Cellular Plan and Bank Account as an International Student in the US

Questions
1

I’m an incoming international student, going to study in New York state under a student visa.

I will need to have a US cellular plan and a US bank account.

For a cellular provider I think I will go with Mint Mobile because of their affordable pricing and the fact that you can sign up without presenting an ID. Is that still the case?

I see that I can either get an eSIM on Mint Mobile’s website or buy a physical SIM at a store like BestBuy and then activate it and load it on the website. What are the differences between the options? When I pay on the website, can I put an alias as a name and a fake address (like a hotel)? I there an option to pay with cash, without registering with an ID, while still getting the $15/month price?

If someone has a cellular plan with Mint, can you share the process of buying and using the plan?

Is there an option to get a second number without data and calls (or very little) just for receiving sms? For example this. Can I keep the number just for receiving sms after the 7 days trial ends?

Regarding bank account, I’ve heard that many times, a credit union is preferable to a traditional bank. Is that the case for international students too? Are there any drawbacks to credit unions relevant to international students? I will need to be able to receive international bank transfers, pay tuition, pay my landlord using Zelle, have a credit/debit card and withdraw cash. I prefer, of course, paying the least amount of fees and also a relatively privacy friendly (doesn’t sell my data) and ethical option.

Do you have suggestions or recommendations regarding banks/credit unions in New York state for international students?

Please feel free to share any other advice you might have for an incoming student in the US.

Thank you.

2

I am far from an expert in this area but thought I’d opine.

Unless there is something NY specific, no ID. You can get mint mobile kits in best buy and, as I recall, will be required to download the mint mobile app for setup. Also check out US Mobile and Cape Mobile. Cape discount codes are common.

For banking - I would consider your needs to be able to transact financially over the border before choosing a credit union. It may be that larger institutions can offer you more flexibility and the privacy/security may be same/similar. (non-existent). Fidelity has no outbound fee on wire transfers in the cash management account, but does not offer Zelle.

In NY, I would also expect my landlord to accept non-electronic payment methods[1] in (cash, check, money order). I mention as this may lesson your burden to find a specific financial institution that supports Zelle.

You might also check out Halocard.co.

  1. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/RPP/235-G ↩︎

3

If you want to save money, jmp.chat(phone number) combined with silent.link(data) could be cheaper and don’t require any KYC or extra info.