Got my alien-registration card today. That was easy. Wired $850 to my US account, and that sucked because I was charged a mess of fees, such that the total paid was about W930,000. Shinhan Bank also used an exchange rate of W1,060 to the dollar (it's normally about W1,030 these days). So: 1060 x 850 = 901,000. Add W29,000 in fees to that, then PNC Bank will charge me $15 as a "receiving" fee when the money arrives in my account. Wiring money is a big pain in the ass. Also wired W80,000 to my Daegu account so I can keep using my cell phone. (The cell phone was purchased while I was in Hayang and using Daegu Bank, so instead of going through all the paperwork involved in changing my billing over to Shinhan Bank, I instead wire cash to my Daegu Bank account once a month. The bill is closer to W70,000 than to W80,000, but... you know—just to be safe.
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The best phone deal ever, especially starting this October when you can get the moto e for $99 and unlimited wi-fi calling, Internet date usage, and texting for $10 a month plan. It even works for me in South Korea but I got socked with the more expensive Moto X smart phone since I was an early adapter.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you'll have a U.S. based phone number, but you could just buy a cheap South Korean Skype phone number for calls on the peninsula. Personally, I use my free Google Voice number and email for everything else.
It should be a no-brainer with $70 a month bill versus one fore less than $20 with Republic Wireless. Oh, yeah, you will need a U.S. based address and credit card for them to bill you at though (once you are sent the phone, billing can be paperless), but so far, it has been beyond fantastic (and extremely cheap). With taxes it still comes out $12 a month and I can be reached anywhere on the planet with wi-fi service by anyone calling me from anywhere on the planet (for a whopping $12 a month). At first I wasn't sure about this Motorola phone, but for the money I am saving, I plan on being a Republic Wireless customer for a long, long time.