Krista (8:32)

Max in North Carolina wrote in with this. I've experienced something I cannot recall hearing about and could really use your advice. I received two emails confirming two redemption requests for redeemed points on my credit card reward point theft. I logged on and found almost $1,000 of my accumulated travel points were redeemed on Qantas Airlines. I was on the phone with the credit card company immediately. Within minutes of the email's arrival, the cred card company confirmed the redemption confirmed it appeared I was not the redeemer had me reset all login verifications and sent me off with a case number. I've since called them, but with the language accent barrier at their foreign customer no service center, I lost my patience and hope for ever seeing these accumulated rewards points returned to my account. Somehow a measly 5,000 points re emerged back into the account. But what to do, Clark? Help.

Clark Howard (9:26)

5,000 points with a typical program would mean $50 out of 1,000 back in your account. All right, so it's true. A lot of the bank credit card operations go to contract call centers. Who knows where in the world they don't have any authority to fix things anyway. You need to immediately, Max, file a complaint@consumer finance.gov it will go to a different group of people at this credit card company. You'll be dealing with people that are employees of the company and your trail is so clear and you noticed immediately. And points theft from credit cards is a thing as as well as especially from airline frequent flyer programs. There's a lot of theft of points going on and those points when they sit there are very valuable and they get stolen. The fight to get them back is really, really difficult. It's usually easier and this is unusual in your case with a theft of points from a credit card. It's usually easier to get those restored than it is to get airline frequent flier points in your account restored because you have the lever of consumer finance.gov I'd love to hear back from you, Max, if once the complaint goes through consumer finance, if you then get the restoration of points that you're due.

Krista (11:07)

Alan in Colorado says, my wife and I have Apple pay and we love it. If it's so safe and less chance of credit card or debit fraud, why don't more stores like Walmart and many food stores have Apple pay at the registers? Do more places plan to upgrade to tap to pay?

Clark Howard (11:23)

So my experience, you know, since I have the privilege of flying, yeah, I go to countries all over the world. Most places I go are much further along with tap to pay all different ways. And some of them with communications apps are where people do the tap to pay and it is safer because it's generating a one time unique code. So even if a criminal has tapped into the payment system at a retail or a restaurant they come away with nothing useful. So I love using tap to pay. I use an Android, so I use Google Wallet.

Krista (12:03)

Yeah, me too.

Clark Howard (12:04)

And Apple Pay are both superior ways to pulling out a piece of plastic for the retailer. A big retailer like Walmart, taking their register systems all over the country and redoing them with what's necessary to be able to accept Google Wallet or Apple Pay is quite a herculean lift. A lot of times when people are switching out their processing systems, they're then set up for tap to pay. And the biggest retailers, many of them just haven't done those big expensive conversions. So what I've experienced overseas is every time I go somewhere, it's more and more common than it was the trip before. We're just a little behind in this area than a lot of other countries.

Krista (12:58)

Jim in Colorado, says Clark, I'm receiving many offers concerning DNA testing for health and wellness. Would you please comment on this trend? And if it's legitimate, please help me to decide how to pick one.

Clark Howard (13:11)

So, Jim, the DNA testing market was really, really hot seven, eight years ago. It was all the thing to do and that was DNA testing just to find family tree and find other relatives and all that. Today, it's a whole different thing. There's so many sophisticated DNA tests available, some that your physician will specifically recommend based on family history of a particular illness to see if you have indications that you're vulnerable to that. The problem with DNA testing for you and me as a consumer without scientific knowledge is knowing which of these tests first, that the information is considered to be very reliable. The second is that how is your information protected and how it might leak out to others, because we have no specific law in effect in the United States that protects the confidentiality of that data. And when one of these DNA testing services goes bust as part of the bankruptcy process, even if their terms of service gave you specific, clear rules on privacy, when they go bust, that information is then the bankruptcy court doesn't care about that. They're selling it off to whoever will pay them the most money on your data and those of others. So if you're really worried about the information being out there, I don't recommend it right now. Unless there is an extreme medical worry based on family history that makes it really valuable to do the DNA testing without a medical specialist who has knowledge recommending a specific DNA test. I think it's really flying blind for us as individual consumers to know which one is good or not. I have prostate cancer and there was a specific DNA test that my urologist had me take and it informed some of my treatment decisions on what's happened over the years where actually I've never had treatment. I've just been in active surveillance now for 16 years. So I've been very, very lucky with that. So I wish that we had a clear law on medical privacy for consumer type tests. It doesn't exist yet and not in any state that I'm aware of, although there could be a state statute on this somewhere. Coming up ahead, I want to talk about how traffic in 25 is clearly going to be the worst we've seen in most metro areas in the United States since 2019. I'll fill you in.

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Clark Howard (18:05)

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Krista (21:55)

Literally cannot picture it. You must have hated it because we've.

Clark Howard (22:01)

Known each other since the 90s.

Krista (22:03)

Yeah.

Clark Howard (22:04)

And you know I don't dress up, right.

Krista (22:07)

No, I've seen you in a suit less than 10 times in decades. Yeah, we've been at weddings together, funerals. Unfortunately, those are the times you see.

Clark Howard (22:17)

Me in a suit. Yeah, yeah. So anyway, one of the managers was telling me that when he was at a scientific retreat that IBM had where the scientists for IBM were up talking, that he thought it was the funniest thing ever because the scientists were, some of them were in sandals and torn T shirts and you know, like, what do they call those board shorts, like surfing shorts, that kind of thing. And had crazy hair and beards. Couldn't have beards or facial hair back then at IBM. And it's funny because there is a caste system and employment. So the very boss who orders you to be in the office five days a week if he or she doesn't want to do it, well, gosh, they're traveling, they call it instead of working remotely. But I digress and I apologize for that. The point is, the culture is changing back. Not all the way, but very heavily back to what it was pre Covid. And there are people who work in service work, who work in hospitals, who work as police officers, firefighters, whatever. You the whole time have been going to work, but your commutes were better because of all the overprivileged people who worked in jobs. They could work fully remotely at first, then partially remotely. And now that's going away. They're all going to be on the roads. And our country's population is up quite a bit. And there are certain metro areas, particularly in the the south and in Texas, that have seen enormous population growth in six years. So you take those things together, traffic's gonna be rough. So that brings me to something else. If you're in a position to flex on when you're on the roads, flex when you go, when you go run an errand, when you go buy Groceries, all those things. Because we're back to having to really think in metro areas about when we do something based on mind numbing traffic. And Krista, you can tell people other than wearing a suit, when do I have a meltdown? It's traffic, traffic, traffic, traffic. I despise traffic.

Krista (24:33)

Okay, here are some questions. This one came in from Adam in Oregon. When is a 529 account sufficiently funded? We established a 529 account for our 3 year old son. He has grandparents who have contributed a generous amount amount to that account in the last few years. We are trying to determine if we should contribute more or just leave it alone and hope it grows enough by the time he is ready for college. At what amount would you consider the account to have sufficient funds such that you would stop contributing? Any guidelines for amounts by age? We want to be able to send him to college without him having to take out any student loans. My wife and I already set aside enough for retirement. We fully fund our employer sponsored retirement accounts and our IRAs every year.

Clark Howard (25:15)

Got a 3 year old. What a sweet age. So just take these numbers with a grain of salt. If you take what estimates are for a typical public college, typical private college figure, look 15 years out from now the calculators say that four years at a state school all in for let's say a level one state school. Not like I went to grad school, I went to a directional school, but a level one like the state university, like the national champions or the Ohio State University figure four years will cost you a quarter million. Private school four years, half a million. There are calculators available that will show you the projections and some of that is backward looking. College costs aren't going to go up at the rate they've gone up in the past. Market has shifted. But if you look at the the most terrifying numbers, let's go with that quarter million for the bachelor's public college. Half a million bachelor's private college. Obviously if a kid goes to community college a couple years or goes to a more affordable school or qualifies for this grant or that grant or the other grant, I'm giving you the peak numbers here. When I'm talking about that.

Krista (26:38)

There is a really great resource too. It's the Massachusetts Educational Financing authority and it's me fa.org and in there you can put in what year you estimate when you think your child will go to college and it will give you a lot of projections too. So that's another way to pull up.

Clark Howard (26:54)

Some numbers so then that's how you answer the question. Based on the numbers, are you funded enough based on the likely return of that 529 over the next 15 years? Or, oops, we could actually use some more money in there.

Krista (27:09)

Bernie in Florida says, my father is 85 and I want him to stop driving, both for his own safety and the safety of other drivers? I have two questions here. One, do you have any suggestions for doing this, considering my father fights me if I raise the subject he wants to continue driving and thinks he is just as good of a driver as he's always been? He also has no public transit options where he lives, so he'd have to rely on Uber or on me to chauffeur him around. I live 30 miles away, so he'd have to use Uber for any urgent trips. Two, assuming I can't stop him, if the worst were to happen and he caused an accident that damaged property or injured or, God forbid, killed someone, would any liability extend to me? I have one sibling, but otherwise, my father has no immediate family members.

Clark Howard (27:55)

So, Bernie, so many of us have been there with my late mom, we went through quite a journey. I actually stole my mother's car from her. I did. And she called me in her very thick Southern accent one day and said, clock, darling, my car is missing. You remember me doing this?

Krista (28:21)

Yeah.

Clark Howard (28:21)

I remember because mom was a danger to herself and others on the roads, and she wouldn't stop driving. And so she adjusted. This happened before Uber and Lyft, and we signed her up, there were taxi companies, and we signed her up with a taxi company that was in her part of town. And it was like a membership. They were an analog version, kind of what, like Uber and Lyft were. Turned out it was cheaper for her rides and she was using it every day. It was cheaper for her rides doing that than it was having and insuring a car. And she was mad at me for a while, but it all worked out eventually in a lot of states.

Krista (29:08)

I mean, you're not suggesting that someone steal the car?

Clark Howard (29:11)

No, no. I mean. Well, I basically stole it. I hid the car.

Krista (29:15)

Right.

Clark Howard (29:15)

And then eventually, mom was willing to sign the car over. My sister needed a new car or new to her car, and my mom signed the car over to her. But, yes, because the police could get involved, technically, I did kind of steal her car. Anyway, the other thing is, in many states, the physician can revoke the driver's license privilege with the state. There's a procedure in many states for this because it's such a complicated Thing in a family. You and your sibling, your one other sibling need to be on the same page about this, on how you feel about being very proactive on. The second thing you were asking about liability is as long as the vehicle is owned by your dad, it's insured by your dad. You and your sibling do not have, in any situation I'm aware of around the country, but I'm not a lawyer, liability for what would happen in that case because your dad is not your legal dependent. If the time came that your dad was your legal dependent, then that would be the case. If you do come up with a way to remove the car. Both Uber and Lyft have premium programs that get you quicker rides, lower prices. Lyft calls it pink, which is a $200 a year membership. What's the Uber one called?

Krista (30:41)

I don't remember what the Uber was.

Clark Howard (30:42)

But they both have these elevated memberships that get you more reliable rides and get you a discount on every ride.

Krista (30:51)

And in Florida, you can report an unsafe driver to the DMV and maybe they will do an investigation if it were to come to that. And there's a briefing on how to do that. There's one on nolock and then also I found one on a website that's elder needs law. And they also suggest maybe you take the car in for quote unquote repairs, which is kind of like what you did, Clark, but like sort of out of sight, out of mind. Get your dad used to taking Uber or Lyft or anything like that. So Kay in California says, when buying a car on sites like CarMax, do I need an independent mechanic to inspect the car?

Clark Howard (31:28)

Yes, yes, you buy from CarMax or Carvana, which have the two most consumer friendly systems for buying a car in the United States. When you're buying a used car, CarMax and a lot of its markets gives you 30 days where you can return the vehicle as long as you don't violate any terms, no questions asked, for a full refund. Carvana, seven days. This is the way used cars should be sold. Because people are buying a vehicle with a history, that history may be bad. If you buy a car from Carvana or carmax that is a couple years old or less, you know, it's a relatively new car, a couple years only, still under manufacturer's warranty. Rather than have it checked out by an independent mechanic, the more important thing is to have it checked out by a body shop. And you pay a body shop a fee to check the vehicle out to make sure it's not been in an accident. You buy a vehicle that's three years old or older from Carmax or Carvana during the seven day Carvana period. The up to 30 day CarMax depending on market review period of ownership, pay an independent mechanic, preferably who specializes in the brand of vehicle you bought to check it out and make sure it is okay. Which is the beauty of the return period. No harm, no foul. If the vehicle is going to be trouble prone or clearly has not been properly taken care of by the mechanics inspection report to you, then you avoid trouble. I've told this story not in years, but way before CarMax Carvana, Krista bought a used car. There weren't these customer friendly policies then. So she was getting vehicles inspected before she owned them. And the first two you paid the inspection fee. They both failed.

Krista (33:35)

There were three fail.

Clark Howard (33:37)

Yep, three failed. So in your case, the fourth was a charm.

Krista (33:40)

Yeah. So I spent $400 because each inspection was $100. But avoid a lemon.

Clark Howard (33:46)

Yeah, avoided a lemon. And you ended up with a vehicle that was crazy reliable and wonderful.

Krista (33:51)

Right. Because I pulled the carfax reports too and one of the cars had been in a bad accident and was not on the Carfax report. But the independent mechanic found the bad accident, figured it out. Yeah. Yep.

Clark Howard (34:02)

So that's why Krista's living proof about the value. Remember the first three vehicles fail.

Krista (34:10)

Yep. Disappointing.

Clark Howard (34:11)

Yeah.

Krista (34:12)

But worth the hassle.

Clark Howard (34:13)

Okay, so think about it. Whatever you have to pay an independent mechanic to inspect, compare the cost of that versus how much that car costs or SUV or whatever. That's why you do the inspection. And I don't care if you're buying a cpo. You know, you go to one of the luxury or near luxury brands and they're selling all these vehicles certified pre owned. They don't call them used, they call them pre owned vehicles. And they say we've done this 144 point check or whatever term they use, 125 point whatever. And then it turns out when you have it inspected, oh, it wasn't like they represented at all. That's why with any of these CPO programs you can't trust that either. But you can trust this. We're here to serve you all day, all night, 24 hours a day, every day of the year at clark.com and clarkdeals.com with advice and information on your wallet. ClarkDeals Ways to Save money today on purchases you might make. And everything we're about is you learning ways to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off and have a great rest of your day.