Oh no! I thought the debit and credit cards we had would be fine since they have a chip, but I guess they are chip and signature, not necessarily chip and pin. Though the debit card has a chip and requires an pin, so maybe that one’s good to go. Need to our Cap One research credit card further…
@collage1 – good advice re Xbody and wallet, but doesn’t that wallet leave cards exposed?
Good point re: making sure you are on account so you can help deal with any issues. The Schwab account we opened up was joint between me and my D. The USAA card was in her name (building credit rating) and I had extra card. I think the credit limit was $2k. She also had another credit card for emergency. An extra card on an account my husband and I have with a much higher credit limit. Make sure you call cards in advance and let them know where she will be traveling.
My daughter is scrambling to get all paperwork filled out before her semester ends next week. Today’s question “Are you going to be my power of attorney?” (She has no idea what a POA is) I asked if they gave her a POA form and she said no, so we’ll have to deal with that over Christmas. I’m on her accounts so can do banking if she needs help, but I guess I should get a POA just in case.
She’s been to financial aid a million times in the last 2 weeks and no one seems to give her the right documents. This daughter is not very organized and doesn’t ask the right questions, but it all seems very complicated for a program that is run through the school.
@twoinanddone – You can find downloadable power of attorney forms for free online – just do a quick google search, and you’ll find templates for your particular state. We had D complete medical and financial POAs before she left for college freshman year. (I did not see anything about this specifically in current study abroad packet.) Leave time to get anything notarized if your state requires it.
ETA: For college purposes, and especially for healthcare POAs, you may want to complete forms for both your home state and the college state, if different.
When DD was in Peru, she managed to leave her wallet in the taxi dropping her at the hostel, with wi-fi she could text me; I called the bank and let them assume i was her to handle that, what a pain! Yes to adding your Mom as an eligible party to communicate with the bank and yes to telling your bank where you will go. I also suggest multiple cards, my sister and I were in Europe and sometimes one of my cards would not work, sometimes one of hers, no apparent rhyme or reason, but having several meant we always had a way to pay.