Bar Fines
Bar fines are forever on the rise in Thailand and a recent trip to Bangkok showed just how insane the prices are becoming. One bar was charging 700 baht just for the bar fine and that's before any other costs have been factored in. In fact the rising cost of bar fines has got me thinking about the cost of going to bars these days is getting out of control. Beers over 100 baht a pop and girls asking for more than 2000 short time. In fact you can now get cheaper deals in Australia than you can in many places in Thailand now.
If your unsure what a Bar Fine is, it's basically the right to take the girl out of the bar. Nothing else is included in the transaction. Typically the girls work in a bar for a meager monthly salary where they are required to get people to buy a few drinks every day. In order for them to take a day off they have to get Bar Fined. Getting Bar Fined means they can leave the bar and go with you.
Average cost of Bar fines by area in Thailand
- Bangkok - 500
- Pattaya - 300
- Chiang Mai - 300
- Khon Khan - 200
Roughly 10 years ago the price of a bar fine was a standard 200 baht no matter where you went and the cost over night was no more than 1000 and if you spoke really good Thai you'd get overnights for 500. But these days it's just out of control.
Many guys come to Thailand for the action at the beer bars or go go bars but increasingly i've been seeing people come here for shorter and shorter amounts of time. It's just getting crazy expensive and you just can't afford to binge at the bars for a month like you used to.
Let's break down the cost of a typically night out for the tourist to Pattaya strictly at the beer bars lets say you were by yourself as well.
6 beers @ 90 baht per beer
2 girl drinks @ 120 baht each
1 bar fine @ 400 baht
1 overnight @ 1500 baht
Total cost 2680 baht. And that's not saying you don't drink more, personally i'm plastered after 6 beers but I don't drink regularly like I used to so i'm now a bit of a lightweight but mostly guys would drink more than this. Sure the prices can vary differently depending on what bars you go to but it's not unreasonable to say that this is a rough guide to pricing. Therefore 1 night out in Bangkok without doing anything more than having a few beers and take a girl home and your looking at $100 for the night. With accommodation etc etc you'll need roughly 2500-3000 dollars for just one week in Thailand. Whereas 10 years ago you could basically have the same amount of fun for an entire month. Prices are increasing steadily.
There are still mad deals to be had and if your coming to Thailand for your weekly holiday then you should do some homework before you come. Join up to www.Pattaya-Addicts.com where you can get good information about prices for bars in Pattaya. If your going to Bangkok then check out http://www.bangkok-addicts.com which is only a new forum but already quickly becoming a good site for information about bars, bar fines and girls in Bangkok.
What have you paid for a bar fine recently, was it super expensive or really cheap?
Hmmm I have found it largely depends on whether the girl likes you – the bar fine is fixed but the rest is negotiable. I don’t take many bar girls (as I have so many ‘free’) but when I do I strike up a good rapport and tell them that i don’t usually take out girls – so I can give them, say, 1000 all night or 500 short time – up to them!
But for newbies I guess the rule of thumb is 1000 short time 1500 long time and never, ever, pay more – unless she’s so damn hot and NEW that it ‘just has to be done’.
Tell me about it, I used to use the excuse that the reason I traveled to Thailand 2 – 3 times I year because it was so cheap and this and that and the other. But the fact is that you can find some really nice hotels for a fraction of what I would pay in the States but for everything else (beer, bar fines, girls, etc…) it all adds up. I’m in my early 30’s and make good money but I still cringe when I have to pay 120 baht for a bottle of Singha at a go go bar in Patts. I just got back from Pattaya a couple weeks ago and was planning on going again in Feburary but If I can’t go a minimum of 6 – 8 months in between trips then there’s something seriously wrong with me. I’m cancelling my trip until I can get my Thailand spending under control.
keep reading my blog man, i’ve got heaps of super tips and tricks, especially for chiang mai, I know a bar i can get three longnecks for 120 baht and tap the girls for later. food for thought.
Okay Chris,I am looking forward to your tips and tricks for Chiang Mai.Where can I find this invaluable info?Will be there in December.Thanks for all your advice and blogs,has been a huge help.
Cheers
I think it’s worth clearing one VERY important thing up – things are always different if you live here and are not a tourist (especially in the girls eyes). If you are a tourist you are bound not to know even 5% of those of us who live here permanently and the girls will smell it.
I live here, in Chiang Mai, and travel (just back from 7 nights in Pattaya) and as I live here I can chat to a girl and talk about road names, bars – what’s happening etc. and I could say ‘I’ll pay bar fine and could give you 500’? and I would have more chance than a ‘tourist’ of having it accepted (although I RARELY do this as I get freebies constantly).
In Pattaya I was a relative newbie and I could not get away with that – so 300 bar fines was the norm and they would want 1000 ST – unless you go to Beach Road which has it’s own dangers and pitfalls but there ARE gems there – no bar fine and 700 ST and no lady drinks etc.
The message is, if you are a tourist, expect to pay more. It’s still cheap so stop moaning so much 🙂 if you live here over a year you should start to get a feel for the way it’s done (in your home city). If you live here and travel you may still get away with more but not the same as a permanent resident.
In my view – this is the way it should be! and, in my view, if you are resident you should rarely be going to pick up bar girls! (although it does happen occasionally).
good hunting
Hi
What its the technique to constantly get ‘freebies’?
Are you Brad Pitt , or Donald Trump ?
Usually , ‘free’ is incompatible with Thai culture so i am really
curious honestly.
Unless you lure them into telling that you want to marry somedays. Really i am curious about the technique. 😉
2010, koh samui
500 barfine 500 for girl all night
Last visit to Thailand was August 2015 where I stayed in Bangkok the entire time.
I am really shocked at how the prices are increasing, especially for the ladies.
Now they are wanting 1,500. Baht for ST and 2,500. Baht for LT You can still
negotiate the rate down to 2,000. for LT. This LT rate is about US$60. The first
time that I came to Thailand (1970) the LT rate (for those who paid) was US$5.
The prices are just too much because I can go south of the border of the USA
to many places and the LT rate is only 1,000. Baht. This is for ladies that actually
have sexy bodies (THA – Tits, Hips & Ass) rather than those funny girl shaped
bodies on the Thai girls. Thailand used to be a bargain, but not any more. When
you add in the Airfare, Hotel, Food, Transport, Etc. it is just not worth it anymore.
I can still get a BJ for US$10. (300. Baht) in strip clubs in USA and overnights
with complete service from young beautiful girls in strip clubs in USA for US$160.
per night.
without the need to pay Airfare & Hotel.