Wanna boost your savings account? Get a buddy to prod you along. According to a new study, higher interest rates have little …
cell phone
Time to Do the Math and Switch to a Prepaid Smart Phone?
The number of smart-phone users electing to skip the locked-in two-year contract and instead go with a prepaid plan is on the rise. But considering how much consumers stand to save by switching to prepaid — easily more than …
The New Math on Smartphone Plans & Providers
Soon, you’ll be able to use an iPhone for as little as $30 per month. Alternately, your iPhone could lock you into a contract that costs upwards of $140 monthly. A new lineup of shared family plans from Verizon might run far more …
There’s a Good Chance You’re Overpaying for Data on Your Phone
AT&T no longer offers new subscribers the option to have unlimited data on their phones. So many subscribers feel lucky if they have been grandfathered in with their old plans and still pay $30 per month for unlimited data. But a …
How Much You Spend Each Year on Coffee, Gas, Christmas, Pets, Beer, and More
A new report estimates that the average American worker drops nearly $1,100 annually on coffee. That’s not much less than what the average worker spends to commute to the job.
T-Mobile Sends Customer $201,000 Phone Bill
We’ve all gotten a utility bill that was larger than we were expecting. A $250 electricity bill here. A $100 gas bill there. This family got one, too. Except, it was a cell phone bill for more than $200,000.
Is Cell Phone ‘Bill Shock’ Going Away?
An estimated 30 million Americans have been hit with “bill shock”—the unexpected, unpleasant scenario in which a consumer unknowingly exceeds his cell phone plan limits and incurs extra charges. Sometimes, these charges are …
Cheaper No-Contract iPhones, More Sensible Data Plans Could Be Coming Your Way
If the rumors are true, one day soon you’ll be able to buy an iPhone for under $400 without being locked into a contract. It also looks like Americans will have the option to share data plans with multiple devices, rather than …
139 Money Tips: Father’s Day Freebies, Designer Clothing on the Cheap, Most Annoying Bank Fees
This week’s link roundup also includes simple rules of thumb for buying everything from coffee to a home, and insights as to why personal finance can be as tricky—and messy—as potty training.
Everything You Need to Know About Consumers, Part II
In Part I of this consumer factoid extravaganza, we learned all sorts of weird info about spending habits, housing costs, and family expenditures. For the sequel, we’re dealing with moms, Mexicans, McDonald’s, men’s dwindling DIY skills, the earning power of maiden names, how using a cell phone can be a sign of poverty, grandparents …
CEO Math: AT&T’s Chief Executive Says Wireless Prices Have Decreased by 50%
“History tells you that prices in this industry have come down for 10 years. In the last 10 years, there’s been a significant number of business combinations in this industry, and prices have come down by 50%. And prices continue to come down.”
What Buyback Gadget Programs Are Really All About
Services like Best Buy’s Buy Back program are presented as consumer safeguards. A customer who buys a new TV, cell phone, or other electronic gadget can be assured that the retailer will buy back the item if it’s brought back into the store within a certain window of time. This might sound great, but the way these programs work, the net …
