Smart Spending
Consumer trends, deals, price changes, subscription services, comparison shopping, and making smarter purchasing decisions in everyday life.
Latest in Smart Spending
Dr. Squatch soap buyers can claim up to $12.50 from a $9 million settlement by November 27
A $9 million settlement over Dr. Squatch’s “natural” product marketing is paying out as much as $12.50 per claimant, with completed claims due November 27,...
Apple’s $250 million Siri settlement heads to a final approval hearing on February 24, 2027
A $250 million settlement over Apple’s Siri and Apple Intelligence claims is not finished. The deal has preliminary court approval, but a federal judge in...
Apple buyers of certain iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models from June 2024 to March 2025 can file for up to $95 per phone by December 21
Apple has opened a $250 million settlement fund that pays owners of seven iPhone models bought new in the United States between June 10, 2024,...
Some Amazon return-refund customers get paid automatically; others must file by December 1
A $309.5 million settlement over Amazon’s handling of failed refunds sorts the customers it covers into two very different payment tracks, according to the notice...
FTC warns the sticker price can’t turn into hundreds or thousands more at signing
The Federal Trade Commission is warning car dealers that the price a shopper sees in an ad cannot grow by hundreds or thousands of dollars...
The FTC says an advertised car price must include every dealer-required charge
The Federal Trade Commission published new guidance on September 15, 2026, stating that the price in a car advertisement must include every charge a dealer...
Alaska tells car dealers: the advertised price cannot leave out mandatory document fees
Alaska’s Department of Law is pressing car dealers on a basic pricing rule: the price advertised for a vehicle must already include every dealer fee,...
Alaska used-car buyers will split more than $500,000 in hidden-document-fee refunds
More than 5,000 people who bought used cars from Payless Used Car Sales in Alaska are in line for $100 restitution checks after the state...
New York car buyers are getting more than $1 million back after hidden dealership fees
Two Westchester County car dealerships will return more than $1 million to New York buyers and lessees who were charged a hidden 2% “sales commission”...
The generic-drug payout covers price-fixed purchases across 48 states and territories
Consumers who bought certain generic prescription drugs between May 1, 2009, and December 31, 2019, can now file claims for a share of $96 million...
Generic-drug buyers have until March 8 to claim part of a $96 million settlement
Consumers who paid for certain generic prescription drugs between May 2009 and December 2019 have until March 8, 2027, to file a claim for a...
Amazon starts expanded Prime-refund payments October 1
Amazon will begin sending automatic Prime refunds to a newly eligible group of subscribers on October 1, 2026, under a revised settlement order a federal...
Amazon raises the Prime-refund cap from $51 to $200 for millions
Amazon Prime members covered by the Federal Trade Commission’s 2025 settlement can now receive up to $200 in refunds, up from a previous cap of...
Amazon’s refund settlement now reaches Prime members who used as many as twenty benefits in a year
A federal court this week approved a revised order in the Federal Trade Commission’s Amazon Prime settlement, widening a refund program that has already paid...
A court order usually hands the Federal Trade Commission the customer list it needs to send refunds
Most people who lose money to a company the Federal Trade Commission later sues never fill out a claim form, because the agency does not...
SHEIN is offering full refunds on 4,640 recalled bear-shaped refrigerator magnets
SHEIN is offering full refunds on 4,640 sets of bear-shaped refrigerator magnets that federal safety officials say can release loose, high-powered magnets. The remedy does...
Refunds are available for 2.3 million recalled Ricky Joy candy bottles
Refunds are available on roughly 2.3 million Ricky Joy Sour Crush candy bottles after federal safety officials said the roller ball can detach and create...
Adult bed rails sold for home safety were recalled, with a full refund offered
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled adult portable bed rails from multiple brands in 2026, products bought to help people stay safe getting in...
Grocery shoppers in 24 states can claim part of $117 million from pork producers without a receipt
A $117 million settlement fund is open to grocery shoppers in 24 states and the District of Columbia who bought raw pork or bacon for...
The generic drug settlements require pharmacy records or an insurer statement, and the window shuts November 9
Anyone seeking money from the generic-drug End-Payer settlements has to prove the purchase, not just claim it. The administrator’s claim guidance calls for pharmacy records,...