So I find myself in the curious position of getting severance checks into the spring. Only problem is, I’ll be on the trail. SO! Short of havning family receive them, send them in boxes, having me endorse them & send them back (which I REALLY don’t want to do!)… how has anyone else dealt with this? Thoughts/suggestions? I’ve had it suggested to get an account at a bank that runs the length (or thereabouts) of the trail. Is there such a financial instution? Suggestions would be appreciated.
J.F.
Have your checks Deposited by Family into your account, then just carry an ATM card and you are good to go,They should not have to be endorsed if your having someone else deposit them, if so, just have your Family endorse them, no big deal.
Patriot
You can have anyone endorse your check in your name and deposit it into your account. By giving them permission to endorse (sign) your name, they are your agent and the endorsement is perfectly legitimate.
Line
See if your former employer can do ‘direcr deposit’, or…
Have the checks mailed to a family member. Take that family member to your financial institution and set up your checking account in BOTH of your names with ‘OR’ between them, so that you both have legal, separate access and control over the account. That will make SURE there are no endorsement hassles! I believe the family member will have to put their signature ‘on file’ at the bank? Just make sure the family member can be trusted! Hah!
An ATM card then will be all you need for ‘routine’ spending… be aware that you WILL get hit with tranaction
fees at the ATM machines (maybe even double, if your financial institution assesses fees for ‘out of network’ transactions!). Make SURE your ATM/Debit card is accepted by the US Postal Service… good for mailing bounce boxes and getting up to $50 (I believe) cash per transaction WITHOUT a fee assessment… at least that’s how it used to work… you might want to verify THAT too!
Carry a credit card for those unforeseen ‘biggies’ (use it sparingly and wisely!).
And… CHECK THE EXPIRATION DATE ON YOUR PLASTIC!! (This includes your Driver’s License!). If it’s due to expire while you’re ‘out and about’, you can be in big trouble when it comes time to activate the new card that has been mailed to your ‘home address’. Most ‘plastic’ carries a ‘DO NOT FORWARD’ instruction, so it will NOT make it to your designated ‘mail recipient’!! Get a new card before you take off! Also, contact the card issuer(s) and change the billing/mailing address to your forwarding address.
Set up every bill payment that you possibly can, to be debited directly [ACH Debit] against your checking account by ‘whomever’… electric, phone, health insurance, etc. If they will only do ‘direct pay’ against a credit card account, set THAT up. Some of these (like electric, for example) might have to be set up on a ‘budget payment plan’ to qualify for direct pay… do it! The fewer bills that you have to write checks for, the better off you will be!
See if your financial institution(s) provides SECURE online account access (including credit card accounts)… if so, get set up and become familiar with it/them before you hit the Trail. Make it a point to check (and manage!) your financial ‘stuff’ whenever you stop in at a library, hostel, hotel or whatever, to check/send eMail… keep that credit card paid off!!
Watch for ‘prying eyes’ looking over your shoulder at computer and ATM terminals… there could be ‘someone’ just waiting to get your account ID and/or your password/PIN!!
Any or all of this can all be undone when you’ve completed your hike!
I’m sure there are more such issues to consider, but my brain is numb! Hope this helps!
Good Hiking!
TBott GA->ME 04
TBott
Get one of those stampers from Wally World, set it up to say “For Deposit Only” and the account number of which it is to be deposited so there is no confusion on which account it is going into. Have family stamp the checks as soon as they get them and deposit it that way. Most banks have online banking also so you can access your account via computer while you are on the trail to check your balance and be sure the checks are going in. Online banking also allows for automatic bill pay which is a plus also to the hiking world, eliminates having to depend on people to pay those nasty bills most of us leave behind. Have a great hike!
Jewels
Post Offices in small towns quite often don’t have $50 to their names to give you; that goes for all the trails.
(Except in Europe where PO’s are often also nat’l banks!)
Luckily, ATM’s are much more ubiquitious & interstate than back in '89… PS. some banks like Compass will reimburse those fees, if you remember to send in the receipts at least
gingerbreadman
yeah, just give a family member power of attorney, then they can do whatever you need to your account. Then just carry a TYME card with you and you can pull out whatever cash you need, no problem.
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