11.03.25 Secure Holiday Package Delivery / The Siren Song Of Debt

Summary

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The Clark Howard Podcast

Episode: 11.03.25 – Secure Holiday Package Delivery / The Siren Song Of Debt

Host: Clark Howard
Date: November 3, 2025

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Episode Overview

Clark Howard and his co-host Krista discuss two major themes:

• Keeping Your Holiday Packages Secure: With the holiday season in full swing, Clark covers the growing problem of package theft (“porch piracy”) and delivers actionable advice for safe delivery.
• The Dangers of Buy Now, Pay Later: Clark warns listeners about the rising trend and risks of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment options, recounting how easy credit can trap consumers in unmanageable debt.

The show also fielded listener questions on topics including identity theft prevention, affordable international travel, credit freezes versus VPNs, the evolving role of hospitalists in medicine, and car companies experimenting with subscription fees for vehicle features.

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1. Strategies for Secure Holiday Package Delivery

[01:01–07:56]

• Rise of Porch Piracy:
  With the holidays, package theft is surging. Thieves often follow delivery trucks, targeting homes without signs of activity.
• Evasion Tactics:
  Thieves now wear disguises—masks, hats, sunglasses— to evade camera identification.
• Clark’s Recommendations:
  • Use secure delivery options (e.g., Amazon Lockers) when possible.
  • Sign up for delivery notifications (Amazon, UPS, FedEx, USPS).
  • If you work from home, monitor for approaching deliveries.
  • Consider alternate secure locations for delivery.
  • Security cameras and even visible signage can deter thieves.
• Personal Story – The Dog Deterrent:
  Krista reports never having a package stolen: "I think my dogs scare off criminals and I also think I have an obvious doorbell camera." (Krista, [05:27])
• Clark's Humor:
  “I’m scared of your dogs 12 miles away. Those are, man, anybody who tried to mess with you or mess with your house, it would not be a good day for them.” (Clark, [05:39])
• Alternative Security Ideas:
  • Get a dog (adopt!).
  • Use a locking mailbox for high-value or sensitive mail.

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2. Listener Q&A: Identity Theft, Locked Mailboxes, and Secure Info

[06:26–08:50]

• Mail Theft & Identity Fraud:
  Charles from New York shares a real-world case of attempted bank fraud via the mail. Criminals opened a fake account in his wife’s name and waited for the debit card to arrive.
  • The scam failed only because their mailbox was locked.
  • Clark strongly endorses locking mailboxes:
    "You don't realize what an invitation to identity theft, criminal behavior... having an unprotected mailbox represents." (Clark, [07:56])
    • If a locking mailbox is forced open, you’ll at least know a crime occurred.
    • They're affordable and easy to install.

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3. Listener Q&A: Cheap Flights to Iceland

[08:50–13:15]

• Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets:
  • Clark recommends waiting until March/April to purchase for August 2026 trips.
  • Fares often drop the third week of August as school starts in the US.
  • Krista notes that the 2026 solar eclipse (August 12) could impact pricing and availability:
    "Definitely avoid [that period] if you’re not going to see the solar eclipse." (Krista, [11:34])
  • Leverage Iceland Air’s free stopovers to save, but expect Iceland to be expensive.
  • Personal travel tips: Consider small hotel packages or even camping/RV due to high lodging costs.

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4. Listener Q&A: Credit Freezes vs. VPNs

[13:15–14:27]

• Security Beyond Credit Freezes:
  • Listener Teresa worries about advice to go beyond credit freezes.
  • Clark recommends using a paid Virtual Private Network (VPN) for online security:
    "Buy one, don't use one of the free ones. The free ones have been a lot of problems... a virtual private network is a really great idea for you to protect yourself when you are online." (Clark, [13:21])
  • Check reputable tech reviews for the best VPNs.

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5. The Siren Song Of Debt: Buy Now, Pay Later Dangers

[17:54–22:59]

• Clark's Strong Warning:
  • Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) and installment options (“Pay in Four") are proliferating and causing widespread financial harm.
  • Key Statistic:
    "Well over a third of people who've used it end up in credit trouble, in default, end up with all kinds of penalties and...ruining your credit." (Clark, [17:57])
  • This model started in furniture stores with “no, no, no” plans (no down, no interest, no payments) but had high retroactive interest rates for nonpayment.
  • The psychological tactics (“angel vs. devil on your shoulder”) manipulate shoppers, making them buy what they can’t afford.
  • Memorable Analogy:
    "If you ever partied too much one night... how do you feel the next day?... This is something that doesn't go away in a day. The bill's there and the interest that you end up with... is a no, no, no for your wallet." (Clark, [19:13])
  • Clark encourages listeners to resist the temptation as Black Friday deals flood the market.

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6. Listener Q&A: Cell Phones with 0% Installment Plans

[23:10–23:45]

• Is 0% Phone Financing Safe?
  • Listener Matthew asks if it’s wise to buy an Apple iPhone on a 0% installment plan while paying from a savings account earning interest.
  • Clark’s verdict:
    "There's nothing wrong with what you're doing because it's all automated. You got the money... You would be an example of somebody who's...being subsidized by the people who don't pay it off." (Clark, [23:45])
  • Summary: If you are organized with automated payments and have cash on hand, you’re fine—most people get tripped up.

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7. Listener Q&A: The Role of Hospitalists

[24:28–28:45]

• What is a Hospitalist?
  • Darrell questions if “hospitalist” means the doctor is loyal to the hospital, not the patient.
  • Clark explains:
    • Hospitalists are doctors trained for in-hospital care, especially when there’s no established patient history.
    • Clark shares a personal story: a hospitalist saved his life by correctly diagnosing rhabdomyolysis when he was dying.
    • “She saved my life by figuring out what was wrong.” (Clark, [27:22])
    • The real problem in healthcare today isn't the hospitalists, but large practices run for profit, causing frustration for doctors and lower quality for patients (Krista adds a friend's experience).
    • Clark laments physicians’ loss of independence:
      "They are becoming serfs in these major hospital systems and many are being forced to become employees without rights... having all their independence taken from them and their judgments of what's best for a patient." (Clark, [28:45])

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8. Listener Q&A: Car Subscription Fees

[29:29–33:40]

• Are Car Companies Charging for Basic Features?
  • Vicenza asks about rumors that Toyota and others will charge subscription fees for factory features (e.g., tire pressure, backup cameras, remote start, Bluetooth audio).
  • Clark says:
    • Some automakers (Tesla, BMW) do this already (e.g., Tesla charges monthly for data and “Full Self Drive” features; BMW tested charging for heated seats).
    • Industry is seeking new recurring revenue streams, but not all basic features (e.g., backup cameras) are fair game due to legal requirements.
    • However, advanced or “add-on” features (video recordings, streaming) could be locked behind subscriptions in the future.
    • For now, if your car is in good shape and paid off, stick with it to avoid such costs:
      "You just gave yourself one more reason to keep driving it." (Clark, [33:40])

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9. Closing Advice & Notable Quotes

• On Black Friday Deals:
  "We got them for you all month long at clarkdeals.com, but just because something's on sale, if you don't need it, don't buy it."
• Clark’s Signature Closing:
  "Save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off."

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Notable Quotes

• Porch Pirates:
  "It's a term that everybody knows, porch pirate, because it happens so much." (Clark, [02:37])
• On Buy Now, Pay Later:
  "You're tying yourself up financially. You're putting handcuffs on yourself financially." (Clark, [21:54])
• On Automated Payment Plans:
  "If you go eyes wide open, you know what you're doing, and this is a financial tool for you, that's fine." (Clark, [23:45])
• Healthcare Professionals:
  "Doctors...are becoming serfs in these major hospital systems and many are being forced to become employees without rights." (Clark, [28:45])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Secure Package Delivery: [01:01–07:56]
• Locked Mailboxes & Identity Theft: [06:26–08:50]
• Buying Airline Tickets to Iceland: [08:50–13:15]
• VPNs & Data Security: [13:15–14:27]
• Buy Now, Pay Later Dangers: [17:54–22:59]
• 0% Installment Phone Plans: [23:10–23:45]
• Hospitalists in Medicine: [24:28–28:45]
• Car Subscription Fees: [29:29–33:40]

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For More

Check out:

• Clark's money advice & deals and holiday deals
• Submit your questions at clark.com/askclark

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Summary prepared for listeners who want actionable financial advice and Clark’s distinctive take on consumer issues, grounded in listener stories and the realities of today’s marketplace.

Transcript

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[Clark Howard]

I'm so glad you're with on the Clark Howard Show. You know our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you to take better control of your finances, make better financial decisions in your life. It's November, which means it is Black Friday month. So many of us already doing our holiday shopping. How do you make sure your packages aren't stolen? Big, big big problem. And later in this podcast YouTube show I'm going to talk about a new way that people are getting themselves into big time trouble with debt that is spreading like wildfire. So porch pirates are getting more and more clever wearing not necessarily disguises, although that has happened. But so many people now have cameras that are there to who get a lot of packages to be able to see that the package has arrived in addition to what notices you get on apps and also if somebody comes to steal it, you got video of who the perpetrator was. But now perpetrators are wearing masks, ski caps, wide brim hats, no big sunglasses whatever so that you don't have a positive ID of who's stealing. And during November, with so much online shopping and delivery, criminals follow Amazon trucks, FedEx trucks, UPS trucks is they make their rounds, they see a package delivered, they see no sign of life at a house. Bam. They're up on that front porch, they got that package and it is gone. It's a pain because now you gotta contact whoever the company was you got it from, got to tell them the package was stolen, you got to hope that they believe you and then you got to wait for the new item. Hopefully it's not sold out. It's a lot. So you got to think about strategies to receive those packages. And I know that a lot of people find it to be a royal pain, but I love the Amazon lockers. When you're ordering from Amazon, if you're not in a secure place where your packages are delivered, then why do you want all the hassle? It's a term that everybody knows, porch pirate, because of a reason, because it happens so much. And so using the lockers, being able to send it to a place that's secure, if you work from home, you're able to in, you know you got the notifications from Amazon's really good about saying, you know, they're six houses away or whatever, you're there to get the package when it comes ups, FedEx, you got their registration programs. They're not going to be as on top of it like saying, you know, they're, they're around the corner or whatever, but it's still going to help you because a lot of times when a package is delivered by the Postal Service, FedEx, UPS, if you've not registered for notifications, you don't even know that the packages come and then you're like, later, huh? Never got that package from XYZ company. So signing up for these services is good, but doing something that's a secure point of delivery is better. And obviously people who live in high rises, this isn't an issue. You know, they're delivered inside and no problem. But with other things, think through how you can make it more secure. And Krista, you get a lot more packages delivered than I do. You live in a single family home. You've never had a package stolen, have you?

[Krista]

Not so far, thankfully. I think my dogs scare off criminals and I also think I have an obvious doorbell camera. I think having obvious security cameras and maybe a sign does deter a lot.

[Clark Howard]

We're 12 miles from your house right now. I'm scared of your dogs 12 miles away. Those are, man, anybody who tried to mess with you or mess with your house, it would not be a good day for them.

[Krista]

That's not true. But they do bark. They bark a lot. And I think they also, that was, I got in between them when they were fighting over food. They never fight normally they're sweet dogs. One of them is an Aussie doodle.

[Clark Howard]

Their teeth are like, like on a prehistoric creature. Those are big teeth. So if somebody doesn't have a dog.

[Krista]

Yeah, you can get a dog, adopt a dog. That's a good deterrent. And also make sure you do have obvious security cameras. I mean, I think that is helpful. Okay. You ready for questions?

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Krista]

Okay. Charles in New York wrote in with this one. He says, good morning, Clark. I just wanted to alert you to a different wrinkle to identity theft that we have narrowly avoided. A few weeks ago, my wife received a debit card in the mail from a local credit union where we don't do business. We visited the nearest branch, and they looked through the information on the account. Everything was correct except the email address. Her information has been stolen in as many data breaches as anyone else. So I assume that's where the criminal got the info. She did have her credit files frozen, but they didn't apply for credit. They were opening a savings and checking account, so that didn't help her.

[Clark Howard]

And that's a different database that credit unions and banks use. There's more than one, right?

[Krista]

Check Systems is one of them. Yeah, you can freeze your. Yeah, we talked about that recently. Someone wrote in about that. The credit union employee told us that the way this goes is the criminal creates an account online with all the correct information, but using their own email address, which, with accurate information, it looks like a legitimate account opening. After they create the account, they pull the debit card out of the victim's mailbox, complete a change of address, and now they have a fully functional bank account and someone else's name and any future illegal activities will trace to the victim. How did we avoid this mess? Our townhouse complex has a bank of locked mailboxes. Even though we don't check our mail every day, the criminal couldn't get the debit card and they couldn't complete the process. We've since installed a locking mailbox at my parent in law's house. It cost about $100 at the local hardware store and mounted on the existing post.

[Clark Howard]

Thank you for bringing up locking mailboxes again. This is something I've been into for, gosh, more than a generation that you don't realize what an invitation to identity theft, criminal behavior, whatever. Having an unprotected mailbox represents. And locking mailboxes that are widely available are very affordable now, and they provide a level of security that's great. And by the way, if a criminal takes a crowbar and breaks into your locking mailbox, you know the crime happened rather than rifling through your mail taking items that you wouldn't want them to have, and you don't know it happened until trouble presents itself. So locking mailboxes are an awesome idea.

[Krista]

Denise in Virginia says when's the best time to purchase tickets to Iceland for August of 2026. Also, who did Clark fly on and how was the trip?

[Clark Howard]

Iceland is great and you beat me there by 10 or more years or something, didn't you? Iceland way before me.

[Krista]

It was just a few years. It wasn't that long ago.

[Clark Howard]

Oh, do I love it. I remember when we were going to the airport to leave, how sad I was. I wanted another 10 days there. Just love it there. Got to deal with cold though. Any month of the year. It's just relative to what you're used to. So there was a Delta special for 552 round trip and that's why we went. And a lot of cities in the United States, you live close enough to where you can fly Iceland Air and they offer like for you in Virginia, Iceland Air goes out of BWI and you can go off to Reykjavik and what a great, great experience. Be prepared for extremely high costs there. Very, very expensive destination, very tourist oriented, very tourist friendly with scenery that is breathtaking. So when would you buy a ticket for August? Not for a good long time. If I were to guess sometime around March, April might be when you'd see your first good fares that would cover August. Something significant about August airfares to Europe drop. I don't know the exact date for 26 yet, but they tend to drop about the third week of August. We go from summer fares to fall fares. And it's because so many school districts in the United States now go back to school early to mid August. And for the airlines, it changes their fare setting to leisure destinations, especially to Europe. And that's why buying a ticket March, April gets you a shoulder fare that might exist for the latter half of August.

[Krista]

So I do want to say one thing. I just looked it up to be sure because I thought I remembered this solar eclipse in 26 is August 12th, so.

[Clark Howard]

So we're going to have to have the shoulder fare start earlier this year.

[Krista]

Yeah. Or I mean, it might be incredibly expensive. I mean usually people go for, you know, along those lines, like it gets so expensive. So if you're, if your purpose is.

[Clark Howard]

What made you think of that? I remembered that all these months away.

[Krista]

Because somebody else had asked about like they wanted to go see that specifically. And it's tough, you know. So just FYI, if you're not going to see the Sorrow eclipse, definitely avoid around then.

[Clark Howard]

I just had an idea. What if you, you know, Iceland Air gives the free stopovers and Reykjavik, even though they might have the fares higher for people terminating in Reykjavik if you buy a ticket on to England or France or wherever in Europe, because they're mainly they use Iceland as a transfer hub like other airlines. And most passengers aren't staying in Iceland. They're going on, but they let you do a short free stopover. Maybe you could do that and lower the fare if it's during the eclipse.

[Krista]

Yeah, and maybe bring a tent to sleep in because I bet all the.

[Clark Howard]

Hotels are most people who go there as tourists do sleep in tents or campers because the hotel space is so crazy expensive.

[Krista]

I did an Iceland Air package when I went with my mother and daughter. And so we stayed in a hotel in Reykjavik that I mean the rooms were tiny but perfectly great. I mean, I enjoyed it. Little twin bed and tiny little bathroom and we had one free tour. I mean they do do some good packages sometimes if you're willing to do it that way too. Okay, Teresa in Washington says Clark has talked for years about the benefits of freezing your credit. But now another expert in her field, Kim Commando, has stated that freezing your credit is not enough to protect yourself. She said in a recent newsletter that people should try one specific product to protect what a freeze can't. I'm so tired of never feeling like I'm doing enough to protect myself. Can Clark please speak to this comment?

[Clark Howard]

So what Kim talks about is doing a vpn, a virtual private network. I think roughly half of people who use computers routinely use a vpn. There are many available. Buy one, don't use one of the free ones. The free ones have been been a lot of problems with the free ones. As cheap as I am, I'd say buy one. She does endorsements for a particular one, but you can look at something like PC magazine or any of the tech guides and see their list of the pluses and minuses of various paid VPNs. But a virtual private network is a really great idea for you to protect yourself when you are online. And coming up ahead, I want to talk about something I want you to do to protect yourself with your holiday shopping now that we're in Black Friday month.

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[Clark Howard]

So I've spent enough time railing against paying for the big thing that's been so hot. Especially, I mean, it used to be that you'd see it on impulse items. Now you're seeing pay in for all over the place for easy payments that easily destroy people financially because well over a third of people who've used it end up in credit trouble, in default, end up with all kinds of penalties and now more and more ruining your credit. Well, let's go wider. Buy now, pay later. It started in a big way in the furniture business. Furniture stores realized, hey, we're not in the furniture business, we're in the credit business. And so furniture stores were the originators of no, no, no plans, no down payment, no interest, no payment for blah, blah, blah. And it was classic behavioral economics because people would take out the no, no, no and not realize if it wasn't all paid off by the end of the payment holiday, that interest at 30 something percent was retroactive to day one. Well, fast forward to today. Half of Americans have used buy now pay later and more and more are using things either variations of paying for that end up having you cough up a lot of interest or doing the no, no, no kind of plans. And what's happening is that we're in a position where people are taking on levels of debt that they cannot handle. It's so alluring when somebody says buy this new TV and pay nothing for 6 months or 90 days or buy this whatever it is, where you get a payment holiday for whatever period of time. And the problem again is these buy now pay laters are getting us to do something that we want to do anyway. You know, you can have an angel on one shoulder, devil on the other. We want that push that gets us to buy something that maybe we really can't afford. That's the problem. That's the heart of the problem. This is all about manipulating you in a way, you kind of want to be manipulated until later. It's like if you ever partied too much one night and you drank too much liquor, how do you feel the next day? Or even by like three in the morning. But this is something that doesn't go away in a day. The bill's there and the interest that you end up with on the no, no, no plan is a no, no, no for your wallet. Because, yeah, they said if you paid everything in X number of months, you're paying zero. But they are counting on the fact that most people aren't going to get it paid off. And then remember, retroactive to the day you did the purchase, you owe 35, 40% interest, whatever it is. That is not. That's not a ticket to financial independence or wealth. You're tying yourself up financially. You're putting handcuffs on yourself financially. What other analogies could you give Krista?

[Krista]

Chaining yourself.

[Clark Howard]

Chaining yourself.

[Krista]

Obligation.

[Clark Howard]

Wonderful. Chaining yourself to a wall of obligations. Is that what you said? Yeah, that English major in you, that was just wonderful. You got any others?

[Krista]

I don't know. I'd have to think of one.

[Clark Howard]

All right, so as you're doing your Black Friday month shopping and you see all these things out there and you're going out shopping, your nice list, maybe you're buying for some people on your naughty list too. What happens is you're out there and you see things for yourself too. And then you're like, you know, I deserve that. And it says right there, buy now, pay later. Buy now, pay later. And you're like, sounds great to me. I'll take it. Instead, I want you hearing me. I want you hearing this in your head and you're thinking, okay, I'm not gonna fall for it. I'm not gonna get taken.

[Krista]

Gluing yourself or what? Velcroing yourself to a financial dartboard.

[Clark Howard]

That one wasn't as good as.

[Krista]

Should have stuck with the first one.

[Clark Howard]

Well, you really, you really hit it out of the park with the first one.

[Krista]

Did I Remember what it was? Now, Matthew and Geor says, I hear you talk about the buy now and pay later options. An obvious no. No. But what are your thoughts on this for purchasing your cell phone through the cell phone provider, not the service at 0% interest? For example, I have an Apple savings account and I purchased my Apple phone through Apple's monthly installment plan at 0% interest. And Apple requires payments to be automated. I have more than enough to cover the cost of the phone. And since the payments are automated, I don't see the harm in it. But looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

[Clark Howard]

So I can't disagree with you. There's nothing wrong with what you're doing because it's all automated. You got the money. You just figure, why not use Apple's money instead of your own and earn 3% interest or 4% interest? I mean, you would be an example of somebody who's. Remember I said everybody thinks they're going to pay it off, but almost nobody does. So you're somebody who's being subsidized by the people who don't pay it off. And so if you go eyes wide open, you know what you're doing, and this is a financial tool for you, that's fine.

[Krista]

Darrell in Georgia says for way too many reasons, we likely would be platinum level at our two local hospitals.

[Clark Howard]

Oh, I'm sorry about that.

[Krista]

I believe it was last year we became aware of the term having retired from the corporate world. I know titles can be trash or very specifically indicate duties, responsibilities, etc. It made me wonder if the term hospitalist is telling me that this is a person managing the hospital's policies and goals and not those of the patient, perhaps clearly stating that they have no fiduciary duty to patients. It would certainly match the shift in quality and the feelings some physicians have expressed of the loss of control over patient management. Don't get me wrong, I love all the health care professionals, but I see them struggle, too. Is there some legal angle behind this or psychological manipulation of the health care workers?

[Clark Howard]

So hospitalist is actually a specialty, a subspecialty of medical doctor. They go through specialized training to go into a hospital environment instead of a traditional medical practice environment. So they're dealing with. They're trained to deal with people who come in where there may be no medical history available. And they are trained to go through a proper protocol to try to evaluate what actually is going on. And I will tell you, a hospitalist is the person who saved my life years ago when I had an unexplained condition and I was dying very, very quickly. I was. I was moving towards death. I still remember when you came to see me in the hospital, I looked at your face and you thought you were seeing a dead man.

[Krista]

They were talking about you going into sepsis.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah. So it turned out I had a condition that the hospitalist going through. Her protocol said, you don't have sepsis. Based on my expertise, I barely remember this because I was so close to death. And she said, I think you have something. Took me a while to even learn how to say it. Rhabdomyolosis. And it's a condition that happens to ultra marathoners, people like that. In my case, it happened because of a drug interaction. And I was, I was dying. Right.

[Krista]

You gotta have a better story. You gotta say, I did an ultramarathon.

[Clark Howard]

I did, I did a extreme iron man competition and I climbed Mount Everest and biked a thousand miles.

[Krista]

Just overdid it.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah. Anyway, no, I mean, mine was mundane, but also going to be deadly. And she saved my life by figuring out what was wrong. And it's not solely because she was a hospitalist. It was because she'd had a lot of experience. But it's not a bad thing that a hospitalist is there. I think it's a great subspecialty of medicine and especially because it saved my life. But, you know, that was the sickest I've ever been. It took me eight months to feel normal after having had that.

[Krista]

I do want to just say one thing, just the idea on the concept. I have a very. One of my best friends is a very, very good specialist doctor. She even teaches at a Ivy League medical school. She's incredible. And she's so frustrated with her job, as are her co workers, because the practices are being run now in these. By these centralized people. And their whole job is to just save money and make more money for the practices. Like she has an assistant, she's had forever. This person does not want anyone to have their long term assistance. They want a centralized assistance that they choose and pay less money to. There's just so much going on in there to try to save and make more profits, I think for the hospital. Yeah. And so in that regard, I don't know what that's called, but I do know that, you know, a lot of medical professionals are so frustrated with that medical.

[Clark Howard]

I mean, think about. Doctors go through so many years of schooling, so much training, they have a shorter career span than the rest of us because of how many years they spend in training. And they are becoming serfs in these major hospital systems and many are being forced to become employees without rights. Of these hospital systems having all their independence taken from them and their judgments of what's best for a patient. Oh, yeah, there's a lot, there's, there's a lot going on. But of those problems, the hospitalists are not part of the problem.

[Krista]

Vicenza in Colorado says, I forget where I heard it, but our car companies, specifically Toyota, starting to charge subscription fees for normal factory settings like air, tire pressure, backup camera system, navigational system, remote start, and even music streaming from your own phone. I have a 2019 VW with less than 75,000 miles. It's in Very good shape. And it's also paid off. I'd like to switch up my car to get a newer one, but I'm not sure about adding subscription costs to my new car purchase.

[Clark Howard]

So. What a great question. And Vicenza, I've not heard of this happening at Toyota, but it happens. With Tesla, you pay a monthly data charge of 10 bucks a month. If you want the full self Drive, you pay $99 a month. BMW has been experimenting with charging people a monthly fee for seat heaters, among other options or accessories in the vehicle. People are getting so used to subscriptions in their daily lives. We pay a subscription for our Internet, if you think of it that way, paying a monthly fee. We pay for our cell phone service. We pay for streaming services, a video, we pay for music streaming. And so the auto industry is now looking at this as an enormous potential future source of revenue that they're going to be able to book month after month for loading options onto a car whether you want them or not. But they only become active if you pay a monthly subscription. Not every automaker is going to do this. Not every model will come with it. And you don't necessarily have to pay this subscription if you don't want to use some of the features. I think a lot of safety systems, like you mentioned, the backup camera, backup cameras are required by law. They're not going to be able to charge you a subscription for that. But let's say you wanted video in case there was an accident and the camera is built in, the car had video of it. Maybe they charge you a subscription for that. So it's hard to know where it's all going to go. But you shocked me was saying you're going to have to pay a fee to use the Bluetooth in the car to listen to music from your phone. That would be just mind blowing. Yeah, it would be crazy to charge for basic safety things like checking the tire pressure in your car. But I don't know that we could put that past automakers doing that because they're all struggling to maintain the levels of profitability they used to maintain because of all the changes happening with automotive fleets in the world. And a lot of automakers are facing extreme pressure from the world's largest manufacturing market for automobiles worldwide now is the Chinese. And we don't have Chinese vehicles in the United States in any real numbers. But in other countries they have been taking significant market share. So automakers are looking for any way they can to maintain profitability. And subscriptions are definitely something that the industry talks a lot about. And the talk eventually leads to things like Tesla charging $10 a month to listen to music in your car, have navigation, that kind of thing. So your VW doesn't have a lot of miles on it. It's in good shape. It's paid off. You just gave yourself one more reason to keep driving it. And I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. Thank you for joining us for part of your day. Hope you learned something that gave you an actionable thing you can do in your own life or not do in your own life. And again, it is Black Friday month. You want to know the best deals on things. We got them for you all month [e-mail] but just because something's on sale, if you don't need it, don't buy it, but buy this. What are we all about? You learning ways to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. Have a great rest of your day.

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[Clark Howard]

Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera.

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