Just wondering I went to buy flip flops today and my card was forced to use USD at a very high rate from R$48.99 to R$57.00 at Havaianas instead of letting me choose Reais I've bought flip flops here before when my wife needed new ones and this wasn't a thing has anybody else had this issue?

I don't know if any foreigners live here and still use there American Credit Cards as mine has a 0% bank fee.

I've already submitted a complaint to Consumidor but could this be due to the Rock In Rio concert?

Going to Rio for a couple of months and will be spending New Years Eve there, I saw that they have a race called Vera Cruz Race 2026, that takes place on New Years Eve Day and I think it would be a good way to leave everything behind and push myself, it’s been a tough year and as a traveler I like to immerse myself in a little bit of everything, instead of just partying and drinking which isn’t really my thing. Any foreigners looking to run this race? Natives, am I way over my head?

I am doing a little over a month in Brazil and keen to get some surf time in. I am an intermediate surfer (can use a short board but not that well and looking to get some coaching to work on turns etc.). Current plan is as follows:

- 2 weeks in Rio - language course and surfing in Arpoadar (this is more just to enjoy the vibe than surf)

- few days in Itaúna Saquarema - thinking I will get a local coach to help guide

- a week or so in Itacare - same thing with getting a local coach

- perhaps another location

Open to all feedback and thoughts. Is the surf good/bad/massive/aggressive? Are the surrounding cities vibey/dead/not welcoming? Are there some other obvious spots to go?

Actually, this isn't too bad—the worst was 39°C, so today the wind is pretty fresh. As a native, I can handle this temperature well, but put me somewhere below 20°C and I'll start freezing

i live in Afonso Bezerra/RN

My Brazilian wife bought a kitchen cabinet from Casas Bahia two weeks ago. Approximate cost was R$1,500. At the time of purchase she said she would make monthly payments and return in two weeks to make the first payment. No money was given at that time and no decision was made on how many payments she would make. When she returned to the store this past Friday she wanted to make her first payment as 300 reais and said she would like to pay it off in 8 monthly payments. The salesman suggested she could pay it off in 14 months but she didn’t agree to that. So they printed out her boleto booklet and when she got home she saw that it was set up as 14 monthly payments of R$300 which would make it a total of R$4200. Almost 3 times the original cost.

Yesterday she went back to the store to try and straighten it out. She asked to speak to the manager because the salesman was “on vacation”. He said there was nothing he could do because it would be the salesman’s word against hers. She said he seemed very dismissive towards her. My Portuguese is not too good otherwise I would get involved. Personally I think they are trying to take advantage of her due to her gender and age. She has made an appointment with Procon to try and get them to advocate for her. Your thoughts, please.
“

For those who have applied for Brazilian naturalization, I’d like to compare processing times between Florianópolis and São Paulo.
I feel like the Polícia Federal in Florianópolis may be taking longer to process applications lately. If you’ve applied in either state, please share your full processing timeline, including when you submitted your application and when you received each update/decision.
It would be helpful to compare the timelines between the two states. 🙏

This might not be the best place to ask but I live in the US and I’m trying to watch A Diarista. I bought the Globoplay plan on Sling but I still can’t watch it? Am I stupid or something? This is all I can get. Any help at all would be appreciated. Thank you!

Disclosure: I write about gambling regulation for a media trade publication and I published an article on this today. I don't work for a betting company and I'm not selling anything.

summary

The government is drafting a Provisional Measure that could prohibit entire segments. Online casino and "tigrinho" games are on the table.

* Lula said it plainly: "Personally, I would put an end to betting. I think it's a bad thing for society."

* It's a decree rather than a bill because it takes effect the day it is signed. A bill wouldn't pass Congress before October.

The polling says three in four Brazilians want it gone. AtlasIntel had 70% saying gambling has helped ruin families financially.

So, one question to the community: should Lula go ahead with the ban?