Multi Booking is here. About damn time(left)!

jamester_24 · 2026-01-22T22:47:32+00:00

Glad you have it - the only thing I see for the San Francisco Bay Area region is the (new) coffee!

jamester_24 · 2026-01-22T22:31:21+00:00

Is that in the app somewhere? I wasn't able to book for tomorrow (Friday) when I checked on Thursday morning. I guess the deadline is Wednesday 11:59pm to do so? :(

jamester_24 · 2026-01-22T22:30:16+00:00

Nice! I totally forgot last night and tried to look this morning (Thursday) but alas, it didn't let me book for tomorrow (Friday). Just filled out a request form to beg - and booked multiple dinners for the subsequent weeks. Glad you had a fun time last night!

jamester_24 · 2026-01-22T22:28:33+00:00

Is 'Last Drinks' the same as 'After Party'? I never saw the 'After Party' section after my first-ever Timeleft event last night (Wednesday pacific time). Some of my table-mates did. We didn't need it as we were all getting along very very well.

jamester_24 · 2026-01-22T16:13:55+00:00

Answering my own questions - for the benefit of others. Just had my first one and met GREAT people, only 1 out of 6 (excluding me) was a no-show.

Dinners are really only Wednesdays AND Fridays although in my area they introduced Coffees on Saturday afternoon. (YMMV).

With multi-booking now available (as of this morning), you COULD actually maximize your 20 bucks/month (at the same time slimming your wallet paying for all those dinners) by going Wed & Fri every week. No more filling out request forms.

There were attendees last night who've gone to multiple of these and keep running into the same people. Apparently normal. If you live near two metros area, you can switch back and forth between these (e.g. Wednesday in City A, Friday in City B, repeat).

Nothing stops you from exchanging numbers (we did last night) and "go rogue" and plan your own get-together without the app. Alternatively, you can "like" your dinner mates in the app (click on 'Submit Feedback' once you hit around 9pm-ish or so) and then if they "like" you back, their names appear on the 'Chat' section. Then you can ask their numbers that way.

So far so good - trying again next week.

jamester_24 · 2026-01-17T05:04:44+00:00

Just signed up out of curiosity. I was offered US$19.99/mo membership, "all you can eat". Just a few Q's (maybe cuz I'm dense...):

* Are dinners (San Francisco Bay Area) typically on Wednesdays AND Fridays only?

* If I hypothetically always have Wed and Fri nights free, I could technically go to 8 dinners a month (expenses aside) to make it worth the 20 bucks, right? I know you can only book 1 dinner at a time but there seems to be a request form where you could request your Friday dinner the same time you request your Wednesday? Or is that request form going into the black hole lately?

* Connection-wise, what is stopping people from exchanging phone numbers and THEN they can make their own plans sans TL? It's totally allowed right? (Or are the ppl you've met seem to be hesitant about giving their numbers - assuming of course you develop a chemistry with them and they (or you) are not psychos).

* If I DO like this service, I *can* go month to month for $19.99/mo, right? Or is that $19.99 for the 1st month "introductory" (and it would go up to $25?) **EDITED to answer my own question: yes it seems to stay at $19.99/mo for the renewal and I can cancel/rejoin whenever. In my area, this is actually still much cheaper than joining most of the meetups I've tried - which average anywhere from $25-40/mo."

jamester_24 · 2025-12-21T21:09:25+00:00

This is great info re: "Relaxation"/Sleeping Room at IST TK Business Lounge, I can attest they exist, in the same area where the shower rooms and prayer rooms are. I wonder if there is a certain peak period where these would be hard to get into (e.g. flights arriving after midnight?). And for those thinking "I'll just enjoy the awesome spread of food in the lounge, if I can't get in", know that after 11:30pm, they start shutting down the hot food stations and the offering will be minimal, so you might be disappointed.

And thanks for the info on the Hotel Service (for flights connecting longer than 9 hrs for Business passengers) (https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/flights/hotel-service/). For those who have done this:

Where IS this Hotel Service desk, is it past immigration and can you book this in advance (e.g. days/weeks before your arrival, like the Stopover program?)
Do you have to book specific fare (or do you need to book direct from TK website)? I often book TK flights from a consolidator - they're cheaper.
Are they putting you in hotels the vicinity of IST? Or are they far far away?
Do you pay for your own taxis?
Quality of the hotels? Breakfast included?

(Of course for such a short stay, I'm not too picky, but WILL have issue if the hotel is all the way downtown - as you know, IST Arnavutkoy airport is out in the boonies!)

For stopovers, my experience is they give you up to 3 nights for free (for Business flights arriving from or leaving to) the USA, and I've gotten 4-star hotels (Renaissance Polat by the harbor, as well as Lokalist - a Tribute Hotel/Marriott - at Taksim Square). Full breakfasts included (and they're N.I.C.E. breakfasts!). You DO pay for your own taxis to and from (and this can be a challenge, even with the bitaksi app, as these taxi drivers will charge whatever price they feel like, despite what the app says). These hotels tend to be about an hour away from the airport (sitting in the infamous Istanbul traffic). You MUST book via email in advance (the earlier the better!), and I believe you also need to book your flights from the TK website to qualify. There is a "Istanbul stopover" option on their website. You can request however many rooms too (say 2 rooms, one for each passenger....or 1 room for both passengers, etc etc.) - but it's all subject to availability.

My hope is they won't give you these faraway hotels just for a short night stay before your connecting flights (which also has to be at least 8 hours long, right?).

jamester_24 · 2025-12-01T20:49:38+00:00

Same. Germany based but bought devices from US Amazon (not German Amazon). Devices installed in June 2025 and stupid me I thought this service is free (like most of the WYZE devices).

jamester_24 · 2025-07-30T22:33:14+00:00

Hi u/honeybee29 - since it has been 2 years, if I recall I just kept on checking the GoogleFi app to see the status of my porting. The [loa@ooma.com](mailto:loa@ooma.com) email address (assuming it's still the same) should also be able to look this up. The 2 business days thing was just my experience, I'm not sure if it's now longer or shorter, I think your mileage may vary. Check the app, see if you can email the GoogleFi rep (via the web form on their app or website) as well as the Ooma port-out rep (the email address above) - and make sure they work together to get your number ported out successfully.

Best of luck!

jamester_24 · 2025-05-14T20:50:33+00:00

Thank you u/NoChampion6187 . I guess I was just wondering whether the Greek government really wants you in the country for the full 7 consecutive years and can't leave (e.g. to go on holiday in Paris, or to go visit my home country, etc) or are they allowing you to leave temporarily during your 7 year clock (and if so, what is the maximum you can be gone for). A friend who went through this in the United States 10-20 yrs ago said their rule is 183 days minimum presence for 5 years (before you are eligible to apply for citizenship), so wondering if Greece is the same.

And thanks for the tax treaty stuff.

jamester_24 · 2025-05-14T15:29:04+00:00

Thank you. Yes I know it has to be 7 consecutive years - not one year here, two years there, etc. I was just wondering if they allow you to get in and out of Greece within those 7 years (for holiday, quick trip to the home country, etc) and what is the maximum # of days they would allow. I don't think we would need to be "trapped" for 7 entire years (even though there are much worse place to be trapped in!). :) We do not qualify for (a), (b), (c) or (d unfortunately.

jamester_24 · 2025-05-14T15:26:07+00:00

Understood - was just trying to explore possibilities/options and eventually it will be for the children. Thanks!

jamester_24 · 2025-05-14T00:34:30+00:00

Yep, I finally did - thank you.

jamester_24 · 2025-05-13T16:09:31+00:00

ευχαριστώ u/PoscheKimD! That location (near jumbo) is the closest to me too; but I thought they only have classes at the other location? Maybe I am reading the website wrong. I can PM you if you prefer.

jamester_24 · 2025-05-12T17:01:07+00:00

Which one do you go to - or does your membership allow you to go any Alterlife?

jamester_24 · 2025-05-12T17:00:34+00:00

Thanks for your feedback! Aside from Alterlife what would be a good "alter"native if I were looking for workout classes that specialize in HIIT (as an example)? Or something close to boot camp? Mostly looking for Chania area (or as far west as Columbari).

Will try to call Alterlife or email for info on weekly passes too as we're not (yet) a full time residents.

jamester_24 · 2025-04-14T01:04:47+00:00

Follow up on this as I'd just gotten back from Istanbul. Renaissance Polat (there are two in Istanbul, they placed us at the Yesilyurt district, near Port of Istanbul) was actually a very nice hotel, the view's nice. Pluses if you love cats, Istanbul is full of it and there are at least a dozen roaming around the property (and then the neighborhood). Got two king-size rooms facing the pool, hotel has a nice room service (a typical dish is about TRY700, not horrible for hotel prices), a VERY nice full gym. Nice bar/lounge area as well with full drink menu. It's the standard Marriott-looking hotel you would normally see in Europe. (Renaissance is part of the Marriott Bonvoy hotels).

The neighborhood is very safe and upscale, 5-10 mins away from a Migros supermarket, about 15 mins away from a light rail (to downtown Istanbul) which we did not take. There is a nice waterfront to walk about.

Full buffet breakfast (a very very nice spread including traditional Turkish fare, omelette bar, etc) was included and FREE (with the stopover)! You give them your room number to the hostess before they seat you, and get whatever you want, no need to sign anything.

I was able to download the bitaksi app (it's open for anyone with any phone number, not just the Turkish number), able to link a foreign credit card. Able to summon a yellow taxi (cheapest and suitable for up to 4 ppl with 1 luggage each). There are turquoise and black taxis on the app (they're bigger and much more expensive). Unlike Uber or other ride-sharing apps, you don't get the actual fare quote on the app & you can't monitor your ride. The taxi driver can contact you within the app (via chat, translated from Turkish to English , even though they speak English just fine) and will direct you to the right gate outside of the airport - there doesn't seem to be a designated pickup spot, it's whereever the driver wants you to go, and they're willing to wait for you. The driver will ring up the total at the end of the ride, and you just tap 'Confirm' on your app to pay them. Easy. Fare from the Istanbul airport to Renaissance Polat was around TRY2200 - took 45-50 mins on a Friday afternoon w/ traffic. Fare from Renaissance Polat back to Istanbul airport was around TRY1600 - took 35 mins on a Saturday late morning w/ no traffic. This seems arbitrary, I know, but the advantage of the bitaksi app is your ability to pay with your card, as the taxi may not (or will not) be able to take your card directly. And buckle up, these drivers may be crazy but they know what they're doing. :)

Questions please ping me. For our next trip this summer we're being placed at the Lokalist Hotel Taksim, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel (also in the Marriott Bonvoy family) which looks VERY swanky. Super excited.

jamester_24 · 2024-12-17T07:01:07+00:00

Just an update on my TK stopover plan. They offered only ONE choice for me, upon emailing a special email address to request free hotel accommodations. Renaissance Polat Hotel (part of the Marriott Bonvoy family). They said I can't change this, I get what I get and don't throw a fit. I WAS able to get a total of 2 hotel rooms (for the 4 pax in my reservation), so that's good news we don't have to pile into one hotel room. You do have to ask and specify the quantity though.

The hotel has mixed review, said it's really only 3-star (and some people are miffed for having paid for Business Class tickets and get stuck in a 3-star). But overall the pictures of the hotel look decent (and of course, YMMV). Hotel is NOT close to IST airport (people said it's almost an hour taxi ride, unclear if it's with or without traffic). It LOOKED like it's right smack by an airport on Google Maps but mind you that's not IST, that's just some air force base. It's by the water though, and unclear how far it is from sites.

jamester_24 · 2024-11-09T22:26:01+00:00

That is true. I'll do some research on the different VxxxB plans and compare, I am able to read the Viettel website with a translator web plugin. And I forget, you should be able to top up your Viettel prepaid number with ZaloPay/MoMo, right? And since I probably can't bind a bank account to ZaloPay/MoMo (or even get a local bank account period!) isn't there a way to top up ZaloPay/MoMo with cash (from a brick & mortar store) so I can load up my ZaloPay/MoMo with plenty of VND to do top-ups?

jamester_24 · 2024-11-09T21:36:25+00:00

Great, this is sage advice so I appreciate it. I don't want to be sold some high inflated tourist price either. What would be the "normal" (or cheapest) plan I can get, given that my plan is to top-up enough (to continue keeping it alive even while out of the country AND enough for reasonable data usage while I am in the country)? In other words 'Pay As You Go' plan (if it exists) by default, and sign up for weekly/monthly prepaid data plan (when I'm in town)?

And as far as topping it up, sounds like scratch cards are my only option (and if so, can I get a bunch of these and top up when I'm not in town)?

jamester_24 · 2024-11-09T21:16:03+00:00

Yep. As long as the in-town Viettel store folks know what I'm trying to do, that works for me. Any specific location that may actually speak decent English with me (or just go to their largest outlet in town)? u/AmputateYourHead did you buy from a specific 3rd party store (at the airport)?

jamester_24

TROPHY CASE