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Money Matters

 
Banking
 
Plan to arrive with enough cash or traveler's checks in U.S. dollars to cover the first three weeks of expenses, including your initial stay in hotel, meals, transportation, first month's rent and security deposit (usually equal to one month's rent). This may be as much as $3,000.
 
If you plan to transfer money via a foreign bank check, there may be a waiting period of approximately three weeks (or 10 days for checks drawn on a U.S. mainland bank) before funds become available.
 
Students find it convenient to open a local checking and/or savings account. A checking account will allow you to write checks in order to make purchases and to pay bills such as rent and telephone costs. Most retailers and service providers will accept a personal check drawn on any U.S. bank as long as you provide appropriate identification such as a passport.
 

Major banks in Hawaii include: American Savings Bank, Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, and First Hawaiian Bank. The business hours of each bank branch varies. Some branches have evening and/or Saturday hours, and some provide services in selected supermarkets.Credit cards are also widely used in the U.S., particularly for car rentals, hotel check-in procedures and payment, mail-order shopping, and airline ticket reservations.

 

Tipping and Taxes

 

In the United States, it is customary to tip those who provide services. The standard tip for someone assisting with luggage might be one or two dollars per bag. In a restaurant, the usual tip is 15%-20% of the bill; make sure that the tip has not been added to the total bill beforehand.
 
Hawaii’s state tax is 4.71% (some businesses charge 4%).