sTUPID qUESTIONS aBOUT ocs

[PettyOfficerCJ]

Do you think it would be advantageous to switch from say Wells Fargo to NFCU?

Yes. I used Wells Fargo for almost my first two years in the military. (I had been with them before joining.) I then switched to Navy Fed. I liked Wells Fargo quite a bit, but Navy Fed is so much better. I absolutely wish I had switched sooner. (Also, just a bonus, Navy Fed is a credit union as well and you can get any of your immediate family members into banking there. They have a lot of options, and my sister is now interested in taking advantage of that.)

 

[Ka1ax]

As far as I know, Navy Federal doesn't have a Career Starter loan for OCS grads. If there is, they're not doing a very good job of advertising it.

Does anyone know where to find info on these loans? I checked out the USAA website and nothing came up.

 

[LadyT]

As far as I know, Navy Federal doesn't have a Career Starter loan for OCS grads. If there is, they're not doing a very good job of advertising it. I have auto with USAA too, but their rates do seem to be higher for loans (Career Starter loan being the expection at 2.99%, any other unsecured loan would have a much higher rate).

Hard for me to say, I've only ever done my banking through USAA and NFCU, so I don't really know how other checking accounts stack up. The nice thing about the USAA and NFCU checking accounts is that they each give you ATM refunds up to a certain point, so for the most part you can use any ATM you want to (or need to) for free. NFCU also does free checks. It all depends what you're looking for, but if you're paying monthly service fees or maintenance fees at Wells Fargo, I'd definitely switch. Active Duty checking for no minimum balance/monthly fees and early military pay, Flagship checking for the interest rates and because direct deposit isn't required (minimum balance of $1,500 to avoid a $10 monthly service fee). They have some other options that I don't know that much about: https://www.navyfederal.org/products-services/checking-savings/checking.php

Yes. I used Wells Fargo for almost my first two years in the military. (I had been with them before joining.) I then switched to Navy Fed. I liked Wells Fargo quite a bit, but Navy Fed is so much better. I absolutely wish I had switched sooner. (Also, just a bonus, Navy Fed is a credit union as well and you can get any of your immediate family members into banking there. They have a lot of options, and my sister is now interested in taking advantage of that.)

Thanks for the info. I am going to try and switch over before OCS so I can set up my bill pay.

 

[Ka1ax]

Likewise, I've had USAA for my car insurance as long as I remember and their customer service has been great. Might as well put everything into one boat. Plus, if you have bills/credit cards from other companies, it'll pull it all into one dashboard for you. Definitely helped me manage my debt in one spot

 

[PettyOfficerCJ]

Thanks for the info. I am going to try and switch over before OCS so I can set up my bill pay.

Lol. Bill pay was the reason I didn't switch right away when we were offered the signup in bootcamp. It would be best if you could do it before, but if you can't just know that you'll still be able to afterwards.

 

[LET73]

Thanks! So, after I leave the squadron (or an aviation related billet), back to black?

I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself, but pretty much everyone who goes from an aviation billet to shore duty keeps wearing the brown shoes (they do look better).

 

[VoodooNova]

I like the way you think. You don't open letters in front of DI's, but the DI's do pass out the letters in front of everybody, so you'll have to make the outside of the envelope fabulous. For some design inspirations, I recommend googling "My Little Pony rule 34" (not safe for work) (don't actually do this) (no really, DON'T)

DIs don't pass out mail (in my time there) anymore. Someone within the company is a mail body and they pass it out to people. If you get a package, then you go to your class team and open it in front of one of them.

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

DIs don't pass out mail (in my time there) anymore. Someone within the company is a mail body and they pass it out to people. If you get a package, then you go to your class team and open it in front of one of them.

We had mail bodies too, but the first week as indocs, before we got our billets, our DI's passed our mail out.

 

[RealMattyThomas]

We had mail bodies too, but the first week as indocs, before we got our billets, our DI's passed our mail out.

I just graduated about 2 weeks ago. The way it's been for the past 4-5 classes(at least), is you don't even get mail until after the first week. It's very much class team dependent, but usually you'll meet your DI and chiefs and get your billets on the same day, First Friday. If you and your classmates are smart, you'll elect someone that rolled up from H-class to be mail body, because they'll usually already have a mail card. Then what Voodonova said is accurate. The DIs won't see any mail unless you bring it to them or the mail body passes out in front of them. Who knows, they might require this, every class team is different. My DI didn't give a shit about mail, and with any packages the only written rule is that it has to be opened in front of a class team member. So we always just took packages to our chief.

Btw, just using "you" in the general sense.

 

[usnavymle]

Do you think it would be advantageous to switch from say Wells Fargo to NFCU?

I've used Wells Fargo and Bank of America, and they're both pretty much the devil. NFCU and USAA are great, and each provide different benefits. I have great auto and home insurance policies through USAA, but NFCU has given us better interest rates on car loans. I strongly recommend switching as soon as you hit Active Duty.

 

[LadyT]

I've used Wells Fargo and Bank of America, and they're both pretty much the devil. NFCU and USAA are great, and each provide different benefits. I have great auto and home insurance policies through USAA, but NFCU has given us better interest rates on car loans. I strongly recommend switching as soon as you hit Active Duty.

Thanks. There aren't any NFCU branches where I live, but there are some in my home town. Hopefully I will have enough time between when I receive my FINSEL and when I ship out to go home and make the switch.

 

[Spekkio]

In the meantime, USAA has met 99% of my banking needs. My only issue was when I needed 3 grand for a security deposit and first months' rent: no personal checks. I tried to do a money order, but it exceeded my withdrawal limit. I called them to increase my limit, but the next time I tried to do it, it was declined because I exceeded my daily withdrawal limit or something like that. Long story short (too late), after three or four calls to USAA and no money changing hands, I went to NFCU, deposited a USAA check into my account and got a cashier's check. In and out in ten minutes. Morals of the story: for a money order that big, call them before you do it; and there are some things that are easier when you can walk into an actual building and annoy people until you get your way.

Pro-tip for next time: Have the landlord give you a voided check. You can enter his/her name, account number, and routing number into USAA and transfer the funds electronically. No fees. You can also have this recur every month. This is how I've paid my rent the last two and a half years.

I was scared about going to online-only for personal banking when I first switched to USAA, but I have never needed to walk into a branch to do anything in 7 years of using them.

EDIT: The trick is that you don't use the "wire transfer" function, which incurs fees, but the simple "transfer funds" as if you were going to move your money around, which then leads you to a screen where you can "transfer funds to a non-USAA account..." and go from there.

 

[Donald Auld]

This may seem like a petty question, but are you provided any sort of sunglasses in OCS? I had PRK surgery last august, and since then my eyes have been quite sensitive to sunlight. I just received a PRO REC Y for pilot! Any insight on this issue would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[RealMattyThomas]

This may seem like a petty question, but are you provided any sort of sunglasses in OCS? I had PRK surgery last august, and since then my eyes have been quite sensitive to sunlight. I just received a PRO REC Y for pilot! Any insight on this issue would be helpful. Thanks.

Definitely not. Unless you had a 'chit' from a doctor allowing you to wear them. There was one person in my class that had those glasses that automatically darken in sunlight, and I don't think anyone ever mentioned it. She may have had a chit though. Idk

 

[Donald Auld]

Luckily, the surgery was a huge success so I don't need glasses, but I have tried running with no glasses at all and I found myself straining my eyes. I guess it is just something I will have to get use to.. Not a huge problem. Thanks for the help!