Debit Cards?

If the debit card has Visa/Mastercard on it, I think most places take them. Unless you're living in town & on city water, everyone has cisterns & septics. There's Choice for cable/internet. Some have satellites.

Debit cards are widely accepted... as long as the key pad is working at that cash register that day. The banks have cash machines.

Dish Network is the primary alternative to Innovative, but some people do get a DirecTV system set up... but get the South America package, so many channels are in Spanish.

MOST homes have cisterns and septic, but properties in or close to town may have city water and sewer. Some have both as options. If the property is remote, it will have septic/cistern only.

Wow ultra fast responses! Thanks

So one more question-Is there good cell phone coverage on the Islands (US-VI)? Is this an alternative to having a home phone, or should we have both?

You guys rock!
Mike

Yes. The biggest are AT&T & Sprint. On STT, you get spotty service in a few locations e.g. at my house Sprint doesn't work.

And make sure you dont use Verizon down here.. for $2 dollars a minute. I have sprint down here and the only thing I truly hate is not knowing who is calling you. No caller ID unless you are in the sprint network. You still have email TV and decently fast downloads, but you cant have caller ID way to high tech.

LAME!

Oh well I still like it here...8-)

trade no cellphone works in Frenchman's bay nor either at&t or Sprint i have both????? In regards to Debit cards i have my account in first bank and i have a visa checkcard i never had any problems buying anything in the VI even in tortola or virgin gorda never. In regards to tv i have both Innovative and Dish network sometimes when it gets very cloudy you might loose your signal for seconds even minutes so i have innovative for those times also sometimes you might loose a couple of channels or service all together with innovative so my dish is my back up in the islands you always need back up. In regards to water if you have a big enough cistern like i have you hardly never have to fill it up i think i have fill it up may once or twice in a year and that is because i was doing major renovation in my house and water was needed. It rains allot in the islands so cistern is always full. By the way lately power at least in Peterborg stt has been pretty good hardly no blackouts maybe it has to do with the price of oil has gone dooooown to 54 dollars a barrel maybe that has help wapa allot. I know that st croix because of hurricane omar still kind of spooty.

About debit cards. You may already know this, but I have had several tenants try to pay me using PayPal with a debit card. Doesn't work, even if it's Visa or MC. Has to be a real credit card. Also, a couple of people arrived on island thinking they could rent a car with their debit card. No go! I use my Visa debit card often for regular shopping anywhere credit cards are accepted, but they don't work for everything. But, that's the same anywhere. It's not an island thing.

Another thought. When in Kmart or Plaza (or anywhere else), before you stand in a long line, check out the signs on the register. Quite often, a particular register won't accept debit cards.

AT&T works in Frenchman's Bay at my place. Sprint does too but the service is spotty in places & doesn't work at all at my house.

I have used by debit card in states and here locally just like a credit card. easier to carry then cash. but yes make sure it has visa or mastercard on it. i could not believe how much easier it is to travel with then cash. oh course if you loose it while traveling could be screwed.