Banking In Norway

We interrupt this regularly scheduled posting to point out that last night was the 10,000th time someone visited this blog. Many are repeat visitors- there is a surprisingly high number of regular readers, according to my stat logs. Still, I am pleasantly surprised.

Yesterday we took care of a pile of loose ends around here. For example, I am schedule to take a Norwegian test as a requirement for living here, but I have a work conflict. The gifts I ordered for family back in the US never arrived. I thought I received an extra month of cell phone bills for my US phone. We also tried to establish a bank account for me, now that I have my national ID number.

The US could probably take a page out of Norway's banking playbook. I doubt a terrorist would have any trouble setting up banking in the US. While I still have a stack of American Visa cards, I am unable to have a check card with a Visa logo in Norway, because my work permit expires before the bank card would expire. Of course here they don't even use checks, so it is more like a debit card. The issue is that Visa cards contain a photo ID on the back, and are often used as a form of legal identification, so banks are very cautious about handing them out. Anyway, we will start off with a joint account, and I will be unable to make online purchases, since my card will lack the Visa logo. It seems absurd. Point of sale transactions use PIN codes, rather than signatures, so it really doesn't matter, much. Still, it is the principle that I don't care for.

I suppose I should look into obtaining a Norwegian driver's license next. My job will provide me with a cell phone, and maybe even a laptop.