Yes, You Can Return Prescriptions: Tip-of-the-Day #312

I recently changed jobs and with that change came a new health insurance plan. The insurance at my former place of employment was a little "light" to say the least. And so, prescriptions often came with a hefty price tag attached to them.

One example of this is with Zomig, a well known drug for migraine headaches. My former insurance "allowed" four pills per month and the prescription cost me $45. At $11.25 a pill, you didn't want to lose one. Ever.

Given I had only just picked up my recent prescription (doling out the $45 big ones) it didn't seem totally out of the question for me to phone Walgreens pharmacy and ask what my new insurance covers for the same drug. Well, the new plan covers Zomig for just $10! At that point I had to ask if I could return the just-picked-up-pills for the same-but-cheaper-version and the answer was....YES!

By return I don't mean that they physically took the drugs back from me and recirculated them into their inventory. But, they swapped out the orders and credited my debit card the $35 difference.

All by way of saying, it's never "weird" or "out of the question" to ask for something that may be completely within the realm of reality. I love happy endings.


Send a FREE Fax Today: Tip-of-the-Day #311

Though communication by fax may feel antiquated at best, there is still the occasional need to do so. For instance, today I couldn't resist throwing my hat in the ring for the San Francisco YBCA Dream House Raffle and they don't have an online mechanism by which one can purchase tickets. I had to either call in my order or fax my form submission. Anyone who knows me knows that I will always go with the path of least resistance and in this case that meant facsimile.

Next steps: figuring out the fax machine in my office. Nope. So I decided to bone up on the newest online fax offerings. FaxZero.com immediately rose to the top of the Google search (after paid ads) and so I clicked. It appeared very straightforward - just a few fields of information, my document as an attachment, and I would be off to the races. (Note: I had already downloaded the app "Tiny Scan" to my iPhone and so I scanned my submission and saved it as a .pdf.)

I didn't have to register. No opening an account. No trial set up. I simply populated the FaxZero short form, attached my .pdf and within moments my fax was successfully sent. Double confirmation received when Dream House Raffle followed up promptly with my e-ticket. Ah, technology. 

Best Airport Tips of 2014: Tip-of-the-Day #310

I picked up this article from Thrillist, and credit Sophie-Claire Hoeller, German associate travel editor at Thrillist for these awesome nuggets o' wisdom. Given I'm off to NY on Monday, I'm going to test some of these out.

1. Use any card to get free movies
Allegedly, swiping any card with a magnetic strip to pay for the TV in front of you will work, so long as there's no WiFi on the plane. So that Red Lobster gift card now gets you a lot more than just Cheddar Bay biscuits.

How it works: When there’s no connection to verify your card, the transaction is held until the plane lands. If you swipe while still on land, WiFi is usually not active yet. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 on repeat!

2. Roll back your computer's clock for more time on WiFi
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. When airports hand you an hour of Wifi, play the system and make two hours look like one by rolling back the system clock before the first hour is up. Note: I've heard this works on Candy Crush too if you want to play sooner that the mandatory "time out." In that case, push your clock forward.

3. Don't get into the line when your schedule changes
If your flight is cancelled or overbooked, following the herd to the gate attendants is like throwing gasoline on a fire sparked by frustration. Instead, just call the airline; the operator can do everything the gate agent can, and probably much sooner than for all those suckers waiting in line.

Or double dip: Call while in line. Then you'll be laughing at them while swigging $12 airport beers in no time.

4. Pay less for flights by booking impossible connections
This is obviously situational, but – at your own peril – book a cheap connecting flight you've got a snowball's chance in hell of making. Oh, you only had 10 minutes to connect in Philadelphia? The airline has to reschedule you.

If flights aren't sold out, you can tell the gate agent you won't make it even before you leave on the first flight, and possibly get rescheduled on a direct flight that would have been much more expensive otherwise. It's not quite hidden city ticketing, but it still carries some risk.

5. Pack a gun
DO NOT PUT THIS IN A CARRY ON.

OK, now we've got that out of the way.... a few airport workers affirmed that packing an unloaded firearm or starter pistol in your checked luggage means the TSA won’t mess with it. Or you, for that matter.

Obviously, be sure to declare it, but once you do, watch your luggage get extra special treatment – apparently it’ll be handled extra carefully, won’t get lost, and will be the first on the carousel.

However, we REALLY don't recommend doing this without knowing the local legislation. If you happen to end up in a state with strict gun laws (like New York, California, Hawaii, and Illinois), you could end up going to jail.

6. Acquire shopping bags. Avoid overweight fees.
Go to any airport gift shop and ask for a big shopping bag. Then throw all your extra crap in there, and strut on board; since it looks like you just bought this stuff, airlines can’t charge you for an extra carry on.

Alternatively, look into whether buying a cheap new bag and checking it as a second bag ends up being cheaper than paying overweight fees. If so, do that.

7. BYO Booze
Don't spend your life savings on airplane alcohol: 50ml bottles of liquor are totally fine going through security, as long as they're sealed, contain less than 3oz of liquid, and fit into your 1qt bag.

However, try to be sneakier than that time you wanted to sneak booze onto a booze cruise in college, as it’s a violation of federal law to consume alcohol on a plane when it's not provided by flight attendants.

8. Pack a dense bag to fool the x-ray machines
Pack things like textbooks, cords, and shoes, and you conceivably could sneak that favorite bottle of rosé of yours on board. The reason? The denser your bag, the less detailed the x-ray.

Still seems like a good way to get your hooch tossed in the trash, though.

9. Freeze liquids to get them through security
Apparently, as long as it’s frozen solid, that Gatorade G Series Lime Cucumber Thirst Quencher is totally cool with TSA (see what we did there?).

10. BYO Snacks
So maybe don’t bring last week’s fish curry or a pot of chili. But homemade snacks and meals will save you approximately $459 per flight. And, they won't be airplane food.

11. Give chocolates to the crew
We mentioned schmoozing flight attendants with chocolate before, but what we didn’t know is that it’s pretty standard for flight attendants flying privately to bring chocolates to the crew onboard. Hence, if you do it with a little in-the-know nod and wink, they might give you preferential treatment for saving them a trip. Plus, who doesn't love chocolate?

12. Bypass lazy WiFi passwords
You don't need to be Kevin Mitnick to access the airport WiFi. Allegedly, the Delta Airlines WiFi password is usually "thankyou". Make sure you’re near a Delta lounge though, and to say, "thank you".

13. Wrangle stray luggage carts for free
Some airports have the nerve to charge for luggage carts – but if you go to the transportation/pickup area outside the terminal, you’ll probably find carts abandoned by people too busy or lazy to return them. Bonus hack: make money with this as Smart eCart usually dispenses 25 cents for returned carts. Yes, it's very Tom Hanks in The Terminal, to go back to that well.

14. Make calls from the airport phones to wherever
Apparently, pretty much every phone behind every counter in every airport can connect to outside lines if you dial 9 first. With modern cell phone technology, that's probably not necessary. But if your iPhone's outta juice and you still need to call Aunt Mildred to pick you up, you're not up crap creek. Except that you're still relying on rides from Aunt Mildred.


Xfinity WiFi is Pretty Awesome: Tip-of-the-Day #309

A colleague of mine just introduced me to Xfinity WiFi - a collection of internet hotspots across the country with immediate and FREE internet access for current Xfinity subscribers.

Touted as the fastest hotspots available with over 1 million nationwide, it's now seemingly easier than ever to stay connected.

I have WiFi at home, but my issue was that my apartment is approximately 1,500 square feet and my network router is at one end, buried within an entertainment center. The other end of my place is riddled with dead spots. I bought a WiFi extender to fix that problem but it would work and then not work intermittently. A few months back I posted that I'd found my Verizon hotspot of some use but I didn't want to have to use my phone to fuel my other device connections (or my boyfriend's devices!).

Since I am already an Xfinity subscriber and pay UP THE WAZOO for the "triple play" (home phone, internet and television) this WiFi access is completely free to me.

For those folks who aren't Xfinity subscribers, you can actually buy hour/day/week passes (though I don't know why people would do this). As a trial user, you can get two 60-min complimentary passes, which is worth looking at. That said, I am primarily recommending this to people who are already slaves to Xfinity. And, getting access is as easy as:

  1. Enable WiFi on your wireless device.
  2. Select "xfinitywifi" in your list of available networks. Don't see "xfinitywifi"? Look for "CableWiFi".
  3. Sign in with your Comcast Email or username and password. Just sign in once, and the next time you’re in an XFINITY WiFi hotspot your device will connect automatically.

I am now able to tap the internet pretty consistently from all rooms in my home and am pretty blissed out by this discovery.

Cheers!

Amazon Prime Now Includes Music: Tip-of-the-Day #308

I just got a notice from Amazon that my Prime Membership now includes music! Much like the Prime Instant Video feature that delivers unlimited streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows, the same is now true for music. Prime members get unlimited, ad-free access to over a million songs and hundreds of playlists for free.

The ad-free access is probably the coolest feature in my opinion because other players like Pandora offer free access but the free version is interrupted by noisy advertisements.

Not competing with the likes of Spotify, Amazon has instead come up with a smart plan to tempt people away from ad-supported music "radio" and start-up streaming apps by folding the feature into a membership that a lot of us already have (and love). For me the Prime's $99 annual fee is nothing when I begin to consider how many items I have shipped to me throughout the year using the Prime 2-day service. And now, starting today, I'm getting even more for that money.

Prime members in the US can start listening to Prime Music today. Kindle Fire HD/HDX devices will get Prime Music in an automatic, over-the-air update. To access Prime Music on your iOS or Android device just get the latest version of the Amazon Music app.

I like the sound of this new service. Enjoy!

Sell Your Unwanted Art for Cash: Tip-of-the-Day #307

Artspace.com, a website offering a cornucopia of fine art from the world's most renowned artists, galleries, museums and cultural institutions is now offering to sell your art on a consignment basis via their live auction streams.

Per an email I just received, they are specifically looking for Post War and Contemporary Art as well as limited edition prints and photographs.

By consigning with Artspace you get to tap into their engaged member base of serious collectors and make a nice commission from the sale of your work. 

Just go to Artspace.com and submit a short form that describes the piece you'd like appraised. They have 45 specialists ready and waiting to tell you how much your treasure is worth.

I know for a fact that 20 years ago I was collecting art that I probably wouldn't collect today. This may be the right time to purge so I can begin the restocking process. Art Basel awaits in December, after all....