Travel to St. Petersburg

[atroul]

Hello,
I will go for 3 days to St. Petersburg is it better to use my DNA prepaid sim there or to buy a local one?
Thanx

[riku2]

dna prepaid prices when in russia are listed on their website

https://www.dna.fi/prepaidin-kaytto-ulk ... %A4j%C3%A4

normally the data prices when roaming abroad are expensive. if roaming outside the eu then amazingly expensive and you are better to get a local sim card (although for 3 days i'm not sure I would bother). countries vary on how easy things are to setup. in some places you can buy a prepaid sim in a supermarket. in some countries you get the sim, visit the police station, provide a local address and ID and a few days later the sim is enabled. more trouble than it's worth really.

the dna prepaid page is somewhat annoying when checking roaming prices since to check prices you must manually type the country name you will visit (not pick it from a list). you must type the finnish name of the country spelled correctly and must use letters with dots on. you must type "Venäjä" since it will not recognize the place called "venaja" (as if there could be any confusion between the two).

[foca]

To some extent it depends on how you are going to use your phone (local calls, calls to Finland, incoming calls). Generally DNA is the worst roaming partner , the most expensive one. If you are not engaged in everyday international business and do not require round the clock Internet connection, just keep it simple and refrain from using your phone in Russia . There are many free wifi hotspots , so use them for communications .

[foca]

Seriously? You all have used your dna prepaid card successfully to call from Russia? My son had to buy a local card whilst there with his sport club because he was unable to call home.

I never said I had .....DNA says it is going to work there .....what I said is that they are the worst roaming company ever

[atroul]

Thank you all for your responses.
Another thing I would like to ask is which is the best and cheapest way to get rubles?
1) Go with cash through the borders and change to rubles in Russia?
2) Change to rubles in Finland?
3) Withdraw money from ATM in Russia?
4) Pay directly with the debit card in stores?
I own a Nordea bank account here in Finland with a debit (visa) and a credit (mastercard) card.

[foca]

Thank you all for your responses.
Another thing I would like to ask is which is the best and cheapest way to get rubles?
1) Go with cash through the borders and change to rubles in Russia?
2) Change to rubles in Finland?
3) Withdraw money from ATM in Russia?
4) Pay directly with the debit card in stores?
I own a Nordea bank account here in Finland with a debit (visa) and a credit (mastercard) card.

1, 3, 4 are your choices. Do not change money in Finland or on the train (if you go by allegro). Also do not change money on the street. Any bank/atm will do. Notice that some banks have an exchange operation fee (usually very small). ATMs have commission as well (up to 5 percent on foreign cards, usually 2-3) and a limit on withdrawls (around 6-8000 Rub).
So the best choice is paying with your card, but use usual precautions.