Bank Question (transfer, utilities, deposit)

[PaliPatty]

You can get checks from BOH that don't include an address. That's what we did when we moved here. No big deal. Dump a sizeable amount in an account or two and they are amazingly agreeable.
When you have a local address, notify BOH.
They do this stuff all the time. Again....no big deal.

[FallenIntoGreatness]

When I set up my BOH account I put the address that is on my driver's license because I thought ID had to accompany a check. Here any time I write a check they want to see it, easier if all matches. I will change my address once I get my HI license. They offer a 50 pack of checks for $10, so you don't have boxes of checks with the wrong address.

[relocater2HI78]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Sorry, you will not be able to rent a PO Box in Hawai'i until you apply in person, show a government issued picture ID, and show proof of physical address, which can be a signed lease or a utility or insurance bill. Then you will update the PO info as you change addresses.

Yeah...so I went through the online process to get a PO box and the last page says I have to go in person after they took my credit card information.

Then, I got an email and it says
"If you are applying for a PO Box in a different city or state, you may go to your local Post Office to begin the application process."

I haven't done this yet, but I am going to go there tomorrow to see what they say. I will still be in a hotel for the first few weeks I am there so it would be nice to just have a PO Box that I can check without having to go during business hours or on weekends. Of course no clue if this is feasible.

[MicZ58]

I was able to reserve - and pay for - a PO Box ahead of time, but unable to get the box # (or the key, of course) until I got here to prove my identity and proof of local address. In the meantime, I sent my mail to General Delivery at that same post office. Seemed to work well. I just made the first forwarding order temporary (up to 6 months) and the amended to permanent once I had the PO Box.

For the banking, I opened my account a few days after I got here, and received my printed checks 4-5 days later (I hadn't thought to ask them to print any right at the branch, but didn't really need to at that point anyway).

Also, just as an FYI, the USPS does have a premium forwarding option which will basically gather all your mail together and put it in a Priority Flat Rate box or envelope once a week and forward to your new address. It's going to be a bit costly, but can work well for the first few transition weeks when everything is so confusing.

[relocater2HI78]

Originally Posted by MicZ58

I was able to reserve - and pay for - a PO Box ahead of time, but unable to get the box # (or the key, of course) until I got here to prove my identity and proof of local address. In the meantime, I sent my mail to General Delivery at that same post office. Seemed to work well. I just made the first forwarding order temporary (up to 6 months) and the amended to permanent once I had the PO Box.
.

I read that UPS has mailbox services that I can set up without having to be at the local office. I realized in order to even cancel my electricity I need a new address Go Figure... So I think I will contact the local UPS Store tomorrow and set that up. It says on their website they can set one up if one is relocating and needs it set up in the new city, just to contact the local store for more specifics. Hopefully their process is simpler.

[OpenD]

The point of opening a bank account in advance isn't nearly so much about getting checks as it is to get past the various restrictions most banks put on new accounts for the first 30 days. Especially island banks, which see a lot of bad check fraud from newcomers.

If the USPS will allow you to open a distant PO box now by showing ID at a local PO, go for it.

UPS stores and Mailboxes Plus, etc. rent boxes, yes, but they are more expensive. On one hand they offer the flexibility of accepting other than mail shipments, but on the other hand, many retailers use fraud control filters that do not allow shipment to PMBs.

[Dthraco]

Note that a Cashier's check is still treated like a CHECK when you are a new customer.

This was a shocker to us when we went to check our balance and saw that the cashier's check we deposited was not listed as available for 10 days. Luckily we did not need it at the time.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Dthraco

Note that a Cashier's check is still treated like a CHECK when you are a new customer.

This was a shocker to us when we went to check our balance and saw that the cashier's check we deposited was not listed as available for 10 days. Luckily we did not need it at the time.

Yeah, this is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. And that's 10 BUSINESS days, so it's really 2 weeks. If you don't plan ahead for something like that it could be a serious issue.

[relocater2HI78]

Originally Posted by OpenD

UPS stores and Mailboxes Plus, etc. rent boxes, yes, but they are more expensive. On one hand they offer the flexibility of accepting other than mail shipments, but on the other hand, many retailers use fraud control filters that do not allow shipment to PMBs.

I don't mind the cost as much. What I need is an address to give my electricity company, the bank, and others to where is my new address. I can't even cancel my electricity without a new address. It's so stupid. I feel uneasy about giving address of a hotel and then changing it again.

I gotta cancel utilities and stuff by next Thursday so I'm cutting down to the time I have to decide what to do with. The mailbox/address is more about everything now , not just the bank.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by relocater2HI78

I don't mind the cost as much. What I need is an address to give my electricity company, the bank, and others to where is my new address. I can't even cancel my electricity without a new address. It's so stupid. I feel uneasy about giving address of a hotel and then changing it again.

I gotta cancel utilities and stuff by next Thursday so I'm cutting down to the time I have to decide what to do with. The mailbox/address is more about everything now , not just the bank.

They just want to know where to send the final bill - give them the address of a relative or a friend until you find a more permanent address.