The plan begins - ask for Advice on Banking and Mobile ?

[NewbieBrit]

So I'm arriving on Tuesday from UK and have 10 days in a hotel near Novena to find somewhere to live. My plan of action so far is:

1] Open a bank account, in order to be able to pay for:
2] Mobile phone contract, in order to:
3] Contact some agents, so that I can then:
4] Find somewhere to live - yay!Winner.

I'm probably only in the country for a couple of years, and as time is of the essence would love some advice on who to open a bank account with, and who to get a mobile contract with. I've heard Singtel is pretty much best for signal, no idea about banks, just need convenience.
Also, what paperwork do I need to produce in order to open a bank account (hopefully not proof of address, as that would totally ruin the plan!)?

Thanks

[JR8]

Walk into any 7-11 (with passport), buy SIM card. Hey presto you have a local PAYG number. When things settle down think about a contract.

Bank? I've heard OCBC are good... but there are many opinions.

[NewbieBrit]

Thanks for your advice, good idea about sim card. My current mobile is locked in to an Orange contract until the end of July ... would it work if I put a PAYG sim into it?

[JR8]

A PAYG SIM won't simply unlock a locked phone.

I'm no expert on unlocking, others might have advice. I don't know about you, we have about 3 spare/old phones in a drawer. If you are anything like this, just use one, with the Singtel SIM from 7-11. That's all you need to go and do your flat-hunting.

[harlyd]

Explain the situation to your current provider in the UK. In the US, it worked for me most of the time. They will give you the unlock codes. Otherwise, you could try and find a shop there that does it. If all else fails, you can buy a really basic phone here for really cheap.

[nakatago]

Explain the situation to your current provider in the UK. In the US, it worked for me most of the time. They will give you the unlock codes. Otherwise, you could try and find a shop there that does it. If all else fails, you can buy a really basic phone here for really cheap.

This. Moreover, if you're eyeing a new phone, you can buy them even from the carriers, without contract AND unlocked.

About banks, most of them if not all accept your office address as your mailing address.

[the lynx]

So I'm arriving on Tuesday from UK and have 10 days in a hotel near Novena to find somewhere to live. My plan of action so far is:

1] Open a bank account, in order to be able to pay for:
2] Mobile phone contract, in order to:
3] Contact some agents, so that I can then:
4] Find somewhere to live - yay!Winner.

I'm probably only in the country for a couple of years, and as time is of the essence would love some advice on who to open a bank account with, and who to get a mobile contract with. I've heard Singtel is pretty much best for signal, no idea about banks, just need convenience.

In terms of diverse network of branches and ATMs, POSB and DBS is your best bet. You can use both if you have an account with either one of them without service charge. If you wish to stay connected to your existing account in UK without hefty transfer fee, you can only do it via Standard Charted or Citibank (but I'm not familiar with the arrangement with UK side so I will leave it to any Brit who are familiar to explain).

Also, what paperwork do I need to produce in order to open a bank account (hopefully not proof of address, as that would totally ruin the plan!)?

Yes. You actually need proof of address but in your case (I assume you will be here under EP), you only need to bring your IPA and/or your EP card together with your passport because your company address can be used temporarily as your mailing address (which you can update later once you have moved into your permanent address).

Very few banks will require you to have a letter of verification from your employer. Best way to avoid wasting your trips to banks is to call ahead and ask for a list of documents required to open an account. But almost all banks have standard requirements.

Thanks

[durain]

orange mobile phone is a bit of a bummer as they are usually SIM locked, therefore you wont be able to use the mobile with another SIM. orange can unlock your mobile for you for a fee of £20.42 (includig VAT)!!!

had a saving account with DBS that comes with an ATM card. the card was issued on the spot!

[PrimroseHill]

Our mobile phones were simlocked to TMobile until Oct. Iphone with new ICloud - no joy with unlocking it. TMobile refused to unlocked it. My DD managed to have her BB unlocked by a nice guy at Raffles.
We walked into Singtel with our EP letters and signed up to new mobile phone contracts. Check if your company has a tie-in with SingTel that can offer a discount. Got the phones and simcard immediately
Bank account - we opened both, Citi for transfers to UK and back again as it is free. OCBC for all the local payments etc. OCBC atm/nets card was immediate. Citi bank account opened immediately but the cards took a few days to arrive. There are some places where this can be done within 24hours.
We stayed at a Service Apartment for a month and looked around for a nice apartment to rent. Establish a rapport in 1 estate agent.

[thismyvoice]

Since you are staying in Novena, there is a DBS/POSB bank in Velocity. It is usually not crowded, so will be pretty easy for you to just drop by and open an account.

Their ATM are all over Singapore.

[durain]

one thing you got to get use to is hunting for ATM as you cant use your card on another bank's ATM like you can in UK!

[Anthony249]

You can sometimes utilize services between these ATM machines: ANZ, HSBC and Standard Chartered, Citibank and Maybank as long as they have the atm5 logo on the machine. It will make it easier to withdraw cash as these machines are more rare compared to the Singapore based banks.

[kensue]

1] Open a bank account, in order to be able to pay for:
DBS will be the biggest of the local banks with many ATMs and branches all over Singapore but be prepared for the long queue. I personally prefer the Standard Chartered Bank.My understanding is that they will accept your office address.
2] Mobile phone contract, in order to:
In singapore if you sign up for a mobile contract you shouldbe able to geta Mobile phone for free without much cost involved. The 3 major providers will be Singtel, Starhub and M1 but I personally choose Starhub for the free Oversea Home call.
3] Contact some agents, so that I can then:
There is tons of agents in Singapore and just google and you could find them.
4] Find somewhere to live - yay!Winner.