Going to America for a year (academic) WIMB

[ITSUPFORGRABSNOW]

OK all you people who spend lots of time stateside. Looking foe some advice as my Daughter is studying at Irvine soon for 9 months. Any help on mobile phone providers, whether laptops function Ok and the easiest way to deal with money transfers/issues would be most welcome.

Cheers

[Mack]

[ITSUPFORGRABSNOW]

Isn't the voltage different? More than happy if it makes no difference.

[Rich]

[nola]

For mobile phone, get either AT&T or Verizon. She will likely want an iPhone, or at a minimum an Android smartphone. The main thing is that you need a good voice/data plan that has enough minutes and data that you don't get killed on overage charges and that also has good international coverage so she can call home.

The main issue with laptop is charging - different voltage in the US. Will need an adapter. Otherwise it should be fine (though again, in California, all her friends will have a MacBook Air....).

Best option for money transfers is to sign her up for a bank that has UK partnerships. Bank of America and Barclays have an agreement, so I know if you have a BoA account you can withdraw money from a Barclays ATM in the UK. Don't know if it's the same the other way around. Don't know enough about California banks to know what other options there would be. Western Union and the like get very expensive, as do international wire transfers into a bank account. Start with your local/big multinational bank and see what international partnerships they have.

Have fun!

[ITSUPFORGRABSNOW]

Thanks for that. Will look them up. Cheers.

[Brentwood]

It really helps if you can use Facetime for video calls over wifi and it's free. As it is a native app, it integrates really well into the device rather than something like Skype

[Harry Balls]

[Harry Balls]

It's part-owned by Barclays, mega cheap and internet-based http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/thumbup.gif

https://www.xoom.com/

[ITSUPFORGRABSNOW]

Got flight booked to LA. Needs a Hotel for Friday Saturday before moving into Campus Sunday too.

[Harry Balls]

adaptor. If carrying around the adaptor pisses her off, she can buy a cable that will fit one end of the powerpack to outlet fro, Best Buy for about $5.

[Harry Balls]

When people are talking about phone plans, they didn't give you the whole story. In USA everything works on credit. If you dont have credit, you have to place a deposit with phone carriers or go pay-as-you-go. They hold the deposit 12 months, and pay you with (tiny) interest. Same with visa card, if she wants one the bank will want a deposit for 12 months, and that deposit will be the spending limit. Even if it's $500, it's worth doing, as it will provide her flexibility in years 2+.

After 12 months, the finance offers will flood through the door so you'll need to be careful there.

When I came here 12 yrs ago, the only thing I had was American Express allowed me to xfer my card here, otherwise I couldn't lease a car, hook up cable TV, anything, without a deposit or wait 12 months.

[Harry Balls]

[Snin]

good luck with that project imo

[Snin]