JetBlue abolishes its free checked bag policy for thrifty coach travelers

JetBlue abolishes its free checked bag policy for thrifty coach travelers Sad, so sad. The fact that JetBlue allowed all travelers to check one bag for free, and Southwest allowed two free checked bags, somehow gave me hope that these policies would prove so popular with travelers that the tide would turn, and other airlines would follow suit. But you naysayers were right, fees only go one way–up. Starting today, JetBlue introduces a new four-tier fare scale. Opt for the lowest-priced ticket, now called “Blue,” and you’ll pay about $15 dollars less the next level fare, according to the airline. But those aptly named Blue ticketholders will pay $20 if they check in a bag online or at a kiosk. Check it in at a ticket counter and it’s $25. A second checked bag will cost you another $35.   Spend more on a Blue Plus ticket, and you’ll get one free checked bag. Plus you’ll owe a slightly reduced change or cancellation fee if you need to make a switch. So Blue Plus would seem to be the obvious choice if you want to check a bag. However, the airline notes that difference in the price of a Blue and a Blue Plus ticket depends on the route and demand–in other words, it will vary, so it could be a more than $15. Blue Flex, the third level of fares, will run you about $100 more each way than the cheapest ticket but is fully refundable. You’ll also get to check two free bags, à la Southwest (its policy remains, for now). See our travel and vacation guide for ways to save on airfare, strategies to help you land a seat using frequent flyer points. Also check out our airline ratings.   There’s also a pricey Mint level ticket, which includes two free checked bags, a more spacious seat that lies flat and has its own “door,” free food and alcoholic beverages, expedited check-in and early boarding, plus a Birchbox parting gift that includes grooming and “lifestyle” products. The bottom line: Comparing airline fares and fees will take even more time for travelers who want to include JetBlue in the mix. When it comes to luggage fees alone, checked bag charges can vary based on your route; check airline websites for more details. Think you can avoid luggage fees by stuffing your stuff into a carry-on? More bad news, the allowed size of carry-on luggage may be shrinking.   ––Mandy Walker (@MandyWalker on Twitter) Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

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4 products on deep discount in July

4 products on deep discount in July Consumer Reports analysts track prices year-round, so we can tell you when products are on sale, month by month. Planning a vacation at the beach this summer? You can find deep discounts on bathing suits in July. People planning a stay-cation shouldn’t dispair; outdoor furniture will be on sale, too, so you can spruce up your outdoor living spaces. Want to replace an old sofa, table, chair, or bedroom set? Look for great deals on indoor furniture this month, too. And just in time to record your family’s summer fun or a special wedding, camcorders will be marked down.  If you’re in the market for these items on deep discount in July, we’ve got the shopping tips, buying guides, and ratings that can help you find the best deals. If camcorders are on your list, there’s a video below that pits Sony’s Action Cam against GoPro’s Hero 3 in a tough series of tests. Want to know what’s on sale the rest of the year? Check our calendar of deals. ––Mandy Walker (@MandyWalker on Twitter) Furniture is on sale this month because stores need to make way for new lines that will arrive later this summer that were shown at the spring High Point Furniture Market. Shopping tips Where you shop makes a difference. Catalog retailers, for example, have been around for several years, sometimes as an adjunct to a chain of stores. Mass-market retailers, including Ikea, Value City, and Walmart, tend to stress price. Expect a fairly limited fabric selection on upholstered furniture. Size up upholstered furniture like an expert. Follow these steps with floor samples and again when the furniture is delivered, to be sure that the piece from the warehouse matches what you saw in the store. Find the best furniture stores, and check this interactive guide, which includes details on upholstered furniture, styles, and furniture-care tips.  Many items are discounted toward the end of a season. With fall on the horizon, you’re likely to find great deals on outdoor furniture. Patios, porches, and decks are being turned into “outdoor rooms” with places to cook, dine or just enjoy the garden. Buying the right furniture can help you transform your outdoor space into a place you’ll want to hang out until winter’s chill forces you indoors. Some well-made sets are reasonably priced, but you do have to know what to look for in outdoor furniture. Shopping tips Consider the material. For example, choose untreated natural wicker only if it will be protected from the elements. Otherwise go with outdoor plastic wicker. Resin plastic is a good choice for poolside or in salt air, but strong winds can knock lightweight pieces around, so choose sturdy chairs, and ones that are wider, allowing guests to get comfortable. Try it out. Before you buy sit in the chairs and pull them up to the table. Check that the seat height is fine, and your knees don’t touch the table. You’ll want chairs that are roomy with comfortable armrests. Cushions should be well padded, water resistant, and fit well. And be sure the legs of the table don’t get in the way. As temperatures soar, you’ll find good deals on swimsuits. Because it’s the end of the swimsuit season for retailers, however, selection may suffer. Shopping tips Time it right. You’ll get the deepest discount on spring gear by timing it right, say the editors at Shop Smart magazine. It has found Kohl’s fans could head to the “Gold Star Clearance” racks, where prices are slashed up to 80 percent on weekend nights. Every Wednesday, shoppers who are 60 years old and older received an extra 15 percent off. At Target, women’s clothing was generally marked down on Tuesdays, men’s on Wednesday, and kids’ on Mondays. Markdowns at Marshalls and T.J. Maxx usually happened on Wednesday. Each store can be different and the policies can change at any time, so have a chat with store salespeople to find out what the deal is in the stores you frequent. Look for deals from other seasons. If you can find winter clothing on the racks in stores, the prices should be slashed. And luxury consignment shops are good places to find first rate deals on second-hand designer goods any time of year. You might find the deepest discounts, however, on swimsuits at outlets; read our guide to outlet shopping. Want some great video of your summer holiday celebration? Although many of us take videos with our phones, in most cases you’ll get better quality (due to better lenses) if you spring for a camcorder. Shopping tips Check the type, size, weight, controls and features. Decide on the type of HD camcorder you want to buy. If you want better quality and more options, consider a full-size model. If you need a smaller, more portable model or if you’re an athlete or adventurer who loves to capture footage of yourself, then consider an action cam. Drill down to the right model. Check out our camcorder buying guide. If you’re a subscriber you can access our Ratings of camcorders to see which ones were tops in our lab tests, including each model’s picture quality, audio quality, and battery life. Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

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First look: Olympus Air camera mount brings interchangeable lenses to your smartphone

First look: Olympus Air camera mount brings interchangeable lenses to your smartphone The trend of people turning to their smartphones to capture photos and videos shows no sign of slowing down. But a related trend is picking up momentum, as well: More smartphone photographers are looking for ways to improve the quality of those images. One way is to use a wireless accessory that connects with your phone or tablet, providing you with a larger sensor and better lens than anything built into a mobile device. Sony started offering its smartphone accessories in 2013. The company’s Wi-Fi QX-series lens-style cameras, such as the Cyber-shot DSC-QX10, have sensors, processors, memory card slots, and batteries—they are full-fledged cameras—but they connect wirelessly to your mobile device so you can compose photos on the LCD. Yet Sony didn’t stop there. The company also offered a second type of camera, or more specifically, a Wi-Fi camera mount: The DSC-QX1 has a large APS-C-sized sensor and accepts the E-mount interchangeable lenses used on Sony mirrorless models. That hardware can dramatically improve image quality, since it’s better than what’s available on any smartphone. Today, Olympus announced its own contender in this market, the Olympus Air, a 16-megapixel wireless mount for interchangeable lenses that’s compatible with both Apple and Android devices via a mobile app called Olympus Air Central (or OA Central). The new product will ship in two configurations—with a 14-42mm lens ($500) and in a mount-only version ($300). Unlike Sony’s QX1, the Olympus Air has a slightly smaller micro four-thirds image sensor. It will accept lenses made for both Olympus PEN-series mirrorless cameras and Panasonic G-series mirrorless models. The Olympus Air connects to devices via both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. (The QX1 can only connect by Wi-Fi.) I’ve had some time to test this new Olympus model, which is supposed to get into consumers’ hands in July; here’s what I found. Set up and ergonomics Before I paired the devices, I had to charge the Olympus Air using a USB cord hooked up to my computer. I also needed to insert a microSD memory card. One minor issue I had was finding the slot: You need to pry open a thin, shell-like cover on the back of the device. To pair the Air to my phone (I used an Apple iPhone 6 Plus), I had to download a beta version of the Olympus OA Central App. The app then did a decent job of walking me through the process of pairing the device with my phone. One thing I really liked about this camera was that it was lightweight and felt good in my hand. I used a 14-42mm lens, which is also lightweight and small. But if you’re using some of Olympus’s large lenses, I could see the package being a bit awkward to hold, unless you mounted the lenses on some sort of tripod. The back of the camera has an adjusting bracket that can accept just about any phone. (You can’t attach a tablet to this camera, but you can use one; the two devices can sync without being in physical contact.) The bracket set the phone at an angle, for easy viewing when holding the camera above or below you. Shooting photos and video Once I had the Olympus Air paired with my phone, I found shooting to be very easy. The camera has a large gray shutter button on top, which works for both still photos or video, or you can tap the virtual shutter button on your LCD. When using the Mode dial mode on the app, you can select various shooting modes, just like on a mirrorless camera, including full auto, program auto (P), aperture priority, shutter priority, full manual, and video capture. It also allows you to adjust the metering, ISO, resolution, drive (single or burst), face detection, and other settings. You can tap the screen to set your focus point, but I didn’t find this as easy to do as I would have liked. I had to tap several times to readjust the focus. Like all mirrorless cameras, the Air lets you capture high-quality RAW files as well as JPEGs. But according to the company, the Air doesn’t include all the technology and features you’ll find in one of the company’s mirrorless Pen cameras. For instance, it lacks a built-in flash, mechanical image stabilization, and dust reduction. Some lenses have image stabilization built in, which is a way to get around that shortcoming. Using the Olympus OA Central mobile app I found the design and versatility of the app appealing. (Note, I only tried the iOS version.) In addition to the Mode Dial setting, which lets you use and set the camera using many manual settings, you have access to other modes: Art Filter gives you access to lots of Instagram-like filters; Color Creator lets you dramatically alter color and tone; Photo Story provides several preset layouts to create a narrative; Clips lets you stitch together short video segments to make a movie; and Genius generates six versions from one photograph. Most modes worked pretty well, although I didn’t think the Genius mode offered enough variety, in terms of the types of images the mode created. Unfortunately, the app tended to freeze up quite often. In some cases, it lost its connection to the Wi-Fi signal, and once it shut down altogether. But this was a beta app; the glitches may be solved by the time the devices ship to consumers in July. Highs, lows, and bottom line Overall, I was impressed with the design and depth of the mobile app. It had a clean, easy-to-use interface, but allowed you to use the camera in many ways. Additionally, I liked how the product itself was designed: It’s small and lightweight, but still felt sturdy. However, I was disappointed with with the consistency of the app, though the problems may be fixed for the next update. This is a pricey device. However, if you’re looking to boost the quality of the photos and videos that you capture with smartphone or tablet, the Olympus Air is an option that holds a lot of promise. —Terry Sullivan Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

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8 sweet reward-card deals

8 sweet reward-card deals With the economy rebounding and consumers spending more, credit-card issuers are upping their efforts to snag you as a customer. According to the most recent data available from CardHub, a website that compares credit cards, cash-back deals are inching higher and higher, with some credit cards giving more money back than ever—up to 6 percent—on certain purchases. And to tempt you even more, some cards provide initial bonuses that amount to an average of almost $100, up 14 percent from a year ago. You might be persuaded to apply for a card because of the rewards, but you should never let the promise of a payback feed an impulse to overspend. That could lead to paying high interest rates on outstanding balances and late fees if you miss payments. Also, before applying, consider a card’s terms and conditions carefully. High annual fees might negate the very rewards you were after in the first place. To find the best card for you, consider the rewards the cards below offer and determine which works with your spending patterns. Read about surprising credit card fringe benefits This is among our favorite offers for those with a wide variety of expenses. It offers 1 percent cash back when you make a purchase—and another 1 percent when you pay at least the minimum due on your monthly statement. If that doesn’t scream out to you, this might: The discounts apply to every purchase you make. There’s also no limit on how much cash you can earn, no annual fee, and no interest charged on balances for the first 15 months. You’ll probably need excellent credit to qualify for this card. If you are looking for more cash back, this card gives you 5 percent, up to $1,500 spent per quarter. There is no annual fee. But the kinds of purchases that qualify for cash back rotate every quarter, from grocery stores to restaurants to gas stations to Amazon.com purchases. So you need to carefully monitor how you use this card. You’ll also get 1 percent cash back on other purchases and a $100 bonus if you spend $500 in the first three months. Like other cards, Chase Freedom charges no interest for the first 15 months, and here, too, you’ll probably need excellent credit to qualify. If you spend a lot of money in supermarkets, you’ll like credit cards that offer a relatively new reward: cash back on purchases at any grocery store. The Everyday card charges no annual fee and gives you 3 percent cash back on the first $6,000 in grocery expenses in a year. After that it gives you 1 percent back. It also gives you 2 percent back on gas, and purchases at certain department stores. After you spend $1,000 in the first three months, you’ll get a $100 credit on your statement. If you have excellent credit and are willing to pay an annual fee of $75, you may be able to get an even better deal than with the Everyday card. The Preferred provides many of the same benefits as the Everyday card but gives you a whopping 6 percent cash back on groceries—the most we’ve seen—up to $6,000 per year. After that, it gives you 1 percent back. If your credit score isn’t excellent, but good, this card from Barclays gives you 2 percent cash back on all purchases related to gas, groceries, and utilities. For all other purchases, you get 1 percent back. Once you have earned 1,000 points, you can redeem them for statement credits or gift cards. The reward points don’t expire, and there is no annual fee. Not long ago, travelers often opted for credit cards that earned miles on particular airlines. Now they are more likely to go after general reward cards that give miles that can be redeemed for flights on any airline, at any hotel, or for car rentals. For those with excellent credit, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus is a good choice. If you charge at least $3,000 to the card in the first three months, you’ll get 40,000 bonus miles (a $400 credit) for travel purchases. You also get two miles for every dollar you spend, and there is no annual fee in the first year. Similar to the Barclaycard Arrival Plus, the Venture Rewards card increased its one-time bonus of 20,000 miles to 40,000 miles last year (equal to $400), as long as you spend $3,000 in the first three months. The drawback, though, could be significant. If you make a late payment, you could be hit with an onerous APR of 29.4 percent that could last, well, indefinitely. One “gotcha” with many credit cards is the 3 percent fee they charge if you transfer a balance to a new card. Chase Slate, aimed at cardholders with at least a good credit rating, waives that fee for any balances transferred within 60 days of opening the account. It also offers 0 percent interest on the balance for the first 15 months—a nice combination.  —Nikhil Hutheesing (@Nikhil212 on Twitter) Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

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2017 Audi A4 pumps up the technology quotient

2017 Audi A4 pumps up the technology quotient Lots of everyday car owners used to aspire to the Audi A4 as their first entrée into a luxury car. But the latest model, on sale since 2009, has fallen behind competitors from Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, and even its own baby brother, the A3. Enter the 2017 A4, which Audi just revealed in European spec. The new car looks almost the same, with an updated grille, headlights, and taillights. It’s an inch longer and almost an inch wider, but the redesigned sedan weighs 265 pounds less. Shoppers will find the model-year changeover is most dramatic inside. The new A4 has an entirely new dashboard, with air vents all the way across. They can heat or cool the cabin more quickly at lower fan speeds than conventional systems, Audi says. A4s also offer a new fully digital instrument panel, a new center infotainment display, and a new MMI controller, set in front of the shifter, with an integrated touch pad. Its natural language voice recognition can perform searches on the Internet, in the navigation system, and in your phone contacts and playlists. The MMI screen gets new logic that Audi says is simpler. A new smartphone interface integrates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with Audi’s MMI controller. Passengers can surf the web and get any data they want on their smartphones over the car’s 4G wireless connection, while drivers’ access is restricted to services needed for driving, such as Google Maps, playlists, and phone contacts. A “phone box” gives drivers a place to put their phone that includes Qi wireless charging. A portable tablet from Audi can be used as a flexible rear entertainment display. A new top-of-the-line instrument cluster, which Audi calls the Virtual Cockpit, puts all the usual center-screen information right in front of the driver where the gauges usually go. You never even have to turn your head. This 12.3-inch screen in the instrument cluster can show everything from a Rand-McNally sized map of where you’re going, turn-by-turn directions, or playlists and contacts from your phone, all controlled from the steering wheel. The speedometer and tachometer appear as dials on the edges of the screen. The interface also allows drivers to control the car remotely, to unlock the doors, for example, or activate the auxiliary heating system from a smartphone app when they’re away from the car. The car will launch in the United States with a turbocharged, 2.0-liter gasoline-powered four-cylinder, followed by a 2.0-liter turbodiesel Four. The TFSI gasoline engine will use new valve timing technology to dramatically improve fuel economy by shortening the intake stroke. Audi claims this engine can get 40 mpg, presumably on the highway. Transmission choices will include a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic “S-tronic” and an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic. Front-wheel drive A4s will get the dual-clutch automatic in place of their old continuously variable unit. Both gearboxes will come with automatic stop-start to save gas at stoplights. And both have a new freewheeling feature that Audi says will save gas when coasting downhill. Even without a route planned, the transmissions will take topography into account when selecting gears. This iteration finally brings the A4 a full suite of active safety equipment, including active cruise control, pre-collision braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and attention warning to jolt distracted or drowsy drivers to pay attention. Lane-keeping assistance and active cruise control work up to 40 mph, and the active cruise control will start and stop the car automatically in traffic up to that speed. Exceed that threshold, or approach a turn tighter than the active steering can negotiate, and the car will warn you to retake control. If you don’t, it will bring the A4 to a complete stop in traffic. So pay attention! Pre-collision warning will sound the alarm if you approach another car too fast; if you still don’t slow down it will jab the brakes to try to wake you up. If nothing else, that will get your passengers’ attention! It also works with the car’s navigation system to warn you of upcoming obstacles, intersections, or speed limits where you may need to slow down. It will automatically apply the brakes at speeds up to 52 mph. The blind-spot monitoring system will warn you of cars approaching fast from the rear, even if you’re parked on the side of the road, so you don’t open your door into them before climbing out. Audi showed both sedan and wagon versions of the A4 for Europe. But since the company discontinued the A4 wagon in the United States in 2013, it seems unlikely they’ll bring it back here. What’s more likely is that this new A4 will spin off a new Allroad wagon for the U.S. The 2017 A4 will make its way to the U.S. next spring. In the meantime, the A4 desperately needs some of these technical advances to catch up to its luxury competition. —Eric Evarts Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

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