opt flip book 2019 - Flipbook - Page 10
9
BANKING AND OTHER NECESSITIES
CREDIT CARD OR
DEBIT CARD?
You will most likely be living off cash during the beginning
couple weeks before finding a bank and creating an account, but
let me begin by saying that carrying bundles of money around
is not a good idea at all. For the first couple months of my time
here, I lived off cash, a Forex card and my international debit
card (ended up losing money in conversion fees).
Opening a bank account is not that hard of a task – bankers are
usually very helpful and specific in what they need from you.
You can easily open a checking account and get yourself a debit
card. Most universities have a tie-up with certain banks – look into
that and you could get yourself an account in one of those banks.
Getting a credit card is a little trickier. To hold a credit card,
you must have a working SSN (Social Security Number) given
by the Department of Homeland Security. If you find an on-campus
job, you can apply for an SSN and get one within a couple
weeks. Having a credit card is important here because only
then will you be given a ‘credit score’ and ‘credit report’, which
you will need as you continue here, especially if you’re thinking
about living off-campus and renting a regular place. There are
various other options for that but we don’t have to get into
all of that now. Most people you tell this to will vehemently
disagree, but it is possible to get a credit card without an SSN.
Check out the ‘Deserve Edu Mastercard’ on this link:
https://wallethub.com/best-credit-card-without-ssn/