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I'm living part of this dystopian nightmare. I moved from Canada to Israel, with an Android, and my wife an iPhone. She moved her phone's app store to Israel, I left mine as Canada. This means that she can't get updates to apps she's paid for. I'm now left with sideloading Israeli apps (like the gas station electronic pay app!) because of silly geo fences.

Paypal won't allow me to add my Israeli credit card, while keeping my Canadian credit card attached. Ummmwhy? Google Pay complains that my Israeli credit card can't be registered to my Israeli address since my Google Play account is in Canada.

The only companies I don't want to light on fire now are Amazon and Spotify. Everyone else just causes friction, which becomes the way I become a customer elsewhere. It's almost as if countries and companies are designed to ensure you stay in a specific geography. G-D forbid I use my Canadian credit card to pay for electronic services in Israel.

Went through a similar thing in Germany. These are annoying details of an international move. I think the real solution that minimizes heartache is that you have to get local versions of all accounts - both banking and digital - including re-purchasing apps. One high-tech thing you can do is get a dual-sim smartphone (which excludes iPhone, naturally) so you can have both numbers on the same device. Although, honestly, I'd recommend just getting another device.

As for credit cards, definitely get a local one because most CC's will kill you on exchange rates and fees. Get a local bank account, a local credit card, and transfer funds with something like TransferWise [1]

Amazon works okay internationally, although again I'd recommend using two URLs (or containers) for each version. For example, you can access Canadian Amazon with "smile.amazon.com", and the Israeli one with just "amazon.com". But in general I think it's a good idea to use a container- (or browser-) per-country.

I'm not sure I entirely blame the digicorps on this one. Compliance with local law is difficult enough in isolation; these "dual digital citizen" cases are probably really complex. In fact, I'm surprised Spotify works seemlessly; it's probably an oversight by the music publishers.

This is all a corrallary, BTW, to the general truth that the only way to make money with digital goods is by creating artificial scarcity.

1 - https://wise.com/invite/u/joshuar301 - full disclosure, happy customer and this will generate 60 euros (under some circumstances) for me if you sign up.

> Get a local bank account,

Good luck with this in France. You have to show evidence of stay (a contact for utilities), for which you have to have an account.

There is a law that states that you can get an account without these requirements, and then there is the reality.

This reality also means that if you know someone who is a good client in a bank and go with them, there is a good chance they will open the account.

Banking in France is such a mess.

> for which you have to have an account.

That's not necessary. The landlord needs a bank account number, and some might ( of course, entirely depending on the person) accept a foreign one + the explanation that you're in the process of creating a French one. I've done it and know people who have done it, but of course it limits your options, especially in high in demand cities like Paris.

And there are always the neobanks - IIRC Aumax and Boursorama didn't ask for "justificatif de domicile" ( a utility bill or similar).

And there's another trick, you can get a phone contract online, with only a credit card; and this will get you a bill with any address you choose, but that's gaming the system.

> I've done it and know people who have done it,

This is good news, I know several people from the EU (and outside) that could not get a renting contract because of the lack of good ol' French IBAN

> Aumax and Boursorama didn't ask for "justificatif de domicile"

Boursorama does, I do not know for the max card.

> you can get a phone contract online, with only a credit card;

oh really? the telecom companies do not ask for your actual address? I thought that this was now impossible following the anti terrorist laws

Yes, it is the same in Germany. My employer rented an apartment for us, and to do this we assigned limited power of attorney (Vollmacht) to a consultant to registered for us.

So, with lots of money you can break the circular problem of: you need a residence to get a local account, and getting a residence requires a local account and physical presence in the town hall registration office.

There are probably (hopefully) more efficient ways to do this, but that's how we did it.

> get a dual-sim smartphone (which excludes iPhone, naturally)

Since the iPhone XS, they have double SIM. One of the 2 must be an eSIM, but otherwise it works fine.

Paypal is the worst with this. I struggle to understand why anybody uses them if they operate in a remotely inconsistent manner (i.e: move occasionally.)

I only recently re-opened an account due to local convenience, but would not trust them for moving serious cash around anywhere.

My (old) UK paypal account, even though i have the full credentials, doesn't allow me to sign in because it sends an SMS to a number i've long lost. I only wanted to sign in so i can close the account.

Worse is when you try sending them an E-Mail to resolve the issue but they send their response to your "Message Centre inbox" that you can't login to.

The main reason I use PayPal is because they provide detailed records and invoices of online purchases in a single easy to see place, with simple options for disputing charges or getting refunds if I don't get what was purchased. It would be a pain in the ass to do that all through my bank, but on Paypal I can just tap "Refund" and communicate directly over PayPal with the seller.

For google, you need to create a second account. There is no escape. At least it's free. I have an italian and a canadian account and that's the only way to make it work (I will have soon dual citizenship).

On the upside, all google apps do work with 2 accounts

i have this problem. especially annoying as some apps won't function unless you update. gotta keep switching app store region to update the apps.

All in all, as others have said, it is still easier to move between distant countries now than ever before, and these may seem like minor issues, but I feel your pain!

I moved a few times between France and the UK, and every time I've had to move all my accounts (Youtube, Amazon, Playstation store, etc.) but most importantly I have two separate Paypal accounts to handle both countries.

There are also some French administrative websites that I can't access when I am in the UK, preventing me from booking appointments to renew official documents. I have to use a VPN and even then the pages fail to load most of the time and are 100 times slower than when connecting physically from France.

Do you mean booking appointments in France from the UK?

I remember spending a couple of weeks in SF 4 years ago in an AirBnB... could I get a meal delivery in the evening? Nope.

Needed a US phone number, or US bank account / credit card, or both.

Things like Postmates didn't even allow the entry of a UK phone number with +44 prefix. I sensed then that travelling wouldn't get easier and more convenient, it would increasingly get less convenient.

There's a real opportunity for Stripe, Twilio, etc to really dominate globally given that these are the tools we need to reach the largest markets, and inversely as customers to access services in all markets.

Just moved to the US from the UK and this was the bane of my life the first two weeks

It's pretty annoying but you can switch your country as long as you don't do it too often - I have. Also at one point you could still install them if you started the instalation in the browser (e.g. on your computer) but I think that might not work for a while.

You can presumably switch your main account, too but that might be even more hassle.

Google allows one change a year. That doesn't do me any good, I switched to Mexico for said Starbucks app and instantly regretted it (for the next 12mos). I've spent 3-7 months in too many other places since

This, it is sad when Netflix has this figured out more seamlessly than any single governmental tourist-centric department in the world. Isn't the main job of many of these places to get as much tourist money as possible?

> When I was in Poland, I couldn't use a rental bike because you have to have a Google Account tied to the Polish Playstore to be able to install the app.

These sort of restrictions get nighmarish (as you mention) when the apps are the only way to do something, and they are region-locked to the country's app store.

There should be some obvious test, like if you want to make something app-exclusive, make sure the damn app is in every version of the Play Store.

> There should be some obvious test, like if you want to make something app-exclusive, make sure the damn app is in every version of the Play Store.

Huh? How is the Play Store supposed to know whether your Israeli gas station takes cash or not?

It is trivial to have multiple accounts active on any Android phone, and install apps using any of them. (And once installed, the app is not tied to the specific account in any way.)

Settings > Accounts > Add account > Google. And to choose which account to use for Play, just click on the profile picture in the app and choose the account you want from the drop-down menu.

The accounts can be tied to different countries. So there is no need to have multiple phones.

> I see no need to play with VPNs for Netflix.

I am surprised, because there is some content on Netflix region-specific which you can't access from another country.

I've just come to terms with getting a different menu of options in each country, in the 1000s of options, and live with that instead of being picky. It's the easiest thing I deal with, to the point I'm thankful for it.

Compare Amazon Prime overseas - 100% worthless, they wouldn't even let me pay to view a video I would have gladly paid to watch once. My account was stuck in some sort of cyclical impossible state that bounced me around in circles with no definite error but no way to progress either. I just found it so shocking such a large company can't even account for the fact any of their customers would ever at any point go on vacation a few days.

Yes content on Netflix is specific to the country you're currently located in, however it works without complaint if you're in a country other than the one you were in when you signed up.

That's true but Netflix does gracefully and without mentioning it show you the content in your current country.

"Multiple Texas government agencies actually block any overseas access"

Montana also. I'm Australian in Australia but own a vehicle in the US. When trying to renew the registration, the ecommerce site failed with an error telling me to contact some authority. That authority's site and contact details blocked access to anyone outside the country.

Perhaps we should get back to BitTorrent again…?

That’s the only bit the OP wasn’t struggling with. If only you could torrent a bike.

> Amazon is 100% nationalistic anti- the existence of other countries

what do you mean? Given they have to quote shipping, it's not unreasonable to take into account.

> Some Chinese..

China, and the CPC, are well know for restrictive policies and not giving a shit if it inconveniences foreigners. The message is pretty clear: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-24/china-ban... <- English tutoring is one of the few things foreigners can get a work visa in China for. I wouldn't be surprised if CPC is actively discouraging tourism. I wouldn't generalise this behaviour to all SEA.

> Currently in Ukraine, at least 2 of my banks block me from any access to my finances

To be fair, some countries have "complicated" relationships to international law/fraud.

>> Amazon is 100% nationalistic anti- the existence of other countries

> what do you mean? Given they have to quote shipping, it's not unreasonable to take into account.

I'm not entirely sure what the GP was getting at, but there is some friction with amazon and the international sites. I have amazon prime, but prime subscriptions seem to be region locked as it is only reflected in the .com site. When checking out through the UK or Italian Amazon storefront, it'll even prompt me to try a trial prime subscription.

In the 2 western European countries I've lived in, Amazon is an utter mess. "Free shipping over 30 EUR" often turns into searching for which listing for the item is covered. Heck, there isn't even a search filter for "items that will actually ship to my country".

Funnily enough I use an extension called "Amazon Global Shipping Filter" for this, since my country doesn't have its own amazon site (I'm in Ireland and there is no amazon.ie I use amazon.co.uk, or amazon.de if I want to stick w/ EU shipping).

I get your frustrations, but, in the bigger picture, travel is definitely getting easier because of these same companies too.

Could you elaborate? I've traveled extensively over the last 40 years or so, and I can't see how to any extent those companies (which I assume must be among those listed - Google, Apple, Amazon, Netflix..) are making traveling easier. I use all of them, and they don't in any way make traveling easier than before. If anything it's more difficult, just as the parent post said - in the past there was no risk for having to need a Google Pay account just to rent a bike at your destination.

Sure…

If you look at all the complaints being had here it’s all basically related to banking and legal stuff. This is a failure in governance, not really the tech companies.

Some quick devil’s advocate talking points:

- Access to ridiculous amount of information and reviews basically anywhere. What to do. What not to do. Finding hidden niche cool things. Etc…

- Access to ridiculous people too. We did a small trip in a remote location and had this young college student show us around for a private tour. Was amazing, personal, real, and got to see/try things/places we normally wouldn’t. We would not have ever had a chance to be connected with her before. It would have been big stupid tour company.

- Instant mapping basically anywhere and looking things up (just the fact you can look up a bike or car rental store in 1 second on your phone even if say you can’t do the auto bike option…)

- I can just hold my phone over a menu in any language and it translates it in real time

- Safer between family tracking me in real time via location app or just having the option to ship medicine nearly overnight if needed, etc…

- Netflix… no comment

I just feel this is a bit dramatic for one annoying rent a bike station.

>I just feel this is a bit dramatic for one annoying rent a bike station.

I think that's because you took the example off my head and failed to extrapolate that every where I go there are some roadblocks with what have now becoming (every day to a greater degree) basic services?

Access to food delivery & local Uber equivalents can be a problem, how exactly is not being able to get food or transport a "bit dramatic" as opposed to a 100% legit complaint (in fact I got caught in multiple countries' lockdowns, and I think goodness I didn't need to self-isolate to protect people and get caught with no food delivery options etc.)

Basically - if there is no awareness - they won't be addressed. This is not about a "trade off" with the great things Google or whoever "adds" to my life, there is no tradeoff, there is simply no attempt to address this stuff AFAIK first and foremost due to 0 awareness.

Some really good points.

Except I do think you are being dramatic and I do think it actually is about “trade offs”.

Still appreciated reading your notes.

From Google, Maps and Translate have definitely made travelling easier.

You don’t need an ID to order from overseas in Korea, it’s a quick lookup away. I ordered camera gear, clothing and more. Pay customs duties as requested and you’re fine.

Access blockage is a pain in many countries, but it has zero to do with identifying yourself or having an account. You only need one, with a VPN hoster.

And this concerns Netflix just as well. Either they have changed something, or you are yet to make an unpleasant discovery. In my experience, the content available varies depending on where it thinks you are hailing from, regardless of payment method on file.

Amazon is the most reliable place so far to order overseas from, with one simple rule: only buy what’s “fulfilled by Amazon”. In my experience, as long as it lets you place that order, it will arrive (though customs paperwork and duties may be on you in some countries).

On balance my experience is mostly positive when traveling across reasonable countries. (The unreasonable ones are like China, where you are half outside of the system if you don’t set yourself up with a bank account and pay with WeChat.)

But yeah, I tend to not order takeout, I hate e-bikes and e-scooters with passion, etc. so I may be in the minority here.

> Access blockage is a pain in many countries, but it has zero to do with identifying yourself or having an account. You only need one, with a VPN hoster.

I think OP’s point was that one shouldn’t need a VPN to do these things.

Besides pointing out that a large chunk of what the original poster wrote is just factually incorrect, my point was that it’s hardly a “nightmare for those of us who travel”, since the remaining actual issues are so far solvable with a VPN, and even my mom can use a VPN.

Yes, it’s inconvenient and shouldn’t be this way, but it’s far from a nightmare (yet). The true nightmare is situation in a few places like the aforementioned China, which is where we may be headed judging by TFA, but we've a long way to go.

Does Google not allow you to switch your playstore without losing your installed apps? This is possible under iOS and the AppStore (need a Chinese app? Switch to the Chinese App Store, get the app, switch back), or at least was when I did it.

netflix has sometimes wildly different libraries based on where you are - and they weren't always in as many countries as they are now. At least they're nice about updating what's accessible immediately though (this is both a blessing and a curse)

If you download content in location X that is not available after you get to location Y, you can still access it if you put your phone on airplane mode. Can't refresh/redownload though, obviously.

I always thought having a VPN to home was valuable for getting around silly things like this while traveling.

It’s funny because globalization is for corporations not people.

Or maybe funny is the wrong word…

We need to abolish countries and create a universal government, with a single currency for humanity.

Or we can keep the status quo.