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Flight delayed or lost luggage? Airlines owe you money
You finally made it to your gate, overpriced coffee in hand, sprinting like your vacation depends on it, only to be greeted by those two soul-crushing words: Flight Delayed. Maybe it starts with 30 minutes … then an hour … then four.
No apology, no update, just your suitcase sunbathing alone on the tarmac like it’s on vacation without you.
Here’s what the airlines don’t want you to know: You might be owed money. A lot of money. But you usually have to ask, and that’s where tech know-how (and me) saves the day.
💰 International flights
Flying to Canada or anywhere in the EU? You might be owed $300 to $700 if your flight is delayed over three hours. The U.S. doesn’t mandate airlines pay out for delays, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope.
Don’t spend hours combing through airline policies. AirHelp does it for you. Just enter your flight number and date, and it checks your eligibility. If you’re owed money, they’ll file the paperwork and deal with the airline.
They take a cut (about 25%) if you win.
🧳 Bag checks
In the U.S., airlines are required to reimburse passengers for reasonable expenses due to delayed or lost luggage. Think clothing, toiletries, chargers, even a change of shoes if your bag’s gone for days.
Toss an Apple AirTag (21% off) or Tile tracker ($24.98) in your bag. This way, you can see your bag’s location in real time.
Airlines love to tell you your luggage is “in transit” when it’s clearly stuck in Milwaukee. Show them proof, and get your expenses covered faster.
💼 Credit card perks
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
’Twas the night before ‘Prime Day’
🌃 And all through Amazon, the deals were already dropping.
- 📱 Your phone’s lifeguard: These waterproof cases (41% off, two-pack) have 4.5 stars and 21,000+ reviews.
- 🏷️ Stick with it: An ink-free label maker (52% off) is pure organizing bliss. Type, tap, done.
- 💡 Glow and behold: The sleekest LED floor lamp (10% off) you’ll ever plug in. Yep, it doubles as a bookshelf.
- 🐦 Flyby footage: Bird-watch in HD with this smart bird feeder (30% off). Bonus: color night vision.
- 🧳 Luggage mishap, aborted: A digital luggage scale (16% off) saves me from paying overweight fees.
- ⚡ Your tech will thank you: This cleaning kit (20% off) tackles gunky ports and even bad connections.
👉 More early deals? Just one click away on my Amazon storefront and this handy page.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
When your stock is actually a scam
I don’t mean to be a downer, but I need to warn you that tens of thousands of Americans, folks just like you, are getting duped into buying worthless Chinese stocks.
The Wall Street Journal (paywall link) found even seasoned investors are falling for this scam, losing big bucks in the blink of an eye.
👉 Running a business is tough. Download NetSuite’s free guide, “Navigating Global Trade: Three Insights for Leaders.” It’s packed with smart, no-nonsense tips to keep you ahead of the game, avoid costly mistakes and spot new opportunities in today’s fast-moving global market.
🛩️ Amelia Earhart mystery: Another team is trying to find out what ever happened to the famous pilot who disappeared 88 years ago. They’re heading to Nikumaroro, a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. Why now? A satellite image revealed something odd, called the “Taraia Object,” that could be part of her missing plane. Stay tuned.
Apple’s top app
A controversial new app just shot to #1 on the Apple charts. Not for entertainment, but for alerting users to ICE activity.
Scam emails
Scam emails? So 2022. Phishers now are spinning up entire scam sites faster than you can microwave leftovers. Okta, a login security company, caught bad actors using v0 (a site-building AI tool by Vercel) to launch convincing login clones, including one of Okta’s own.
🍏 Stop your iPad from locking too fast: Your screen turning off too quickly can get annoying when you’re reading. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness, then scroll to Auto-Lock. Pick a time that works for you (like 5 minutes), or choose Never to keep the screen on. PSA: Leaving it unlocked means anyone can snoop.
Prices change while you shop
Stores are rolling out digital price tags that let them raise prices in real time. Here’s how surge pricing could hit your next grocery run.
⏩ 2x speed frying memory: A new study says bingeing podcasts and videos at warp speed might make you dumber or at least worsen memory retention. Turns out 2x pushes the brain past its “working memory” limit, especially for older adults. Teens? Basically brain athletes for TikTok TED Talks. The rest of us? Toast.
‘Prime Day’ is coming in hot
⏰ Forget the countdown. The deals are primed and loaded.
- 🔥 S’more power to you: A tabletop firepit (19% off) brings campfire vibes home. No backyard? No prob.
- 🍕 Leftovers, meet your match: Stack up to five slices in these pizza containers (18% off, two-pack).
- ↔️ Mind the gap: Silicone stove gap covers (23% off) catch runaway crumbs. 4.3 stars with 68,000+ reviews.
- 👍 Top-tier spinner: Up your pantry game with a nonskid turntable (15% off). Two levels, 10 color options.
- 🍽️ Your sink’s sidepiece: This dish drying rack (5% off) drains water straight into your sink.
- 🥤 Stanley Cup collector? Show off up to nine of them with a tumbler organizer (15% off).
💸 Why wait to save? Scoop more early deals here and on my Amazon storefront.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Google’s eating itself alive
Google’s new AI-powered search is tanking its own traffic. Plus, your ChatGPT chats live forever, a job offer scam, and a car rental side hustle making real money. Then I talk to Holly from Kentucky, whose kiddo ordered 70,000 suckers on Amazon.
Charlie Chaplin’s in theaters after 100 years
Charlie Chaplin famously rereleased his 1925 silent classic The Gold Rush in 1942 with new narration and edits, believing it would connect better with modern audiences. Now, thanks to film archivists and AI, the silent masterpiece has been painstakingly restored. The 4K version just premiered at Cannes and hit 250 theaters worldwide.
Have mandatory cybersecurity classes at work? New research from Purdue found anti-phishing training may make workers worse at spotting scams. Turns out, binge-watching security videos doesn’t build instincts, it builds false confidence. One group even clicked more after “interactive” training. That’s right: Your IT team’s monthly guilt-trap quiz might be actively hurting.
Get to the point: Cut to the chase if you’re adding special instructions to your online order. If there’s a gate code, for instance, start the message with “Gate code 1234” (or whatever your code is). Often, those notes get cut short for the delivery person, so put the important stuff right up front.
Trump’s crypto push — July 5th, Hour 1
Will the U.S. be the world’s crypto capital? Here’s what to know before you invest. Plus, streaming fails, Taylor Swift vanity phone numbers, and a viral airport theory. Holly from Phoenix says her brother lost $400K to a Jennifer Aniston deepfake scam.
Early ‘Prime Day’ goodies
🤑 Why wait till next week? The deals are already knocking.
- 💪 Get a grip: Skipped the gym? This resistance band kit (38% off) brings the burn home.
- ❤️ Pressure’s off: Keep tabs on your heart with a blood pressure monitor (5% off) that remembers your last 99 readings.
- 📚 Shelf-improvement: This bookshelf (15% off) is sleek, sturdy and actually easy to assemble (gasp).
- 👋 Bye-bye, blemishes: Heart-shaped pimple patches (23% off) are so cute, you’ll want to wear them.
- 🧽 #Nofilter needed: Blend like a beauty guru with a makeup sponge set (33% off).
- 💍 For your bling: Organize ’em in a jewelry box (45% off) with 4.8 stars and 11,000+ reviews.
✅ Ready, set, go: Hit this secret link for the rest of the pre-deals I couldn’t fit here.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
📚 Turn “da-da” into data: Get your kiddo ready for the future (and AI) with these 30 free STEM resources. The list includes apps, games and classes to teach youngsters stuff like coding, aeronautics, mathematics and, yes, data science.
🕵️ Data breach exposes stalkerware: Catwatchful was pitched as a “parental control” app. In reality, it lets people secretly spy on phones, texts, calls and GPS. Then it leaked everything: 26,000 victims’ data, stalkers’ logins and more. Google’s investigating, but it’s still up. Congrats to the stalkers, now you’re the ones being watched.