green living, smart spending
Airport baggage handlers have been caught stealing again, but this time it’s not swiping valuables out of our checked luggage. This time, the bad guys were caught stealing credit cards, checks and money orders out of the U. S. Mail, and using some 0f their illegal profits buy iPads and other electronics in airport gift
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So far, the checked baggage increase for 2014 announced by Spirit Airlines has not been matched by other airlines, including other budget carriers. But 2014 is still young. Fees are a major source of revenue for airlines. According to the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 15 U.S. airlines took in nearly $4 Billion
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The FCC has opened public comment on a proposed rule to allow in-flight cellphone calls. Although public comment has been overwhelmingly opposed so far, that might not stop the FCC from allowing airplanes to be turned into loud chatrooms at 30,000 feet. Can you imaging being locked into a seat next to a serial yapper
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Scam alert: Even if you weren’t one of the 70 million or more Target customers affected by the headline-making data breach, it’s a good reminder to protect yourself from identity theft. As ecoXplorer reported earlier, everybody – whether or not you are a Target customer – is entitled to one free credit report a year.
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Federal regulations entitle you to one FREE credit report a year from each of the three top credit reporting agencies, TransUnion,Experian and Equifax. Even if you weren’t one of the 100 million victims of the recent theft of Target credit card numbers and their PIN numbers, it’s important to check your credit history and score
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Scam Alert: The horror of the devastating typhoon in the Philippines is beyond belief. Unfortunately, tragedies like this bring out creeps who want to take advantage of our instinct to help by launching scam charities. It happened after Superstorm Sandy, after the Haiti earthquake, even after the Sandy Hook school slaughter. Yes, absolutely send money
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If a hotel, restaurant, cruise ship or product review sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Meaning – not true. New York State has just settled fraud cases with 19 companies accused of soliciting or publishing fake reviews. Great reviews boost the bottom line – Great reviews on sites including Yelp, Travelocity. Citysearch,
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There’s just no end to the creative ways airlines are adding new fees. The latest is from Delta, which now is offering something it calls the Smart Travel Pack, for $199. This gets you a combination of one free bag, priority boarding, preferred seats and a 20% bonus on frequent flier miles. The good news
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The founder of the Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich chain killed an elephant and an endangered leopard for sport and some trophy photos. That may not have anything to do with the quality of the chain’s food, but it does indicate the ethics and quality of the man behind the sandwiches. So these are two reasons
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The newest profit center for bars and restaurants is the free charger for smartphones and tablets. It’s not free for users, who are likely to stay longer than they might have planned, buying more drinks and food than they intended, while they wait for their “free” courtesy charge. It’s a great deal for bars and
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