.
The recipient's full name, spelled as it appears on the account.
Their account number and bank name.
Cash or card, depending on what that channel accepts.
Keep the receipt and the reference number every time, and photograph it for the family. If the money has not arrived, that reference number is the only thing anyone can trace.
How long does it take?
Usually a few business days, but always allow more.
Friday afternoon through Saturday is the Israeli weekend, and public holidays in either country slow things down. If there is a school fee or a loan payment due at home, do not send on the last day.
The short version
Compare the baht that actually arrive, not the fee.
Ask for that day's rate before you send.
Send larger amounts, less often.
Copy the recipient's name from the bankbook, not from memory.
Keep every receipt and reference number.
This money is the reason you are far from home. Every shekel that does not go to fees is one that reaches the people waiting for it.
And once it lands, the call home saying so matters just as much. Q mobile keeps that call affordable, so it does not eat into what you just sent, with support in your own language.
