Unlimited vs. “pay-as-you-go”: You may go for unlimited calling or texting or “pay-as-you-go” options that charge per text/minute. If your plan is not unlimited, you are charged per minute or text even when someone else is calling/texting you.
Prepaid vs. contract: you can prepay for your phone services (calling, texting, and data) or you can get into a monthly contract. Prepaid options are more flexible since you’re not “indebted” to the provider.
Please note: you have to pay for your mobile phone to remain active – not only for outgoing calls but also for incoming calls.
Buy upfront or in installments: you can buy your phone upfront or pay a mobile service provider for it over time. Phones bought from providers on installments tend to be locked to only one network and tend to be more expensive in the long run.

The most reliable (some might say the only reliable) network on campus is At&t. You may use At&t directly or other virtual network operators that run on the At&t network. These tend to be more budget-friendly and include H20 Wireless and Cricket Wireless. 

How can I call internationally from here? Besides WhatsApp, there are options for traditional calling through services such as Rebtel. H20 wireless plans also typically include some international minutes.

911 is the emergency number that gets you through to police, fire department, and emergency medical services. The on-campus emergency number is 618-374-5111. From a landline on campus, you can reach the on-campus emergency number by dialing 5111.

Groceries: Aldi and Walmart are budget-friendly supermarkets for groceries. Target and Schnucks are other common options but they tend to be slightly pricier.
Clothing: Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls are great options for budget-friendly yet high quality clothing, personal care items, and room supplies.
Thrift shopping: you can find trendy clothes and other items at meager prices at places such as Goodwill, Plato’s Closet, and Salvation Army.
Online shopping: You can get almost anything online, from clothing to textbooks to electronics. Amazon has nearly everything. Best Buy is known for electronics. When entering your shipping address, don’t forget to include your full name so the college mail room can identify the owner of the package when it arrives on campus. You will get a notification from the college mailroom when your package is ready for pickup.

If you order things online they will be delivered to the college mailroom. You will get a notification from the college mailroom when your package is ready for pickup. The address to use for on-campus delivery is:

Your Name
Street Address: 1 Maybeck Place
City/Town: Elsah
State: Illinois (IL)
Zip code: 62028

Unfortunately, Elsah is currently not within any major public transport network. However, we do have a shuttle service that runs on weekends with stops in Alton and St. Louis. Within Alton and St. Louis, here are some of the public transport services available:

Amtrak: Operates cross-country trains, including trains between St. Louis and Chicago through Alton. Tickets can be purchased through the Amtrak app or on their website.

Madison County Transit System : Operates bus systems in Alton, Edwardsville, Granite City and other areas.

Metrolink: Operates buses and trains in the St. Louis metro area.

There are many international money transfer companies which you can create an account with and transfer money from your bank account, such as:

1. Western Union
2. MoneyGram
3. PayPal
4. Xoom
5. Wise (formerly TransferWise)
6. Paysend
7. Remitly
8. Sendwave

You can transfer money locally through Peer to Peer (P2P) payments. Here are the top 5 methods:

1. Zelle
2. Cash App
3. Venmo
4. PayPal
5. Apple Cash