22 maj 2011
20 maj 2011
Tips for Finding Cheap Airfare
Think you need a vacation now? Just wait until you're scouring dozens of booking sites, aggregators and airline Web sites to find cheap tickets for your next trip -- then you'll really be ready for a week off!
Unfortunately for weary travelers, there's no real shortcut to finding cheap airfare. As with any purchase, you need to shop around to get the best deal -- by trying different booking sites, altering your dates and waiting until just the right time to purchase. But if you're willing to put in a little time and effort, you could save big on your next flight.
1. Buy Early
Especially during peak travel periods, making reservations late in the game can cost you a lot of money. Airline ticket prices typically go up 21 days, 14 days, 7 days and 3 days before flying, so if you're planning ahead, try to make the call before these deadlines. And if you're traveling internationally, you'll want to book even earlier -- from three to six months in advance -- for the best deals. However, sometimes you can get lucky if you wait, which brings us to:
2. Buy Late
Often you can buy tickets at the very last minute for a great price, if the airlines have failed to fill their planes. Many airlines offer weekly newsletters that feature their best last-minute deals. You can also find many of them listed in our Travel Deals section, or at specialized sites like LastMinuteTravel.com. If you can stand the suspense, and if you are flexible with your itinerary, you can find fantastic money-savers to very attractive travel destinations.
3. Shop Around
No matter how good it sounds, you should never book the first fare you see. Start your search by checking a few of the major online travel providers, like Travelocity.com, aggregator sites likeTripAdvisor Flights or consolidators like CheapTickets.com. Airfarewatchdog is another good source of low fares. Checking these sites will give you a preliminary idea of which airlines fly your particular itinerary, what the going rate is and what restrictions might apply. Armed with this information, you can head directly to the appropriate airline Web site to see if the same flights are any cheaper (some airlines guarantee to offer the lowest possible fares on their own Web sites). While you're there, check to see if the airline is running any sales or promotions to your destination.
If you don't see anything in your preferred price range, don't be afraid to bide your time and watch the fares for a bit. Most major booking sites have alert features that will e-mail you when your fare drops to a price you're willing to pay.
4. Know When to Buy
The hardest part of booking a flight is knowing when to stop tracking fares and make that final purchase. If you're flying within the U.S. or to select international destinations, Bing Travel can help you reach that decision, offering fare predictions for most major cities. Just plug in your itinerary and the site will advise you either to book now or to wait, depending on whether the fare is expected to rise or drop. Another useful site is the aforementioned Kayak.com, which offers fare history graphs for domestic and international flights, allowing you to see whether your fare is headed in an upward or downward direction.
Finally, keep in mind that most airlines launch fare sales on Tuesdays and Wednesdays -- so if you decide to buy on a Monday, you may be gnashing your teeth on Tuesday when your destination goes on sale.
5. Be Flexible
If you live close to more than one airport, check out the fares from all of the airports near you. Many online fare searching engines will ask you if you are willing to depart from or arrive in more than one city. Yes! Also, experiment with different travel dates; shifting your itinerary by a week or even a few days can make a significant difference in fares. You'll usually find the best deals on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
6. Don't Forget the Discounters
As their nickname suggests, discount airlines can save you a bundle, but they're not always easy to find. Luckily for consumers, discounters are cropping up more frequently on aggregators and booking sites (Kayak now offers fares for JetBlue, Spirit and AirTran, for example) -- but there are still a few holdouts, such as Southwest and Allegiant Air, whose fares can't be found anywhere but their own Web sites. If you're traveling outside the U.S., don't forget to check theinternational discount airlines as well.
7. Use Your Frequent Flier Miles
Why pay a fare at all when you can use your frequent flier miles? Although redeeming miles has gotten more difficult in recent years, it's still a good option to consider, particularly if you're booking early; airlines designate a very limited number of seats on each flight as eligible for award travel, and these seats go quickly. For more on redeeming your miles, check out our frequent flier Q&Awith mileage guru Tim Winship.
8. Get a Refund When Fares Go Down
If fares go down after you've purchased your ticket, ask for a refund! You may not always get one, but policies vary by airline -- and many do not publicize the fact that they will refund you the difference if prices go down. It can't hurt to ask.
Yapta.com is a site that will track flights for you after you purchase and notify you if the fares go down.
9. Consider an Air Pass
In order to promote tourism in their countries, many national airlines offer air passes at reduced rates for tourists. If you're planning to do extensive travel in one country or region, an air pass might be your most cost-effective option. For example, Qantas offers an Aussie AirPass for travel throughout Australia. For more information, see our guide to air passes. Planning an even bigger trip? Look into around-the-world tickets and fares.
10. Check for Deals and Discounts
Don't forget to check our comprehensive Travel Deals for the latest fare sales -- we post new ones every weekday. If you or your traveling companions are senior citizens or children, you'll want to take a peek at our senior and family areas as well.
Unfortunately for weary travelers, there's no real shortcut to finding cheap airfare. As with any purchase, you need to shop around to get the best deal -- by trying different booking sites, altering your dates and waiting until just the right time to purchase. But if you're willing to put in a little time and effort, you could save big on your next flight.
1. Buy Early
Especially during peak travel periods, making reservations late in the game can cost you a lot of money. Airline ticket prices typically go up 21 days, 14 days, 7 days and 3 days before flying, so if you're planning ahead, try to make the call before these deadlines. And if you're traveling internationally, you'll want to book even earlier -- from three to six months in advance -- for the best deals. However, sometimes you can get lucky if you wait, which brings us to:
2. Buy Late
Often you can buy tickets at the very last minute for a great price, if the airlines have failed to fill their planes. Many airlines offer weekly newsletters that feature their best last-minute deals. You can also find many of them listed in our Travel Deals section, or at specialized sites like LastMinuteTravel.com. If you can stand the suspense, and if you are flexible with your itinerary, you can find fantastic money-savers to very attractive travel destinations.
3. Shop Around
No matter how good it sounds, you should never book the first fare you see. Start your search by checking a few of the major online travel providers, like Travelocity.com, aggregator sites likeTripAdvisor Flights or consolidators like CheapTickets.com. Airfarewatchdog is another good source of low fares. Checking these sites will give you a preliminary idea of which airlines fly your particular itinerary, what the going rate is and what restrictions might apply. Armed with this information, you can head directly to the appropriate airline Web site to see if the same flights are any cheaper (some airlines guarantee to offer the lowest possible fares on their own Web sites). While you're there, check to see if the airline is running any sales or promotions to your destination.
If you don't see anything in your preferred price range, don't be afraid to bide your time and watch the fares for a bit. Most major booking sites have alert features that will e-mail you when your fare drops to a price you're willing to pay.
4. Know When to Buy
The hardest part of booking a flight is knowing when to stop tracking fares and make that final purchase. If you're flying within the U.S. or to select international destinations, Bing Travel can help you reach that decision, offering fare predictions for most major cities. Just plug in your itinerary and the site will advise you either to book now or to wait, depending on whether the fare is expected to rise or drop. Another useful site is the aforementioned Kayak.com, which offers fare history graphs for domestic and international flights, allowing you to see whether your fare is headed in an upward or downward direction.
Finally, keep in mind that most airlines launch fare sales on Tuesdays and Wednesdays -- so if you decide to buy on a Monday, you may be gnashing your teeth on Tuesday when your destination goes on sale.
5. Be Flexible
If you live close to more than one airport, check out the fares from all of the airports near you. Many online fare searching engines will ask you if you are willing to depart from or arrive in more than one city. Yes! Also, experiment with different travel dates; shifting your itinerary by a week or even a few days can make a significant difference in fares. You'll usually find the best deals on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
6. Don't Forget the Discounters
As their nickname suggests, discount airlines can save you a bundle, but they're not always easy to find. Luckily for consumers, discounters are cropping up more frequently on aggregators and booking sites (Kayak now offers fares for JetBlue, Spirit and AirTran, for example) -- but there are still a few holdouts, such as Southwest and Allegiant Air, whose fares can't be found anywhere but their own Web sites. If you're traveling outside the U.S., don't forget to check theinternational discount airlines as well.
7. Use Your Frequent Flier Miles
Why pay a fare at all when you can use your frequent flier miles? Although redeeming miles has gotten more difficult in recent years, it's still a good option to consider, particularly if you're booking early; airlines designate a very limited number of seats on each flight as eligible for award travel, and these seats go quickly. For more on redeeming your miles, check out our frequent flier Q&Awith mileage guru Tim Winship.8. Get a Refund When Fares Go Down
If fares go down after you've purchased your ticket, ask for a refund! You may not always get one, but policies vary by airline -- and many do not publicize the fact that they will refund you the difference if prices go down. It can't hurt to ask.
Yapta.com is a site that will track flights for you after you purchase and notify you if the fares go down.
9. Consider an Air Pass
In order to promote tourism in their countries, many national airlines offer air passes at reduced rates for tourists. If you're planning to do extensive travel in one country or region, an air pass might be your most cost-effective option. For example, Qantas offers an Aussie AirPass for travel throughout Australia. For more information, see our guide to air passes. Planning an even bigger trip? Look into around-the-world tickets and fares.
10. Check for Deals and Discounts
Don't forget to check our comprehensive Travel Deals for the latest fare sales -- we post new ones every weekday. If you or your traveling companions are senior citizens or children, you'll want to take a peek at our senior and family areas as well.
19 maj 2011
NemId: Hvem skal betale for misbrug?
NemID kan bruges fra alle computere. Men hvem har ansvaret for at holde dem opdateret?
Det skulle være så nemt. Med NemID er det muligt at ordne sine bankforretninger fra en hvilken som helst computer - eller fra sin smartphone.
Papkortet med sikkerhedsnøgler, der kun bruges én gang, skulle samtidig forbedre sikkerheden og forhindre, at brugerne bliver franarret brugernavne og kodeord.
Men hvordan er det lige med sikkerheden, hvis man benytter en fremmed computer - måske fra en såkaldt internetcafé? Hvem har ansvaret, hvis computeren ikke er opdateret med de seneste sikkerhedsopdateringer?
Forbruger klagede over bank
Forbrugerombudsmanden har netop taget stilling til sådan en sag, og han slår fast, at en forbruger ikke automatisk bør hæfte for misbrug af netbank og NemID, hvis det sker som følge af manglende sikkerhedsopdateringer på den computer, der er benyttet. Læs mere om sagen hos Forbrugerombudsmanden.
Forbrugerombudsmanden har behandlet en klage fra en forbruger, som var utilfreds med en ændring af vilkårerne i "Regler for NemID til netbank og offentlig digital signatur".
Reglerne lyder: "Du skal sikre dig, at .?du bruger NemID på en computer, hvor operativsystem, internetbrowser og øvrige programmer løbende bliver opdateret med de seneste sikkerhedsopdateringer."
Fraskrivelse af ansvar
Men klageren mente, at der var tale om en "stærk problematisk ansvarsfraskrivelse" fra bankens side, og spurgte derfor om, hvordan man kan vide, at man altid har den seneste opdatering. Samtidig ville klageren have svar på, hvad en "løbende opdatering" er - er det en gang om året, en gang om måneden, ugen, dagen eller måske en gang i timen?
Banken oplyste, at vilkårerne kan opfyldes ved, at brugeren kan spørge ejeren om, hvornår computeren er blevet opdateret.
Det er udbyderens ansvar
På baggrund af sagen udtaler Forbrugerombudsmanden, at brugere af netbank og NemID så vidt muligt må sikre sig, at computere, der bruges til netbank, er beskyttet af opdaterede sikkerhedsprogrammer.
Men tilfælde af misbrug, hvor andre personer eksempelvis har placeret ondsindede programmer på computeren, bør ifølge Forbrugerombudsmanden ikke automatisk medføre betaling af en selvrisiko på 1.100 kr. Heller ikke hvis det ondsindede program måske kunne have været stoppet med en opdatering af computerens sikkerhedsprogrammer.
Men hvis brugeren har ignoreret en advarsel om, at computeren ikke er opdateret, kan han eller hun dog komme til at betale selvrisikoen på de 1.100 kr.
Men Forbrugerombudsmanden slår fast, at det som udgangspunkt er udbyderen, der hæfter for tab for andres uberettigede anvendelse af eksempelvis netbank.Læs mere om betalingnstjenesteloven hos Forbrugerombudsmanden.
Brugeren hæfter kun i tilfælde med særlige omstændigheder efter betalingstjenestelovens § 62, stk. 2-6, hedder det i udtalelsen fra Forbrugerombudsmanden.
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