Articles

Money and Fees

Article / Theme Park

Can a Computer-Literate Great-Grandmother Figure Out Disney World's Genie+?

I took a 70-something who has been going to Disney World for 50 years back to the Magic Kingdom to see if she could figure out Disney's new booking and itinerary system.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Buying Travel Insurance During Covid-19: Should You? What Kind?

If you never bought travel insurance before, you should now. When you vacation in the age of coronavirus, here's what to look for in a policy—and what it won't cover.

Article / Passportable

New Scam Alert: When You File Covid-Related Border Entry Forms, Watch Out

There are precious few outfits dedicated to the protection of the consumer—and goodness knows the United States has a long way to go in customer protection with actual legal bite. So…

Article / Passportable

Figure Out Where to Use Your Credit Card Rewards Points for Flights with This Free Online Tool

If you've racked up a bunch of air travel miles from a credit card or airline rewards program and you'd like to redeem them for an international flight, a free, new online tool from…

Article / Money and Fees

That Tempting Travel Deal Could Be a Rip-Off. Tips for Spotting a Real Bargain

Promoted travel deals are often just marketing—and sometimes scams. Here's how to find the actual values.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

How Much More Expensive Is an Airbnb Than a Hotel Room? New Data

This time last year, I wrote a blog post about a survey that showed that a new winner had emerged in the long-standing battle between the hotel industry and Airbnb. Thanks to social…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Warning! Hertz Still Slapping Erroneous Fees on Innocent Customers, Paper Says

Hertz may have emerged from bankruptcy protection earlier this year, but for customers of the rental car company, warning lights are still flashing. The troubled brand that Vanity Fair…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Marriott Made Hundreds of Millions from Deceptive Fees, Lawsuit Says

Just how lucrative are resort fees for hotels? Newly unsealed court documents from a lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia's attorney general against Marriott International shed…

Article / Theme Park

Disney's Pay-to-Skip-Lines System Launches: 10 Crucial Discoveries from the Reactions

Lightning Lane, Disney's new automated system that charges visitors extra to jump the line, has debuted at Walt Disney World. Here's what observers learned about how it works (and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

When to Buy and When to Fly for the Cheapest Airfare in 2022: New Research

Many annual traditions have been pushed aside by the pandemic, but not one of this writer's favorites: the annual joint report by the Airline Reporting Corporation and Expedia. Why am…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Airlines and Airports Are Fighting Over Runway Fees. Your Airfare Could Soar.

Separate industry groups representing airlines and airports got into a spat this week, and—surprise!—you could end up the loser in the fight. At issue are the charges that airports…

Article / Passportable

New York City Puts Hotels, Shows, and Museums on Sale for October

Fall is normally New York City's most busy and expensive season, with hundreds of thousands of travelers descending on the city for business meetings, Broadway show weekends, the…

Article / Passportable

TSA Lowers PreCheck Renewal Fee (but Here's How to Get It for Free)

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has decided it's time to lower the charge passengers pay to renew PreCheck memberships. TSA PreCheck is one of the federal…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Almost Everyone Agrees: American Airlines' New Conditions of Carriage Are Bad for Consumers

A few weeks ago, American Airlines quietly revised its Conditions of Carriage governing what customers can expect for their money. That sounds really boring, but trust us: You're…

Article / Passportable

Amtrak's Latest Flash Sale Cuts Fares in Half

A new month, a new Amtrak sale. Not that we're complaining, but the national rail service has been throwing so many sales in 2021 you feel a bit silly when you don't get a…

Article / Passportable

Great Smoky Mountains Adds Parking Fee to Access Beloved Waterfall

There's no entrance fee at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In fact, when Tennessee and North Carolina turned over the land to the federal government in the 1930s, one of the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

$25 to Use the Pool?! Airline-Style à la Carte Fees Land at Hotels

Airlines have perfected the art of nickel-and-diming customers with extra charges for services and amenities that were once free, from checking a bag to getting an onboard snack. The…

Article / Money and Fees

Warning: Some Vacation Rentals Don't Include Access to Property Amenities

You might assume that when you book a vacation rental, you automatically have the right to use its amenities, like the pool or the golf course. But that's not the case.

Article / Money and Fees

If Your Bank Freezes Your Card, Here's How to Get Money from It Anyway

When a bank puts a fraud hold on an account, it can be a nightmare for travelers. But there's a way to withdraw cash despite a frozen card.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

3 Ways Disney's New Paid FastPass System Is Problematic

Update, August 24, 2021: After this story was published, Disney expanded paid FastPass to its theme parks in the United States. For coverage, read Disney Officially Kills FastPass,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

What to Do About Canceled Flights in This Summer of Airline Meltdowns

When American Airlines went through a rocky period early in June, when it canceled 10% of its flights during a fraught Father's Day weekend, I warned that the company's problems would…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Scam Alert: Passport Processing Swindles Are Booming

We've been warning you about the immense backlog of passport applications facing the U.S. State Department—up to two million people are now reportedly waiting for processing. It…

Article / Passportable

Delta Air Lines Battles Call Wait Times by Easing Basic Economy Rules

If you've had to call an airline's customer service number in 2021, then you already know: Wait times are extreme. In fact, you might still be on hold right now. For a lot of messy…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

As Disney World Strips Away Its Perks, What Will Replacing Them Cost You?

This week, it was confirmed that Disney Parks will receive a $580 million tax break from the state of Florida to relocate about 2,000 key workers from Southern California, where the…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

How to Avoid Being Fooled by Greenwashing on Vacation

Is that travel business as eco-conscious as it claims to be? Here's a beginner's guide to figuring out which ones are just full of hot air.