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Want to save time renting a car this holiday season? Clark offers a free way to cut the line at the rental counter later in this email. |
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💵 Today’s Top Stories |
| | Team Clark’s resident travel expert has decades of experience. Here are her tried and true resources for booking cheap trips. Read more. |
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| | Clark’s favorite store enforces unique rules about returns. Here’s what you need to know before you bring something back to Costco for a refund. Read more. |
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| | You can earn well more than 5% via CDs at Fidelity, Schwab and Vanguard. And plenty of online banks pay more than 5% on high-yield savings. If you’re keeping your savings at a big bank … why? Read more. |
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| | Team Clark built a tool that lets you see which streaming services offer your favorite channels. We also put together a TV streaming comparison chart. Read more. |
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🚘️ Trick To Avoiding Long Rental Car Lines |
If the record-setting numbers at airports Thanksgiving weekend were any indication, holiday travel will remain saturated. |
That could lead to extra stress if you need to rent a car. Rental car fleets haven’t returned to normal in many cases after COVID-19 forced those companies to make drastic moves. |
On several occasions recently, a member of Team Clark has gotten stuck in a long line at a car rental counter. |
Clark addressed this on the Nov. 1 podcast. |
What To Do: Join the free loyalty programs at the big rental car companies. |
What Not To Do: Count on a “manager’s special.” |
“For free you can join the car rental clubs of all the companies that allow you to pre-check yourself in. And that is really important right now with the rental car shortages,” Clark says. “You don’t want to be in the queue waiting forever for a vehicle.” |
These free programs typically allow you to skip the line and step right into an available vehicle. Some of the popular names include: |
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A few Clark listeners have been asking (or complaining) about some version of the “manager’s special” at car rental shops. |
Since they’re often short on vehicles and they aren’t sure which vehicles they’ll have on the lot, you can book one of these specials. But then you have to accept whatever car that’s available. |
And it usually doesn’t allow you to skip to the front of the line — and may force you to wait even longer as the desk agent scrambles to find something available. |
“The car rental companies said, ‘You know what, we don’t know what, if anything, we’re going to have on the lot,’” Clark says. |
“So you pay this rate and it’s a mystery car. And it’s a mystery not just to you. It’s a mystery to them. And you have to take whatever they give you. So supposedly you’re getting a better price on the vehicle by taking the mystery. Well I don’t recommend it.” |
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📊 Stat of the Day |
🚗 7.4%: The share of the U.S. vehicle market that electric vehicles commanded in Q3 according to Experian. Those figures are based on new vehicle registrations. Of note: Hyundai, BMW and Mercedes-Benz’ EVs have grown faster than Tesla year to date. |
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💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals |
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🎙️ Podcast |
| Full Show: Real Estate Commissions and Brokerage CDs |
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There was a recent ruling against real estate agencies and illegal practices on commissions. Will this change the industry in the United States? Also, big monster mega banks pay you measly rates on your savings. There are several better places to open accounts so you can earn the most on your cash, including some of Clark’s favorite three children: Vanguard, Fidelity and Schwab. |
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☎️ Need Money Help? |
The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information. |
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Did You Enjoy Today’s Newsletter?Let us know what you think so we can better serve you! | |
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