Banks, Phones & Close Calls

Day Number 1
Times almost run over: 2

So, the hardest thing to comprehend is that cars are on the wrong side of the road. This is not a matter of forgetfulness. Every time I go to cross a road, I think to myself, they drive on the right hand side here. But that doesn't mean that I can then figure out that when they make a right hand turn, they are allowed to run a red light. Or when they turn left, they have big swinging turns.

Oh, and the cars are usually big. And the cars that aren't big, usually have big dents from where they have run into something bigger.

Anyway, first job on the agenda was to open a bank account. Once again, information found on the net was scarce, and not very helpful. So I just put together documents I thought may be needed like my passport / visa / I-94 entry form, birth certificate and job offer letter.

Turns out my passport with attached visa and I-94 was enough. I went to Bank of America for two reasons. One, they have a program thats linked to my employer which makes banking cheaper / easier. And two, there was a branch across the road from where I am staying. To be honest, it was only really the latter reason as to why I chose BoA.

Opening the account was fairly easy. Australian;s are probably used to going into the inquiries line at a bank and talking to someone over the counter to open an account. I can't talk for all the banks here, but BoA, I walked in, was met by someone who asked what I would like to do. Opening a new account meant writing my name on a list and sitting down to wait for a "banker". 5 minutes later, I'm ushered into his office, which was simply an oversized cubicle in the front section of the bank. He processed all the information, got my accounts, helped me set up online banking and organised my initial deposit. He also let me use his computer to arrange for the international transfer from my bank back home. So very helpful all round.

I did find a few things strange about American banking customs. Every card is a debit card or credit card. No simple atm card. They all have debit facilities. And every card has a theme. It could be a football team, baseball, hockey, basketball etc, or a wildlife preservation association, or any other of 200 different themes. But no NRL teams. very disappointed. I went for a simple beach decal in the end.

The second strange thing is personal cheques! I didn't realise people still use them. But it seems they come standard with every transaction account (or "checking" account). So I now have my own personal cheques. Not sure what to do with them, seeing as everything can be paid by EFT, which for me is cleaner, quicker, and easier.

Next up, is the "Keep the Change" program. Once again, not sure if this is every bank, or just BoA, but whenever I make a debit purchase at a shop, BoA will round up the cost to nearest dollar and deposit the rounding amount into my savings account. Pretty much the electronic version of taking the coins in your pocket at the end of the day and dropping them in a tin when you get home. Not sure whether I like the plan yet or not.

Anyway, the new account setup took about 30 minutes and then its done. I have a shiny new package, two new bank accounts, a debit card and some new online tools to learn and have fun with.

Next up was organising a mobile phone (or cell phone in US speak). I only wanted a cheap prepaid option as I am expecting that my company will provide me with a proper phone that I can use, but that probably wont be available for another 4 weeks. And with the world what it is, going without a cell phone is pretty much impossible. So prepaid it is.

I checked a couple websites to see pricing and store locations for Verizon, AT&T (checked others, but too many clicks to find information, so i gave up). I ended up going with AT&T with a $2 per day plan, only charged on days that the phone is used. Pretty much same as the $60/mth plan. Am sure there are other benefits to a monthly plan, but for a cheap non-smartphone, $2 a day was perfect. Especially when it includes unlimited text and talk, and that includes texts to Australia! Definite bonus!

Anyway, getting the phone was easy, no id needed for a pre-paid plan. Just money. Phone itself cost $10, and paid $60 credit, planning for it to last 30 days. Note, no data on my plan due to it being a simple phone.

So with the bank and phone sorted, time for some grocery shopping.

Not much different to Australia. Except walking through any grocery shop and finding alcohol for sale. Well, no liquor, just beer and wine. In Virginia, liquor is only available through specific liquor shops. Beer and wine however, just part of the regular grocery shopping. The nearest grocer is a Harris Teeter, which has a sushi bar, sandwich bar, pharmacy. Although i think my favourite product so far that I have found that isn't available in Sydney is the 6 packs of gatorade, low carb throwdowns (355ml).

Now with all this walking to various shops, combined with jet lag, I was pretty much done for the day. A quick dinner, with a couple glasses of wine (courtesy of grocery shopping) and it was time for bed. Big task for day number 2 was applying for a social security number. Google search shows nearest Social Security Administration (SSA) office was about 4 mile (6.5km) so a decent walk there and back.

Will let you know tomorrow how it goes and what the process was.