US help.

[hicheerios]

Sighz... i got this starhub plan from Changi airport. The data didn't activate when i am in San fran, called back for starhub support with no much useful help rendered.

Ended up with another purchase of T-mobile card here/

 

[xtc 88]

i too brought the star hub so call Happy roam that claim to be used in USA with T mobile, in advance getting ready to use in when i am there in Dec

how come didn't work, setting or activating issue ?

Sighz... i got this starhub plan from Changi airport. The data didn't activate when i am in San fran, called back for starhub support with no much useful help rendered.

Ended up with another purchase of T-mobile card here/

 

[Arcanell]

Thanks patryn for the tips

Dunno how going to pass time driving in the vast distance from pt to pt in west coast

Though of getting the Garmin standalone GPS but the USA map alone cost close to 100 bucks

Regards

you can download 'waze' app in your phone. Works great. gas prices, police warning, speed limit.. etc

 

[twinklingstars]

i went to west coast in july 2015, planning to visit the states again next year (easter period), is it a good time to travel? will probably do new york and florida.

 

[xtc 88]

you can download 'waze' app in your phone. Works great. gas prices, police warning, speed limit.. etc

thanks , police warning like speed traps ?

 

[patryn33]

thanks , police warning like speed traps ?

Ppl report you get info on those, you need data plan on your phone
Google own waze

 

[patryn33]

i went to west coast in july 2015, planning to visit the states again next year (easter period), is it a good time to travel? will probably do new york and florida.

NY to FL : 3hr flight; the time to go airport check in etc a whole day gone.
Go NY area can visit cities such as Montreal, Boston, DC, philly and old Quebec City

 

[Dreamsilver]

Hi guys,

I need some suggestions/advice with regard to the itinerary.

My friend and I will be flying in and out of San Francisco, from 10 Oct (Arrive in Morning) to 22 Oct (Depart at Night).

Day 1-4: San Francisco (Tourist Spots - Bay Area and Downtown, 1 or 2 Theme Parks)
Day 5: Drive to Las Vegas (Staying in Yosemite for 1 Night)
Day 6-8: Arrive in Las Vegas (Red Rock Canyon, Grand Canyon, Death Valley)
Day 9-10: Drive to Los Angeles (Stay for 2 Night)
Day 11-12: Drive back to San Francisco (Stopping by Factory Outlet Camarillo)

Any feedback or places to recommend for areas that I may have dedicated to short or long a time for?

Is it feasible to drive in San Francisco or should I just hire a car only when I am about to leave for Las Vegas?

 

[gerald85]

Is this worthwhile to get? Since people are having issue with Starhub prepaid sim card.

https://www.changirecommends.com/deal.aspx?id=1804

 

[HoCL]

Cash, ATMs and Credit Card

Thanks for all the useful info here.

For my 18 day Dec USA trip, I am trying to minimise carrying of cash and use credit card where possible.

1) Are there any typical purchases/services that require hard cash? What about gas station or restaurants at ulu places eg Death Valley? I suppose I need to keep some cash for tipping too?

2) Am I correct that cash withdrawals using ATM cards are better (i.e. lower bank fee etc) than credit card withdrawals?

3) Can we access the ATMs in USA using sg ATM cards? Do they accept our sg 6 digit PINs?

4) Credit card payments (eg shops or restaurants) - do they require PINs or still accept good old signature?

 

[sherry02]

Hi... Where do you guys get Disneyland and universal studio tickets from? I am not staying in Disneyland resort.

I will be heading to Orlando in soon.

Need your advice urgently.

 

[Hisashiburi]

1. Some smaller stores and restaurants only accept cash but most places accept cc, mostly MC n visa.
Less use of amex.

2. Yes ATM is better and doesn't count as a cash advance. If u use same bank atm such as Citibank or related network atm , u won't get charged additional fees.
Atm uses the current bank rate so it gives the best exchange rate.

3. ATMs with the Cirrus sign and one other network will accept sg cards.

4. No pin needed so far in USA.
Starting to get card readers requiring chips on the card but swiping card is still the most common.

Also check with your bank to enable your atm card to withdraw cash overseas. Some banks "lock" the cards.

Thanks for all the useful info here.

For my 18 day Dec USA trip, I am trying to minimise carrying of cash and use credit card where possible.

1) Are there any typical purchases/services that require hard cash? What about gas station or restaurants at ulu places eg Death Valley? I suppose I need to keep some cash for tipping too?

2) Am I correct that cash withdrawals using ATM cards are better (i.e. lower bank fee etc) than credit card withdrawals?

3) Can we access the ATMs in USA using sg ATM cards? Do they accept our sg 6 digit PINs?

4) Credit card payments (eg shops or restaurants) - do they require PINs or still accept good old signature?

 

[Hisashiburi]

U can buy online at the official Disney website.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tickets/

Can also save some money n time from the advice on several Disney world blogs such as:
http://www.disneytouristblog.com/discount-disney-tickets/

Haven't been there in many years but be prepared for long queues.
They also have some fastpass option to skip some lines.

Hi... Where do you guys get Disneyland and universal studio tickets from? I am not staying in Disneyland resort.

I will be heading to Orlando in soon.

Need your advice urgently.

 

[invisible999]

1) Are there any typical purchases/services that require hard cash? What about gas station or restaurants at ulu places eg Death Valley? I suppose I need to keep some cash for tipping too?

Last time I encountered a cash only place it was fried shrimp stand in Oahu, Hawaii. And it was 12 years ago. Hell, I was paying 79c gum at supermarket with credit card. No problem whatsoever. Just make sure that the your card has the same name as your DL. In 90% of cases you will be asked to show DL when you pay with card.

2) Am I correct that cash withdrawals using ATM cards are better (i.e. lower bank fee etc) than credit card withdrawals?

Withdrawal from your credit card line is called cash advance and comes with very hefty fees. With DBS for example it is 6% or $15, whatever is greater, plus 2% per month, plus 2.5% exchange fee. So if you take $100 from your credit card line and pay it month later, you will pay $17 fees on DBS, plus 2.5% on top of the exchange rate, plus ATM fee for the bank you've used.

Long story short - DO NOT use your credit card line to withdraw money. Use current/savings account and with the bank which has global presence - Citibank is your only option - open an account in Singapore, deposit some money there and then use citi's ATMs in US to withdraw money from that account. BTW, avoid HSBC as plague.

3) Can we access the ATMs in USA using sg ATM cards? Do they accept our sg 6 digit PINs?

Yes. Also DO NOT use your debit/ATM card at gas stations and ATMs at convenience shops.

4) Credit card payments (eg shops or restaurants) - do they require PINs or still accept good old signature?

Signature. But make sure that you enable magnetic strip as well - in my personal case during recent trip - 60% of terminals has sign that chip was not working and you need to swipe.

 

[fone]

Yes. Also DO NOT use your debit/ATM card at gas stations and ATMs at convenience shops.

Too generic statement here. So to avoid generic ATMs but the bank ones are fine?

Signature. But make sure that you enable magnetic strip as well - in my personal case during recent trip - 60% of terminals has sign that chip was not working and you need to swipe.

Lol, in my case, after swiping card, they ask me to insert to read the chip, never encountered non-working chip terminals.

 

[invisible999]

Too generic statement here. So to avoid generic ATMs but the bank ones are fine?.

In short - avoid places where card skimming is endemic. Gas stations are one such places.

 

[HoCL]

Hisashiburi and invisible999

Thanks for your help in addressing my queries.

I suppose if I can use credit card extensively, there would be less need for cash. If so, there is less chances that frequent ATM withdrawals are needed and hence I may not need to go thru the hassle of getting a citibank account + ATM card ...

So (just to double confirm) I can use my current SG ATM cards at USA ATMs with CIRRUS/PLUS logo, and our existing 6 digit PINs will work?

 

[invisible999]

Hisashiburi and invisible999

Thanks for your help in addressing my queries.

I suppose if I can use credit card extensively, there would be less need for cash. If so, there is less chances that frequent ATM withdrawals are needed and hence I may not need to go thru the hassle of getting a citibank account + ATM card ...

So (just to double confirm) I can use my current SG ATM cards at USA ATMs with CIRRUS/PLUS logo, and our existing 6 digit PINs will work?

Yes.


I would suggest to get couple of hundred USDs at Arcade, just to have it and then using your credit card everywhere. If just in case you would need additional cash, you can get it at an ATM, but remember - all ATMs charge withdrawal fees in US and big banks charge more - Wells Fargo banks in San Francisco charge USD 5 per withdrawal.

 

[Shiny Things]

[
Hey shiny

Thanks again ..
But it for sure the Tiago pass will closed in mid December, if not have to take the other Long road via Bakersfield to DV

Yes, it'll be closed. That road usually closes in the first or second week of November; by December it'll be buried under ten feet of snow. You're going to have to go via Bakersfield, sorry.

Edit: I probably should revise this. It's possible that Tioga Pass will still be open - in the 2011/2012 winter it didn't close until the first week of January - but it's extremely unlikely. I wouldn't bet on it.

Any nice clean accomation to recommend in LA Santa Monica near beach area and in Las Vegas strip ?

Can't speak to your theme park questions - I'm more of a national-parks guy - but I can answer this one.

For the Las Vegas strip, ask yourself these questions:
1) Do you have hotel status with Starwood? If you do, you'll want to stay at Caesars Palace, because you can earn Starwood nights when you stay at Caesars hotels (and Caesars itself is the only decent Caesars hotel on the strip).

2) If #1 doesn't apply, you've got two options depending on your price bracket:

• Mandalay Bay: down the south end of the strip, the Mandalay Bay is big and plush, but also on the cheaper end of things as Vegas accommodation goes. Expect to pay $100-$120/nt in December;
• Vdara: For a bit more, around the $150-$180 mark, you can stay at the Vdara, right in the centre of the strip. The rooms are literal studio apartments (it was going to be an apartment building when they built it, but it opened right in the depths of the 2008 housing crash, so they turned them into hotel rooms instead); they're spacious and modern, and the hotel itself is fantastic (don't miss the spa!)

If you've got a bit more money to chuck around, you can sometimes snag a two-bedroom penthouse at the Vdara for somewhere in the $300s. These are the biggest steal on the Strip: a full two-bedroom apartment on the sixty-somethingth floor, with unbelievable strip views, for about what you'd pay for a pokey little basic room in a lot of other cities (ahem, San Francisco).

If you have a lot of money to chuck around: Aria SkySuites. Trust me on this.

In Santa Monica: I've stayed at the Oceana Santa Monica and loved it; and I hear good things about the Le Meridien Delfina.

@ xtc 8, you have to pay $$ like us$5/day.

At Avis it's $25/wk. I reckon that's pretty good value, considering how much driving you'll be doing.

else listen to old fashion radio. San Fran has Chinese radio stations. FM also offer music or all genre. Limited but free. else U can do iheartradio on phone but requires dataplan. Ulu place no coverage nothing to listen unlike SXM.

Yeah, but here's the thing: you're going to be covering a lot of ground, and a lot of it's out in the boondocks. There's not going to be any FM radio out in Death Valley.

 

[patryn33]

@ xtc 8, you have to pay $$ like us$5/day.

if have dataplan can get free trial, iirc the streaming version gets more stations
https://www.siriusxm.com/hsbb30daytrial?intcmp=hsbbvideoblog

else listen to old fashion radio. San Fran has Chinese radio stations. FM also offer music or all genre. Limited but free. else U can do iheartradio on phone but requires dataplan. Ulu place no coverage nothing to listen unlike SXM.

Yeah, but here's the thing: you're going to be covering a lot of ground, and a lot of it's out in the boondocks. There's not going to be any FM radio out in Death Valley.

thank you for pointing out the thing I had pointed out.