Monday is upon us, friend! It’s National Iced Tea Day, National Ballpoint Pen Day and National Bae Day. Grab a tea, then write your bae (slang for “baby,” aka your sweetie) a note … or just tell your coworkers or family and have a laugh.

🫖 This is my tea obsession. I just bought a pack of these pens because all mine are worn out, and a box of Hallmark greeting cards on hand for all occasions is such a time- and money‑saver.

Support our sponsors. The clock is ticking to invest in smart-shade company RYSE. Learn more about them here. On to the tech smarts! — Kim

Did you hear United Airlines is going all-in on a new, premium, expensive business class? Private check-in, a fancy lounge with sit-down dining, nice pajamas and a mattress pad, extra food on the plane, and (my favorite) press a button and someone will whiz over with champagne. Cha‑ching.

What about when you’re buying a regular ticket? Those are pricey, too — especially with the “extras” that used to be standard. Airlines have all kinds of sneaky upselling tricks. Let’s be smart and save money together.

Upsells you’ll most certainly run into

• Priority boarding: Pay extra to be early on the plane. If you have a disability or health condition that means you need more time, you can get that for free. Just ask.
• Travel insurance or flight protection: It’s 4% to 10% of the ticket price. Check if your credit card offers this instead. Most of mine do. If you’re not sure, call the number on the back and ask.
• Wi-Fi: Bet on spending anywhere from $3 to $30. If Wi‑Fi is a must for you, check the cost ahead of time. JetBlue offers it free for all passengers (nice). Frontier offers no movies, TV or Wi‑Fi, period.
• Flexible tickets: You’ll pay more if you want to be able to change flights later, but keep in mind you’ll still probably pay a change fee of at least $50.
• Boarding pass printing: This is big for budget airlines. Spirit wants $2 at the kiosk. Frontier charges $25 if you need an agent to help you. Ouch.

So, what can you do about it? Here are practical tips for the booking and travel process.

Screen saver: Don't rush through the purchasing confirmation screens. Slow down, read thoroughly and make sure you know what you're getting.

🤑 Pro tip: You’ll generally find the lowest prices if you book on a Sunday and travel on a Wednesday.

“Premium economy” is an oxymoron: Airlines push you to expensive seats by slicing cabin classes into more categories. Depending on the airline, it just means boarding a little sooner.

On some airlines, like American, you’ll get bigger seats (that fully recline, in some cases), better food and beverage options, priority boarding, and lots of room for you and your stuff. OK, that’s probably worth it.

Seat assignments: Before you shell out, check SeatGuru.com. Enter your airline and flight number to see a map of the best seats with the most legroom.

💺 Pro tip: If you ask at the gate, the person at the desk may be able to switch your seat assignment, especially if you’re traveling with a partner or kids. Here, it really pays to be nice.

Do the math: Most U.S. airlines increased their checked baggage prices this year by $5 to $10, and it’s worse for your second checked bag. The exception? Southwest, which still includes two checked bags in its ticket prices.

Wasting away on Wi-Fi: When you pay for Wi‑Fi, the cost may be by the flight or by the hour. Usually, it covers just one device, so either your phone or laptop. You might get free Wi‑Fi if you sign up for the airline’s loyalty program or credit card.

Join the club: If you're traveling often, pick one airline and check out their loyalty program benefits. Some award flights by miles, others by amount spent. Just make sure you can depart when you want. Alaska and Hawaiian have the best perks; Spirit is the worst. Here’s a good comparison.

Factor your luggage, Wi‑Fi and whatever else you consider essential into the price. You might actually save money buying a more expensive ticket if all those things are included. Now, you’re ready to take off those extra dollars from your price tag and fly in under budget.

😂 What happens to a bad airplane joke? It never lands. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

The window is closing to get in on the next big thing in smart-home tech. RYSE, a leader in smart-shade technology, is extending the opportunity for you to invest in their company until the end of the week.

This is what getting in early on smart-home companies with retail distribution looks like:

• Early investors in Nest’s smart thermostat earned a 20X return when it was acquired by Google for $3.2 billion.
• Ring’s smart doorbell was sold to Amazon for $1 billion, and investors reportedly earned a 10X return on their capital.

Using comparable methods, RYSE’s share price has grown 50% year-over-year as they launch their second product and expand into over 100 Best Buy stores. You don’t want to miss this.

This is a paid advertisement for RYSE. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.helloryse.com.

🚨 Fake news: News outlet BNN Breaking had millions of readers and a publishing deal with Microsoft. Turns out, they used AI to churn out error-filled, paraphrased news, making big bucks from clickbait (paywall link). The site went dormant in April, but they’ve since set up shop under a new name: TrimFeed. Stay away.

Tell your loved ones: Diamond Shruumz Microdosing Chocolate Bars are sending people to the ER. They're linked to seizures, vomiting and loss of consciousness. Eight people have fallen ill, with six hospitalized … but they're still being sold online and in stores nationwide.

From the “whatever” department: Amazon, Google and Best Buy are working on a “hacker-safe” label for smart devices. Scan the QR code for info on your new doorbell or TV, and see if it meets certain cybersecurity standards. The ETA for the label is later this year, but hackers always find a way.

Don’t leave the baby in the car: Each year, about 40 children die in car-heat-related deaths. Temps inside locked cars can easily reach 150 degrees, and advocates now want all automakers to put tech in cars to prevent these types of deaths. Some Hyundais have an advanced rear-occupant alert system that sends warnings if a baby is left in the car.

You’d better love your Cybertruck: There’s a tricky clause in Tesla’s Cybertruck order agreement. Sell it within a year, and they’ll fine you $50,000. They haven’t sued anyone for it yet, but Ford did. It’s to prevent jacking up the price on used models, but what if you hate it?

What could possibly go wrong? An anonymous message board app wreaked havoc at a Vermont high school. It only took hours for the convos to go from lighthearted fun to hardcore bullying, sending teens in tears to their guidance counselors. The company has pulled the school from its platform for now (paywall link).

Plateaus are the highest form of flattery: The New York Times is suing geography game Worldle for causing confusion and piggybacking on its hit game, Wordle. Worldle's creator says many games have similar names — e.g., Quordle, Nerdle and Heardle. (Btw, some people say “crane,” “slate” and “crate” are the best three words to start with for Wordle.)

🎶 She’s working 9-to-5: Don’t even think about DMing, texting or calling Dolly Parton. She’s a faxing kind of gal. Dolly says it saves her time and keeps things simple with so many people trying to reach her. Miley Cyrus says Dolly faxed her to ask for a collab. Speaking of … My friend, Joe, recently started the Dolly Parton diet. It’s really made Joe lean, Joe lean, Joe lean, Joe le‑e‑e‑a‑a‑a‑an.

Find the best for your biz: I don’t have time to waste on finding the right job candidates. LinkedIn does the work for me by prioritizing candidates and even showing open job descriptions to people who aren’t actively looking. Get a free post at LinkedIn.com/Kim.* It works!

🚀 Hidden Android game: This Easter egg is built into every version of Android. Go to Settings > About phone > Android version. Tap the Android version number quickly until the game appears. In Android 14, press and hold the logo that appears and prepare for takeoff.

That’s a wrap: Ever wonder about wrapping your luggage in plastic before a flight? The TSA says it's not worth the $30. If they want to see inside your bag, they’ll cut through the plastic and won’t rewrap it. Get a TSA-approved luggage lock instead.

“Try again”: Magic words if AI missed the mark on your question. I also like “Give me a [shorter/longer/more detailed] answer” and “Add 10 examples to the list.”

Stop paying for things you don’t use: It might sound counterintuitive, but with many streaming services, you can cancel immediately after subscribing (or let Rocket Money* do it for you!) and still enjoy the entire trial period. Just check their policy first. Perfect for when there’s one movie on your to-watch list.

Before you hit the road: Download directions so you can navigate if cell service cuts out. Open the Google Maps app and search for your destination’s name. On Android, swipe up. On iOS, swipe to the end of the options. Tap Download to save an offline map you can access at any time.

Oh, joy, there’s an excessive heat warning in Phoenix this week. If it’s hot where you are, too, I’ve got your back.

• I’m a fan: Tower fans keep the air circulating. Pop one next to your bed, in your office, in the living room — wherever. This powerful model is only $38.
• Bring out the big guns: I can’t sleep without AC. This BLACK+DECKER rolling portable unit cools up to 700 square feet — or gets your bedroom chilly.
• Hot and bothered: Upgrade your pillows to these fluffy ones that always have that other-side-of-the-pillow coolness. They’re only $26, a whopping 78% off.
• Don’t forget a summer blanket: This pretty waffle blanket comes in lots of colors and is 28% off right now.
• For your desk: The strong, little USB-powered fan is only $6. Heck yeah.

I searched for a lighter on Amazon. All they had was 13,749 matches.

Watch and see: I’m streaming live on YouTube today. Catch the show at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern) or watch it later on your schedule. We have a blast, and I know you’ll laugh.

Before you go, check out RYSE. Their smart shades are all over Best Buy, and you can invest in the company for a very limited time. Make sure you read the prospectus before you do to make sure this sort of investment fits in your portfolio.

👋 Thanks for being here, friend. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with all the details from Apple’s big announcements today, along with a warning for those of you who play smartphone games. It’s def worth reading. Until then, stay your wonderful self. — Kim