Has anyone else who got conditional tickets gotten their refunds yet?

Probably a stack of Insta Stories floating around.

Does anyone know a blog or facebook page with a stories about australian fans visit WC2018? Better informal, no newspaper ones. I've googled with no success. Just interested in impressions.

Hi guys, any of you still in Sochi?
I have a category A ticket for sale for Uruguay v Portugal on Saturday. Just face value. Thought I’d ask here before re selling at ticketing centre

Cheers

+1 on the SIM card comment.

I paid $14 AUD for a Beeline SIM giving me UNLIMITED 4G for 30 days.

I’ve never even seen unlimited 4G plans in Aus.

@pala

Just create a new account mate. Use your name but just change your date of birth and maybe the last number on your passport when creating the account. I used 2 accounts with the same name and card but just those things different and it was fine. Just use the self serve machines at the ticketing centre, all it asks for his card and d.o.b. Just right down the fake d.o.b you use so you don’t forget, which clearly the person in front of me at the centre had forgotten

I've had a look at the FIFA ticketing site to see if I can score an extra game at Luzhniki, but recently it's been saying "maximum 7 games reached". Are they really not letting individuals buy more than seven tickets each?

Out of all the countries I have visited, Russia has to be the easiest country to get a SIM card. Took less than 10 mins to purchase and set up an cost $15 for 15 gb.

For anyone in Russia...

1 x Australia v France ticket for sale

Category 1 - face value or nearest offer

pick up in Kazan - PM for details

Thanks

Hi all,
Heading to Kazan on Friday for the game on Saturday and hanging around for a couple days before going to Samara for the second game. Does anyone know where I can get any info on where the Aussie fans will be hanging around in terms of bars and stuff?
Thanks!

At the moment in Moscow the rate is 45-45,50-45,90R/1 AUD while the interbank rate is smth like 47,50 R/1 AUD. Not bad. Unfortunatelly, all links to banks sites are in Russian language. Since only the big banks deal with AUD, there is no risk.

No worries. May not work but talk more on messenger.

ATMs are called bankomats in Russian and I wish we'd import that word.

Mate for sure.  Im with only.with one other bloke.  Ill pm you my messenger contact.  (Do you have messenger.)  We fly from Moscow to Kazan on the 14th so only really in Moscow for 1 full day on the 13th.  On the 15th some other lads I've hooked up with on Facebook are meeting at the top hop bar Kazan.  

I'll fill you in on all that when we chat.

Muz. Are you blokes catching up in Moscow? I'm travelling solo and based there. Would be nice to say g'day to some fellow world cup forumites in person if other timings permit. 

43r is fine for a few bucks at the arirport. current mid-market rate is around 47.5 so its not too much of a shearing.

Some of the Russian bank rates i've been able to find have been as low as 34r and thats also what Travelex and the other big one here (cant think of it atm) quoted me when I enquired about ordering some here. Highway robbery. "no commission though" they said.

I'm banking (geddit?) on ATM's because I'm only taking a couple of hundred Oz dollars and do not intend to change them at all.  From all reports we should be sweet.  A quick searchup of the airport I'm flying into lists heaps.  http://www.domodedovo.ru/en/passengers/welcome/services/bank/ 

I've heard people that have already arrived saying they were able to exchange AUD at St Petersburg airport no problem. 43R to $1AUD. I'm sure you'll get a better rate in the city (if you are willing to take that risk). I have exchanged some Rubles here in Melbourne and got 40R for $1AUD. I am landing via Moscow Domodedovo airport, so I might look at exchanging some more there if I am able to.

So Vlad, will it be impossible to change AUD in russia? or will it be possible with a really bad exchange rate?

My plan is to get all cash from ATMs but thinking of getting a couple hundred in USD in case of problems with cards. 

Appreciate the advice Vlad.  Now about that beer.  Check your inbox.

For those who is going to bring cash (USD or EUR).
Russian banks are very concerned about the conditions of banknotes in USD or EUR you want to change. Banknotes (EUR or USD) must be in immaculate conditions or so - no stamps, marks, tears, attritions etc., otherwise they refuse to change.
According to the law, there is no difference in rates for small and big banknotes and you can exchange foreign currencies only in the bank (not travel or money changing bureaus, shops, money changers as private persons, fine is 100% of the sum, but very rare applied). Sometimes bank branch or bank foreign exchange office is just a cubic kiosk but it’s OK. At the airports the rate is 20-30% below than in the city center.
At the moment there is no need for Russian people to seek for foreigners to buy dollars cheaper than in bank (as it was 15-20 years ago), since the spread between buy and sell rates in the banks is minimal, some smart guys (like me :) ) buy dollars in Moscow Stock Exchange at the interbank exchange rates with smth about 0,0002% commission and after 1 month on the account I can withdraw it in cash with no commissions. Paradise. Money changers in Russia disappeared many years ago.

In the second half of 2014- first half of 2015 when Russian ruble fell from 30 to 80 R per 1 USD and people were attacking banks for buying dollars, there were popular 2 scams in Moscow (especially around Railway terminals) and in the center of Sankt-Petersburg.

1. Was heavily widespread. You give money to a cashier, she returns it to you after a few minutes because of many reasons - her computer is down, the bank doesn’t have enough rubles or dollars for exchange, the office is about to close, the central office prohibited the operation etc. Of course part of your money is missing but you don’t count because you are in a hurry since your train is about to depart, you trust banks, you watched the whole process clearly and everything was ok. Variant – the cashier exchanges your money, counts dollars or rubles you buy manually or using the machine, everything is OK, you watch the process, you take money, don’t count, come home, count – part is missing.
You communicate with cashier through the bullet-proof glass and transfer money to the cashier through the metallic box - you slide the lid, put money inside the box, close the lid, the cashier open the lid, take the money, close the lid). Some smart cashiers put drops of glue or honey (!!!) on the side inside the box and while she/he is putting your money inside the box, she/he sticks 1 or 2 banknotes to the drops on the side of the box by the invisible gentle hand movement. If you count and find that some missing she always can say look carefully into the box.
I was told few stories when guys came next day promising big problems for the cheaters and they got the missing money back. But since it’s near railway terminal the most take a train and who knows when they come back.
The cure for that is very simple – Count money every time when you let money in or out your hands, even or especially if you watch the whole process clearly.

2. Less popular but happened. You give money to the cashier and she declares that one of the banknote is fake, calls the bank security, her chief and all of them are f@cking your brain that you would have a lot of problems with the police, will go to prison etc. and they have to confiscate this banknote, all your money for testing etc. Their goal is take some of your money and let you go. According to the law in this case, the cashier must call the police, the police come, fill up the protocol and, since you are not in the Interpol wanted list, let you go with no consequences at least for the first time.
Good idea is to copy or scan at home all you banknotes you want to change and be calm and firm. Call the police? Excellent! The cashier has replaced the banknote with a fake one is a good excuse.

Even though I’ve never heard about these scams since the end of 2015, you know WC is a special event that attracts bad guys. May be police will sweep all these artists out, may be the artists will buy the police. Life is a game.

Exactly. Most obvious - No serial number on the souvenir note and third word top right is different - on the real one "РОССИИ" means "of Russia" easy to remember since you will see this word everywhere in Russia. The first letter of the last word bottom right (Ruble on real) is different (Double on souvenir) that totally changes the meaning of the world :) The paper of souvenir note (btw you can buy them in souvenir or book shop) is very polished like that of printed posters. Don't be a paranoic, just keep in mind that it could happen, especially first days.
Real

Souvenir

Real 

Souvenir

You need only passport if you go to an operator. Proved many times..

I just submitted my group game tickets for resale so if someone needs Australia tickets try now...

NAB. I am already outside Australia (but not yet in Russia) so I cant go to a branch.

Don't think so. I saw a bloke on bigsoccer say he just showed his passport which makes sense.  Of course people will lose cards and have them cancelled and so on.

What bank are you with?

Multiple official sources say

"In order to collect your Tickets, you will need to present ... and the payment card used in the transaction." 

That will not be posible because that card was cancelled and I no longer have it. Am I fucked?

I got married in Bali. My mates had to spend less than $500 on a 2-hour flight and accomodation. it was over a weekend so only a Friday and Monday. and we partied like kings (at my expense) for 4 days.

Had 50 come over and they all loved it.

So there :)

Holy shit!! I can see myself taking these suckers after a dozen beers and not even realising. thanks for the heads up Vlad. At lease we are now forewarned (i'll probably still get sucked in).