Home
New Arrivals
First_Days
Administrative
Housing
Transport
Bank and Telephone
Taxes
Misc Info

BANK

NIHFCU (NIH Federal Credit Union) located at Bldgs. 10, 13, 31 and 45, (http://www.nihfcu.org).

You can easily get two accounts: Checking and savings. If you withdraw money from an ATM which does not have links with your bank, you will have to pay an extra $1-2. This is a disadvantage with the credit union, because apart from the ATM’s on campus (Bldgs. 10, 31, 45) there are few ATMs outside in this area.

Cards:

  1. Checking card is a Debit card where, for each transaction, the money is automatically deducted from your checking card.

  2. Credit card gives you 30 days to pay without paying interest.

  3. ATM card can be used on campus ATMs and pay only at groceries and gas stations.

 You can access your account on the internet, free with the Credit Union.

TELEPHONE

The first thing to be done after renting an apartment is to get a phone line. You can get this by calling Verizon at 301-954-6260 or contacting (http://www.verizon.com). There are many options available for the phone facilities: choose carefully, otherwise you might end up paying a huge monthly bill for the facilities alone, excluding the bill for phone calls. Call the company often to make sure they are working to get you your phone line. If it is possible to retain the line of the previous tenant of the apartment you are moving into, try to do so. It will be much cheaper compared to the new line.

Long Distance:

MCI1-800-950-5555, AT&T 1-800-222-0300, SPRINT 1-800-877-7746 or VERIZON.. They include monthly payment plans (or $5) plus a per minute rate. MCI has the advantage of being linked with United Airlines and thus you can earn free miles based on your long-distance calls. Long distance plans carry the risk of your inadvertently using the long distance service outside of your specific plan. In such cases, you might end up paying a hefty bill.

 You can use 10-10-719 plus the number, for calling India without any monthly plans or bills. You pay for the cost of each call and this is billed to your verizon bill. Alternatively, you can also purchase phone cards at several locations at the Indian grocery stores.