I have done the 529 both ways. Personally I prefer to get the money in my account and then pay the college, as I have my eyes on the transactions if you know what I mean. As far as I know you do not need to document to the IRS if it is released to you; of course they are allowed to ask, and then you would need to show that it was used for tuition. But I have not been asked (and my eldest is 1 year out of college).
Thanks wchatar2 and donnaleighg.
Transfers directly from the 529 to Yale have always worked well for me. With the plan we have, the transfer can be done with a couple of clicks on th website, once you have Yale’s address entered on the system. Only hitch is that it takes about a week for the transfer to be competed. I think they actually mail a paper check.
Do most students buy their books in the Yale bookstore or online? My aunt wants to pay for my son’s books but I don’t think they will allow him to use her cc. Senior citizen set doesn’t quite understand why she can’t just give him her card. She even wanted to write a note saying it was ok. Sweet but I think unless we do a gift card (is there such a thing as a Yale bookstore gc?) we may be out of luck.
The Yale Bookstore is a Barnes and Noble store so Barnes and Noble gift cards would work. He could use her CC online. Our Amazon account has a few different credit cards on it, and we just pick which one for each purchase.
My D has bought books from a lot of different sources depending on the course and how fast she wants it. I don’t know what most students do.
Thanks Berkeley17parent.
Tonymom, I wonder if your aunt could get him a prepaid “credit” card? These can be used anywhere and are available in grocery stores, though there is a purchase fee. Also Yale bookstore is run by Barnes & Noble so I believe B&N gift cards work there, and these might not have a fee.
@musicmerit @canoe2015
I like the B&N gift card idea. Easy and something the senior citizen can digest. Now to get son not to misplace it 
I believe I once read on this forum or somewhere B&N gift cards are not able to used for textbooks.
News to me.
I’ve certainly bought textbooks with a gift card.
Update on 529: we paid the full amount of the Yale bill on 7/5 from the 529, not realizing that the bill included a charge for the Yale insurance until after the payment was initiated (my daughter has since declined the Yale insurance). The 529 process was a bit cumbersome; we chose to pay directly to Yale, and the only option from Vanguard was to send an actual check to Yale. It took until 7/19 to show that a payment had been made. The full amount was credited (including the amount for the Yale insurance); the Yale insurance amount was backed out after my daughter declined it. We now have a credit on account for the excess amount that was paid from 529, which I assume will be applied to the December bill.
@Faulkner1897 , I’m glad that they could back out the insurance and give you a credit. I also use Vanguard’s 529, but had no idea that they send a physical check.
I called today since they sent me a form email advising that I had until August 1 to pay my bill, which annually includes the Yale medical. I told them that DS wouldn’t be able to waive medical until some time after August 1, but before September 15 (the waiver deadline), and they told me it was fine.
Our 529 also sends a physical check: easy enough as others have pointed out once you’ve put the info. in once, but do make the transfer well ahead of time to avoid paying a late fee–in our experience, it takes about a week. .
And my kid rarely uses the bookstore–mostly buys used or rents from Amazon–but has definitely made good use of gift cards for the occasional textbook that had to be bought at Yale and for school supplies. I have learned to buy all my kid’s gift cards online and email them to them so that losing the card isn’t an issue. 
Move in date for upperclassmen is 8/24. Are the dining halls open starting 8/24 and if so, are those meals included in the meal plan?
No, the dining halls open on the 30th. Freshman eat at lots of special events before that, but upperclassmen are on their own. Lots of ECs have food at events, but you might want to send along some stuff to eat in the suite or money for food off campus.
http://hospitality.yale.edu/dining-halls-operating-schedule-2016-2017
Tuesday, August. 30
Residential dining halls open for the fall semester w/ lunch (11:30 am - 1:30 pm). all YC residential dining halls - 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.). Freshmen dinner in the colleges. Upperclassmen BBQ at old campus.
yeah the chintziness (sp?) of food for upperclassmen always bugged me.
@Kelowna - I haven’t read all the posts so I don’t know if your question was answered but I believe that a microwave and refrigerator are definitely a must while at Yale. Even though we were only driving 5 hours, we still waited till we got to New Haven and went to Walmart and bought a microwave and fridge. It is highly used though I am not going to say exactly what they keep chilled in it. At the end of the year, we used Dorm Room Movers who pick up all boxes, fridges, TV’s and anything else you want stored. They pick it up, store it and deliver it to the room in August all for a price that is based on what you send. See the price list online. She puts the microwave in a box, and just unplugs the fridge and cleans it. This has worked for the last two years.
Anyway, I am sure that most parents coming from far away will tell you that you can wait till you get there to shop. The kids will love to go. Since we had a car, we piled a few roommates in and they all went and bought rugs, trash cans, pictures, hangers, etc.
Hope this helps.
All of the parents who are planners will quickly find that though we have been able to basically schedule our kid’s time during high school (or at least monitor it closely), that will not be the case once they get to school. My D takes Amtrak back and forth to school, a five hour trip. She is one who always wants to come home as soon as break starts. But, even then, it takes some time to figure out the logistics. If you do Amtrak, sign up for Student Advantage, it gives discounts as long as you book at least 3 days out. Since I’ve only seen my rising Junior for 10 days all summer (she’s studying in Seoul), I have quickly learned that I cannot control what she does now that she is an adult.
@tonymom and others - the ACS payments are not reflected on your bill. At the beginning of the year you should see the entire amount credited to your account. For example, if you are paying 40,000 then you should see a 20,000 credit. The Yale account only updates once a month so any payments made during the month will not show until the next bill. I remember the bill being the most confusing thing freshman year. But, luckily Yale does not have the policy that you cannot register while a bill is being worked out like some schools do. So your kid should be fine while you work out the details.
@Tperry1982
YOU ARE THE BOMB! Thanks for the sage advice. Yes the billing portion of everything has been confusing (friends who also have college bound kids say billing is confusing at their colleges as well…misery loves company ) but I think I’ve got the hang of it now.
Forgot about the service that will collect up appliances and store. That may be better than renting.
And thank you for reminding us newbies that we can’t control everything about this process…it’s actually a very liberating concept once embraced…I’m trying
GENERAL QUESTION:
As to the food fest during move in/orientation…I see individual colleges have student/parent mixers that Friday but do we get our students for dinner Saturday? Difficult to tell which meals are covered in the festivities and which ones we cover…
@tonymom - this is something you are going to have to play by ear. There is so much going on and your child will in some ways drive what they go to by themselves and with you. Some things like the security talk by the Yale Police is for parents and students, but there is also a lot that the students have to go to alone and it is split up by groups of residential colleges so all don’t go at once. My kid is very sentimental so she wanted to have a last dinner with us. But we also took a couple of her new suitemates with us since their parents weren’t there (or had already left). That is something we did not plan ahead of time but that just organically happened.
Moving in is such a hectic time and even as an alum, I was overwhelmed. One good point is that as a mom, you stay so busy that there is not much time to break down about your baby being left behind - at least until you get on the road home.