CURRENCY OF THAILAND

The currency of Thailand is the "Baht" - sometimes spelled "Bath" but pronounced to rhyme with "hot." One Baht is divisible into 100 Satang. Major credit cards are accepted by hotels and large shops, but "hard cash" is the preferred tender almost everywhere. Travelers checks are not widely accepted outside of hotels, so you would need to change them for cash at a bank exchange.

Coins come in five denominations: 25 and 50-Satang coins are very small and made of brass. They are practically useless, and as a tourist you are unlikely to encounter them unless you shop at a supermarket or department store. The other coins come in one, five and ten-Baht pieces. The one and five-Baht coins are silver, while the ten-Baht coin consists of a silver ring around a brass center.

Bills vary in size and color according to denomination: 20-Baht is green, 50-Baht is blue, 100-Baht is red, 500-Baht is purple and 1,000-Baht is white. There is also still a 10-Baht bill in circulation, which is brown in color, but these are quite rare. Actually, there are several versions of coins in circulation, and not a few variations in bills as well. They're all legal tender, so don't worry if you start comparing the change in your pocket and notice some differences.

All bills and all coins have a picture of His Majesty the King, and are therefore supposed to be shown some respect.