Originally Posted by Rete

I doubt that someone else could open a bank account under your name. You will need to sign paperwork and your signature is needed to verify that you are you. But don't worry about that at the present. Yes, you can make purchases via your credit card, even if it is a credit card from the UK. I can use my MasterCard and/or VISA in Europe, so same difference. There are always money orders that you can use and you can get them at the US Post Office and other places.

If you are using the firm's relocation company, please avail yourself of their experience. Hopefully, they will getting a list of AirB&B's for you and/or an extended stay hotel which I would like better as they come with kitchens (small but functional) so you can make brekkie or coffee or have a place to heat up take out (note the difference in language: Take away = UK; take out = US).

If possible, ask if you can have the names of others who have transferred and email them for suggestions and how-to's since they have been there and done that.

Just think you will be in time for your first US holiday - Thanksgiving. Now to wangle an invitation to someone's home for the fest.

Originally Posted by Ecto17

We moved over in the summer and had originally planned to transfer some money into dollars however we used our U.K. Post Office credit card for 2 months instead and this provided us with all the cash flow we needed.
The card is excellent (although the customer service is hit and miss) as it has no charges and gives you the exact exchange rate and therefore cheaper then any other way of spending. There are some draw backs, you obviously have to pay it off in full each month and the exchange rate is constantly changing and therefore this can be a risk but the rate is relatively stable and it can vary both ways.
Thought l would mention it as it was really effective for us.
As for checks, l have to take a check into our landlords bank every month! It is like being in the 70s.
With regards to banks we are with Bank of America and so far things are fine and there are lots of branches which is important for getting cash out FOC. If you go for a regional bank you may have to pay for getting cash out on your travels.
Good luck with your move.

Originally Posted by Jaag

Agree with pretty much everything here.

As for TV's, NTSC and PAL are not completely gone away, depending on how out of date you are

Definitely get your TV here, they're big and cheap. (budget-friendly TCL were recently recommended on wirecutter for the best 55" 4K HDR for just $550).

I brought over my UK PS3, which I use for gaming (regionless), BluRay (also regionless), but it only plays UK DVD's - in PAL format. Not all TV's will accept this, In my limited research and experience, Samsung will not work, Sony will, others are random, but plenty of info on google.

I find it's useful to have a UK DVD player here, replacing your DVD collection can be expensive and/or impossible.

(although it has to be said, playing a 1970's episode of Fawlty Towers on DVD at 576p on a 65" Sony 4K HDR blah blah blah TV is not the best use!)

Originally Posted by jackcharles

So after a cheeky little sojourn in 221(g) and the delightful process of documenting my entire travel history, my L-1 visa finally got approved and I'll be moving to Boston in ~3-4 weeks. It's finally real.

Firstly, I've read a lot of the guides on here (thanks all!) and elsewhere online to glean as much information as I can ahead of the move, but still have some outstanding questions - if anyone with a bit more knowledge than me (not hard) would be so kind as to help I would be greatly appreciative. I have a relocation agency appointed by my employer, but they're very focussed on shipping my stuff and a lot of their stock information is very broad/basic and of dubious relevance in 2017 e.g. talking about many "tape cassettes" I plan to move, or how I must remember to return any video rentals etc. I'm on my own, which hopefully makes things simpler, but of course also means I don't have a sensible other half to help out / blame if things go wrong. If anyone can verify the below I'd be very grateful.

Rental market - I'm used to London whereby you can move in somewhere (if paying appropriate deposits and a month's rent in advance) in days. Typically flats are advertised within 4 weeks of availability and so you can get decent places on ~1 week's notice and the market remains alive over Christmas / "the holiday season". Is that applicable in the US generally? It's a strange time of year to move and I'll start with either one of the relocation agency's options or if too expensive, as they seem to be, an AirBNB.

Banking - I can keep my main UK bank with an American address. I understand that I need to research banking in my area because it changes a lot from state to state, and preference should be Bank of America or Bank One (a major bank) but particularly one with ATMs nearby for withdrawing cash to avoid fees here - still accurate? I also understand it's probably best to carry a significant amount of cash with me when travelling over to help cashflow (but legal / less than the declarable limit)? And maybe transfer a significant sum into the new US bank using a broker with good rates to get off the ground? RE: credit score, is it still the case that I should look to build credit with store cards, a secured card from my bank (being careful not to spend much on it and to repay promptly and in full) and potentially an Amazon credit card (which may be easier to attain)?

Checks - I see so many references to "checks", "checking accounts" etc. - do people really use checks (cheques)? And you have to buy these from the bank?? Or have I misunderstood this?

Electronics - A lot of advice I've seen is to sell/bin/freecycle electronics and buy again. Buuuut this looks expensive, and a lot of the concerns I've read (e.g. NTSC vs. PAL) are no longer valid in the digital age so if TV, stereo etc. accepts a lower, US voltage (110-120v) as written on the power supply and uses a standard universal tech (HDMI, Bluetooth, classic 3.5mm cable etc.) it should operate, correct? The relocation agency has a budget to cover moving and insuring this stuff and if I can avoid splashing out to rebuy then I definitely want to. Which brings me on to, finally...

General cost of living - I know this varies from state to state, but are there any general rules for avoiding unforeseen expense? Boston in general looks more expensive than London for day to day living (rent and food/grocery prices are very high!), I don't want to get caught short with bills or fines or other costs that my British way of life hasn't accounted for.

Finally, anything I might have missed or any costs I should also budget for / expect? Again, absolutely any advice is appreciated and if it means you assume I'm an idiot, I won't be offended (and it's probably fair). Thanks in advance!

Originally Posted by petitefrancaise

Actually, I attended a webinar on international banking this afternoon - different options for those coming to the USA.
I would definitely recommend contacting the HSBC Expat banking team via the website. They've come a long way and offer a great service which would include a non-secured credit card and getting all the US banking set up prior to leaving the UK. They have different levels of accounts for different income levels.

Even if you don't have anHSBC near where you are moving to, their mobile app overcomes a lot of the issues.

Originally Posted by jammiie

I moved to Boston in June on an L1 with my wife. We stayed for 6 months and now are living in Florida having moved down here last week.

The first thing you need to do is get yourself down to the Social Security office and get a SSN as you'll need this to do lots of things. In my case, this included getting entered onto the US payroll so it is a good idea to take some dollars out with you to keep you going until it comes through (usually 10 days later).

Then, armed with SSN, a copy of my lease and a copy of my offer letter in hand I went to an appointment at Bank of America on Cambridge Street to open a checking/savings account and also get myself a credit card to help build up a credit history. I had read on here that my chances of getting an unsecured card were slim-to-none but I explained the situation to the "Relationship Manager" and he gave both me and my wife unsecured credit cards with $2,000 limits quite easily. Since then we've used these for everything and having been careful never to go over 33% utilisation, have built up decent credit scores very quickly.

In terms of cost of living, Boston shocked me (although I must caveat this by saying that we did live in the city rather than the "burbs"). Because we were only going to be there for 6 months, we decided not to ship any furniture out and we rented a furnished one-bed in Beacon Hill that I found on HomeAway. The rent was astronomical at $4,400 p/m although I was lucky enough to have my company pay 3/4 of this for 6 months as part of my relocation package. It was a private landlord who was incredibly helpful and understanding which helped, as I didn't need any credit history to rent.

On top of this, day to day living is very high and it took us a long time to figure out the best way of approaching this. I'm a person that doesn't mind paying for things if necessary but I hate to feel ripped off, and $3.00 per avocado in the supermarket is ridiculous. In the end, instead of going each night to buy food and spending $40/50 each time, we got a membership at Costco and bought food that way monthly which did work well and saved us a fortune.

Have you explored areas to live yet? If you haven't already, its a good idea to get out there on a "recon trip" to have a look around and maybe find somewhere to live before you actually move. I did this twice in January and April before finally moving in June. Both trips the company paid for.

Let me know if you want any further advice on Boston.

Originally Posted by jackcharles

.... I've always bought stuff in CVS pharmacy type places when I've visited and noted how expensive that was, had hoped a proper supermarket would be cheaper but clearly that's not the case. ....

Originally Posted by Rete

On the SS number front, it is not advisable to go to the local SS Office asa you get here. Your status will not be in the SAVE system and your social security number/card can be held up by 2 or more months if they have to manually verify your status.

The general rule of thumb is to wait 7 to 10 working days before heading to the social security office.

You can be placed on the payroll and healthcare plan by HR's use of a dummy social security number, i.e. 123-45-6789 and when you get the card it can be updated.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

You have to be loaded, mad, or desperate to shop at CVS (or any pharmacy), for anything other than prescription pharmaceuticals. They sell some basic foods, snacks and drink, but the prices are off the chart! I was traveling last week and just for convenience bought milk from such a convenience store - and paid more for half a gallon that I usually pay for a whole gallon! So yes, things are much cheaper at a regular grocery.

For branded packet, canned, jar, and frozen foods, and things likeaundry detergent, cleaning supplies, tissues, TP, foil, etc., you are unlikely to do better anywhere than buying at Walmart (a "Supercenter" has a full grocery, others usually have a limited range of boxes, cans, and jars, plus some refrigerated foods). I have noticed that most of the prices people here on BE brag about at Costco, are the same prices that we pay at Walmart, and without the long drive to get to Costco, or the membership fee! Fruit and vegetables at Walmart are a good price too, but the quality can be hit or miss; the meat isn't always the best either, so we usually go to a local grocery for fresh foods.

Originally Posted by jackcharles

..... I'm talking about when visiting on business for 4-5 days, in a downtown Boston hotel working in a downtown Boston office, i.e. no access to anything else. So yes, maybe "desperate" ticks the box. .....

Originally Posted by Rete

On the SS number front, it is not advisable to go to the local SS Office asa you get here. Your status will not be in the SAVE system and your social security number/card can be held up by 2 or more months if they have to manually verify your status.

The general rule of thumb is to wait 7 to 10 working days before heading to the social security office.

You can be placed on the payroll and healthcare plan by HR's use of a dummy social security number, i.e. 123-45-6789 and when you get the card it can be updated.

Originally Posted by jammiie

..... Also despite my begging and pleading, I was told by my company that I could not be given any money at all until I had a SSN.