General Info

[Markon]

Thanks for the timely info. My biggest nightmare is to have to waste valuable time acquiring the SIM. I will make a note of El Dorado Mall and Vivo and bring my passport.

I arrived Sao Paulo a couple days ago and learned the difficulty of getting a SIM card here. Went to El Dorado shopping center which has at least three service provider stores. Claro told me they can't set up my phone without a CPF. Asked if I know a local in town that would allow me to use their number. I do not. Next went to the TIM store. Same thing told me I need a CPF number to activate their service. Next went to the VIVO store and showed them my passport and pointed to my phone and said "necessito SIM card". They said they could set me up with a "prepaid" SIM card. After about 20 minutes of data entry he asked me for my CPF number LOL. I explained I'm a foreigner so I don't have one. He said ok he'll have to set it up differently. All this conversation BTW is using google translate on his laptop. After another 20 to 25 minutes he had it completed and working. I tried to pay cash but he said a credit card is required both to buy the SIM card and to recharge the account. Strange but whatever. I did happen to have my credit cards with me so no problem. The Vivo service has been working fine both for data and phone calls.

There is a very large food and department store on the first floor of El Dorado mall with a small phone store in the corner. That's actually where I was heading on a suggestion by the TIM store rep that they could set me up without a CPF. I just happened to pass the Vivo store on the way so stopped there first and glad I did.

[Lucky Nuts]

Vagabundo1 provides excellent info but I'm wondering if this advice applies to Sao Paulo as well as Rio? I usually take my own phone from the US when I travel. But I'm on a no contract month to month so I can't purchase any international travel plan with Verizon. My phone will work with CDMA or GSM. I've used it like this in Mexico. I guess I'm trying to figure out if I need to get the CPF or can I do what he advises to do in Rio?

SIM Chips, follow up on 116.

SIM Chips.

Phone / Getting a Sim " chippee": Go to Central. Buy the Vivo, as it apparently gets better signal. Then you can charge the number "recarga" at any pharma, kiosk, etc, in order to keep your chip charged. You can also get chips for Tim, claro, etc. The cost is 10 reais, or 17 reais. Tell them you do not have a CPF, and that you want them to "cadastrar". You will see any number of women or sometimes men walking around with little trays with Tim, Claro, or Vivo. Getting a Brazilian number is key for game on zap, which is to say, essential.

I arrived Sao Paulo a couple days ago and learned the difficulty of getting a SIM card here. Went to El Dorado shopping center which has at least three service provider stores. Claro told me they can't set up my phone without a CPF. Asked if I know a local in town that would allow me to use their number. I do not. Next went to the TIM store. Same thing told me I need a CPF number to activate their service. Next went to the VIVO store and showed them my passport and pointed to my phone and said "necessito SIM card". They said they could set me up with a "prepaid" SIM card. After about 20 minutes of data entry he asked me for my CPF number LOL. I explained I'm a foreigner so I don't have one. He said ok he'll have to set it up differently. All this conversation BTW is using google translate on his laptop. After another 20 to 25 minutes he had it completed and working. I tried to pay cash but he said a credit card is required both to buy the SIM card and to recharge the account. Strange but whatever. I did happen to have my credit cards with me so no problem. The Vivo service has been working fine both for data and phone calls.

There is a very large food and department store on the first floor of El Dorado mall with a small phone store in the corner. That's actually where I was heading on a suggestion by the TIM store rep that they could set me up without a CPF. I just happened to pass the Vivo store on the way so stopped there first and glad I did.

[Markon]

Vagabundo1 provides excellent info but I'm wondering if this advice applies to Sao Paulo as well as Rio? I usually take my own phone from the US when I travel. But I'm on a no contract month to month so I can't purchase any international travel plan with Verizon. My phone will work with CDMA or GSM. I've used it like this in Mexico. I guess I'm trying to figure out if I need to get the CPF or can I do what he advises to do in Rio?

SIM Chips, follow up on 116.

SIM Chips.

Phone / Getting a Sim " chippee": Go to Central. Buy the Vivo, as it apparently gets better signal. Then you can charge the number "recarga" at any pharma, kiosk, etc, in order to keep your chip charged. You can also get chips for Tim, claro, etc. The cost is 10 reais, or 17 reais. Tell them you do not have a CPF, and that you want them to "cadastrar". You will see any number of women or sometimes men walking around with little trays with Tim, Claro, or Vivo. Getting a Brazilian number is key for game on zap, which is to say, essential.

[Sperto]

Carnaval might be cancelled in many cities next year, including Salvador.

https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/em-m...-2022-25290551

https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/por-...val-1-25290631

[Rio D]

European flights to Rio seem to be 2-3 times what they were pre covid...Is this the new normal for flights?

Right now airlines are having the same problems retaining workers as in other industries. And there are fewer airlines flying to Brazil than pre-Covid. And this is the high season for ticket prices. One day, when the various problems are resolved, we should be back close to normal.

[The Cane]

American Airlines is now their partner. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/n...in-brazils-gol. The code sharing with American Airlines is probably the reason for GOL to migrate to Sabre reservation system, which is now causing these problems. I had four flights with GOL in October and November and they cancelled all of them and rebooked me with new reservation numbers. Thats a lot of work if they rebook hundreds of thousands of passengers and the two systems cant talk with each other. I don't know if that is the case.

The new LATAM partner is Delta Airlines:

https://www.delta.com/us/en/airline-partners/latam

https://www.latam.com/en_un/about-us...elta-alliance/

[Nordico]

Partnership ended in early 2020.

https://pro.delta.com/content/agency...ip-to-end.html

LATAM is the new partner.

https://www.delta.com/us/en/airline-partners/overview

https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles...rline-partners

American Airlines is now their partner. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/n...in-brazils-gol. The code sharing with American Airlines is probably the reason for GOL to migrate to Sabre reservation system, which is now causing these problems. I had four flights with GOL in October and November and they cancelled all of them and rebooked me with new reservation numbers. Thats a lot of work if they rebook hundreds of thousands of passengers and the two systems cant talk with each other. I don't know if that is the case. Just guessing.

[Exec Talent]

It might be easier buying our ticket and getting better customer service there.

Partnership ended in early 2020.

https://pro.delta.com/content/agency...ip-to-end.html

LATAM is the new partner.

https://www.delta.com/us/en/airline-partners/overview

https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles...rline-partners

[One Eyed Man]

It's incredible that GOL and LATAM manage to sell tickets to foreigners. I also had problems with them not accepting foreign cards, telling me to change country which was impossible, login not working anymore etc. The worst was GOL that changed the date when trying to pay for the ticket.

It might be easier buying our ticket and getting better customer service there.

[Hobbying]

Which areas of the city are considered the best for AirBnB? Basically the equivalent of Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana in Rio.

Jardins is old money.

Itaim Bibi is new money.

[Nounce]

I recently bought a ticket on Latam on site orbitz.com, I had no problems at all.....

That maybe because you are not dealing with LATAM's system.

[Mr Enternational]

Which areas of the city are considered the best for AirBnB? Basically the equivalent of Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana in Rio.

Check out Morumbi.

[OJeito]

Which areas of the city are considered the best for AirBnB? Basically the equivalent of Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana in Rio.

I like to think of São Paulo on a bullseye map with the nicest wealthiest neighborhoods being the jardins at the center of the bullseye. The further away from the bullseye you get, the less appealing the Airbnb options get, speaking solely from a security perspective.

[Sun08]

Which areas of the city are considered the best for AirBnB? Basically the equivalent of Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana in Rio.

[Mr Enternational]

I recently bought a ticket on Latam on site orbitz.com, I had no problems at all. I learned recently latam is a result of merging with Tam which I flew once,

LAN merged with Tam years ago. The other week ago on a flight from Bogota to Lima the flight attendant said welcome aboard Latin American. I have never heard the company refered to as that.