<p>I'm going to be at UVA in the fall, and I was wondering whether I should maintain a local checking account in C-ville, or just have my parents keep an account for me at home which I can write checks from? </p>
<p>Thanks for any advice!</p>
<p>Do yourself a favor, either open an account at a bank near campus or make sure your "home" bank has a branch near campus. There will be times when you need a few bucks cash and a checkbook is just plain inconvenient. Plus, when you are from "out of town", most local businesses require all sorts of id to cash a check for you.</p>
<p>Thanks to the honor code, local businesses will accept your checks with just a UVA ID to back you up.</p>
<p>I would actually suggest getting a debit card. Most banks give them to you for free with a checking account, and its much like a credit card without interest that takes funds from your account until you have none (wikipedia a debit card for more explanation). This is SOOO much easier than using checks, and you can use it on/off grounds and online and basically wherever that takes Visa. You can charge via "credit" when buying stuff, and that way it doesn't whack you 25cents everytime you use it (like it would if you use debit charge...its really dumb, its still all the same thing). You can also use it to withdraw money from any ATM (although most banks charge you a buck or two if you don't withdraw from their ATM, but not a big deal, just take out large amounts and stash it somewhere safe).
So, go with debit, skip the checks, too much of a hassle. And use the bank's online features so you can track how much you have in your bank account.</p>
<p>As for banks, there's a bunch in C'ville. I would recommend trying to stick with your parent's bank because if you get into trouble its much easier for them to help you out (they can transfer money to your account much easier, and if the bank does something stupid they'll probably be more aware of what to do). If not, pick a couple of banks, then see if they have a location near you and at c'ville.</p>
<p>See this thread from last year:</p>