<p>My daughter received a mailing from PNC, promoting their bank and the fact that students can use their Pitt ID for PNC services. The word "free" is used a lot--free ATM transactions, Visa check card, etc. </p>
<p>Any comments from current students or parents? Are there any other banks that might be more convenient for students to use?</p>
<p>I am uncertain what bank my daughter will choose to use. When she visits Pitt in July, I will have her check out the various choices and then we will decide which bank will be the best for her. In the meantime, I will contact some people who attend Pitt and ask them for suggestions. I will let you know the outcome.</p>
<p>The PNC Bank and ATM are right in between the Towers/Quad and student union...very convenient and safe. </p>
<p>We chose to NOT have the Pitt ID function as an ATM card/check card/etc. Our son used a separate PNC Bank ATM/Debit card, and kept the Pitt ID for other things. Our thinking was that the ID has a higher chance of getting lost because it is out all of the time, and the bank funds would be more secure on a card that stayed in the wallet most of the time.</p>
<p>Good idea ikf725! </p>
<p>When my oldest daughter went off to college, setting up banking was a pain. The banks were all giving out "stuff" like t-shirts, and all charged for practically every transaction a student would make. She ended up going w/ the local credit union. PNC's set-up sounds reasonable. </p>
<p>On an earlier post where I mentioned the South Side, someone commented they felt that area was very unsafe at night. Do you have an opinion on that?</p>
<p>Thank you for the update- sounds like the solution to our banking questions. When we were in Pitt last month we visited Southside where we ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The area seemed very safe to me. There were many upscale stores and boutiques. Also, it seemed that many new stores and restaurants were preparing to open. I would be interested in knowing why someone considered the area unsafe. The area was packed with families, teens, college students, etc- despite the rain.</p>
<p>I know the south side is a popular place for students and others, with lots of shops and restaurants. I don't think it's dangerous, especially in the day and early evening. Any city would require a little caution if you are prowling around in the wee hours, though. You could probably look up crime statistics or call the Pittsburgh Police, but most of the crime is probably things like car break-ins, as opposed to assaults.</p>
<p>I felt safe when I went to pitt. I didn't go to the southside at night, but I heard its not that bad considering Pittsburgh is a major city. As far as banking, the kid I stayed with for an overnight said that the majority of students have PNC, its just a matter of having the ID card as the ATM card or not. And there are tons of PNC's in Pittsburgh both on and off campus.</p>