How much spending money does a freshman need?

SmithieandProud
Sun, 17 Jun 2007 01:29:25 +0000

I wouldn’t say she’s neccessarily unlikely to get a credit card without US credit history. Most of the banks in the area offer credit cards to students with zero credit history, but they have high interest rates so you have to make sure you can pay them off every month.

Debit cards can be used online, they function exactly like credit cards only you can only spend the money you actually have in your account. In that way, they are safer than credit cards (you won’t be able to run up balances higher than you will be able to pay).

You can also get a credit card in your home country and use it in the US, so long as it’s a major brand like Visa, MasterCard, or American Express (AE is not accepted in many of the small stores in town though).

The same goes for a debit card. You can open a checking account in the US, but you can also keep your account (if you have one) in your home country and use it instead.