₦airaland Forum

DeeTus:
Just relax. Because if anyone accused me wrongly on something that i didn't do, I can go any length to get justice.

I will write to Seun soon.

Do what you gotta do bruh!

zeezahbee:
Na old story. I don forgive am. Call me now now , we get talk

Roger!
I gotchu!

slimmy05:
Do we have banks that give credit card without SSN?

Nna let's not talk about this matter again on here!

How you been?

zeezahbee:
Meritdee, are you trying to support deetus
What about the recharge card he collected with the email and he even confessed to scamming somone of recharge card. What about the stupid messages he has also been sending to me.

He stole my email the day I told Francis to send me a link. Since then he has been saying shitt.

Thank God he has stopped d message since yesterday . Next mins, he will start writing some pity pity quotes like a good person.

No one should put their email on here again.

Well, I will let this case rest but I know he will do it to another

Joenice, deetus, joebelly, nsurg ( those are all your moniker) . The next time I see your email again, you won't like yourself

What kind of drama is this on this thread biko nu?

bigfrancis21:
You're referring to the secured credit card which does not come with money pre-loaded in it but you have to deposit your own money in it, say $350, spend and pay back the money. With a secured credit card, you are only spending and paying back your own money. This is in contrast with regular credit cards that come pre-loaded with an amount of money that you need an SSN to apply for. Those without an SSN can get the secured credit card but there is usually a limit to the line you can get on it, usually small amounts such as $300, $500 etc.

The secured credit card is basically building a credit history but using your own money. When you are approved for a secured credit card of $350 credit line and it arrives at your address, you are required to deposit an amount equal to $350 into the card and start using it.

Thus, in effect you can't apply for a secured credit card just because you want to use it to pay tuition, as someone had initially thought.

Bigfrancis trust me when I say.. I did no such deposit!

I can't be that paranoid that I'll do a thing like that and not know.

Snazzygirl:
Bros, I never said SSN is the ONLY means of identification. I agree with you that ITIN can serve the same purpose, but how does that apply to the context right now? How many international students have ITIN? The average intl student focuses on the SSN, because we all want to work. As for BofA giving undocumented immigrants "unsecured credit cards" without proper identification, I disagree sir

But how can you be sure?

You don work for BOA before ni?

biikeys:
Not true. BofA does, infact with undocumented immigrants..and SSN is not the only means of identification also,ITIN can serve the same purpose.

Oh thank you for your inputs...

What is ITIN?

Snazzygirl:
Loooool. Uncle Stewee, there is no way this is a fact. Federal law requires that everybody opening an account in the US must be properly identified. The mode of identification used by banks in the US is the SSN. No bank will issue a credit card to a non resident alien without SSN. Also, there is no relationship between getting a credit card and debit card use. Maybe you are referring to the "Secured credit card" which is just a "glorified debit card" whose activity is shared with the major credit bureaus to build credit history.

LOL
Auntie Snazzy girl
I know about the Secured credit card and for BOA one of the requirements is to make a deposit which would stand as a collateral if you default in your payments...Now I don't remember ever making any deposit for the card.

Maybe there's something about my card I don't know about.

zeezahbee:
You mean bank of America or which one

Yeah BOA

cosxzbay:
You need to have SSN before you can get credit card from BOA.You can always confirm this from the bank.

That's not true...at least not in. FL

stevecrun:
which bank does this?Cause,I know my bank did not tell me this..

Bank of America

bigfrancis21:
FAFSA has no direct loan package for international students but as an international student who has been using a credit card for sometime, say 1 year, and has built some history of on-time payment, you could qualify for a loan from a bank. Without that, the odds against you are high as an international student. Like I mentioned before, one of my friends, an international student, was in dire need of tuition money, and he applied to a bank for loan and he was approved instantly because he had a credit history, which was pulled before him right there in the bank. This would not have been made possible had he not had a credit history.

The thing people fail to understand about credit history is that it is just a way to show that someone is financially responsible. Your credit history is the length of time from the very first day you started using a credit card till date and shows how you've managed your finances all that time. Or maybe the 'credit' in front of 'credit history' makes people ignore the 'history' and what it means. Or have we forgotten the simple definition of the word, 'history'? It is simply a history of your finance management. Your credit card does not have to be $5000 in limit, it could be $300 or $500, you spend $50 averagely per month and pay back the $50 on time (this is especially for those 'frightful' of over-spending on a credit card. It doesn't have to be a huge-line credit card. Go for smaller credit lines, to make it easy for you to manage). Do this for 12 months, and you have 1 year of credit history and on-time payments. When in dire need of a loan to solve a pressing issue, you go to the bank, your having a credit history helps you in getting past the initial doubt of if you are a worthy borrower or not quickly and onto the next stage of how much loan you could obtain.

Now, we all know how difficult it is to get a loan from banks in Nigeria except you have a collateral such as land or landed properties. Think of how easier obtaining these loans in Nigeria would be had we a credit system in place and all you needed to do is establish at least one year of borrowing and on-time payment of your expenses to make you eligible to walk into any bank and request for a loan. The credit card system helps to weed out those bad at finances from the ones really good at managing their finances. That's just the point.

Credit history shows your credit worthiness. How else can you prove to someone that you are good in borrowing money and paying back on time as at when due? We as individuals all have that one or two friend (s) that we would readily lend money to anytime they ask because they have always paid back their debts to us as promised, thus they are credit worthy. In other words, they have established a credit history with you and are safe borrowers. 'Safe borrowers' is the key phrase here. On the other hand, we have that one friend who would never pay back money borrowed from you even with force or some that delay to pay back and we are always reluctant to lend money to them should they ask.

Or maybe we are just fixated at credit history from one angle - our point of view. Put yourself in the position of a money lender or bank. Who would you rather lend money to - someone who has established history of borrowing and paying on time (thus less financial risk and more likely to pay back your money) or someone who has no history at all (how sure am I that he would pay back on time or at all? More financial risk).

Now don't get me wrong. I am not asking anybody to get a credit card if they don't need one at the moment. You don't have to have a credit card anyway if you don't want to but for the sake of future needs to borrow money for pressing needs, especially if you plan on staying behind in this country, having a credit history helps get you through the process much quicker than those who don't have one. Just bear that in mind.

By the way, darklight isn't even eligible for a credit card to start with as he just arrived the US and does not even have an SSN needed to apply for one.

Ermmm... You don't need a SSN to to get approved a credit card! I know this for a fact!
So far you have been making transactions with your debit card, after three months you can qualify for one. If you've had a lot of cash flow with your debit card they can even waive the 3months requirement and issue you one sharp sharp.

SantaClause:
What are the risk involved

I'm not tryna scare you bruh.
You seem to have it all sorted out.

bigfrancis21:
His means of obtaining the loan is already secure. He knows what I am talking about. He is just asking for opinions on whether to proceed with it or not.

Okay great!

bigfrancis21:
I think we discussed this yesterday. You have every tool at your disposal to enrol in school and get a US degree. Majority of college students you see walking around on campus pay their tuition and fees on loan (FAFSA) and some begin to pay back once they are done with school and are working or some begin to pay back before they are done with school, depending on the circumstances or terms and agreement of the loan.

Go for it. Do what you have to do to graduate. After you graduate you can start paying back that loan month by month until you finish paying it off.

Yeah but it's a lil bit tricky for international students.
If you want a loan as a foreign student, be sure to have a solid plan on how to pay back and know the risks.

slimmy05:
N what do I need to fully understand if it's not "alaroro". Lol. I know you're a lady, a guy can't be "bloodymitch". I had to quote you in reference to the guy and not necessarily you.

@the people looking for money, where are the millions in your bank statements? Like darklight advised you better write standardized test and look for funding rather than come here with no money. A lot of nairalanders are on the run, DHS dey find them.

Find fire!

bigfrancis21:
@bold...I no sabi say iPhone get he phone and she phone...when dem release the he phone?

#JesesisLawd

Lmao...

Na typo ooo Nna Nna!

SantaClause:
Hahaha nairalanders na wao oooo na you dey talk na u dey answer. Amen my bro stay positive but always have a plan B

Hahahahaha!
#ThisLife

MsNas:
I don't think so. Although I bought a T-Mobile line, I know someone that brought a Verizon branded Bold 5 from Nigeria and the phone refused to work with any other provider except Verizon.

The one I mentioned who had the minutes thingy with AT&T had a Q10 then. And it worked perfectly with her phone


Yes it does piggyback on T-Mobile but when I put it in my phone and tried activating it, it told me to put in my zipcode and there it told me the service was not available in my area. I didn't even bother anymore.

Oh gotcha!
I'm currently using a blackberry 10 on the t-mobile network and it works just fine here in Miami. My iPhone broke and I just dusted he phone and started using it again(Please don't ask how I got a nano-sim(iPhone) to work in a blackberry 10(micro sim port).

#JesusIsLord

happney65:
Watching trump on CNN..The Man is speaking rubbish as usual..Oloshi Man ..The Man no suppose become President ohh..He go spoil America for all of us..

That man na nuisance!

SantaClause:
Hahahaha what a good laugh...maybe I don't understand because am not there. You know why I would not worry much and this issues like food, electricity and others? Even if I don't have money to pay for them talking to my love ones at home alone will keep me strong and believing I would conquer my difficulties but in the absent of were you cannot even talk to them to give you joy that were depression comes in

You Neva see anything...

When I speak with my friends in Nigeria and they say "you're balling"... I always tell them my prayer for you is to come here too and ball.

MsNas:
It's quite different. Such won't work here.

This is because, in Nigeria you can receive calls even if you have no subscription or credit on your phone. Here, if your monthly subscription ends, that is the day you cease to make or even receive calls. You can't receive calls if you don't pay your monthly bill. So for your app to work, you actually have to have call minutes on your line which means paying some money, even if its the lowest plan your provider has.

I don't know about other networks but one of my friends in AR used to use AT&T and her plan was like $25 or $30, can't remember. But the problem was that she was given like 250minutes of talk and unlimited text. Now that's a problem because her talk time sometimes get's exhausted cos they count received calls and also outgoing calls. For people like me who spend hours on the phone calling Nigeria, its a no no.

This phone plan thing was quite confusing for me when I first got here... It was worse because I came with my blackberry phone. Apparently tmobile is the only provider that still supports blackberry services....I just behaved myself and got an iPhone.

MsNas:
Before buying any SIM Card though, make sure you know if it works in your area. My friend bought me a simple mobile SIM card from bestbuy but I didn't have a phone. So when I got my phone and tried activating the SIM, It doesn't walk in my area. That was why I got a T-Mobile SIM card. And if I recall now, I paid $80 at the store somewhere in Houston. I guess it included my first month phone bill, the price of the SIM card and maybe the guy put some extra dollars.

Don't get a phone on contract if you're not ready to keep paying between $80-$120 every month...depending on carrier and also the type of phone you get.

That's weird, because I know Simple Mobile operates on the t-mobile network.

DARKLIGHT:
Hi, Zeezahbee! Does it mean that one pays $10 every month for just buying a sim? Please elucidate.

Nah that's just the price of the sim.
Your monthly phone bill will depend on the data plan you choose. For example, a $40 plan with t-mobile may give you 2.5gig data for the month and 1.5gig will be high speed internet. So after you hit 1.5gig for the month,your internet speed slows to like MTN's internet speed in Nigeria

Fortunately, there is a lot of free wifi connection in a lot of public places. Avail yourself to them as much as possible.
If you have a family/friend who is on the family plan, they could add you to their plan and you could solve the phone bill wahala.

Just pay attention to the plans and what it offers.

profojah:
SimCard $50?. O boy!.That's 12k naira,.. Wey person dey beg me with Airtel sim of #100 yesterday . Going to america no be moi-moi oo, one gast be fully loaded with cash!..

Hahahahahha

For you guys that are coming to the U.S. Soon, I beg you not always do plus and minus(converting the price of items to its naira equivalent). I assure you you will never buy anything.

When you pay for items and they give you a change in coins, please keep your coins very well... Every penny counts!

DARKLIGHT:
What's the best service provider to use in US? What's the cost per month? With the phone and sim, how much? With only a sim, how much?

There are quite a lot of them here.
And hey all come with different data plans and price to it.

It is best to find one in your state. It's a lot cheaper if you're just getting a SIM card. If you want a new phone you'll have to pay the full amount which could be in hundreds of dollars depending on the phone you want.

So please don't giveaway your phone to your "cousin brother" at the airport.

LagosNIV:
I wouldn't give too much credence to that. There is a pretty hard cieling at about 28 (to be starting training) which would make you a pilot by 30. Mind you, this means you have your bachelors completed and have commissioned in your branch by 28. It might be closer to 26 for helicopter pilots because their training is longer.

You fly for the first 8 years or so, but as you are moving up the ranks you are becomming more of a planner or a staff officer. You still fly after that - and they always consider themselves pilots - but it's just to maintain the minimum number of hours really.

I don't know as much about warrant officer flight programs (they are similar, but different), but warrant officers fly for their entire careers and are considered more of technical specialists in flight operations. If it is something you are really interested, talk to the different branches. Marines, Navy and Air Force all have fixed wing (jets and propeller airplanes), and all branches, including Army, have options for helicopters.

Thank you for all your inputs.
I obviously still need to do some more research.

I have my concentration on fixed wings but even rotary winds(helicopter) is not a bad idea.
But before I have the opportunity at any of these option in the various branches I have to legally naturalise.

A lot of research I've read and some of the civilian pilots helm I've spoken to have strongly advised to keep my options open... For most civilian pilots in the United States,their first few years after flight training is usually quite hell-ish with very low pay and unimaginable schedule. Anyway I can improve that trend is always welcomed. Passion is still what keeps pilot hanging on.

Thank you again for all your inputs.

LagosNIV:
Most pilots don't even start their careers until after 24... Two years of flight school on top of their bachelors. They are all commissioned, not enlisted. It's a different process.

Well a recruiter once told me that to indicate interest to have a pilot career in the army I have to be 24 or younger...

Please note that I said "indicate". I was made to understand that as with most other major careers in the military, it is by "availability" of slots. Once you're over 24, you really don't have a shot at having a pilot career in the military.

At least that's the understanding I have.

igbonerd:
Turns out getting a visa is just the start of an exhausting travel process. I am trying to reserve a flight on Royal Air Maroc, but I can't see the option of doing that. They are prompting me to make my payment online immediately. Also, they apparently have a 17 hour layover at Casablanca. Interesting. Will I need a transit visa for that? I don't want to be blindsided by any unforseen travel policy.
My school is in Tennessee, but I want to come in through JFK, New York. Plan is to put up with a friend in New York for a day, then set out out for Tennessee. Will the POE officer in JFK frown at that? Will s/he demand to see evidence of a connecting transport - flight or Greyhound ticket - to Tennessee?

Please, I'd be grateful if someone can throw some perspective on this for me?
Thanks, guys.

Hey Bruh!

I agree with you that making travel plans can be really stressful. Getting a visa is surely not the end of life's troubles.

But don't get worked up...

About your booking, I think you should start your reservation all over. I took the liberty of going through their site and its almost the same with Qatar. You should be able to make a reservation and pay in 72hours. If you still have any issues your should call their helpline. Just relax and pay attention.

17hours is not so bad compared to what people on here have had to endure. The downside of getting a cheap ticket is a long ass layover. Prepare yourself for the layover and you just never know(i had a 20hrs layover in London and I was allowed entry without a transit visa).

JFK shouldn't give you any trouble. Just have all your document carry on luggage.

igbonerd:
House, abeg can I a book a flight and pay later? Do I have to pay immediately? I can't understand this Royal Air Maroc people o.

After a booking, you usually have 72hours to pay or your booking is cancelled.

Are you having a challenge?

DeeTus:
Hehehe. Man, this is not South Beach you know.

What the hell are you doing or are you a polar bear?

Keep your hands off that computer

Lmao!
Dont lemme land an aircraft on your roof!

dreamxml:
Interview as thus:

Me: Didn't say morning to VO.
VO: Morning, how are you?
Me: I am very well thank you.
VO: I see you wanna train to be a Pilot.
Me: Yeah,not just a pilot but pilot like Captain Sullenberger.
VO: Burts out laughing and said, well ''Captain Sullenberger to be'', what kind of aircraft would you be training in?
Me: Cesna 152/172 smiling back at VO.
VO: I also see you lived in UK for x years...
Me: Yes, I did.
VO: So tell me, what do you do?
Me: I own a small IT firm.
VO: How do you intend to fund your training.
Me: Self sponsore.
VO: Any bank statement to back it up?
Me: Handed bank statement over to VO...( Clearly shows N7.4m)
VO: Enjoy your training Captain Sullenberger to be.
Me: You have a good day.


It could have been God alone.
M1 visa issued to collect on Monday 18th May 2015.

Anyone on here looking at training as a Pilot should give CrystalAeroGroup a try.

Be encouraged everyone and keep the dream alive.

Congratulations Captain!
Good to find another pilot(in the making) on here!
You're totally gonna enjoy flight school.

how much is your tuition?