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Post by lennyD on Nov 13, 2011 10:51:53 GMT
Hey everybody, this will be my first visit to Saudi Arabia/Aramco, and our team gets rooms in Steineke Hall for 3 weeks. I have no idea what to bring; is it like a hotel? So no towels and stuff, just clothes and a toothbrush? Another few questions which I hope you can answer: - Food: how much is a regular meal and do you pay cash or creditcard; can you get cash in SH? - facilities: can I find a list of facilities somewhere (sports, pool, etc)? - How is the internet speed? broadband and how about sending 100mb back home? And any more practical tips for a first-timer in Saudi Arabia would be very helpful!  |
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Post by vpainter on Nov 13, 2011 18:31:30 GMT
Steineke Hall is like a hotel.
Dining Halls only take SR cash.
You can get currency exchanged at the bank on camp in Al Mujamma. Bring a few checks with you - you can cash them at the American Express office in Al Mujamma, or possibly at the bank once you have an Aramco ID (being a vistor you might need a supervisor's signature on the check to cash it), there are also several bank's ATM's in and outside of Al Mujamma. You may need to check with your bank on what your daily cash withdrawal would be - some people have had the bank increase their amount of withdrawal before they came because their bank's limit was at $250/24 hour period; had it increased to $500/24hour period.
The commissary takes credit cards, when their machines are working. Restaurants off camp take credit cards.
Vonage and Skype work on the DSL here.
Come with your patience and good atude, many things will probably be different than you're used to, some things will be the same.
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Post by soverydeb on Nov 14, 2011 7:03:17 GMT
Be sure and call yor bank that your credit card is attached to and put a travel notification on it while you're in Kingdom. That way, the charges will go through and you won't have a frozen card.
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Post by Colts18 on Nov 14, 2011 14:15:09 GMT
Are there any preferred credit cards by aramcons? Is it better to apply for one there or just bring the ones you have in states? Some cards have transaction costs/fees for every swipe. If folks mostly use cash there, then maybe it's a moot point.
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Post by Julz62 on Nov 14, 2011 18:58:19 GMT
We use Capital One Ventura. The first year is free but after that is $60 a year. It is worth it for us. We use cash for a lot but almost all our groceries we still charge. Plus all our travel outside the kingdom. There are no fees on transactions, we get the best exchange rate and we earn two points for every dollar spent which we then redeem for travel. I have been very happy with Capital One over here.
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stmayo11
Senior Member
ExPats Community Moderator
Posts: 159
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Post by stmayo11 on Nov 23, 2011 20:48:53 GMT
I also use Capital One credit cards because they do not charge any foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside the US. Depending on how much you use the card, this could save you lots of $$.
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