Is it safe for China students to apply for local bank cards in the United States?

The most commonly used bank cards in the United States are debit cards and credit cards. Generally speaking, you can apply for a debit card within one week after you arrive in the United States, and you can apply for a credit card after you get the SSN number. Debit cards are the main bank accounts commonly used by international students and new immigrants. Debit card accounts are divided into two categories: checking accounts and savings accounts.

A checking account is equivalent to a domestic current account and can be accessed at any time. Generally, the interest-bearing checking account will require the account to be kept above a certain amount, otherwise it will charge tens of dollars for account maintenance every month. International students are advised to open an interest-free checking account. Generally, there is no or very low requirement for the balance of the account.

As the name implies, a savings account is to deposit temporary cash in the bank to earn a little interest (the annual interest rate in the United States is generally 2.5%-6%). Different banks have different interest rates in different periods, and usually have requirements on the amount and deposit period.