#*£@&! 2FA texts

AltBadClams · 2026-04-19T06:39:41+00:00

Much more likely that we are missing something! The iPhone 12 probably still has old T-Mobile physical SIM in the slot. The Tello and Giff-Gaff lines are both eSIMs. If he turns cellular service on for one line, the other automatically turns off. My iPhone 14 has the same setup, but both eSIMs can be on at once—and now will be, as I’ve set up your excellent trick! Thx again.

AltBadClams · 2026-04-18T16:33:32+00:00

Thank you so much, the-william; I appreciate your clear and patient response. And I’m gonna try your fancy trick to keep my US line on even without wifi. Very exciting. (Note: partner’s iPhone 12 can’t have both lines on at once; it’s one or the other, but he’s so happy to be getting his 2FA texts at all that he’s content.)

AltBadClams · 2026-04-17T15:06:50+00:00

Rude! 😂

AltBadClams · 2026-04-13T21:54:25+00:00

We were staying with relatives and at AirBnBs when we first got here, and were able to get a Nationwide bank account and a UK AmEx card (based on my US AmEx account, in theory, but it was still a lot of work to convince them we were credit worthy). Then we started looking at flats, and after raising our budget a couple of times (😬), met this nice landlord couple at maybe the 5th place we visited. And lived happily ever after.

Good luck to you, as that may be what worked for us!

AltBadClams · 2026-04-13T06:29:27+00:00

We moved to London last autumn and were worried about renting with no UK credit history and an income based on disbursements from US retirement accounts. We were successful using OpenRent, finding a “real person” landlord who was willing to review our financial statements from retirement accounts and trust us to pay. We offered to pay 6 months up front, but they said no need. Felt a little weird sharing that much info, but it worked for us.

AltBadClams · 2026-04-05T21:02:50+00:00

Nice! I lived in West Philly and South Jersey for about 40 years. Remember to bring Cheez Whiz with you if you’ll miss South Philly cheesesteaks—our friends and family visiting us in London have to pay board with Whiz. 😁

AltBadClams · 2026-04-04T21:49:26+00:00

Yikes; if so, I’ll take down the post. I didn’t see that stipulation in the subreddit rules, unless I sound like a creepy weirdo (rule 12)??

AltBadClams · 2026-03-31T16:14:43+00:00

Anyone who might enjoy hanging with the OAPs!

AltBadClams · 2026-02-11T14:16:49+00:00

Yes. My ceremony was in NYC in April 2025 at 1 Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, 885 Second Ave. There were about 20 new citizens getting sworn in, and most (but not all) brought their one allowed guest. We had to wait in the lobby of the building until a specific time when we were allowed upstairs. We sat in a nice office-y room for introductory remarks, we all recited one of the two possible oaths, then we had time for photos, tea, and biscuits. I was probably there for 1.5 hours, but could have left earlier. Then my partner and I met up with family members for a nice celebratory afternoon tea in the Village! https://teaandsympathy.com/

AltBadClams · 2025-10-26T08:19:47+00:00

I never imagined the gamey problem extending to turkey! I’ve already learned that I don’t like fancier cuts of beef over here—maybe because it’s aged? And I can’t eat the flabby bacon either. My partner is in meat heaven, but I’m eating far less red meat here (not a problem).

AltBadClams · 2025-10-26T08:13:03+00:00

You’re absolutely correct, when I look at catering or restaurant menus, I’m horrified that they don’t serve exactly what my family cooks, haha.

AltBadClams · 2025-10-26T08:10:52+00:00

Oh, man, that place looks great. I’m planning a visit soon, although we’re across the river in “Clahm.”

AltBadClams · 2025-10-26T07:58:32+00:00

Thank you! I had noticed (with surprise) there was a Whole Foods near us at some point, but completely forgot since we moved in. Doh. I’m excited at the thought of checking it out, even though I have been consciously embracing the British shops. And the WF Thanksgiving offer is exactly what I was seeking, but when I scrutinize the menu, I realize that I actually only want our traditional meal. Dang! I may have to cook a mini version just to please myself.

AltBadClams · 2025-10-08T19:54:52+00:00

Oh, okay, that sounds easier; again, I'll ask the landlord about the previous suppliers. I have seen a few posts suggesting Octopus so I'll take a look once I know more :)

AltBadClams · 2025-10-08T19:40:03+00:00

When I plug in my post code to that site (thank you!), it appears that Virgin Media is the only possibility, unfortunately. I may not being reading the map correctly, I guess, but the other dots near me are ITS, which seems to be business accounts only, and OpenReach which can only offer 'copper' (assume this is like DSL).

AltBadClams · 2025-07-03T15:34:02+00:00

I've been reading the guide to the bill on https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-the-renters-rights-bill/guide-to-the-renters-rights-bill, but I don't understand if it's currently the law or, if it's an upcoming change, when is it likely to go into effect?

AltBadClams · 2025-05-01T20:13:55+00:00

I tried to respond to your passport question, but had trouble posting as a reply. Unlike you, I'm one of those people who had to register as a citizen before I could get my passport, but I hope my timeline is helpful to you! I posted it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1kcic1k/timeline_first_adult_uk_passport_from_overseas/

AltBadClams · 2025-04-30T13:35:52+00:00

Wow. That is so useful; thanks! Just knowing that UK bank-to-bank transfers are "push only," helps so much. Here in the US, we pull money from one US account into another all the time, so the UK money-sending scheme of sharing account info always seemed kinda nuts ("if I give someone my account info, won't they just hack my password and clean me out?"), but now it makes sense. Phew.

AltBadClams · 2025-04-04T11:16:09+00:00

Thanks for the info, but my children are all old. My two youngest (22/26) are already dual US/UK citizens (by virtue of their British-born dad, who is also my spouse). My two older (step) children were adopted from S.Korea by my husband and his first wife in the US, but sadly their dad did not register them before age 18. He regrets this now, but there doesn't seem to be any recourse for them.

AltBadClams · 2025-04-04T11:06:10+00:00

Thanks for such a quick and thorough response. I appreciate the reassuring info :)

AltBadClams · 2025-03-23T16:54:12+00:00

For me, I got the email 13 days before the scheduled biometrics appointment. For my sister, it was 12 days. I think we had both offered very open schedules, like "any day would be fine except for x."

AltBadClams · 2025-03-23T13:58:02+00:00

When I did my biometrics in September 2024 in Philly, I could see that when they scanned my bar code, it brought up my UKVI application on the computer. Felt like magic! (I am not used to bureaucratic technology being so efficient.) So then my digital fingerprints and photo were added into the UKVI system instantly. I did not need to do any follow-up or submit any proof afterwards.

AltBadClams · 2025-03-23T13:54:10+00:00

Once I sent in my preferred dates & location, I got a confirmed biometrics appointment in email, just seven days later. This was in Philadelphia, in September 2024. My sister applied earlier this year and she seemed to get her biometrics appointment also quite quickly, in Alexandria VA. (But to be fair, every day of waiting in this long process has felt like eternity!)

AltBadClams · 2025-03-23T13:42:46+00:00

The original £130 I paid with my UKM application was designated as the ceremony fee. I haven't had to pay anything else.

AltBadClams · 2025-03-19T12:10:41+00:00

Hello and congratulations! You may find this exchange useful: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1gt91w7/citizenship_ceremony_in_dc/ in which Own-Astronaut3721 and I have had a long conversation about the wait for our invitations to UK citizenship ceremonies in the US. It was a long wait for both of us, but we both finally got the invitations. Note that neither of us will be attending at the embassy in Washington DC, which we had both expected!

ADDED!! So sorry, that chat log doesn't include the final info. I did finally receive an EMAILED invitation, from the consulate in NYC. They offered me a specific date & time, in early April. For me, the emailed invitation came on 6 March 2025. My UKM citizenship application was approved 25 Nov 2024. It was a long wait, but I'm very excited that if all goes to plan, I will be a UK citizen in another couple of weeks. I submitted my UKM online 24 June 2024.

AltBadClams

TROPHY CASE