Smart Spending
Consumer trends, deals, price changes, subscription services, comparison shopping, and making smarter purchasing decisions in everyday life.
Latest in Smart Spending
The FTC, Utah and Nevada sued Lens.com on October 2 over a Taxes and fees line hidden below the checkout screen that they say routinely doubles the advertised price
The Federal Trade Commission, Utah and Nevada sued online contact lens seller Lens.com on October 2, saying a mandatory “Taxes & fees” charge sits below...
Postal peak-season prices run October 4 to January 17 and add 50 cents to a light parcel in the nearer zones, rising to $20.80 on a heavy Priority Mail Express package in the farther zones
Higher postal prices for holiday parcels took effect October 4 and stay in place until 12 a.m. Central on January 17, 2027. The United States...
Walt Disney World’s 2027 single-day ticket prices peak at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, while Disney lists one-day tickets from $119
The most expensive one-day ticket at Walt Disney World in 2027 costs $229, and it applies to only a few dates at the very end...
Florida buyers of Costa Del Mar sunglasses from 2013 to 2018 have until Jan. 11, 2027 to claim
Florida citizens who bought non-prescription Costa Del Mar sunglasses between July 28, 2013, and January 31, 2018, have until January 11, 2027, to file a...
University of Phoenix students can claim $25 from a privacy settlement capped at $8.75 million by November 5
The University of Phoenix has agreed to pay $25 to each student who files a valid claim in a privacy settlement capped at $8.75 million,...
Coast Dental patients who allegedly kept getting marketing texts after opting out can claim up to $59 in cash by December 24
People who say Coast Dental Services kept texting and calling them after they asked it to stop can file for up to $59 in cash,...
Fans charged Aramark’s allegedly undisclosed venue fee at Capital One Arena can claim from a $4.5 million settlement by December 4
Aramark has agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle a class action over a 3 percent “venue fee” added to food and drink at Capital...
FTD and ProFlowers would pay $5 cash or a $15 voucher to customers charged delivery fees from 2021 to 2025, and claims close November 13
People who paid a delivery, shipping, handling or service fee on FTD.com or ProFlowers.com between January 29, 2021, and January 29, 2025, can file for...
Gas averaged $4.36 a gallon nationally on October 8, AAA says, against $3.12 a year earlier, as pump prices stay at autumn records
The national average price of regular gasoline was $4.36 a gallon on October 8, against $3.12 a year earlier, AAA said in its weekly gas...
VSL#3 probiotic buyers from 2016 to 2019 may receive $20 a unit, up to $800, from a $20 million settlement if they file by October 20
People who bought the VSL#3 probiotic between June 1, 2016, and June 19, 2019, have until October 20, 2026, to file for a share of...
Oklahoma’s treasurer added more than 6,000 names to September’s unclaimed property list as the state holds over $1 billion across more than 8 million properties
Oklahoma State Treasurer Todd Russ’s office has put more than 6,000 new names on its September unclaimed property list, and the state now holds more...
Holiday packages to Alaska and Hawaii should ship by December 16 using Ground Advantage, a day before the lower 48 deadline, the Postal Service says
Holiday parcels bound for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories have to be in the mail by Wednesday, December 16 if they...
Kroger’s $17 million Savings Club prescription pricing settlement lets insured pharmacy customers file claims through December 21, 2026, with October 22 the deadline to opt out
Kroger has agreed to pay $17 million to settle a class action over how its pharmacies reported prescription prices to insurers, and people who paid...
Consumers and third-party payors who paid for a listed generic drug can claim from a $200 million Sun Pharma and Taro settlement until November 9, but Indiana and Ohio are excluded
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Taro Pharmaceuticals USA paid $200 million to settle every consumer and third-party payor claim in the generic drug price-fixing lawsuit, and...
Consumers who bought a listed generic drug between May 2009 and December 2019 can file a claim without a receipt until March 8, 2027
A court notice for the State Attorneys General Generic Prescription Drug Settlements states that no receipts are required with the claim form, and the filing...
Barnes and Noble Education closed 68 physical campus stores, leaving 602
Barnes and Noble Education closed 68 physical campus stores in the thirteen weeks ended August 1, 2026, and finished the quarter with 602 physical stores,...
Stamps are untouched by the Postal Service price increase that starts October 4
Postage stamps are not part of the Postal Service price increase that starts October 4. The Postal Service’s temporary holiday change covers four products only,...
Amazon’s Prime order tops up earlier refunds by as much as $149
As much as $149 more can now reach Prime customers who received earlier refunds, capped at $51, under the Federal Trade Commission’s $2.5 billion order...
The Federal Trade Commission and two state attorneys general say Lens.com’s hidden fees routinely double the advertised price
The Federal Trade Commission and the attorneys general of Utah and Nevada say Lens.com’s hidden fees routinely double the price the contact-lens seller advertises, a...
Google has agreed to pay $48 million of a privacy settlement over period-tracking data, and the window to claim closes October 15 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific
Google has agreed to pay $48 million of a $59.5 million settlement over period-tracking data collected through the Flo app, and the window to claim...