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Originally Posted by bd307
Hey welcome. Do you mind sharing why you picked Lancaster? There are just so many better places in CA than Lancaster unless you are in some sort of military or contractor operations (Lockheed/Boeing/etc) associated with planes and jets.
Have you been to other parts of the US during these 3 months?
Consider building credit and using them are sort of a culture in the US. It is actually quite a tool once you get a hang of utilizing them like others have said.
What are you driving around in?
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I didn't really pick Lancaster. The "main office" (not really the main office) just happens to be located in Lancaster, PA. The alternative would have been Des Moines, IL, but they pretty much dismantled the department I'd be working for there. Not sure if it would have been better
Oh, no, unfortunately not. I did spend about a week and a half near St. Louis, MO, but that was a business trip and I had no time to do any sightseeing (other than watching the new Star Wars movie at a cinema in St. Charles).
I'm driving my boss's Hyundai Sonata. Not exactly a fun car to drive haha.
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Originally Posted by bbbbmw
Americans are pretty allergic to having national databases, and really anything that puts us in any sort of a box. A BKR database for credit/banking stuff wouldn't fly. One could argue we already have it, but there are actually 3+ private companies that "manage" the credit system. America also has pretty generous bankruptcy provisions, which makes all companies more conservative in extending credit.
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I don't see how everything being tied to your social security number is any different. In fact, I would argue that that's worse. Back home, my cable company isn't even allowed to process my social security number, nor do they have any insight into my financials (and rightly so, it's none of their damn business). It's illegal by law because it increases the chance of identity theft. Yet here, everything is tied to your social.
In my experience so far, I've noticed that US companies don't seem to care about consumer privacy either. Oh, we're the only ones servicing your specific area? Here are our draconian terms on what we can and will do with your personal data.
Sorry for being so overly negative, but I really dislike the way consumers are treated here in some instances.
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Originally Posted by StraightAero
I gotta ask.. What the hell was the OP thinking to choose Lancaster, PA, of all places!??
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To be honest, I don't live in Lancaster itself. I live outside the city in a really quiet neighbourhood. I don't know what it's like in Lancaster itself (I never really go there anyways).
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Originally Posted by stooker
Yes, I know that, and from my understanding debit cards as well, albeit a lower fee. However, I would guess the money from transaction fees is probably more to cover the cost of card machines, network, etc., and not so much a rewards program.
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Ugh, sorry for being so negative yet again, but this is another thing that royally pisses me off. US banks are either still living in the 80s or they need money to sponsor their "rewards" programs. Online banking is stuck in the 90s and is very inflexible. Charging a fee for checking your account balance on an ATM? Seriously? Sorry, but that is just pathetic.
My bank does not charge me for debit transactions. If they decide to start doing so, I'll close my account and start using my Dutch account again. At least they don't charge me for literally everything even when I'm in the US.
Other than the extremist capitalist companies I do still like it here after nearly four months
It's a nice country, met good people, learned a lot. Even if I decide not to stay here, I will certainly come back to visit it in the future. In the meantime I'll do my best to not be an annoying filthy foreigner
If it helps any, I pay US taxes and am not taking anything out of the system :P