7.23.19 Could fake grass save you money?; The CFPB sides with business over consumers; Cheap contact lenses
Putting in fake grass could be better for the environment and for your wallet; The CFPB has created a co-branded card with H&R Block. The CFPB is siding with businesses now instead of consumers; It's really hard to find cheap contact lenses. Clark tells you where to shop.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Read more
Living close to an international airport doesn’t necessarily translate into cheaper fares on flights abroad. But a new study indicates that is the case for certain international airports across the United States.
A recent report from Scott’s Cheap Flights shows that the airports with the cheapest international flights have three things in common:
The fact that the airports with the cheapest flights abroad aren’t concentrated in one geographical area is huge: It basically means that most of us are a relatively short distance from major savings on airfare.
Here are the top 10 U.S. airports with cheap international flights and the number of deals they had last year, according to Scott’s Cheap Flights.
As you can see, JFK Airport in New York has the highest number of cheap international flights by far, according to Scott’s Cheap Flights.
Another reason for JFK’s #1 ranking is that the airport is one of the most connected in the United States, meaning that it is a leader in international flights.
Now that you know which international airports have the cheapest flights, you can incorporate money expert Clark Howard‘s #1 rule of travel.
“By following that simple rule, I’ve been able to visit every continent except Antarctica and every state except North Dakota. And I’ve done it all on a dime.” See how Clark travels for less.
Ting, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that currently partners with Sprint and T-Mobile, is adding service over the Verizon network later this year.
“We expect that combining the best-rated cellular network in the U.S. with Ting’s award-winning customer service will further enhance our already very compelling offering,” said Tucows CEO Elliot Noss. Ting is a division of Tucows.
Ting customers will be eligible to use the Verizon network following integration with the Verizon system later in 2019.
Meanwhile, Ting has extended its network provision agreement with Sprint through September 2020 and informed T-Mobile that it won’t renew its agreement effective December 19 of this year.
As a result, Ting will migrate away from the T-Mobile network by December 19, 2020.
Two Clark.com team members have used Ting in the past. The provider has a “pay for what you use” model that’s best for people who don’t use their smartphones a lot. There’s no unlimited data plan option.
We don’t know what, if any, changes Ting will make to its rates once Verizon becomes an option for customers.
In the meantime, Ting is offering a limited-time deal that breaks from its typical pricing structure. If you sign up by July 31, you can get unlimited talk, text and 20GB of data for $20 through 2019. Service is on Sprint’s network.
Want to find a Verizon alternative now? Visible, Total Wireless and Xfinity Mobile are three of your best options. Learn about them here!
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Red Pocket Mobile is a low-cost wireless provider that relies on the networks of Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint to provide cheap phone plans!
Red Pocket lets you keep your phone, your number and the network you’re already using.
For example, if you have service with AT&T and want to switch to Red Pocket, you would choose the GSMA network because that’s the one that uses AT&T.
In the chart below, GSMT is T-Mobile, CDMAS is Sprint and CDMA is Verizon.
I signed up for Red Pocket Mobile with an unlocked Moto G6 phone and chose the GSMA network, which relies on AT&T’s towers. Sign up for Clark’s newsletter to get my full review in mid-December.
In the meantime, I’ve already started to use the service and test the network’s speed.
Using the Speedtest by Ookla app, I tested the download speeds three times and the average was around 20 Mbps. That’s plenty fast! You’ll have no trouble streaming video and browsing the web.
No matter what network you choose, Red Pocket Mobile says 4G LTE is available on all of them.
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Red Pocket Mobile’s 30-day prepaid plans start at $10, but I got the $30 plan that includes 5GB of high-speed data before being slowed to 2G speeds.
The cell phone provider sells annual plans through its eBay store. Note that they are frequently discounted.
Although I’m not prepared to share my full review of Red Pocket Mobile yet, I would suggest that you try out a monthly plan before purchasing an annual plan to make sure you like the service.
Have you switched from one of the Big 4 to Red Pocket Mobile? Let me know your experience in the comments below!
If you’re researching ways to lower your cell phone bill, we’ve put together a guide with Team Clark’s best cell phone plans and deals right now!
How to Find the Best Deal on a New TV
Millions and millions of Americans choose AT&T for its fast and reliable wireless network, but did you know that you can get access to the same cell phone towers at a much lower price?
Many people only stick with AT&T for its dependable service, which RootMetrics consistently ranks second behind Verizon.
However, more than a handful of smaller wireless providers called mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) partner with AT&T to offer cheap cell phone service. Take a look at the list below:
Unlike the rest of the MVNOs mentioned above, Cricket Wireless is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. The other MVNOs are independent of AT&T and only rent space on their network.
These low-cost providers are an obvious option to consider for people who are already happy with AT&T’s coverage.
An MVNO may not flat-out say which of the Big 4 networks that they partner with, but you can typically figure it out by comparing the MVNO’s coverage map to the major network’s coverage map.
For example, here’s a comparison of the coverage maps for AT&T and FreeUp Mobile:
You also need to consider your phone options. Some MVNOs that run on AT&T’s network sell their own phones and others will allow you to bring an unlocked GSM phone. Always check device eligibility on the provider’s website.
Many MVNOs are prepaid carriers, which means that you pay for service in advance with no credit check required.
Right now, AT&T is heavily promoting two new unlimited data plans that start at either $70 or $80 for a single line of service before taxes and fees. But how would you like to cut that bill in half?
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Here are three of your best options if you want to keep AT&T’s network and save money every month…
For quite some time, AT&T-owned Cricket Wireless has offered four lines of unlimited talk, text and data for $100 per month. Taxes and fees are included. With its cheapest unlimited plan, data speeds are capped at 3 Mbps and you only get SD quality video streaming. Budget and high-end smartphones are available for sale, plus a few free device options if you transfer a number. Cricket Wireless has retail locations nationwide that offer in-person customer service.
TEAM CLARK REVIEW: 5 things to know before you switch to Cricket Wireless
Some of Consumer Cellular’s data plans cost about the same as Cricket, but there’s no unlimited option. Light data users can expect to pay around $30 per month. There are two network partners with this carrier: AT&T and T-Mobile. You’ll be assigned one or the other when you sign up. If you want to make sure that you get AT&T, you can visit a Target retail store and pick up a Consumer Cellular SIM card for AT&T’s network. Consumer Cellular targets the senior population and offers a 5% AARP discount, but it’s available to everyone.
Available at Walmart, Straight Talk operates on all four of the major wireless networks, which makes it simple if you want to keep your own phone and bring it to the prepaid service. Straight Talk offers several affordable plan options, including 25GB of high-speed data per month for $45. Auto-refill discounts are available. When I tested the service for 30 days, I picked up a SIM Activation Kit from Walmart that included an AT&T SIM card. Customer service is available by phone and chat.
TEAM CLARK REVIEW: Straight Talk review: Is this cheap cell phone provider worth it?
Cheaper options do exist with AT&T MVNOs like Red Pocket Mobile, FreeUp Mobile and Unreal Mobile — with plans starting around $10 per month. However, customer support may be limited with those ultra-discount providers.
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I’ve personally tested Red Pocket and Unreal, and experienced mixed results. Many Clark.com readers have told me the same thing.
Ultimately, you have to look at what the AT&T MVNOs are offering and decide whether it’s worth switching from AT&T to any of these affordable alternatives. For me, I’ve been willing to give up the convenience of in-person customer service for a lower price.
And since these are all no-contract providers, you can switch back to AT&T or another MVNO if there’s an issue that can’t be resolved.
We’ve highlighted MVNOs that run on AT&T’s network, but many more carriers have arrangements with Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint that can also save you lots of money. I’ve had great experiences with Total Wireless and Mint Mobile.
If you live in an area where all of the Big 4 networks have good coverage, read about some of your options in Clark’s guide.
