E3only

Hi Guys,

I am due to arrive (with my wife) - East Bay SF end of this month so just saying big hello. Wife and I are from Sydney, Australia.

Slowly but surely, getting the hang of what is involved. Visa and job is in order - initial accommodation sorted, looking to rent in Walnut Creek / Bay Area. Health insurance via employer. Mobiles phones & connections organised.

Movers had look at our shipping stuff. 2 more quotes to come. I had a question here, the quotes I am getting are packing, transport, shipping and destination delivery / unpacking. The destination delivery has a fine print saying "assuming easy access". I was told that that means 15 cents per cubic foot charge for a flight of stairs or something like that. Anyone know what the deal is with that? I was also told, from time to time US customs 'may' ask for a container xray. (We are shipping shared container as we don't have too much stuff and it's cheap - I know it takes more time). In this case, the fee is charged to me based on the proportion of our holding in the container. Anyone any clue on this?

Its happening quick so there is this fear of unknown. So I would appreciate if you could guide me in terms of what I can do to be as ready as possible.

1. Not closing bank accounts (closing out loans and keeping credit card here)
2. Contact american express for a global transfer of credit card. I however need US address and SSN for this so I am guessing I will have to wait till I get there.
3. Is there a way I can open an US bank account from here in Sydney?
4. Taking my month on month pay slips / summary from June 2009 for my tax return in the States.
5. I need help with car insurance. I have been driving here on a full licence since 2002. I am sure American company's don't care about that driving experience so I wanted to know if there is anything I can get with me. Also, are there any websites I can get a quote to understand what car insurance I am likely to pay? I have been told it could be as high as 1500 / 6 months. That's ridiculously high!!!

Please feel free to advice me so I can get there all ready to start a new life.

First task I suppose will be to struggle through the SSN process.

CHeers

Englishtart

Hi there and welcome

I think the easy access thing with the movers, has more to do with access to the house rather than any stairs, I have never heard of charging extra for taking furniture upstairs What it usually means is, if the house is in a very tight street, or a place where the BIG truck cannot get close enough, they may have to transfer the 'stuff' to a smaller truck to get easier access, this is when the extra cost comes in and it is expensive!! Hopefully, you won't have to worry about that

Sounds like you are pretty well organised on everything else, I think there are some online banks that may allow you to open an account online? The auto insurance companies may accept a letter from your current insurer, stating your years with them and no claims? I have heard of some companies that will take that into account, couldn't hurt to try

Good luck

Poppy girl

Great to hear your trip here last month was prosperous, I take it employment was easier to gain here in Norcal rather then Southern, I know you were playing with the idea.

Bob

The delivery, that could be anything if delivery involves more than 2 flights of stairs, tight door frames needing to be removed, that kind of stuff, but you should get that in writing.

X-rays can be a few hundred or so if they are done...but there's a few threads on here going over what people have experienced.

Car insurance, that's a rough but accurate estimate for a new driver with no credit/driving history. Driving history and no claims, they won't take it into account but it'll be a sales pitch if they do.

Opening an account, if you have an account to a bank that has US branches, they can help you out, Barclays, HSBC etc.

wordfool

I'd certainly keep at least one acount open in Oz. You could try some of the oiline banks in the US to open a new account -- etrade comes to mind. Just remember that many banks in the US charge you to use another bank's ATMs. Some of the online banks will automatically refund that charge, however. Something to check nevertheless.

Car insurance might not be as hard as you think. My insurer did take my past driving experience into account, if not my past overseas insurance history, and I think I only paid about $1200 for a year when I got my first car (although that was a decade ago). You can also get discounts for your profession, qualifications, and all sorts of other random things, so be sure to ask. Another way to cut down on costs is accept a high deductable of $500 or $1000 for a year or two. Part of the reason insurance is relatively expensive is because you need to be covered up the wazoo in such a litigious country with expensive health insurance. The higher your limits, the higher the cost -- multi-million dollar liability limits are fairly common for car insurance policies.

Try getting some online quotes from companies like Geico or Mercury Insurance. The online quotes will probably be higher than you could get discussing with an agent, but at least they'll give you some idea of what to expect.

E3only

Thank you all.

Bob -

1. I quote and I am getting this in writing - something like "15cents/cubic foot/flight of stairs". Something like that is the charge. Easy access for them means delivery to ground floor and within xx feet from truck. Somehting like that. Again, getting it in writing.
2. I will check the X-ray posts. If you come across them again, could you please let me know the links?
3. I have HSBC and Citibank accounts. May call them today.

E3only

I tried Mercury - not sure how to answer this question. "Year of licence". I just put 2002 (my first driving licence). That in mind, the quote with 1000 excess is 600/6 months. That is good. Anyone think the year of licence should be 2010 given I will get a CA licence then?

I change the licence year to 2010 and my insurance comes out 1800 / 6 months....scary

bromleygirl

Year of license should be the year you obtained your license and therefore indicates when you passed your test.

Sating your year is 2010 would indicate that you have only just passed and therefore a higher risk and you don't want that!

E3only

Totally understand that. However CA will be my first driver licence (for USA).

I have an Australian licence since 2002.

Bob

But that is what he would be. Previous history won't count.

What might help, getting a broker rather than online to find a place who will treat a previous clear license as a clean license in the US, so paying rates of a 18 year old rather than a fresh driver of 15/16.

E3only

Was reading a link and it seems that Proressive Auto insurance do consider overseas driving experience.

They do ask if one is 'licenced in US' and if the answer is NO then they ask for overseas driving licence date.

chartreuse

If you read up on http://www.movingscam.com is appears to be quite common for US movers to suddenly "discover" all sorts of extra charges once they get to your house and hold your belongings to ransom, until you pay up.

We got around this by insisting that our movers in the UK include a clause saying that they would be responsible for any extra charges levied by the US movers and we would pay nothing.

wordfool

IIRC they did take into account my overseas driving history. You can, after all, drive legally in the US with a foreign license, so it should count.

Englishtart

I thought you could only do that for 30 days though, once you became a resident? My UK driving experience was not taken into account, but that was a long time ago and I think some companies will offer a small discount

E3only

Yeah I think it's 10 days not 30 could be wrong. Its ridiculous if it's 10 days tho. The SSN itself takes a while to be issued right?

I am getting quotes online around 1200 / 6 months. I have to now start calling instead of online I guess.