Moving to Canada (Calgary) in July,advice needed on , Setting up bank accounts,cell phones etc?

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Lestat

buy a really warm coat

Adam A

There are plenty of banks in Calgary (CIBC, Scotiabank, RBC, ATB and TD are the main ones). Just choose one close to your place and go from there. With mobile phones, we have the short end of the stick! There are really only 3 choices Bell, Telus and Rogers. All of the plans are expensive compared to other countries. Look on www.autotrader.ca for used vehicles in Calgary and area. Gas (petrol) is cheap compared to what you guys pay over in Europe! Right now in Calgary the average gas price is $0.86/ litre. Don't forget to visit Banff National Park!

Fotomama

Let's see...
Cell phone companies are Telus, Rogers, Fido, Virgin, Koodo...Seems that Koodo is the cheapest, Telus is the biggest company but that doesn't necessarily make them the best.

Before you get a car, you need a license. You also should look into a driver's abstract so that your insurance company can have a record that you are a safe driver. Getting a license here, you will need to do a written test and possibly a road test.

Cars and pickups...they can be found all over the place. Mostly you need to go by instinct and gut, you know? But if you are moving to Calgary, you should also know that the public transit system is exceptional and that you can get most places either on the bus or on the train. And transit passes are tax deductable.

Bank accounts. There are quite a few choices, all of them offering comparable services. Alberta Treasury Branch offers a kind of account which allows free money orders and has branch offices most everywhere. TD and CIBC are national whereas ATB is only through Alberta. Scotiabank has some very interesting features, like rounding up your purchase and putting the change into a savings account. Maybe take a look online and see what you like. But mostly, one is as good (or bad!) as another because they all charge service charges and fees.

Unfortunately, lots of this stuff is stuff you're going to have to do when you get here. If you know someone here that can take you around, it will help you a lot and help you get used to the area.

Housing in Calgary is ridiculously expensive. There are some really nice areas where housing is a bit better priced, and then there are some really horrid neighborhoods, so just keep an open eye.

Food and entertainment can be incredibly costly too, depending on your tastes. However, it doesn't have to be, if you are interested in economizing.

If you have any specific questions, please msg me and I'll try to help answer them.

amphitryon

some good advice above. here a few more tidbits:

choose a bank, then set up an account at a branch office near your future place of work or home. there are four large banks - see the link below, second through sixth entry on the left side:
http://www.canadabanks.net/
any one of these will do, but check out their plans/costs/etc.
set up a savings account and a chequing account. if possible tie it to your credit card - type of card will to a degree decide the bank you pick.
check also out credit Unions -
http://www.albertacreditunions.com/public/bins/website_page.asp?cid=51-52

to open an account, simply deposit money.
the credit card will help you establish a history - pay off any balance at month end (anyone should!!)

cell phones, check here and then decide: http://www.comparecellular.com/
go for what you need and what makes sense, not what's 'sexy' right now.
cars - you will get good deals right now. wait until you arrive and do comparison shop. again, get a vehicle for your needs, not what they try to sell you (unless you're very wealthy, in which case it does not matter)
http://alberta.autohunter.ca/car_dealers/calgary_car_dealers.lasso

you can pretty much decide back home, what the car should be and what equipment you want/need. then simply check out these dealers.
if you must finance, make a hefty downpayment this will help getting credit.
good luck!

Jody W

This website should help you. It pretty much lists everything available in Calgary (which is where I live).

Good luck and we love Irish accents here.. lol

http://relocatecanada.com/calgary/index.html

sarahltye

I would suggest you google Julie Parry, she's emigrated to Canada and can help you out with all those things. I've met her and her husband and they are amazing people and have opened our Canadian bank account already and we don't even have our visas yet!

chuckles951

You will have NO CREDIT. Get used to idea of being treated like a financial pariah and paying cash for everything.

When I moved from Canada to LA, my perfect Canadian credit history did not follow me. It is a good thing I already had a car. I had to get a friend who moved there several years previously co-sign for an apartment for me. I had to get a special cell phone plan for people with bad credit. I finally found a car insurance company who would check my Canadian driving history because everyone else wanted to treat me like a 16 year old with a DUI.

I had to put $1500 in escrow for 2 years to get a secured credit card. Expect to be treated like a teenager.

Mind you, after 2 years my credit score shot up to 800 and now I get tons of offers for credit.

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