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Walking is one of the more accessible forms of exercise. Not only can you do it without special equipment or memberships, you may even already get your steps in without formally considering it to be a workout. But how fast do you have to walk for it to “count” toward improving your health? New research may have an answer.
The meta-analysis, published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, compared the risk of type 2 diabetes for people who walked at different speeds. (In many cases, people were asked to report how fast they walked; in others, they wore activity trackers like Fitbits or completed a timed walking test at a clinic visit.) Here’s how they categorized the various walking speeds:
Easy or casual walking: less than 2 miles per hour (30:00 per mile)
Average or normal walking: 2-3 miles per hour (20:00-30:00 per mile). This corresponds to the 3 mph that Google Maps uses to estimate travel time when they give you walking directions.
Fairly brisk walking: 3-4 miles per hour (15:00-20:00 per mile)
Brisk/striding walking: 4 miles per hour or faster (15:00 per mile)
Many people find that 4 miles per hour is about the fastest they can walk without breaking into a run. (This will, of course, depend on personal factors like how long your legs are.)
In this analysis, people who walked at an average or “fairly brisk” pace were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes later. (The average follow-up time period was eight years.) The faster people walked, the better, with brisk/striding walking being associated with a 39% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to easy or casual walking.
Based on these results, you'd want to walk faster than 2 miles per hour, if you can. (2.5 miles per hour is the speed that's usually considered to count as "moderate" intensity exercise.) But the authors note that their results are of “low to moderate certainty, mainly from studies with a high risk of bias,” which means we might need to take them with a grain of salt.
This isn’t the first study to compare walking speed to health outcomes. Previous studies have found that people who walk faster are less likely to have strokes, to die of cardiovascular disease, or to develop cognitive decline or dementia.
But does walking protect you, or is it just a sign that you’re already healthy? Possibly both.
A group of physical therapists wrote in a 2015 review that “Not only is [walking speed] indicative of an individual’s functional capacity and general health status, the measure has been shown to be predictive of a range of outcomes, including response to rehabilitation, functional dependence, frailty, mobility disability , cognitive decline, falls, institutionalization, hospitalization, cardiovascular-related events and mortality, as well as all-cause mortality.”
In other words, it’s possible that walking speed is just a stand-in for overall health. If you’re too sick to walk very fast, your health may already be declining. But we also know that exercising is good for your health, and that exercising tends to make you better at exercising.
Walking is cardio, after all, if you walk at an appropriate speed. If you don’t get much exercise, a normal walking speed of 2.5 miles per hour is enough to count as “moderate” exercise (the kind we should all do for at least 150 minutes a week, or about 20-30 minutes per day). Jogging or fast walking can count for some of your “vigorous” exercise minutes, which count double.
Ultimately, we don’t have a perfect way to measure the amount of exercise necessary for health. Step counting has been a favorite because it’s easy to measure with a pedometer, a smartwatch, or even by keeping your phone in your pocket. Walking speed helps here, too: the faster you walk, the more steps you’ll get in.
But still: we already know that 10,000 steps is a bullshit goal; the number of steps you need to improve your health ranges from 2,800 to 9.800, depending on which study you’re reading and how they defined their health-related outcomes. Most medical and fitness professionals will tell you that the more you can walk, the better—and that if you currently walk slowly, you’ll likely be able to walk faster as you become fitter.
The holiday travel season is in full swing and more people are hitting the roads than ever, so if you haven't already reserved your own rental car, it's time to do so.
We've written before about why you should book your rental car early to lock in your rate, because you can (usually) cancel and rebook with no penalty if prices drop. But regardless of when you reserve and how rates fluctuate, there are a number of strategies for saving money on both base rates and fees (such as upcharges for young or additional drivers) when you book so you don't wind up blowing your whole travel budget on your rental car.
You should obviously compare prices across rental companies to get the cheapest option, especially if you aren't a member of any loyalty programs, and include rental car alternatives like Turo and Getaround. AutoSlash tracks rental car rates—for free—so you can set up an alert for your reservation.
But go one step further than just comparing companies. your rental company has multiple locations in your area—both in-town and at the airport, for example—check for price differences if you pick up and drop off at one versus another. Downtown pickup is cheaper on average than airport locations, according to NerdWallet. However, you should also factor in convenience (taking a rideshare to a location further away could offset any savings) and business hours, as well as available inventory and one-way fees if you pick up at one location and drop off at another.
AAA is perhaps the best-known auto club to offer car rental discounts, but there are a handful of membership programs with similar perks:
AARP: up to 30% off base rates
BJ's: up to 30% off base rates
Costco: up to 30% off base fares
USAA: up to 25% off
Sam's Club: up to 25% off
Each of the above contracts with certain rental car companies to offer discounts to their members, so if you prefer a specific provider, you should check the specifics before joining. Note that other than USAA (which offers membership only to military service members and their families), these clubs have fees to join that range from $12 to $110, and you may have to book your rental through the club's portal to take advantage of your discount.
But if you use this perk (and others) often, the money you save could quickly offset the price of admission.
As The Points Guy lays out, there are a handful of travel credit cards—the Chase Sapphire Reserve, The Platinum Card from American Express, and the United Club Infinite Card, for example—that have solid rental car benefits, such as discounts, waived fees, free upgrades, and priority service.
Another potential perk of using a travel credit card to book your rental is that insurance coverage such as damage waivers may be included, so you don't have to purchase costly coverage from the rental company or file a claim with your personal insurance in the event of a collision. (Obviously, you should check what's covered with your card before declining any additional insurance options.)
Hotel and airline loyalty program members may be able to score rental car discounts with partner companies and earn bonus points or miles on the booking. For example, Alaska Air offers 35% off Avis and Budget rentals and up to 1,250 miles for its Mileage Plan customers who use their membership number when booking, while Marriott has a partnership with Hertz to offer discounts to Bonvoy members.
If you use rental cars frequently and/or have a preference for a certain provider, you may want to consider joining their rewards program, which can earn you points that can be redeemed for rate discounts and upgrades.
Ask your employer about a corporate code for rental car discounts (just be sure you understand any restrictions, such as using it for personal vs. business travel). Similarly, some universities have partnerships with rental companies to offer discounts and perks to students and alumni. Union members may also have access to car rental benefits through UnionPlus.
Note that you may have to show proof of employment, enrollment, or membership to qualify for your discount.
The iPhone’s notification sound is iconic at this point. While you've had the option to change the alert sound for notifications like messages, incoming emails, and reminders, as well as certain third-party apps, Apple never let us change the default alert sound for other notifications. That chime is arguably almost as strong as the iPhone brand itself, much like the Windows XP Bliss wallpaper or the Mac boot up sound.
In any case, Apple finally letting go of that legacy, and we’re all better for it. In the fourth public beta for iOS 17.2, Apple added a brand new section for changing the default alerts sound. While the feature is currently in testing, the iOS 17.2 should be available for the general audience in a matter of weeks. If you’re curious, you can install the public beta, without even installing a new profile.
Once your iPhone is updated, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics to find the brand new Default Alerts at the bottom of the list. Here, you can change the sound to any of the text tones, new or classic.
While you’re here, you might also want to change the default haptic feedback. iOS 17 changed the haptic alerts, and there was no way to go back. With the iOS 17.2 update, Apple is letting you customize the haptics as well, so you can go back to how it used to be, or choose the haptic feedback level that works best for you.
Remembering things can be difficult, yes, but there are all kinds strategies to make it easier. One way is by using association, or creating links between unrelated, easy-to-recall concepts or items and the ones you’re struggling to remember. A more advanced version of that is called the Shaper System and once you master it, you can more easily recall up to 100 things.
The Shaper System was developed by Erol Ozvatan, author of How to Memorize: The Science & Art of Memorizing. The goal of the system is to convert two-digit numbers into shapes that help you make associations, going way above and beyond what the standard number association system of 0 - 9 covers.
Each number is supposed to look like something. For instance, a zero can be an egg, a three can be a butterfly, and a seven can be a boomerang. Ozvatan has created his own list of images to be associated with every number from 00 to 99; while these are great, go through the list and make sure you really see each of the images in their corresponding numbers. If you don’t, you can use your own image. The goal is to create images and associations that make sense for you.
Once you’ve figured out the shapes that work best for you (or think you have a good idea), try practicing with the Shaper System. Practice with a decently long list, like the US states in order of size. Imagine something like this:
Alaska: If your 00 is represented by two eggs, imagine an ice fisherman eating two eggs.
Texas: If your 01 is a plate and knife, imagine a Texan cutting into some barbecue on a plate.
California: If your 02 is a swan, imagine it walking down Rodeo Drive.
Montana: If your 03 is a rabbit, imagine the bunny admiring the glaciers.
New Mexico: If your 04 is a chopping board and big knife, imagine Bigfoot using it to prepare a meal.
Arizona: If your 05 is a lantern with a handle, imagine someone peering into the Grand Canyon with one, trying to illuminate all the crevices.
Nevada: If your 06 is a golf ball and club, this one’s easy. Imagine someone at Topgolf in Vegas.
Colorado: If your 07 is a megaphone, imagine someone skiing and yelling into one.
Wyoming: If your 08 is a pool ball, imagine someone shooting pool in Jackson Hole.
Oregon: If your 09 is a tennis ball and racket, imagine someone playing tennis in downtown Portland.
This can go on and on, but only works if you really commit your images and their associations with numbers to your mind first, so create your associations from 00 to 99 before tackling any big lists.
Many people find themselves behind financially in their 30s, 40s, or even later in life. Maybe you're a financial procrastinator, or you faced setbacks like job loss or health issues that hampered your earnings—or you simply didn’t make finances a priority in your youth. Regardless of the reason, there are steps you can take to improve your money situation, no matter your age.
First, take an honest look at your current financial habits. Document everything you spend for a month. Look for areas where you can cut back, even in small ways. Use the data to make a realistic budget based on your income and essential costs. Having a budget is key to freeing up more to put toward your financial goals. To make your goals more actionable, look into budgeting apps or other tools to automate and remind you of key tasks and deadlines.
Start by rerouting some of your expenses. If you haven’t already, make a list of all the things you spend money on, and consider which non-essential expenses could go to your emergency fund instead.
Tackle just one or two small financial tasks that you’ve been putting off. Build the habit of acting right away on manageable tasks. Getting down on yourself for your money habits can backfire in the form of fear-based decision-making. It can help to zoom out and celebrate your personal finance strengths so you have the confidence to keep making smarter financial decisions down the line. Small wins add up, and you may find your finances aren’t as bad as you think.
Next, make a debt payoff plan. List all debts by interest rate and focus on eliminating high rate credit card balances first before moving onto lower rate debts (like cars or student loans). Consider consolidating debts to lower rates where possible. And you should always aim pay off your statement balance in full and on time.
When it comes, specifically, to getting out of debt, you don’t want to live in fear and stay in the dark. Here’s our guide to getting organized enough to pay off your debt.
Failure to save and invest early on can mean losing out on years of potential compound growth. Begin saving whatever you can each month. Even $20 or $50 a month is a start towards building saving. Sign up for a high yield online savings account and set up automated transfers from your checking account monthly. Having a dedicated savings makes it easier to leave the money alone and watch it grow with compound interest over time.
Consult an advisor like a fee-only certified financial planner to review your unique situation and map out a specific plan toward your monetary goals. An outside expert perspective can help you identify blindspots as well as provide accountability on follow through. Seek second opinions if needed until you have a workable roadmap. Here’s our guide to hiring a financial advisor who won’t rip you off.
Finally, explore options for increasing your income streams to have more money to put towards debt repayment and reaching future financial aims. Take on freelance work in your off hours, look for a higher paying job, negotiate a raise at your current job, or pick up extra shifts. The more you can dedicate toward financial priorities now, the faster you can exit the late bloomer category for good.
The key is to not get discouraged, but instead get to work mapping out a comeback plan. Regardless of your current financial standing, implementing budgetary discipline, making smart repayment and savings choices, and increasing earnings can all help you gain considerable financial ground—even later in life. For more, check out these steps to start healing your relationship with money.
Google Drive is a solid solution for storing important files across your devices. But if you're an iPhone user, you've been missing out on a key feature Android users have had for years: document scanning.
This simple integration makes it much easier to quickly add important documents to your Google Drive. It's something Apple offers with its own Notes app, but Google was reluctant to add to Drive's iOS version. A workaround, of course, it to scan your documents using the Notes app, save it to your photos library, then add it to Drive, but that adds a series of cumbersome steps Android users don't need to worry about.
Native document scanning is also much more convenient than simply taking a photo of the paper: Document scanners automatically crop the image so only the document itself appears and attempts to reproduce the elements of the page the same as a traditional scanner would.
Thankfully, those days are behind us. Google finally added document scanning to Drive on iOS. Now, iPhone users can add documents like receipts, bills, and notices to their Drive just as Android users can. It comes with an update to Drive that sees a few new features across platforms, but more on that in a bit.
Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, scanning and uploading a document to Drive is easy. To start, open the app and select the Camera icon in the bottom right. (Alternatively, you can tap the (+), then hit Scan.)
Next, frame the camera view over your document. The app will intelligently scan the paper so only the document will be scanned. Tap the shutter button at the bottom of the display when ready to capture.
According to Google, this feature may take one to three days to fully roll out on iOS (I don't see it on my end as of this morning), so keep an eye out if it isn't available in your app yet.
While document scanning is the big new feature on iOS, Android users can expect some additional features in Google Drive. Going forward, Drive can automatically capture documents when it detects them, so there's no need to hit the shutter button, unless you prefer to do so manually.
There's now an improved camera viewfinder to help you position the frame to get the best scan possible for your document. You can also import docs from your camera roll, and there's now a way to initialize a scan faster using a new scanner button.
iOS 17 changed the way you access Photos from the Messages app—a change that has, unfortunately, slowed down the process of sending images and videos. As it turns out, however, you don't need to use the cumbersome default method. Instead, try this hack discovered by Reddit user Smiley-v2.
To quickly send photos and videos, don't press the (+), then hit the Photos. That's too slow. Instead, open the Messages app, tap and hold the + button, and keep it held until you see the photo gallery replace your keyboard. Select the images or videos you want to send, and fire them away in your iMessage chats.
The Messages app in iOS 17 shows a few app shortcuts when you tap the + button in any of your chats. Only the top five shortcuts are shown here, however: You need to tap More to see the rest. The good news is that you can reorganize these shortcuts to prioritize the ones you actually use. Just tap and hold any of these shortcuts, and drag them up or down. If you drag them to the bottom, they go into the More section and are removed from the list of shortcuts that show up when you hit the + button. You can also open the More section and drag any of the apps there to the top.
iOS 17 also has a neat settings page for you to remove iMessage apps you no longer use. This reduces the number of items that show up in Messages and allows you to retain only the ones you use. To trim this list, go to Settings > Messages > iMessage Apps. In the Only in Messages section, tap the red - button next to any app, and press Delete twice to remove it. Scroll down to the Included with an app section and flip the switches on the right to disable the iMessage apps you don't use.
Instagram finally allows you to download reels from public accounts now. But of course, there's a catch: You won't always be able to download reels with audio (due to licensing issues), and all of your downloaded reels will have an annoying moving watermark. But assuming the reel doesn't have copyrighted audio attached, you'll be able to enjoy your favorite Instagram videos without using the app first.
This feature is enabled by default, but you can stop people from downloading your reels if you want.
The download process itself is pretty simple. Go to any public Instagram account on your Instagram app and open a reel. Tap Share, then Download near the bottom of the screen. You may see a pop-up telling you the reel will be downloaded without audio, but otherwise, the download should begin immediately. When the process is complete, you'll find the Instagram reel saved in your phone's photo library.
It's worth noting that older reels cannot be downloaded using this feature. You'll only be able to download reels that were posted after Instagram enabled downloads.
Instagram allows you to stop people from downloading your reels, too. Once you've completed recording and editing your reel on the Instagram app, navigate to More options > Advanced settings, then disable Allow people to download your reels.
You can also turn your Instagram account private to stop others from saving your reels, but if you like keeping a public account, that's likely a step too far.
If Instagram's official download feature's restrictions are dealbreakers for you, there are alternative ways to get the job done. We've got you covered with all the easiest ways to download Instagram reels without watermarks and with the music. On your iPhone, you can use the Shortcuts app paired with the Instagram Download shortcut, while on Android, you can use a third-party app.
If you're reading this article, chances are you've lost your iPhone and googled in search of help. I feel your pain. You don't know whether you left it at the restaurant after dinner, whether it was stolen, or whether it's hiding between your couch cushions. Worse yet, if your iPhone is set to silent, you can't even call it to find it. There is a way to force it to make noise, though, no matter what settings are enabled: You just need to ping it.
Depending on how involved you are with iPhones and Apple products, you may or may not be familiar with “pinging.” It's not Apple’s failed attempt to turn iTunes into a social media platform (yes, that really happened). I'm talking about making your iPhone play a high-pitched tone, no matter where it happens to be.
Pinging is undoubtedly responsible for reuniting many an iPhone owner with their $1,000 lifeline to the rest of the world. It’s the perfect tool for finding iPhones lost under cushions and car seats, as well as on the movie theater floor. (Please wait until after the movie is over to ping your phone.)
Pinging is the preferred method for finding a missing iPhone in your immediate area because it doesn’t matter if the phone is on silent or not. Calling the iPhone certainly works well if your sound is all the way up, but without that ringtone blaring away, your phone calls will be in vain.
Plus, we don’t always have access to another phone to call ours in these types of emergencies. Unless you’re with a friend, or you have the nerve to ask a stranger to use theirs, you can’t call your phone without your phone. So, pinging it is.
Apple makes it easy for those in the Apple ecosystem to ping their iPhones. In fact, it offers three different methods for doing so. Check out all three below, and pick one the next time your iPhone goes missing.
The Find My app isn’t just good for pinging iPhones. Since it tracks the location of many of your Apple products, you can likely see the phone on the map as well. After jumping into Find My, you might be able to tell where the phone is without needing to ping it at all. However, if you already know your iPhone is in your house, you just don’t know where, that’s where pinging comes in handy.
If you have an Apple device connected to the same Apple ID as your iPhone, you can launch Find My there. Just search for "Find My" on either your Mac or iPad to open the app. If you don't have a connected Apple device with you, you can log in to icloud.com and choose Find My from here. Either way, choose your iPhone from the list, and tap “Play Sound” to ping it. At first, your iPhone will simply vibrate. After a few seconds, however, it will begin to play a high-pitched sound. This sound will continue to play until your iPhone is found—or you stop the sound through Find My—so keep that in mind.
If you have an Apple Watch, you can use it to ping your iPhone. It’s certainly much faster to tap a button on your watch instead of reaching for Find My, so, if you have one of Apple’s wearables, I recommend you use it first.
The option to ping your iPhone lives in your Apple Watch’s Control Center. To access it, press the side button on your watch. (If running an older version of watchOS, swipe up from the bottom of your watch face). Either way, tap the button that features an iPhone with sound waves. This will ping the iPhone, but only for a few seconds, unlike Find My’s never-ending ping.
There’s a hidden feature to this Apple Watch button, though. If you hold it down instead of tapping it, your iPhone’s LED will flash, as well. That way, if its speaker is a bit muffled, you can also rely on the flash to help locate your phone.
If you don’t have an Apple Watch, Siri is another quick way to find a lost iPhone (or anything, really). Just fire up Siri on one of your connected Apple devices, and ask it to find the device you’re looking for. For example, you could ask Siri on your Mac to ping your iPhone, or you could ask your iPad to ping your Mac.
While Black Friday might officially be over, many of Target's deals have continued for Cyber Monday. As the name implies, these deals are only available online and only for Monday, Nov. 27. Here are the best ones.
Target announced that they will be offering two days of deals for Cyber Monday, today, Nov. 27, being the second and last. You can expect deals and discounts on many different products like apparel and accessories, bed and bath, and select toys, plus deals on TVs, laptops and more.
Additionally, Target will be offering a holiday price-match guarantee until Dec. 24: If you buy something from them and they later drop the price even more, they will refund you for the difference. They will also price-match 14 major competitors, including Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Home Depot, Walmart, Wayfair, Costco, GameStop, and more.
Here are the best deals from Cyber Monday, including headphones and speakers, TVs and home theaters, computers, and video games:
Best noise-canceling earbuds: The Google Pixel Buds Pro are $119.99 (originally $199.99) after an $80 discount. These IPX4 water-resistant earbuds are currently at their lowest price yet, according to Honey’s price history.
Best noise-canceling headphones: The Beats Studio Pro is $169.99 (originally $349.99) after a $180 discount. These spatial audio headphones with head tracking let you hear the sounds around you, so you don't have to take them off to be aware of your surroundings. They are currently at their lowest price they've been over the last four months, according to Honey’s price history.
Best TV deal: The LG 65" OLED evo C3 is $1,599.99 (originally $1,999.99) after a $400 discount. This brings this 4K smart TV to match its lowest price yet, according to Honey’s price history.
Best laptop deal: The Acer Aspire 3 Laptop is $379.99 (originally $499.99) after a $120 discount. This 15.6" full HD screen laptop with Windows 11 has an Intel Core i5, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. This brings this laptop to its lowest price yet, according to Honey’s price history.
Best monitor deal: The Samsung 27" T35F Series monitor is $119.99 (originally $219.99) after a $100 discount. This LED full HD 75Hz screen with AMD FreeSync and IPS panel is at its lowest price yet, according to Honey’s price history.
Best Nintendo Switch game deal: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 is currently 50% off at $29.99 (originally $59.99), hitting its lowest price yet since its release, according to Honey’s price history.
Best Xbox Series X game deal: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is currently 50% off at $34.99 (originally $69.99), hitting its lowest price yet since its release, according to Honey’s price history.
Best Roomba deal: The iRobot Roomba 675 is currently 45% off, sitting at $154.99 (originally $279.99) and is iRobot’s most affordable robot vacuum, according to PCMag’s review. It is currently at its lowest price yet, according to Honey’s price history.
Best cordless stick vacuum deal: The Dyson V8 Origin Cordless Stick Vacuum is currently 42% off, sitting at $249.99 (originally $429.99). It is currently at its lowest price yet, according to Honey’s price history.
This Cyber Monday, you can buy a great Windows laptop with a fast processor, solid RAM, and a great screen for under $500. Many online retailers are giving deep discounts for good mid-range computers, and the following are among some of the best:
I picked out deals that offer a powerful processor in the class of Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 so you don’t need to worry about performance from a lower-end chip. Integrated graphics will do just fine, and I'm highlighting laptops with good screens, most of them featuring full 1080p resolution.
Asus Vivobook 14 (14” FHD (1920 x 1080) Display, Intel Core i5-1235U CPU, Intel Iris Xᵉ Graphics, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Windows 11 Home): $399.99 on Amazon (from $479.99)
Acer Aspire 3 (14.0" Full HD IPS Display | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U Quad-Core Processor | AMD Radeon Graphics | 8GB LPDDR5 | 512GB NVMe SSD): $349.99 on Amazon (from $449.99)
HP 15-inch Laptop (HD Display, AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, AMD Radeon Graphics): $339.99 on Amazon (from $499)
Dell Inspiron 15 3520 Touch Laptop (Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD): $379.99 on Best Buy (from $599.99)
If you’re willing to spend around $500 for a new Windows 11 laptop, there are some great ones from the higher end of the spectrum that are discounted to just around your price range. The higher price comes with some niceties like 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The processors here are also upgraded, and in many models, you’ll find touchscreens with vivid colors. If you’re looking for a solid work laptop that’s easy to carry around and is nice to use, you can’t go wrong with any of these picks.
Acer Aspire 5 (Intel Core i5 13th Gen 1335U (1.30GHz) 16GB LPDDR5 Memory 512 GB PCIe SSD Intel Iris Xe Graphics 15.6" Windows 11 Home): $499.99 on Newegg (from $699.99)
Asus Vivobook 16 (WUXGA (1920 x 1200) 16:10 Display, Intel Core i5-1235U CPU, Intel UHD Graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Home): $424.99 on Amazon (from $549.99)
MSI Modern 14 (14-inch (1920 x 1080) display, AMD Ryzen 7 7730U 8-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, AMD Radeon Graphics, 512GB SSD): $469.00 on Walmart (from $549)
HP Envy 2-in-1 14-inch (Full HD Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 512GB SSD): $499.99 on Best Buy (from $849.99)
If you're willing to spend just a bit more, the Dell Inspiron 15 (Intel Core i5-1335U, 15.6-inch FHD 120Hz Display, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Windows 11 Home) is just $532.49 on Amazon (from $649.99).
So, you bought an item on your wishlist. Maybe you even got it on sale. But shortly thereafter, the exact same product at the exact same retailer is cheaper than when you bought it. If only you had known.
Luckily, that pain you feel in your wallet doesn't have to be the end of the road. With a little research (and some cleverness, when necessary) you can probably get that money back.
A handful of retailers offer price adjustment—also referred to as price protection or a price guarantee—which will refund you the difference between what you paid at the time of purchase and the sale price. This policy will apply only within a limited timeframe after a purchase, typically anywhere from 14 to 30 days.
Keep in mind that price adjustment is different from price matching. The latter refers to a policy in which a retailer will match a lower price offered by a competitor on an identical item. This is usually only available before you make a purchase, though you can still use this to your advantage to shop around for the best deal.
Note that the list of retailers that offer these benefits is short and does not include Amazon. Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, and Costco are a few of the major retailers that have some kind of pricing policy.
However, price protection and price matching are likely to come with significant restrictions and exclusions. For example, price matching may be limited to a few select competitors, and some retailers may not offer it at all during major sale seasons like Black Friday, Cyber Week, and Memorial Day. As Wirecutter notes, even finding the fine print can be difficult, much less taking advantage of it.
While credit card issuers used to offer price protection—allowing you to submit a claim for a partial refund without going through the retailer—that benefit is practically extinct unless you hold one of a few select cards.
If a retailer doesn't have a published price protection policy (or if they do, and it doesn't seem to apply to you), it doesn't hurt to reach out to customer service and ask if they can help. Consumer Reports found that even Amazon may budge when contacted directly. But this may work with smaller retailers in addition to big-box stores as long as you're within the return window. Note that you may have to settle for store credit, which only makes sense if you plan to shop with the retailer in the future.
If none of the above gets you the savings you want, consider returning the item for a refund and buying it again at a lower price (again, this is probably the best option for Amazon purchases).
A few things to consider to maximize your refund:
Are you within the return window?
Do you still have the receipt or confirmation?
Does the item meet return criteria for being unworn, unused, unwashed, in its original packaging, etc.?
Does the retailer offer refunds to the original payment method or store credit only?
Does the retailer offer free returns, or will you pay for shipping?
Is there a nearby brick-and-mortar location where you can bring the returns?
Obviously, you must be within the return window to get a refund (unless you used a credit card that has extended return benefits that apply even if the retailer's window has passed). Some retailers will accept returns for longer during the holiday season, and it's good practice to check return policies before you buy anyway.
If you have your receipt and can get back every dollar you paid (ideally without having to pay anything for return shipping or restocking), then it may make sense to return your original item and buy it again on sale. But if there are limitations, such as getting store credit, being refunded at the current sale price, or paying a premium to send the item back, consider whether you'll really save anything in the end.
