Originally Posted by
oscietra
HSBC have an excellent international service, and can help with opening local bank accounts and credit cards. Best to get all this sorted before you arrive.
^ When I moved to New York, I had US bank accounts and credit cards sorted 3 months before I moved. My employer did it all for me but you can just pop into a branch to start the ball rolling. If you have UK accounts with HSBC, they link all your accounts together so you can move funds between them instantly which is very handy.