Singapore and Oz trip

paulstevo

Off to Singapore and Oz in March/April 24.
Looking for advice on best way to pay for things .
Im currently with Santander with an Edge Up account as well as a Santander Zero Credit card I share with my wife.. Looking to acticvate a Chase Account for ease whilst away.
Anything else out there that my be better ,also looking for best Mobile advice whilst away(currently pay Sky £8 a month as im a sky customer and its best price witrh features I have found).
Regards 

eskbanker

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/cheap-roaming-calls/

youth_leader

I stopped in Singapore on the way to NZ.  I had put cash into my Chase current account and used that for contactless, always checking it was paying in Singapore Dollars.  I also had some Singapore dollars in cash, I think I had about £100 worth for a night/long day. Have you been before - I was there in October and the humidity knocked me sideways! 

I also had a Halifax Clarity credit card, which I used in Singapore and NZ without any difficulty.

Mobile wise I'm with 3 at £10 per month.   I did buy a £20 add on, just in case, which was lucky, as I got Covid in my second week.  Do check your travel insurance for Covid cover, I was with Staysure, they did help me and had 24/7 assistance.

Troytempest

For mobile you could buy a cheap SIM from Coles or Woolworth supermarkets - about 10AUD for a month...

Westin

We did the same routing (SIN/OZ) as you are planning when we went last year to Perth. Also again this coming end Feb.

Did not bother with a mobile sim or bolt on package when in Singapore and found wifi available in many places. For Australia I found the cheapest and best coverage for our WA locality to be via lebara.au.  I ordered a local SIM card to be delivered to where we were staying and just activated it when we arrived.  I can’t recall the cost but it was very cheap for the two weeks we were there.

It might be an idea to check the mobile providers coverage for the places you are visiting. Some network providers seem more dominant and have better coverage in different States.  Out friends in WA for example told us to avoid Vodaphone as coverage outside Perth was poor.

You will also find phone/sim shops at the airport just outside arrivals.

paulstevo

Another question ,Im wanting to pay for some excursions and activities up front in WA before we go and not wanting to get charged any exchange rates what is the best way for me to pay in the UK before we arrive?
Appreciate the advice on SIM cards as well 

eskbanker

paulstevo said:

Another question ,Im wanting to pay for some excursions and activities up front in WA before we go and not wanting to get charged any exchange rates what is the best way for me to pay in the UK before we arrive?

Any from the travel cards article linked earlier will be as usable for an AUD-denominated purchase while in the UK as they are for once there....