a_german_named_hans

Okay well I'm 18 years old, I'm going to school in Florida. My girlfriends in upstate NY and her Birthdays coming up. real soon. I asked her what she wants for her birthday and she said that if I could visit her it'd be better then any gift i could give. So i check southwest and I find some airfare in the perfect times for real cheap. 69 bucks each way. Heres where I run into an issue. My mom works in a bank where I have my debit cards so any transaction I do, she knows about. She can't know about this I mean i'd rather avoid using my debit card as it is but anyway. I need to purchase the tickets online. I can use Paypal. I was thinking that I could just set up a new bank account, throw money on that and then hook up that bank account to my paypal account and buy the tickets online like that. My question. Is that smart? Should I do that or should I maybe try and get one of those Visa Gift cards for the amount of the tickets. If I could do the paypal thing, does any old account work? or does it have to be a special account? and finally. Any banks I should look into?

flyerI

Go get a prepaid VISA credit card and put $200 bucks or so on it. Way easier than the PayPal idea.

a_german_named_hans

where can I usually get those?

nuke

usually walmart or any large retail chain

ChelsDS

Or in a mall at the information booth.

greybox

Or just open your own account a bank where your mom doesn't work-you have seperate account that only you know about.

Credit unions are good ideas anyway (you can get good house or car loans down the road if you are a long time member)

RodC

You're at college and your mom is monitoring your bank account? Damn...

jurassic1

Or, if you want to think in the long run, since you're 18 you can now apply for your own credit card. You have two options: either a regular Secured credit card, or a Student credit card since you're a student right now. The latter is more advantageous since it doesn't have an annual fee. Both do help you establish your own credit. But it'll take a few weeks or a month before they can mail you your card. See Bank of America or Wells Fargo (go with the big banks).

For now, if you're in a hurry, then a prepaid visa card would do.

djct_watt

If it's a joint account, then ITL& your own fault that she monitors it.

But if you're the only one on the account and she's watching it with her work access, she'd better watch out. If anyone caught wind of this, she'd be 1) fired, 2) sent directly to jail, 3) liable for civil penalties and suits from you.

It is highly illegal in our industry to monitor accounts for non-work/personal reasons.

But at your age, your credit probably sucks, so it'll be hard to open a credit card. Even with a high FICO, you probably have little credit history. Your best bet is to open a checking account that comes with a debit card. If you need one PM me, and if you deposit 100 bucks into a free checking account, the bank will throw in a $50 cash bonus. They'll mail you a debit visa/MC check card with the account.

Or you can also go the simple route as mentioned and get a prepaid debit card.

RodC

I started with a secured card at 16 and by 18 I had an unlimited Amex and about 15 other cards. I actually have less cards now than I did when I was 18, because I started to find that having so many open accounts was not good on my credit rating.

But yeah, if you want to establish your credit and gain access to some decent credit cards, starting with a secured card is the best way to go. I believe mine had a fee of $25 per month whether I actually used it or not. By using it often, I was able to begin receiving "real" credit card offers within just a few months. I was able to start accepting real credit card offers and close the secured account within just 6 months of opening it. My credit score was 750 by the age of 19 and it remains approximately the same today.

So to the OP, plan for the longterm. Sign up for a secured card asap so that by the time you are 19 you will have all the financial freedom you want. Whatever course you take, just make sure you always pay your bills and pay them off in full each month. Anything less will put you on a slippery slope at your age.

nauticac

When I got to college I got the American Express Blue card. No annual fee, earn points, and I love it because I can pay the bill online linked to my bank account. That may be an option to look into as well.

CarbonXe

iTrader: (1)

Why would your Mom care if you go visit your girlfriend...?

a_german_named_hans

^^ because I'm still her little 13 year old boy(she treats me like it) and she thinks that I need to focus on school work and anything beyond school is unnecessary. this was a women that couldn't understand why I was upset when I was leaving all my friends and girlfriend behind in NY for FL. I know its bad. Worst of all I don't understand why she would be like this since I never really did listen to her in the first place, She'd tell me to be home by 10 and I'd be home at 1. She tells me to leave the tC stock... well I definitely didn't do that. It boggles my mind.

But yea. idk I think i'm gonna set up some kind of credit card with no annual fees and for the time being I'll get a prepaid visa or something.

CarbonXe

iTrader: (1)

I say you just go. You've obviously done similar things before (getting home 3 hours late, modding..like you stated).

Let me guess, you're either the youngest child, or you're an only child?

jurassic1

Moms are like that. Even if you're all grown up, married, had kids---you'd still be her baby. Of course there are moms who find it hard to accept/believe that their son/daughter had all grown up.

At your age, what you need to do is show how mature you've grown up to be. Being 18 it'll be difficult but I think it's just a part of life. It's a point in life where you have to learn to trod by yourself, WITH your parents beside you (not in front, or behind). But don't get me wrong, even if you're all grown up you cannot just set them aside; because whatever you do, they'll still possess more life lessons/wisdom than you can ever learn. And that's comforting to know,.

Bottom line, you have to prepare yourself for the outside (the real) world, because it is really tough out there.

a_german_named_hans

Oh now with-out a doubt they know more then me in some aspects, they still try to lecture me about cars and how to take care of it, yet my dads the type to go to the dealership to get his bulbs changed. Its really gotten to the point where I'll lye but its not lying. Where i'll say I'm goin to my friends but they know im at my girlfriends. Its almost like they want to be lied to so they don't have to hear the truth. idk its weird and really annoying.

and yea, I am a only child.

CarbonXe

iTrader: (1)

Yep, only child. From your Mom's point of view, you will always be her baby.

a_german_named_hans

the most annoying thing is that I'm almost 100% self sufficient. Ever since I was like 16, 17, i had a job where I'd work anywhere between 20-35 hours a week. At one point i even had two jobs. I paid for my own food, my computer, my car, my insurance, my gas, and most of my school. I payed about 6 out of the 8 grand needed for school. Just about the only thing they provided was a roof over my head and the clothes on my back. Which I am very great ful. I know they've worked hard throughout their lives to get me where I am, especially considering that we moved here and they don't speak the best english. With that being said, i think I am slightly more mature and grown up then many other kids my age simply because of the fact that I do pay for my own poop and I do know how hard working for what you own can be. I was one of the only kids at school that was able to say, I can't spend this money, i got bills to pay. Yet they still always treated me like their little baby even though I wasn't home 90% of the time, I was either out or at work. Its like an infinite loop that I'm stuck in here.

anyway. let me get off the whaambulance here. LOL

CarbonXe

iTrader: (1)

Wait until you move out.

a_german_named_hans

so i hear. i'm actually 1,200 mile away from home so I'm kinda moved out, but i'm in a dorm so not really LOL. She just gave me a call telling me how to make friends in college. But anyway. Anyone have a credit card that they could recommend to me? a Problem i'm having is that I got a PO Box at school which alot of credit cards don't accept.