41 – Hotel Intel: Finding the Best Rates

Hotels, airlines, and rental car companies are using AI to boost efficiency, cut costs, and increase revenue. New technologies are also being used to create new “gotchas” for travelers. In this episode, we discuss the new fees and how you can protect yourself.

More from Checkbook:

Avoid a Vacation Rental Nightmare

Hotels: Tips for Finding a Sweeter Stay

How to Avoid a Big Bill When Traveling Abroad

Additional Resources:

On Travel is a weekly consumer travel column that offers information and advice for people planning a business or leisure trip.

Elliott Advocacy⁠ is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can’t.

Not a Checkbook member? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for a free 30-day trial to access all of our unbiased ratings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Travel is always a challenge, but right now, the war with Iran has added a whole new layer of turbulence and uncertainty—especially for those who plan to fly. Airlines around the globe are raising prices, adding fees, and cutting flights.

Planning your trip now requires extra care because of travel scams fueled by AI. It’s also becoming more difficult to get the lowest prices for plane tickets, hotel rooms, and rental cars without choosing a non-refundable rate that requires an advance purchase.

In this episode, we dive into the unique challenges facing travelers, possibly for the rest of the year, and how to deal with them.

Other Consumerpedia travel episodes:

106 – Avoid a Vacation Rental Nightmare

89 – Avoid a Hotel Horror Show

60 – How to Avoid a Big Cell Phone Bill When Traveling Abroad⁠

41 – Hotel Intel: Finding the Best Rates

Additional Resources:

On Travel is a weekly consumer travel column that offers information and advice for people planning a business or leisure trip.

Elliott Advocacy⁠ is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can’t.

Not a Checkbook member? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for a free 30-day trial to access all of our unbiased ratings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

A recent Checkbook investigation found widespread problems with vacation rentals, including fake listings and stolen deposits. Even worse, many victims get little or no help from Booking.com or Vrbo to recover their lost money.

In this episode: We share results of our investigation and provide tips on how to protect yourself when booking a vacation rental. One key: Your best move to avoid losing money to scams or bad actors is to book with a credit card.

Read our full report about vacation rental scams at Checkbook.org.

Not a Checkbook member? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for a free 30-day trial to access all of our unbiased ratings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

To celebrate our 100th episode, we’ve asked two veteran Chicago broadcasters to take Checkbook’s College of Consumer Knowledge quiz. Lisa Dent is the popular afternoon host at WGN Radio. Steve Bertrand, her longtime news anchor, came out of retirement to challenge her. Play along with our celebrity contestants to test your consumer IQ. The questions are difficult!

You might also want to play the online version of Checkbook’s College of Knowledge. Topics include auto, food, and your money.

Not a Checkbook member? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for a free 30-day trial to access all of our unbiased ratings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

America’s children have enormous spending power. Most have cash or access to their parents’ credit cards—and plenty of influence over what the family buys through their “pester power.” Marketers know this, which is why they spend billions of dollars a year targeting minors.

Advertising can easily exploit a child’s limited ability to distinguish between entertainment and selling. AI and digital animation make it easier than ever for advertisers to cross the line. The growth of online marketing to children raises serious concerns about privacy and data collection.

In this episode, what’s being done to protect our children from the pervasive and persuasive marketing? What are the rules regarding marketing to minors, and is anyone enforcing them? And most importantly, how parents can talk to their kids about advertising.

Additional Resources:

Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU)

BBB National Programs – Children’s Initiatives

TINA.org: Monetizing Minors

More from Checkbook:

Unsafe Toys: How to Spot the Hidden Risks That Could Harm Your Child

Are Your Kids’ Smart Toys Spying on Them?

Buying Toys on Overseas Websites Can Be Risky

Related Consumerpedia Episode: 20 – Whatever Happened to Truth in Advertising?

Not a Checkbook member? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for a free 30-day trial to access all of our unbiased ratings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The “Shop Local” movement encourages consumers to buy goods and services from independent, locally owned businesses rather than national chains or online giants. It’s both an economic strategy and a social campaign aimed at strengthening your own community’s businesses, fostering regional identity, and promoting sustainability.

In this episode: The challenge of shopping locally, ways to spend more in your community, and whether it costs more to avoid the big chain stores.

Find out more about Stacey Price at Shop Made in DC.

Related Consumerpedia episodes:

#96: Checkbook’s Holiday Shopping Tips 2025

#92: Thrift Store Shopping Advice