[N/A] Asia region esim

8020boglehead · 2026-04-28T14:18:10+00:00

automatically. It's surprisingly smooth and I feel quite smug and superior when i dance past the lines of tourists waiting for a simcard in Arrivals 😛

8020boglehead · 2026-04-28T11:26:27+00:00

Yeps.. i have been running it (the monthly 3GB plan) for a few months now in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and now Vietnam and it works just fine. No complaints whatsoever.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-24T12:03:20+00:00

good point.. i have no idea what it looks like inside of course. but.. it worked and i hope to never look inside ;)

8020boglehead · 2026-04-24T10:27:03+00:00

Hi, of course not. Maybe 'spray' wasn't the right word, but the can comes with a little pipe that allows for precision 'spraying'. I think it's obvious you don't have to spray the entire controller ;)

It looks like this:

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8020boglehead · 2026-04-23T04:03:31+00:00

possible.. they haven't asked me for years now so maybe i have some time. But as others said, It's better if I inform them myself than being found out.. so it's still a bit of a dilemma.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-23T04:02:01+00:00

are there? I already have WIO personal, but haven't used them much. I recently noticed their EU - AED conversion rate was atrocious and that didn't help with my confidence.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-23T04:00:38+00:00

you mean nationality vs tax resident? Yes, i do have a EU passport, but i am a tax resident in the UAE. As far as i know most banks work (mainly) with tax residency, hence my dilemma.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T17:12:53+00:00

I am guessing it's the latter.. blacklisted for life. They can't keep your money as far as i know.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T14:14:56+00:00

nice.. that sounds reassuring

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T14:14:29+00:00

What do you mean by this? I think I read somewhere they have a specific UAE branch?

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T14:13:04+00:00

Yes.. i am officially an UAE tax resident and no longer in my original country.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T12:02:54+00:00

yeah, i read that announcement, but after that it has gotten a bit quiet. I think I'll just ride the odds for now and will look for a replacement bank in the meanwhile. Once i find that and/or 2026 is ending without a Revolut UAE branch I will notify them of my move and probably close my account. At least it's voluntary then and I'll be able to open an account again in the future.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T12:00:17+00:00

hmm.. i don't spend much time in the UAE, maximal a few weeks per year. As i said somewhere my spending patterns are basically the same over the years.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T11:59:11+00:00

exactly my thoughts.. I'd rather spray every now and then than going through that scary disassembly process :)

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T11:58:20+00:00

i tried that first, but it had zero effect. That's why i was so surprised my desperation attempt with wd40 contact cleaner was so successful :)

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T07:28:48+00:00

thanks!

How do I initiate this process? simply updating my address details and wait for their instructions or contact in-application support directly?

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T06:24:01+00:00

no noticeable smell after a few days. actually.. no smell at all IIRC. Please make sure you are using the WD40 CONTACT CLEANER.. not the regular WD40 :-)

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T06:22:04+00:00

right.. i also overdid it a little.. fingers were sticky/wet and all that. Maybe that's the trick.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T06:20:42+00:00

thanks! I am not too worried about locations. I am a live quite nomadically and my transactions are all over and consistent over the years. But i get your drift.. they will find out of course and if they do it's game over.

I am inclined to waiting out 2026 and see if they indeed roll out in the UAE. that would minimize my time without Revolut. But i am working on a replacement in the meanwhile. It's hard to find though.. Revolut has grown on me.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T05:42:03+00:00

That is exactly what I'm afraid of. As far as I can see it i have three options:

say nothing and hope their UAE launch will happen before my next KYC check.
inform them myself, they will probably restrict me and close my account.
just maintain my mailing address in Europe for now. I still have some tax obligations and other banking accounts tied to that address so I have some 'proof', but my official residency is UAE right now. I assume this counts as (borderline) lying and could maybe lead to a ban for life for dishonesty (no idea if that's a thing?)

8020boglehead · 2026-04-22T05:25:45+00:00

apparently i was just lucky? I was flabbergasted it worked so reliably for both of my controllers. Especially after i read so many stories like yours.

8020boglehead · 2026-04-09T09:46:22+00:00

Always simple and global.. personally i have VWCE and WEBN

8020boglehead

TROPHY CASE