Smart Spending
Consumer trends, deals, price changes, subscription services, comparison shopping, and making smarter purchasing decisions in everyday life.
Latest in Smart Spending
$25,000 is the Flagstar Bank breach-loss ceiling before August 11
Flagstar Bank’s proposed data-breach settlement places a high ceiling on documented losses, but the $25,000 figure is not a flat payment and the August 11...
Ring customers are getting new Zelle payments after more than $5.4 million in refunds
Ring’s newest refund round uses Zelle to reach eligible customers who missed earlier payments, extending a privacy settlement that has already returned more than $5.4...
University of Phoenix students are getting new Zelle payments after $49 million in refunds
The newest University of Phoenix refunds are arriving through Zelle, but they are not a fresh application round and they are not the same relief...
The FTC is mailing 62,893 Handy workers checks totaling more than $2.7 million
A $2.7 million refund program for Handy workers is moving through ordinary paper checks, making the mailbox—not an application portal—the decisive point of contact. The...
Target gives teachers and college students 20% off one purchase through September 12
Target is offering verified teachers and college students 20% off one storewide purchase through September 12, 2026, extending a large one-transaction discount beyond the retailer’s...
August 5 is the deadline for Sprouts shoppers to claim money from a $5 million receipt settlement
Sprouts shoppers have only through August 5 to seek a payment from a proposed $5 million settlement over card-number information allegedly printed on store receipts....
Who can claim a share of Google’s $68 million Assistant settlement by August 27?
A $68 million fund is open to two overlapping groups affected by Google Assistant, but owning a Google device is only one route into the...
Delta, United and American still offer discounted fares of up to 25% for travelers 65 and older
The airline senior discount has not disappeared, but it has gone into hiding. Delta, United and American still quietly offer reduced fares to travelers 65...
Older flyers without a Real ID now pay a $45 TSA fee, good for just 10 days, to board
Air travelers who show up at security without a Real ID-compliant license or another acceptable document now face a $45 charge to board, and the...
Billions in life-insurance payouts go unclaimed, and a free national locator can find a lost policy
Billions of dollars in life-insurance and annuity benefits sit unpaid across the country, usually for a mundane reason: the people entitled to the money never...
$78.5 million will settle a case over defective Toyota airbag control units, and some owners can file a claim
A $78.5 million settlement is resolving claims that certain Toyota vehicles carried defective airbag control units that could fail to deploy the airbags in a...
Owners of some Whirlpool, Maytag and KitchenAid refrigerators can get a free repair or cash for a defective part
A class action settlement over an allegedly defective wire harness in certain Whirlpool-manufactured refrigerators is now open for claims, and owners of covered Whirlpool, Maytag,...
YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream subscribers can claim a cash payout from an antitrust settlement
Subscribers who paid for YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream over the past several years can claim a cash payout from a $50 million antitrust settlement...
Owners of 1.5 million recalled Ocoopa hand warmers can get a refund after fires and one death
About 1.5 million rechargeable hand warmers sold under the OCOOPA name are being pulled from American homes after their batteries were tied to 15 fires,...
Esse Health patients can claim a flat $50 from a data-breach settlement, no proof needed, by August 4
Patients of Esse Health, a St. Louis physician group, can claim a flat $50 cash payment from a data-breach settlement without submitting any proof of...
Tinder will pay $60.5 million to California users it charged more for being older, with a payout choice due August 18
Tinder has agreed to pay $60.5 million to settle a long-running lawsuit accusing it of charging older California users more than younger ones for the...
Best Buy recalled Insignia gas ranges because the knobs can turn on by accident, and owners can get free knob covers.
Best Buy has recalled about 3,820 Insignia gas ranges in the United States because their front-mounted knobs can be turned on by accident, creating a...
Amazon Prime’s price could rise to $159 a year, though current members can lock in $139 before any hike.
Amazon Prime could get more expensive for the first time in years. A closely watched Wall Street projection has the annual U.S. membership climbing to...
Panasonic is offering full refunds on recalled toaster ovens after reports the power cord can shock or spark.
Panasonic will refund the full purchase price of a single toaster oven model after federal safety regulators warned its power cord can shock or spark....
Owners of about 13,500 recalled Amana window air conditioners can get a full refund over a fire risk.
About 13,514 Amana air conditioners and heat pumps now qualify for a full refund, and for the households and building owners who bought them the...