VISA VIP Lounge is back on for Rio!
 

This just popped up.

I hope it's like London 2012

http://visaviplounge.com/about.html

Just a reminder for everyone.....make sure you do not use the ATMs at GIG. They are well known to have skimmers attached. Also only use ATMs that are within a bank and not when when the bank first opens in the AM.

The big difference is you must have a CHASE UNITED VISA unlike in London when you could use any visa card. It is much smaller.

Also, they are only having it for about 4 days instead of all during the Olympics.

Four nights will still be fun!
We logged a lot of sushi in London those nights.

Hello, I am looking to watch some Rugby matches of RIO Olympics in Brazil. A match on 9th of August and then on 10th of august.
Reference:- http://www.rio2016-live.com/2016/05/...ns-womens.html
But not finding a way, to get the tickets on bulk?
Is there any expert, who can help me out?

any particular reason why you shouldn't use it when the bank first opens?

also, anyone know if they'll offer wifi at the stadium/other events? i'm happy to pay for it if available but would like to know before i invest in an international roaming plan for my devices

The reason not to use the ATMs when banks first open is that scammers could attach the skimmers during the night and the ATM would not have been inspected yet. Know it sounds strange but this is what many have reported. There is a long thread on TripAdvisor about the ATMs in Rio.

As for wifi, why not buy a SIM card for use in Rio. Tends to be much less expensive than a roaming plan.

In Rio itself, look around carefully before using an ATM or changing money. Avoid places where groups of people are hanging out just outside the door, including at bnks in better neighborhoods such as Ipenima. Many (better) hotels have ATMs, often in the business center, and I would assume that these would be relatively safe. I was told to avoid CitiBank ATMs. I also observed hotel staff changing money for guests, presumably from cash in some major currency.

I know in the "old days" hotels routinely exchanged money however the exchange rate was horrible. Make sure you know the exchange rate beforehand.

You're paying for the convenience. Plus, in Rio, getting a bad rate would be much better than getting mugged at knifepoint.

Agreed. I know I am flying through MIA to GIG and will buy some Reals in MIA so that we are in no rush to convert once we get to Rio. We will also use an ATM account that has very limited funding in it so that even if the card was cloned we would have a very limited potential loss.

ah ok, that makes sense.

i'll look into a sim card. my friend wants to get a mifi, it's cheaper than a roaming plan but probably more expansive than the sim card.

Also, try not to use the Brazilian bank ATMs as they will charge a high fee AND give you a guaranteed crappy rate (though even the worst atm transaction will only skim ~10 cents off the actual rate which is far better than the 50 cents or more an airport currency exchange will shave off). I consistently find HSBC to be the best as they don't charge a fee and give great rates, often times the exact rate if it's not a volatile day. Banco Brasil once denied my transaction but still debited 500 reais from my account! Thank god I check my statements.

I read a few posts on tripadvisor on the ATM scams in Rio and a few people said that HSBC's atms are the worst. I guess YMMV

So no idea if they'll be offering wifi at the events?