Posts by darkmaker94

Yeah, that long three-digit number on the back (the CVV).

Chase offers regular students a 2+ year American Express card with a monthly limit of $667. You can also set up installment plans depending on where you shop. Plus, you get a checking account with a $333 overdraft limit and an extra $333 limit for installment purchases using your Maestro debit card (just remember those limits aren't additive).

Otherwise, Diners has a student card that might give you a higher limit, but you’ll need a parent to co-sign and provide their pay stubs to back up the credit line. 🙂

nimblecyclist14 said:An American Visa Electron?

Visa cards work in both the USA and Canada, but I think for some reason our European ones aren't accepted there—at least my Visa Electron from Chase didn't work in Canada, not at ATMs or in stores. My advice? Stick to Maestro or credit cards—Mastercard or Amex should be fine over there.

My Chase Visa debit card wouldn't work in the USA!

In the States, you can obviously shop using their local cards, like a Visa Electron. Basically, the debit card you get when you open an account at one of their banks—you can use that to buy things in Europe or Asia (tried it), whereas you can't use our local Visa in the States, even though it works fine in Europe and Asia...

Don't bring a Visa Electron to the USA. I tried it once—I managed to get cash out of maybe every 20th ATM, but I couldn't pay with it in almost any store. Plus, the fees ate up about $50 of my money. There's a huge difference between "Visa" and "Visa Electron"... standard Visa is accepted everywhere, but Visa Electron is barely accepted anywhere.

Anyway, this is getting a bit off-topic now.

I was just wondering if the same applies to the Mastercard Visa Prepaid Gift Card.

Yeah, an American one. If it works online—which it does—it'll work in the USA too.

I was just wondering if the same goes for a Mastercard Prepaid Reload card.

It does. Just not sure if there's a chip on it. I know the Visa stands to have one.

So?
I’m telling you, it works at ATMs and in stores—anywhere they take Visa.
Btw, people on this other link are saying you can use it in the USA too.

Visa Electron works worldwide (as long as you actually have funds on the account) anywhere they take Visa.
Same logic should apply to this one.

If you've got an Intel connection working on your internet, then no worries. You can shop online just like anyone else.

Look, do you even know where your checking account stands? Just head into any Federal Reserve branch and ask them for your total outstanding balance. Then, see if they'll let you clear it over a few monthly installments; they're usually pretty flexible about that. 🙂

bluecrane18 said:Hey everyone, I was wondering if someone might be able to walk me through a few things.
Basically, my parents set up an account for me at Bank of America a few years back so I could receive some money that was coming my way.
Now that I’ve officially hit adulthood a couple of days ago, I got a letter saying I need to head down to the Bank of America branch to pick up my own card, since my parents don't have authorization over it anymore.
So, I'll be getting a Visa.
What exactly can I do with it?
I figured out that I can load money onto it—though I assume I can't go into a negative balance, right? 😁 - honestly, I'd prefer to keep it that way 🙂 )
I know I can pull cash from ATMs and use it to pay for things (assuming there's enough in there)... but what else is on the table? Can I use it for stuff like PayPal, online betting sites, or eBay? 🙂
Also, what's the deal with the PIN? It didn't come with the card.
There are four digits on the back, and then a few more digits a bit further down—what am I looking at there?
And how do I actually deposit funds onto it?
I'm feeling a little out of the loop here since this is my very first card. 😁

Thanks in advance!

Exactly.

I can pull cash from ATMs, I can pay for stuff (if I actually have funds on there)...

Spot on.

What else can I do? Online stuff—PayPal, betting sites, eBay?

You can.

What about the PIN? I didn't get a PIN with it.

That should've come in the mail at your house. If it didn't, just head down to Bank of America and tell the teller you never got it. They'll cancel the old one and mail a new one to your place in a few days. Pretty sure that's $6.75.

There are 4 numbers on the back, and then 3 more digits further down. What's what?

Those last 3 digits are the CVV; you need those for online shopping.

How do I deposit money onto it?

Just hit up the bank and tell the teller you want to make a deposit. Hand over the card and your ID, and you're all set.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Take a look through this PDF, and you might find some useful stuff over on Career & Jobs.

hollowmaker20 said:I mean, let’s just be real about this for a second—when it comes to minors, isn't the responsibility supposed to fall exclusively on someone else? Like, who actually holds the bag here? Because if we're talking about legal accountability and making sure kids are protected, shouldn't the burden land squarely on the shoulders of the adults or the institutions in charge, rather than putting that weight on a kid who's still figuring out how the world even works? It feels like such an obvious point, right? I don't know, maybe I'm just overthinking it, but it seems like the whole system should be designed around that one fundamental truth! Parents, man, where do you even begin with that whole topic? It’s such a massive, heavy thing to wrap your head around, isn't it? I was just sitting here thinking about how much they shape us, like, every single little piece of who we become is kind of anchored to them, whether we realize it or not! And don't even get me started on the complexity of it all—how you can love someone to death but also want to drive yourself absolutely crazy because they just *don't get it*, you know what I mean? It's like this constant tug-of-war between wanting that guidance and desperately needing to carve out your own space in the world. Is it just me, or does everyone go through those phases where you're looking at them and thinking, "How did you raise me to be this way?" and then five minutes later you're feeling incredibly grateful just for having them there? It's wild, really, the sheer emotional weight of the whole family dynamic. Just makes you wonder how anyone manages to grow up without losing their mind a little bit! I mean, seriously, where are all the nurses at? Like, actually, where are they? It feels like you can't find anyone to help out anymore!

Yeah.

Look, I’m telling you right now—your card, your PIN, period. You don't just go handing that code out to anyone who asks, because at the end of the day, if someone goes rogue with your account, that's on you! It sounds harsh, I know, but isn't it just common sense? You wouldn't leave your house unlocked with a sign saying "help yourself," so why would you do the same thing with your bank info? Seriously, you have to be the one holding the line here!

So, I was thinking about how bank accounts actually work, you know? Like, most of the time, if you just grab a basic zero-balance account, it’s usually totally free—just sitting there, no fees biting at your wallet. But then you look at those standard checking accounts, and they might hit you with a little monthly fee here and there, though honestly, it usually only kicks in if you're actually using the account and moving money around quite a bit. It's funny how that works, right? You'd think they'd charge you more for being active, but it's almost the opposite!

That’s not actually how it works. My mom used to set up checking accounts for my sister, but the debit card always came in my mom's name, not hers. My sister didn't even get her own card until she turned 18.

There are student loans to cover tuition, but from what I know, they won't cover nearly as much as what you actually need, and they drip out in installments over the course of your degree.
Then there are student personal loans, but those usually cap out around $10,000.

If you want to go the mortgage route—which you’ll likely have to do for an amount that big—you can put it against a property, provided you have a clear title, but you still have to prove you have a steady income. Or, you could look into getting a co-signer with a solid paycheck.
Bottom line: a standard student loan isn't going to cut it for this.

The interest rate is sitting at 14% annually. On top of that, they hit you with fees every time they send a late notice; I'm not totally sure on the exact amount, but I think they mentioned it was around $10.

Works for me.

Nothing from JPMorgan Chase works online except for their credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, and Visa).

You open a checking account at JPMorgan Chase. It comes with a Visa Electron card for all your online shopping, there are zero monthly maintenance fees, and you can't go into overdraft...

Yeah, once three years have passed, you're off the blacklist.

I’ve got my doubts. I’ve been through one of those myself and it didn't change a thing—having your name on a blacklist is a massive weight to carry, especially right now.

Really? My experience has been the exact opposite—honestly, I’m just lucky they don't kick me out of the bank the moment I walk in to ask about a loan, considering I'm already on their blacklist.

Diners Club only works on the US version of Amazon. You can't use it on the UK site, for instance. Even PayPal won't take it. So, it's pretty much useless for actual online shopping.
The Student American Express is only valid within the States, making it just as pointless for anything else.

Why does it have to be a credit card anyway? You could just open a checking account at Bank of America and get a Visa Electron. That’ll work on any website, including Amazon.

I've got mine added and it's working fine. 🤷

Do you actually have funds in your account?