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Chewbecca posted:Should say going to: London - As far as I can tell, paper “X day” cards were stopped early this year. You can use any tap to pay card at the turnstiles. Apple Pay works. Tap in, tap out, it’ll charge your card up to a maximum of 8.10 pounds per day (after that, rides are no extra charge). You can also buy a visitor's Oyster card, which is just a top-up-able tap to pay card, but I think you have to have the card mailed to you before your trip. Amsterdam — The easiest is to buy a GVB “X day” card from a GVB booth in either the airport or train station. Physical paper card that you use to tap in and tap off a vehicle. Doesn’t include outside-of-city transport. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t cover a train/tram/bus ride from the airport.
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May 26, 2023 23:20
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If you're not going to be in Rome for too long, and you want discounted entry to museums, the Roma Pass does that and gives free public transit during the duration of your card.
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May 26, 2023 23:57
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Thanks for your help, goons! Adding all this info to my travel spreadsheet. Another more euro adjacent question. I am thinking of buying travel sims before coming to europe from Australia. But how do I get my whatsapp to work with a different sim? Isn't whatsapp connected to my phone number? My carrier offers 1gb per day for ten dollarydoos, so lmao at that
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May 27, 2023 01:01
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Your WhatsApp account is registered to one number, but you can use it on a phone with another number.
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May 27, 2023 01:32
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So do I just select whatsapp as my default phone call thingy, and then anyone who calls my australian number will be able to contact me via whatsapp, even if my europhone has a different sim?
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May 27, 2023 01:42
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Don't change your Whatsapp phone number, leave it associated with your Australian number. When you've changed SIM cards, the first time you open Whatsapp it'll say your number has changed, should I update Whatsapp with this new number. Choose the "keep existing +61xxx number" option. Otherwise, any whatsapp messages to your AU number won't get delivered. Anyone who calls (as in actual phone call, not a whatsapp voice call) your Australian number while you have a different SIM installed will get a "number disconnected" message. If you need to receive calls on your AU number for work or whatever while overseas, I just tell people to either msg me on whatsapp/Teams and I'll get back to them. On the topic of "download this app for <whatever tourist thing>", a special place in hell is reserved for the people who do this but don't make the app available on international app stores. We had this issue in places like Mexico and Brazil, where the bus company insists you download their app to buy and manage your tickets. But the app is only available on the Mexican/Brazilian app stores (or at least, not available on the Australian app store).
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May 27, 2023 02:00
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webmeister posted:Don't change your Whatsapp phone number, leave it associated with your Australian number. When you've changed SIM cards, the first time you open Whatsapp it'll say your number has changed, should I update Whatsapp with this new number. Choose the "keep existing +61xxx number" option. Otherwise, any whatsapp messages to your AU number won't get delivered. Is there anyway to forward your phone number to call you via whatsapp? Or do people need to purposefully be using whatsapp?
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May 27, 2023 02:26
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The only way I know is permanent, i.e. transferring your number from your provider to something like Google Voice or Tossable Digits. (Edit: thought you were asking about forwarding the number. Forwarding from phone calls to WhatsApp, I don't think so. Without the SIM, those calls aren't reaching your device in the first place) Other options to swapping your SIM are owning a phone that can take multiple SIM cards, or purchasing some kind of international plan from your current provider. Depending on what they offer it could be a good option.
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May 27, 2023 07:58
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I'm not sure if anyone is confused by this but I don't think it's obvious: basically every reference to "credit card" in the discussion on the last page or so should be to "visa/MasterCard/maestro payment card of some sort". It doesn't matter if it's credit or debit (except for car rentals in a few countries) and AmEx cards will often not work.
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May 27, 2023 11:30
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webmeister posted:On the topic of "download this app for <whatever tourist thing>", a special place in hell is reserved for the people who do this but don't make the app available on international app stores. We had this issue in places like Mexico and Brazil, where the bus company insists you download their app to buy and manage your tickets. But the app is only available on the Mexican/Brazilian app stores (or at least, not available on the Australian app store). 100%
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May 27, 2023 11:31
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SurgicalOntologist posted:The only way I know is permanent, i.e. transferring your number from your provider to something like Google Voice or Tossable Digits. (Edit: thought you were asking about forwarding the number. Forwarding from phone calls to WhatsApp, I don't think so. Without the SIM, those calls aren't reaching your device in the first place) My provider Optus charges ten dollars a day for roaming with 1gb. Not a good deal I am afraid 
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May 27, 2023 12:22
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Chewbecca posted:
You will in the Netherlands. Many supermarkets or shops don't accept them, though those aimed at tourists often do. I don't think buying transport tickets in Amsterdam is as difficult as described here, unless things changed recently. You can buy tap tickets from machines in stations/major tram stops and use those, or from a person inside trams. I don't think credit cards are accepted for this though, and the machines don't take cash either. Train stations usually have a desk to buy from a person hidden somewhere too but this is rare. Entropist fucked around with this message at 12:53 on May 27, 2023 |
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May 27, 2023 12:48
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The people on the trams can only sell 1- and 2- day tickets. There is a large full service center in Centraal, though.
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May 27, 2023 12:58
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webmeister posted:On the topic of "download this app for <whatever tourist thing>", a special place in hell is reserved for the people who do this but don't make the app available on international app stores. We had this issue in places like Mexico and Brazil, where the bus company insists you download their app to buy and manage your tickets. But the app is only available on the Mexican/Brazilian app stores (or at least, not available on the Australian app store). Then after finally finding the app you find out it requires a local phone number to register. Found that with a few apps in Poland. I also found that one of my cards would decline when tapping my phone, but tapping the physical card was fine.
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May 27, 2023 13:11
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re: ticket chat In Germany, a lot of local traffic tickets (on top of national trains) can be bought directly via DB Navigator, which lets you hook up a credit card etc., and which means you don't need several apps if you are staying in multiple cities etc. It also means you don't have to go look for ticket booths or ticket machines.
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May 27, 2023 13:16
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Also on the subject of public transport for tourists, if you don’t know about an app called Citymapper, you should get an app called Citymapper. It’s very good and helpful.
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May 27, 2023 13:25
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German trains are so bad they are late all the time. It's impossible to make a connection on them, your only hope is that your connecting train is even more delayed.
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May 27, 2023 14:08
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Chewbecca posted:My provider Optus charges ten dollars a day for roaming with 1gb. Not a good deal I am afraid You can use eSIMs and keep both numbers active simultaneously, assuming you have a phone made since 2018 or whenever it was that eSIM support became commonplace. So keep your Australian SIM and get a European eSIM wherever you first land, taking care to see if the UK is supported. Also i know this depends on your job and personal situation but do you really *want* to be able to receive phone calls on your Australian number while in Europe? Presumably any close friends and family would be able to WhatsApp you and know you’re travelling, and random people calling you are going to be ringing you at like 2am European time.
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May 27, 2023 14:22
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Entropist posted:You will in the Netherlands. Many supermarkets or shops don't accept them, though those aimed at tourists often do. Here's a secret no one will tell you yet: Visa and Mastercard have worked in most POS terminals since the beginning of this year. Yes, even if there's still a sticker on there that says 'NO MC/VISA.' Store and supermarket staff have no idea what types of cards their terminals accept at this point and will tell you something's not accepted when it's going to actually work. Only the very oldest terminals can't be updated and will need to be replaced, and some others have to be updated manually and the banks, terminal manufacturers and payment processors still need to send their guys to the people who absolutely can't do that themselves (mostly very small mom and pop shops). We're finally joining the rest of the world in phasing out V-Pay and Maestro, as one of the last countries in the drat world. New bank debit cards that are issued starting later this summer will all be Visa/MC. I'm not going to go too much into technical detail, but now that MC and Visa debit cards are being issued in the Netherlands, it's technically very hard for the terminals to not also accept MC and Visa credit cards. And because the EU capped interchange fees, the difference doesn't matter a lot for EU-issued cards. Using a non-EU card, though, that's really going to cost someone (either the merchant, the bank or the processor in between them, but never the card holder) a lot of money, because this is now where the card networks have to make their money
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May 27, 2023 15:34
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Saladman posted:You can use eSIMs and keep both numbers active simultaneously, assuming you have a phone made since 2018 or whenever it was that eSIM support became commonplace. So keep your Australian SIM and get a European eSIM wherever you first land, taking care to see if the UK is supported. It's true, I absolutely do not want my employer or work related people contacting me lmao
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May 27, 2023 21:29
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My phone I just bought is a Google Pixel 7a, so I assume its esim compatible. When I google that question some of the results read like they are chatgpt generated 
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May 27, 2023 21:36
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Chewbecca posted:My phone I just bought is a Google Pixel 7a, so I assume its esim compatible. When I google that question some of the results read like they are chatgpt generated Yeah I wouldn't worry, I had a Pixel 4a and esim worked flawlessly
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May 28, 2023 14:21
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Huh, with esims, can you buy one from the major european phone carriers (Orange, EE, Vodaphone, T-Mobile, etc) and set it up before landing/traveling? I've been buying physical sims at kiosks upon landing.
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May 28, 2023 21:15
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Residency Evil posted:Huh, with esims, can you buy one from the major european phone carriers (Orange, EE, Vodaphone, T-Mobile, etc) and set it up before landing/traveling? I've been buying physical sims at kiosks upon landing. Out of interest, how much are the sims at kiosks and how many gb do you get?
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May 28, 2023 21:24
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Depends on the country. When I went to Montenegro it was 10 EUR for 500 GB. No, that's not a typo.
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May 28, 2023 21:56
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Busy Bee posted:Depends on the country. When I went to Montenegro it was 10 EUR for 500 GB. No, that's not a typo. Holy poo poo that is a good deal. Have you flown into Barcelona by any chance 
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May 28, 2023 22:04
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Chewbecca posted:Out of interest, how much are the sims at kiosks and how many gb do you get? It varies based on the country. Almost every single carrier also seems to run some sort of promotion for new customers, but in general, I've paid between $10-30 bucks for enough data/texts/minutes that last the typical 1-2 week trip (ie, 10 gigs or so).
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May 28, 2023 22:07
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Residency Evil posted:Huh, with esims, can you buy one from the major european phone carriers (Orange, EE, Vodaphone, T-Mobile, etc) and set it up before landing/traveling? I've been buying physical sims at kiosks upon landing. No idea tbh, I think you have to be actually in the country to activate it However, I think you can use a European sim in other countries as well without roaming surcharges temporarily - with exceptions, like Switzerland for example.
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May 28, 2023 22:35
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Chikimiki posted:No idea tbh, I think you have to be actually in the country to activate it Yeah, I feel like I’ve always had to activate it in person/show my passport. I’ve never bothered to try reusing a sim since I only go to Europe once/year or so, and presumably sims stop being active after not being used for some time.
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May 28, 2023 22:41
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Chewbecca posted:Out of interest, how much are the sims at kiosks and how many gb do you get? E: like so. https://travel.orange.com/en/ WithoutTheFezOn fucked around with this message at 22:55 on May 28, 2023 |
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May 28, 2023 22:49
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Others have answered with numbers, but you can just look up prepaid plans on the phone company's web site. For the countries you listed I *think* your options would be Orange, probably Three, and maybe O2. (Many have Europe-wide roaming for data). Thanks for your response. I am thinking my best bet is purchasing a physical or esim before I travel. The flights between Melbourne and Barcelona are looong (with a stopovers) so by the end of all that I doubt I will be in any position to try and work anything out. I'm a paranoid android so may be best to do the physical sim and just remove my aussie sim. I had to put in a phone number when booking a bunch of things (eurostar train trips, easyjet flights) which is why I was trying to retain my number, but surely they aren't gonna call me anyway
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May 28, 2023 22:58
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Sure thing. You can buy those online, too. Warning, though, a lot of prepaid sim packages are time limited, like they only work for 14 days.
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May 28, 2023 23:28
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Sure thing. You can buy those online, too. Warning, though, a lot of prepaid sim packages are time limited, like they only work for 14 days. Yeah I have seen 30 day sims and I am there a touch over. Need to either buy 2 sims or just use hotel wifi at brginning or end of trip. Pain, but what can you do!
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May 28, 2023 23:30
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Top ups usually extend the time.
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May 28, 2023 23:39
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I activated mine last year without going in person. I had to upload a scan of my passport. I don't know if the fact that I bought with Orange FR and scanned my French passport made a difference though.
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May 29, 2023 15:13
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Chewbecca posted:Yeah I have seen 30 day sims and I am there a touch over. Need to either buy 2 sims or just use hotel wifi at brginning or end of trip. You can get an all-Europe SIM from e.g. https://www.airalo.com/europe-esim and top it up again with an extra 1-3GB that lasts 7 days for very little money. A goon gave me a discount code for this retailer - you can message webmeister yourself perhaps?
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May 30, 2023 14:15
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Went to my local Chase branch for something else, their Euro/USD rate yesterday was 1.15 vs 1.07 spot. Not sure if I can do much better elsewhere.
Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 17:37 on May 31, 2023 |
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May 31, 2023 17:33
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 Behold how hard I am getting owned lmao
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May 31, 2023 17:37
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Chewbecca posted:
Jesus, and I thought Brits had it bad! (we do in general lol)
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May 31, 2023 19:46
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e:nm
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