- Want to stop the money drain and excess travelers' fees?
- Do you know that LinkedIn comments, Facebook status updates and email spam cost you money$$$?
- Wonder how to avoid some of the usurious practices and hidden fees?
The catalyst for this post was my recent, trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and my spouse's prior trip to Tamil Nadu Province in India. I want to save you the fees and gouging which we experienced!
What's Hot, What's Not! My Career Managers' Top 10 List.
Not Hot: $$$ Roaming charges - for calls or data transmission - if you are out of the country. My spouse accidentally racked up $160 of roaming charges while in India for 3 days! He was charged a "data fee" for texts and emails that came to his phone - even though they were unsolicited and he didn't open them.
Very Hot: Solution: get a local Sim card in your vacation destination, buy an international monthly data plan (in addition to your local plan). Usually this is a small add on fee. ie: $10 monthly for an add on plan for India, for someone w. an American Cell Phone plan. Check out Skype and Truphone's free apps using Wi-Fi. Use Vonage's Mobile app for Facebook using Wi-Fi to call Facebook friends. Of note: the friends also need to download the app for it to work.
Hot. The best time to buy airline tickets is on a Tuesday, since most sales start Monday night. By Tuesday many other airlines need to cut or match prices to compete with the sale. Check around. Some airlines opt out of the general comparison sites - so you can't really compare.
Very Hot: Do this if you've overpaid for an airline ticket and then see the ticket for a reduced fee. You can get a price-match refund, for a small fee (usually less than the new, sale price of the ticket). Yapta.com can track your airline ticket price and Autoslash.com, will track car rental prices. Get email or text alerts or tweets to notify you.
Hot: Make use of your student card, University or alumni discounts - ask for the discount. Some online travel agencies to check out include: STA Travel, StudentCity and StudentUniverse. The University where I work offers many other discounts for staff and students such as movie tickets, cell phone plans and even bank fees.
Not Hot: Hidden, currency-conversion fees on your credit card bill for out of country purchases. The majority of US banks charge currency conversion fees - approx 3 percent of your total purchase cost. Most people don't even notice these fees and assume they are part of the exchange rate. I used my debit card a lot during my recent, Canadian trip. It is probably too late for me. Capital One Bank and Chase don't charge this fee on their credit cards. Ask your bank if they'll waive the fee for loyal customers.
Triple AAA in the USA or Canadian Equivallent CAA: Great deal if your car breaks down, you want discounts to attractions, hotel or airfare. Last year, when I travelled to Biltmore Estate, in South Carolina I saved $60 on 2 admission tickets. This savings paid for my entire, AAA yearly membership fee.
Not Hot: Extra fees for Passport renewals! The average wait time is six weeks. If you want a rush order for you'll have to pay for the service + express, delivery costs. Plan ahead. Yuck...
Not HOT! Your Internet cookies will betray you! Your click through rates are recorded each time you visit a website and they're stored in your Internet browser. Sites can "recall' your click through rates and spending history. Each time you login, some sites may up the ante and charge you more $ money for their services!
Smokin' Hot Tip: I delete my browsing history weekly which can save me money and free up space on my PC. Click on the "Tools" tab, and either go to Option, select all history and Delete or select Clear private data. The less advertisers and their web-crawlers know about your spending and product history - the better.
Other intesting and/or related Blog posts.
Help, I want to be a Consultant - Use KSA's to close the deal...
10 Best, Global Job-Search Posts: Readers’ Choice Awards!
What Is Your Stage Of Identity Development? The Increasing Globalization Of The Workplace
Modern Job-Search: New Twists on Tradition
I'd love to hear your best, money saving stories, new travel aps and solutions to your travel frustrations. Post a comment or email me sharonbcohen@bellsouth.net
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Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.
Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"
• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/
Thanks for these tips! I travel quite often and I know that there are tricks travelers should know otherwise they will have to pay! I'm glad that today there are different mobile apps that help to manage money and save money. It makes life a little easier) For example, within a month I do different things like taking out quick loans no credit check and pay for purchases with my credit card so money management apps help me to keep a track of spending. I'm sure that travelers must take advantage of the mobile apps and save their money abroad. Why pay more if you can pay less?)
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