Friday 26 February 2010
How to find cheapest flight tickets
sets up email alerts for prices on the route you are shopping for at fare-watching sites like Kayak.com or Farecast.com. Find out whether discount-carrier Southwest Airlines Co. flies a route. also checks the ticket on booking sites like Travelocity or Orbitz.
Priceline.com
The best time to shop is late Monday or early Tuesday, some fare experts say. Airlines often start fare sales on Sunday night or Monday morning, said Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com. Those sales alone are fine if they include the flight you want. But other carriers generally match the fare sale by Monday evening or Tuesday morning, giving you more choices.
Seaney said Wednesdays are generally the cheapest day to fly. Tuesdays and Saturdays are also good days to fly because demand is low and the airlines are trying to fill seats.
But the airlines are posting fares on their own schedule. They file fares to the computer system that shares them among websites and travel agents three times each weekday - 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time. It's 5 p.m. Eastern on Saturdays and Sundays. That means fares can change at those times, so when you do see a fare at the price you're looking for, grab it.
But shopper beware. Fares start to rise again seven to 10 days before a flight - sometimes as long as 14 days or more, depending on the airline and sale offer. Airlines raise fares closer to the departure date because last-minute seats tend to be bought by business travellers and others who must fly at certain times.
If you're packaging airfare, hotel and a rental car, however, consider Orbitz and Travelocity, which often discount such bundles.
BestFares.com
Priceline.com
The best time to shop is late Monday or early Tuesday, some fare experts say. Airlines often start fare sales on Sunday night or Monday morning, said Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com. Those sales alone are fine if they include the flight you want. But other carriers generally match the fare sale by Monday evening or Tuesday morning, giving you more choices.
Seaney said Wednesdays are generally the cheapest day to fly. Tuesdays and Saturdays are also good days to fly because demand is low and the airlines are trying to fill seats.
But the airlines are posting fares on their own schedule. They file fares to the computer system that shares them among websites and travel agents three times each weekday - 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time. It's 5 p.m. Eastern on Saturdays and Sundays. That means fares can change at those times, so when you do see a fare at the price you're looking for, grab it.
But shopper beware. Fares start to rise again seven to 10 days before a flight - sometimes as long as 14 days or more, depending on the airline and sale offer. Airlines raise fares closer to the departure date because last-minute seats tend to be bought by business travellers and others who must fly at certain times.
If you're packaging airfare, hotel and a rental car, however, consider Orbitz and Travelocity, which often discount such bundles.
BestFares.com
Thursday 25 February 2010
Money management tips online
Want to brush up on money management? The website fcac-acfc.gc.ca, run by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, features a variety of useful interactive tools to educate Canadians on financial literacy. Features include a mortgage calculator, reports on credit cards, their interest rates and tips on how to manage them, and guides to banking across the country.
Six types of insurance you probably don't need
By Gordon Powers
April 11, 2008
Six types of insurance you probably don't need
Canadians typically pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year in insurance. Which begs the question: do we really need all the insurance we're paying for? Here's a look at some types of insurance we could probably do without.
Everyone needs insurance. But, there's no quick, all-purpose answer. Determining just what type and amount of coverage you need depends on your financial situation, your goals for the future, and your family circumstances.
For most of us, that means taking care of the big risks, including your life, your health, your home, and your car - in roughly that order. Sounds simple, right? Except that many people wind up spending more money than they should on coverage they don't need.
Here are a few of the more common types of insurance coverage that you can probably do without:
1. Children. Life insurance is designed to protect surviving family members if a breadwinner dies. And, while losing a child is every parent's nightmare, kids don't have debts or dependents and, therefore, any liabilities. So, why do they need "10-cents-a-day" life insurance coverage?
Happily, the chances of a child dying are quite slim, which makes buying a juvenile policy an emotional and, ultimately, costly bet for most people. Your money would be better spent on covering the adults in the family.
And, don't be tempted by a guarantee of future insurability. Take out a policy now, you'll hear, and your kids won't have to risk being denied coverage if they develop a chronic illness sometime in the future. It may sound tempting, particularly if you have a family history of diabetes or heart disease but, again, there are better options.
2. Accidents. Unless you're working as a stunt man or racing cars for a living, the odds of you dying in an accident are actually fairly low. Insuring against this eventuality often costs more than the premiums on a term life policy, which would cover you no matter how you die.
Major catastrophes such as car wrecks and fires are usually covered under other policies you're likely to hold. And, if you're killed on the job, your employer would be on the hook. Stick with a broader life policy which focuses on the event of your death, not on how it happened.
3. Identities. While you should be vigilant to ensure that someone doesn't steal your confidential information online, identity theft policies, usually sold as an add-on to house or condo insurance, aren't likely to help much, says the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. In fact, much of the coverage available is already provided free to most consumers, although many may not realize it, the Centre reports.
Given the zero-liability policies of major credit card issuers and because debit card losses are generally reimbursed, identity theft insurance for credit or debit card losses is superfluous in most cases, PIAC advises.
As well, since its major benefits - payment for time off work to resolve messy identity theft issues, as well as legal assistance - are capped at such low recovery levels, identity-theft coverage is generally not worthwhile.
4. Warranties. An extended warranty gives you some protection in case your purchase breaks down after the manufacturer's warranty runs out. It can easily add 30% to the price of goods, particularly electronics. Is it worth it?
Well, it depends on the length of the original manufacturer's warranty. If it's for one year and the extended warranty is for two, you're really only receiving one extra year of protection for the cost.
If you're doing your shopping at close-out vendors, which generally just supply you with a replacement product, you may want the comfort of extra coverage however.
Many credit cards give extended warranty coverage to customers who purchase a product using their credit card. Check with your provider to learn more about what they offer.
5. Cars. Consider dropping collision and/or comprehensive coverage if you own an older vehicle. You'll only recoup the book value of the vehicle, which is often lower than you think, if it's totalled in an accident.
As a rule of thumb, it's probably not cost-effective to continue insuring cars worth less than 10 times the amount you expect to pay in premiums, warns the Insurance Information Institute. With most cars, you should approach this limit after five or six years. Understand, however, that if you eliminate this coverage, you'll have to look after accident repairs or replacement if the car is stolen.
6. Flights. Again, this is very expensive comfort. Although the odds vary depending on how much you fly, your chances of getting killed in a plane crash are much lower than of you getting hit by lightning. Even then, the odds are that you'll survive the crash. And, if you don't, the airline will likely compensate your family.
In fact, you may already have flight insurance, assuming you purchased your plane ticket with a credit card. Some credit card companies provide basic coverage just for charging your ticket on their card. And, you can often supplement this for a fairly modest premium when compared with what's available in airports.
April 11, 2008
Six types of insurance you probably don't need
Canadians typically pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year in insurance. Which begs the question: do we really need all the insurance we're paying for? Here's a look at some types of insurance we could probably do without.
Everyone needs insurance. But, there's no quick, all-purpose answer. Determining just what type and amount of coverage you need depends on your financial situation, your goals for the future, and your family circumstances.
For most of us, that means taking care of the big risks, including your life, your health, your home, and your car - in roughly that order. Sounds simple, right? Except that many people wind up spending more money than they should on coverage they don't need.
Here are a few of the more common types of insurance coverage that you can probably do without:
1. Children. Life insurance is designed to protect surviving family members if a breadwinner dies. And, while losing a child is every parent's nightmare, kids don't have debts or dependents and, therefore, any liabilities. So, why do they need "10-cents-a-day" life insurance coverage?
Happily, the chances of a child dying are quite slim, which makes buying a juvenile policy an emotional and, ultimately, costly bet for most people. Your money would be better spent on covering the adults in the family.
And, don't be tempted by a guarantee of future insurability. Take out a policy now, you'll hear, and your kids won't have to risk being denied coverage if they develop a chronic illness sometime in the future. It may sound tempting, particularly if you have a family history of diabetes or heart disease but, again, there are better options.
2. Accidents. Unless you're working as a stunt man or racing cars for a living, the odds of you dying in an accident are actually fairly low. Insuring against this eventuality often costs more than the premiums on a term life policy, which would cover you no matter how you die.
Major catastrophes such as car wrecks and fires are usually covered under other policies you're likely to hold. And, if you're killed on the job, your employer would be on the hook. Stick with a broader life policy which focuses on the event of your death, not on how it happened.
3. Identities. While you should be vigilant to ensure that someone doesn't steal your confidential information online, identity theft policies, usually sold as an add-on to house or condo insurance, aren't likely to help much, says the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. In fact, much of the coverage available is already provided free to most consumers, although many may not realize it, the Centre reports.
Given the zero-liability policies of major credit card issuers and because debit card losses are generally reimbursed, identity theft insurance for credit or debit card losses is superfluous in most cases, PIAC advises.
As well, since its major benefits - payment for time off work to resolve messy identity theft issues, as well as legal assistance - are capped at such low recovery levels, identity-theft coverage is generally not worthwhile.
4. Warranties. An extended warranty gives you some protection in case your purchase breaks down after the manufacturer's warranty runs out. It can easily add 30% to the price of goods, particularly electronics. Is it worth it?
Well, it depends on the length of the original manufacturer's warranty. If it's for one year and the extended warranty is for two, you're really only receiving one extra year of protection for the cost.
If you're doing your shopping at close-out vendors, which generally just supply you with a replacement product, you may want the comfort of extra coverage however.
Many credit cards give extended warranty coverage to customers who purchase a product using their credit card. Check with your provider to learn more about what they offer.
5. Cars. Consider dropping collision and/or comprehensive coverage if you own an older vehicle. You'll only recoup the book value of the vehicle, which is often lower than you think, if it's totalled in an accident.
As a rule of thumb, it's probably not cost-effective to continue insuring cars worth less than 10 times the amount you expect to pay in premiums, warns the Insurance Information Institute. With most cars, you should approach this limit after five or six years. Understand, however, that if you eliminate this coverage, you'll have to look after accident repairs or replacement if the car is stolen.
6. Flights. Again, this is very expensive comfort. Although the odds vary depending on how much you fly, your chances of getting killed in a plane crash are much lower than of you getting hit by lightning. Even then, the odds are that you'll survive the crash. And, if you don't, the airline will likely compensate your family.
In fact, you may already have flight insurance, assuming you purchased your plane ticket with a credit card. Some credit card companies provide basic coverage just for charging your ticket on their card. And, you can often supplement this for a fairly modest premium when compared with what's available in airports.
Existing customers call TELUS to negotiate your cost
Telus is having a loyal customer sale....they are dropping their land line cost to 16.95 plus taxes.......so if you use Telus, call this number to get the sale....1-866-429-8144.
check fuel consumption rates for your cars or before purchase
http://oee.rncan.gc.ca/transportation/personal-vehicles-initiative.cfm
figure out Made For Adsense websites and filter them out from your web site
http://www.adsblacklist.com/
Canadian pay as you go / prepaid SIM cards for travellers
Canadian pay as you go / prepaid SIM cards for travellers
May 9th, 2008
Because I write a lot of posts related to phones, especially Canadian cell phones, I often get asked about SIM card options for people travelling to Canada. Here is the little that I know Please feel free to correct me if I’ve made any errors!
First of all, if you have an unlocked GSM phone, make sure that it runs on the North America 850 and/or 1900 bands (unlike the 900 and 1800 bands in Europe and many other places). If you have a tri-band or quad-band phone, you are OK.
Unlike many other places in the world, SIM cards don’t hang on popular Canadian retailers’ racks. Not only that, but the per minute and entry costs are relatively bad. So get ready to spend more than you would elsewhere and note that getting a SIM card isn’t exactly easy as pie.
Also, Rogers owns the entire GSM network, so only Rogers, Fido, and many small players (some to be mentioned later) that rent Rogers bandwidth have SIM cards. Telus, Bell, Virgin, Koodo, and many others use a different network without SIM cards and thus force you to use their phones.
Your options to buy just a SIM card include:
Walk into a Rogers retail location (if there is one near where you are going in Canada) and ask to buy a SIM card for $25 (Update: someone has reported that this is now $40 including $10 of airtime). They don’t advertise this.
Find a SIM card for Rogers or Fido pay as you go / prepaid on eBay or Craigslist. You will pay between $10 and $30 CAD for the SIM card, but sometimes they have some airtime included. Remember to either leave enough time for shipping or be prepared to meet up with someone in person.
Look for a Speak Out Wireless or Petro Canada SIM card from someone else in Canada on this forum.
Note that with all options above, airtime is extra unless stated. In Canada, local pay as you go airtime costs between 20 and 40 cents per minute.
If you do not already have a cell phone, your best bet is to buy a phone + SIM combination (which dominates Canada) not from the big guy Rogers, but from the 7-Eleven convenience store or the Petro Canada gas station. You still have to pay between $50 and $75 for the lowest priced phone, plus airtime. Having an existing phone and buying a SIM is much better. If you must go this route, try and find some Canadian friends who could use your phone + SIM after you’re done with it. 7-Eleven and Petro Canada’s services do have the best per minute rates, and their airtime lasts the longest before expiring, so take some solace.
Travelling to both the USA and Canada? Consider getting one SIM card for each country. Canadian SIM cards have awful US roaming prices. US SIM cards have slightly better Canada roaming prices, but they’re still quite steep
Making long distance calls while in Canada? National long distance call rates in Canada are not much more than the local per minute rates, but if you are doing much national calling or making international cards, buy a phone card (where you dial a local number and then the service prompts you to enter the long distance number) from a grocery or convenience store or sign up with an online service like justdial.ca. The reason for this is that international rates on Canadian cell phones are usually much worse than paying local per minute charges + the phone card charges.
from: http://www.theblog.ca/page/12
May 9th, 2008
Because I write a lot of posts related to phones, especially Canadian cell phones, I often get asked about SIM card options for people travelling to Canada. Here is the little that I know Please feel free to correct me if I’ve made any errors!
First of all, if you have an unlocked GSM phone, make sure that it runs on the North America 850 and/or 1900 bands (unlike the 900 and 1800 bands in Europe and many other places). If you have a tri-band or quad-band phone, you are OK.
Unlike many other places in the world, SIM cards don’t hang on popular Canadian retailers’ racks. Not only that, but the per minute and entry costs are relatively bad. So get ready to spend more than you would elsewhere and note that getting a SIM card isn’t exactly easy as pie.
Also, Rogers owns the entire GSM network, so only Rogers, Fido, and many small players (some to be mentioned later) that rent Rogers bandwidth have SIM cards. Telus, Bell, Virgin, Koodo, and many others use a different network without SIM cards and thus force you to use their phones.
Your options to buy just a SIM card include:
Walk into a Rogers retail location (if there is one near where you are going in Canada) and ask to buy a SIM card for $25 (Update: someone has reported that this is now $40 including $10 of airtime). They don’t advertise this.
Find a SIM card for Rogers or Fido pay as you go / prepaid on eBay or Craigslist. You will pay between $10 and $30 CAD for the SIM card, but sometimes they have some airtime included. Remember to either leave enough time for shipping or be prepared to meet up with someone in person.
Look for a Speak Out Wireless or Petro Canada SIM card from someone else in Canada on this forum.
Note that with all options above, airtime is extra unless stated. In Canada, local pay as you go airtime costs between 20 and 40 cents per minute.
If you do not already have a cell phone, your best bet is to buy a phone + SIM combination (which dominates Canada) not from the big guy Rogers, but from the 7-Eleven convenience store or the Petro Canada gas station. You still have to pay between $50 and $75 for the lowest priced phone, plus airtime. Having an existing phone and buying a SIM is much better. If you must go this route, try and find some Canadian friends who could use your phone + SIM after you’re done with it. 7-Eleven and Petro Canada’s services do have the best per minute rates, and their airtime lasts the longest before expiring, so take some solace.
Travelling to both the USA and Canada? Consider getting one SIM card for each country. Canadian SIM cards have awful US roaming prices. US SIM cards have slightly better Canada roaming prices, but they’re still quite steep
Making long distance calls while in Canada? National long distance call rates in Canada are not much more than the local per minute rates, but if you are doing much national calling or making international cards, buy a phone card (where you dial a local number and then the service prompts you to enter the long distance number) from a grocery or convenience store or sign up with an online service like justdial.ca. The reason for this is that international rates on Canadian cell phones are usually much worse than paying local per minute charges + the phone card charges.
from: http://www.theblog.ca/page/12
You may call your credit card company to stop sending you credit card cheques
call the number on the back of your card or statement.
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