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Save Money on Medications - NCOA

Written by: Brandy Bauer (Associate Director, Center for Benefits Access at NCOA), National Council on Aging (NCOA)

Aug. 18, 2020

Prescription Assistance for Older Adults

Key Takeaways

  • Prescription co-payments often lead to significant out-of-pocket costs for older adults.

  • Several programs from the federal and state government, as well as drug manufacturers, may help you save money on prescriptions.

 

The average person with Medicare spends over $600 on prescriptions each year. If you have multiple chronic conditions, chances are you’re paying even more. Affording your medications can be expensive, but there are programs that can help you save money.

Get help from the government

If you or a loved one has Medicare, the first benefit to consider is Part D Extra Help. This program from Social Security and Medicare helps save money on Part D drug plan premiums and co-payments at the pharmacy. To get Extra Help, you must have low income and resources. Learn more from Social Security.

Don’t qualify for Extra Help? Your state may also have savings programs. Currently, 20 states offer a State Prescription Assistance Program (SPAP) to people who meet certain age, disability, chronic condition, and/or income requirements. SPAPs may help pay your premiums, deductibles, or medication co-payments.

Explore your drug plan options

Sometimes you can save money on medications by shopping around for different Medicare coverage. From October 15 to December 7 each year is the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, which allows people with Medicare to join, switch, or leave Medicare Advantage and Part D plans.

Here are three ways you can find out what coverage may suit your needs:

  • The Medicare Plan Finder is the official tool of Medicare.gov to shop for drug and health plans.
  • Use NCOA's free educational tool, My Medicare Matters, to learn about Medicare costs, take an assessment of your needs, and get personalized advice on next steps.
  • Contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). SHIPs are federally funded to provide unbiased, one-on-one assistance to people with Medicare and their families. Find your local SHIP at shiptacenter.org or by calling 1-877-839-2675.

Learn about drug manufacturer discounts

You’ve probably seen commercials for medications on TV that end with, “If you have trouble affording your medication, Drug Company may be able to help.” That assistance comes from Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs), which are run by drug manufacturers to offer free or discounted brand-name medications to consumers. PAPs may be especially helpful to those who lack insurance coverage or have significant medication costs.

Most of the major manufacturers offer PAPs and related resources for people who take their medications. For example, Pfizer’s RxPathways program connects people to insurance support, co-pay assistance, and medicines for free or at a savings. Other PAPs are offered by Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, and several foundations that provide disease-specific assistance, such as for people with diabetes. (Note: Some of these programs may have limitations for people with other Medicare drug coverage.)

Discover drug charity programs

Several national charity programs exist that can help people with Medicare afford their medications. Many of these specifically focus on assisting people with chronic conditions and rare diseases. Get a list of programs and links to their eligibility criteria.

Find help all in one place

NCOA’s free, confidential tool BenefitsCheckUp.org can help you screen for all of the major PAPs, SPAPs, and Part D Extra Help. BenefitsCheckUp® also can identify other programs that may allow you to free up money in your budget—from taxes to food to home utilities and more.

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211 Financial Assistance & Taxes - San Diego

Written by: 211 San Diego

Many individuals and families in the San Diego region face financial obstacles that prevent them from a healthy and quality life. We can help people access financial assistance and public benefits to help them get back on their feet. Call 2-1-1 to learn more about available resources.  

If you didn’t get the full Economic Impact Payment, you may be eligible to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit

Learn More

 

Earned Income Tax Credit

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable cash-back tax credit for low-income working families and individuals. It is one of the most effective tools in America to lift families out of poverty.

California joined 24 other states and the District of Columbia to adopt a state EITC, known as CalEITC, to supplement the federal EITC. In its first year, the CalEITC boosted the income of about 385,000 people, who received close to $200 million from the credit. If you qualify for CalEITC and have a child under the age of 6, you may be eligible for the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC).

 

Who is Eligible?

Eligibility for both the federal and state EITC is based on your earned income and you must file a tax return to qualify, whether you are required to or not. For tax year 2020, families and individuals who earned wages or self-employment income up to $30,000 may qualify for CalEITC. If your wages are more than $30,000, you may still be eligible for the federal EITC. 

  • Workers with incomes up to $30,000
  • Individuals and families whose income does not require them to file taxes
  • Families with children age six and under
  • Seniors ages 65+
  • Young adults ages 18-24
  • Self-employed workers
  • NEW: Undocumented ITIN filers who are otherwise eligible

 

Review the chart below to see how much you may get when you file your tax year 2020 return.

 

2020 CalEITC

Number of qualifying children California maximum income CalEITC (up to) IRS EITC (up to)
None $30,000 $243 $538
1 $30,000 $1,626 $3,584
2 $30,000 $2,691 $5,920
3 or more $30,000 $3,027 $6,660

 

The Young Child Tax Credit was introduced in tax year 2019. If you qualify for CalEITC and have a child under the age of 6 as of the end of the tax year, you may qualify for up to $1,000 through this credit.

 

Get Your Cashback Credit

Interested in getting money back this tax season? Call 2-1-1 to learn about CalEITC!

 

FREE Tax Preparation

Don’t pay to have your taxes prepared! If you earned less than $66,000 in 2020, call 2-1-1 to schedule a no-cost tax assistance appointment at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site! Due to COVID-19, additional safety protocols will be in place at in-person sites. Select sites will also offer drop-off and drive-up services.

Visit https://www.myfreetaxes.org/online for free online self-filing. There is no income limit to file online.

 

Avoid a Tax Penalty

Effective January 1, 2020, California residents must maintain minimum essential health care coverage for themselves and their dependents. You may have to pay a penalty when filing your tax return unless you have minimum essential health care coverage.

Subsidies are available through Covered California and we can help you find a plan that fits your needs and budget.

Learn More 

Get Covered

 

Test Your Knowledge of CalEITC!

     

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Fully Vaccinated? What Now? CDC

Written by; National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Viral Diseases and Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC)

Updated Mar. 9, 2021

How to Protect Yourself and Others 

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

We’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces until we know more.

 

Have You Been Fully Vaccinated?

People are considered fully vaccinated:

  • 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
  • 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

If it has been less than 2 weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are NOT fully protected. Keep taking all prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated.

 

 

What’s Changed

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

  • You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
  • You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
  • If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
    • However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.

 

 

What Hasn’t Changed

For now, if you’ve been fully vaccinated:

  • You should still take steps to protect yourself and others in many situations, like wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Take these precautions whenever you are:
  • You should still avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.
  • You should still delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations.
  • You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
  • You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.

 

 

What We Know and What We’re Still Learning

  • We know that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, especially severe illness and death.
    • We’re still learning how effective the vaccines are against variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Early data show the vaccines may work against some variants but could be less effective against others.
  • We know that other prevention steps help stop the spread of COVID-19, and that these steps are still important, even as vaccines are being distributed.
    • We’re still learning how well COVID-19 vaccines keep people from spreading the disease.
    • Early data show that the vaccines may help keep people from spreading COVID-19, but we are learning more as more people get vaccinated.
  • We’re still learning how long COVID-19 vaccines can protect people.
  • As we know more, CDC will continue to update our recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Until we know more about those questions, everyone — even people who’ve had their vaccines — should continue taking basic prevention steps when recommended.

Want to learn more about these recommendations? Read our expanded Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, and corresponding Science Brief, and recommendations for healthcare providers.

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Homeland Security to Collect Social Media Usernames on Immigration and Visitor Applications

Geneva Sands, CNN 

Washington (CNN)   The Department of Homeland Security plans to begin requesting social media information on applications for immigration benefits and foreign travel to the US, an expansion of data collection already taking place.

Some foreign travelers to the US, as well as applicants for immigration benefits, will be asked to list their social media accounts and usernames for the past five years, according to a notice in the Federal Register. The information will be used to determine whether an individual "poses a law enforcement or national security risk to the United States."
Social media platforms that DHS will ask about include Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Ask.fm, Weibo, Myspace, YouTube and Linkedin. The agency says it will not collect passwords and will review only publicly available information.
 
The change comes amid furor over a Harvard student, Ismail Ajjawi, who was at first denied entry into the US based on information discovered during a US Customs and Border Protection inspection.
According to The Harvard Crimson, Ajjawi alleged he was told that there were "political points of view that oppose the US" expressed by people he follows on social media. After he was questioned, the Crimson reported, his visa was revoked and he was sent back to Lebanon. He has since been allowed to enter the US and attend school.
 
In June, the State Department said the forms for both immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants had been updated "to request additional information, including social media identifiers."
The DHS social media collection stems a 2017 executive order which requires the implementation of vetting standards and collection of information related to entry in to the US and immigration benefits.
The updated data collection will affect nine US Citizenship and Immigration Services programs for immigration benefits, such as applications for naturalization and asylum, as well as three Customs and Border Protection forms -- for visa waivers, visa updates and the Electronic System for Travel Authorization document.
 
This is the first time Citizenship and Immigration Services would require social media accounts and handles on these applications, according to a DHS official. It's unclear whether Customs and Border Protection was collecting this data in the past.
 
The proposed changes are expected to begin in 2020, the official added.
Last week, Citizenship and Immigration Services, which manages legal immigration benefits, updated its privacy policy, which said in part that it would allow the agency to use fake social media accounts or identities to identify threats and detect fraud in the immigration system.
These two developments are "a reflection of the extent to which US government agencies have really expanded use of social media surveillance," said Hugh Handeyside, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project.
"There are some serious problems. The potential to misinterpret online speech is through the roof," said Handeyside.
He also told CNN it will "inevitably hamper freedom of speech," because people self-censor when they know the government is watching, adding that there is "no way DHS can do this without also sweeping up the online speech of US citizens."
 
Earlier this year, the ACLU brought a lawsuit in federal court seeking records related to social media surveillance by the government -- the policies that govern the process and the tools used to do it.
Obama administration Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson previously delegated authority to Citizenship and Immigration Services to conduct law enforcement activities, including the use of fake accounts to access public social media information, provided that they be conducted by "properly trained and authorized officers," and that they meet privacy and civil rights obligations.
The immigration agency is allowed to use the fake identities only to review publicly available social media accounts and must have supervisory approval.
 
The department currently uses social media information in its vetting of applicants, but says it is labor-intensive to connect social media accounts to applicants. Collecting usernames, DHS says, will reduce the time needed to validate social media accounts.
 
Privacy advocates have argued that social media collection has limited value and can create a situation ripe for discrimination.
"There's no evidence at all that social media monitoring is useful in identifying security threats," said Faiza Patel, co-director of the Brennan
Center for Justice Liberty and National Security Program.
 
Patel also pointed out that "social media is inherently very difficult to interpret," adding that it's highly context-dependent and often includes slangs, cultural differences and languages other than English.
 
According to a Brennan Center report, "Social Media Monitoring," a 2016 brief prepared by DHS for the incoming administration found that "the information in the accounts did not yield clear, articulable links to national security concerns, even for those applicants who were found to pose a potential national security threat based on other security screening results."
 
When asked about the 2016 brief, the DHS official told CNN that "the proposed collection of social media identifiers will make the review of publicly available social media information more efficient."
 
Customs and Border Protection retains information on two of its applications, which is will require social media information, for three years in an active database and 12 years in an archived database, according to the DHS official.
 
Information in Customs and Border Protection's Electronic Visa Update System, an automated system to determine eligibility to travel to the US on a 10-year visitor visa, will be archived for 12 years.
Any retained data linked to law enforcement records will remain "accessible for the life of the law enforcement activities," said the official.
 
CNN's Eli Watkins, Rob Frehse and Evan Simko-Bednarski contributed to this story.
 
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Direct Mail Facts

Some people come to the DMA choice mail preference service planning on completely stopping all the direct mail they receive because they think that doing so will help save paper and the environment. But before you do this, here are some numbers you may find interesting.

  • Direct mail is a green way to shop. If Americans replaced two trips to the mall each year with shopping by catalog, we'd reduce our number of miles driven by 3.3 billion—a 3 billion pound reduction in carbon dioxide and a savings of $650 million on gas alone.
  • Mail represents only 2.4% of America's municipal waste stream. 
  • The production of household advertising mail consumes only 0.19% of the energy used in the United States.
  • Mail is made from a renewable resource. The vast majority of paper produced in America today comes from trees grown for that specific purpose. The forest industry ensures that the number of trees each year is increasing, so trees are not a depleting resource. In fact, forest land in the United States has increased by 5.3 million acres in the past three decades.
  • Direct mail is critical to the economic well-being of communities, businesses, and charities throughout the United States. Last year it represented more than $686 billion in sales, supporting jobs at more than 300,000 small businesses across the country.

 

Where did they get your name?

If you just bought a new home, you're probably in the market for furniture. But if you live in an apartment building, chances are you won't be shopping for a lawnmower. Companies want to reach people who are most likely to be interested in what they have to offer. That's why they rent or buy relevant mailing lists to help them find prospective customers—instead of just sending mail at random.

These prospect lists are created from information about your past purchases and interests. And this information can come from public records, phone directories, club memberships, and other sources.

 

What's the benefit of being on these lists?

Direct mail keeps you in-the-know. It helps you find out about new products, services, and money-saving deals. It connects you to local merchants. It informs you of important local and national charities. It even helps you compare prices and shop anytime you like—day or night.

Last year, more than 70% of Americans shopped direct. More than 80% of U.S. households read some or all of their advertising mail. And non-profit organizations raised nearly $200 billion from generous donors through direct mail.

But direct mail is only successful if you're interested in the types of mail you're receiving. That's why we created DMAchoice—to help you get more of the mail you want, and less of what you don't.

 
 

What can the mail preference service do for me?

There are plenty of reasons to keep receiving direct mail. But maybe you just want to cut back on certain types that you're not interested in. We can help you do just that. We've divided direct mail into four categories:

  1. Credit Offers
  2. Catalogs
  3. Magazine Offers (this includes subscription offers, newsletters, periodicals, and other promotional mailings)
  4. Other Mail Offers (this includes donation requests, bank offers, retail promotions and more)

For each of these categories, you can choose whether or not you want to receive mail from companies one at a time. Or, if you prefer, you can choose to stop receiving mail for all companies you haven't purchased from or donated to within an entire category.

 
 

Commitment to Consumer Choice and Other DMA Requirements

If you've ever shopped direct—by mail, online, by phone or by home shopping TV shows—chances are, you're buying from members of the DMA. As DMA members, these companies must agree to follow our Commitment to Consumer Choice guidelines, ethics guidelines and specific complaint resolution processes.

 
 

Resources:

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Learning About Facebook Risks

AUTHOR: Marcelina Hardy, MSEd, BCC

Many people are unaware of Facebook risks when they create a profile on this social networking site. Facebook allows people from all around the world to connect with old friends, and make new ones, using a community interface. However, despite all of the benefits of this social networking site, there are bound to be some risks.

Learning About Facebook Risks

Learning about Facebook risks will help you to safeguard yourself and your computer. You don't need to avoid this social networking site, you just need to know what to do and what not to do to stay safe.

Your Profile: Careful of What You Write

Recently, employers and college admissions staff have looked up applicants on Facebook in order to get a better picture of the person they may be interested in hiring or admitting. Creating an unflattering profile will surely have some impact on your future, if these influential people see it.

If you want to portray a side of you that is not flattering to employers or college admissions staff, make your profile private so that only people you choose will be able to see it. Alternatively, you can continue to make your profile public and just recreate it so that it highlights how great of a person you are.

Keep Private Information Private

Some people trust others and websites too much, and forget that millions of people can look at the private information they post; this includes criminals looking for their next victim. Social networking sites are the new browsing grounds for identity thieves, because they have found that some people list so much information about themselves that they can actually become that person. Someone who steals your identity can do devastating things, such as ruin your credit and even commit crimes under your name. These are all things which could prevent you from getting a job in the future. In addition to criminals, stalkers are also searching social networking sites, like Facebook, for more information on their potential or current victims. A stalker may find something appealing about you and may follow what you write on your page, or even try to find you in person at your home or place of business.

Strangers are Still Strangers

When you meet someone for the first time offline, you may have a difficult time knowing if the person really is who he or she claims to be. The online world is no different. The online world is ideal for people who enjoy over exaggerating their life, or making up a completely different one from their own.If you are interested in using Facebook for online dating, be cautious of whom you meet and what people tell you. This Facebook risk can get you tangled up in an emotional web, because you may think someone is perfect for you, but he or she may turn out not to be what you thought.

Beware of Teenage Predators

Teen predators have taken over teen chat rooms and social networking sites like Facebook. These adults will search sites for unsuspecting teenagers, and pose as teenagers themselves. They will get to know the teen, and then eventually try to meet him or her offline, usually at his or her home when parents aren't there. This is a frightening thing for parents to hear, but parents can cut down on the risk. Monitor your children and teenager's use of the Internet. If he or she has a Facebook account, make it clear that you want to see the profile as often as you like. You can also block certain sites so your teenager cannot access them.

Downloading Computer Viruses from Facebook

Social networks encourage the sharing of files, including videos and downloadable files. Since these files are usually coming from unknown individuals, some of them contain viruses that either corrupt your computer, or attempt to collect personal information that can be used against you. The first step in prevention is to only download files from people you trust. It's also important to keep your antivirus software up to date and turned on when you do anything online.

Increases Internet Addiction

Social networking sites are fun and addictive. Meeting new people, catching up with old friends, and visiting interesting profiles can take up hours each day. You may start to find that your work performance decreases or you've lost your job for being on it at work. Alternatively, if you go to school you may spend more time on Facebook than studying or going to class, which contributes to lower grades. When Facebook begins to interfere with your life, you may be developing an Internet addiction. Keep yourself in check when you use the Internet for any reason. Take regular breaks, and if you do start choosing to be online rather than doing work, you can either start using it as a reward after you finish a task or have someone block you from the site until you are able to control your use of it.

Final Words on Facebook Risks

Facebook risks are not a reason for you to stop using the social networking site, because it can be beneficial to you. You can use it as a portfolio for work or school, and use it recreationally. You just need to be careful how you use it and how much information you post and take from it. Just like the offline world, don't trust everyone and look out for suspicious people. If you follow these suggestions, you can have fun on Facebook without worry!

 
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How Do Consumers Register For DMAchoice?

Online registration:

Consumers can register at DMA's consumer website: www.DMAchoice.org for a processing fee of $2 for a period of ten years. Registering online is the fastest way to see results. DMAchoice offers consumers a simple, step-by-step process that enables them to decide what mail they do and do not want.

In addition, DMAchoice online offers registration for DMA's:

· eMail Preference Service (reduce your unsolicited commercial email);
· Telephone Preference Service (to reduce national commercial calls for consumers who live in Pennsylvania and Wyoming - consumers in other states are referred to the National Do Not Call Registry: www.donotcall.gov);
· Deceased Do Not Contact list (for name removal of deceased individuals' names); and
· Do Not Contact list for Caregivers (for caregivers to register name removal on behalf of those individuals for whom they care)

Mail-in registration:


If you do not wish to complete your registration online, you can register for DMAchoice by using the mail-in form that is online: fill out the DMAChoice Mail In Form with all required information, print it and mail to the address below.

Or, if you do not have access to the Internet, you can register by sending your name and address (with signature), along with a $3 processing fee (check or money order payable to DMA) to:

DMAchoice
DMA
P.O. Box 900
Cos Cob, CT 06807

No Certified or Registered Mail

Processing by mail will take longer than online registration. Please note that categorical and specific company or organization opt-out requests, and other preference services, are not offered through mailed-in requests.Why choose DMAchoice?Founded in 1917, the DMA represents nearly 3,600 organizations—including most of the leaders in the direct marketing community. This gives us the power and know-how to help you manage your mail preferences. And you can be sure that any personal information you provide to DMAchoice will only be used to put your mail choices into effect.

Resources:

 

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About Gift Card Scams

Apple

Be aware of scams involving App Store & iTunes Gift Cards and Apple Store Gift Cards.

If you believe you're the victim of a scam involving App Store & iTunes Gift Cards or Apple Store Gift Cards, you can call Apple at 800-275-2273 (U.S.) and say "gift cards" when prompted.

A string of scams is taking place asking people to make payments over the phone for things such as taxes, hospital bills, bail money, debt collection, and utility bills. The scams are committed using many methods, including gift cards. As the fraudsters are sometimes requesting codes from App Store & iTunes Gift Cards or Apple Store Gift Cards, we want to make sure our customers are aware of these scams.

Regardless of the reason for payment, the scam follows a certain formula: The victim receives a call instilling panic and urgency to make a payment by purchasing App Store & iTunes Gift Cards or Apple Store Gift Cards from the nearest retailer (convenience store, electronics retailer, etc.). After the cards have been purchased, the victim is asked to pay by sharing the code(s) on the back of the card with the caller over the phone.

It's important to know that App Store & iTunes Gift Cards can be used ONLY to purchase goods and services from the iTunes Store, App Store, Apple Books, for an Apple Music subscription, or for iCloud storage. Apple Store Gift Cards can be redeemed ONLY on the Apple Online Store and at Apple Retail Stores. If you're approached to use the cards for any other payment, you could very likely be the target of a scam and should immediately report it to your local police department as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ftccomplaintassistant.gov.

Never provide the numbers on the back of a Gift Card to someone you do not know. Once those numbers are provided to the scammers, the funds on the card will likely be spent before you are able to contact Apple or law enforcement. 

Tips to avoid becoming the victim of a scam

  • If you are NOT purchasing an item from Apple — such as from the Apple Store, iTunes Store, App Store, Apple Books, or for an Apple Music subscription or iCloud storage — do NOT make a payment with an App Store & iTunes Gift Card or Apple Store Gift Card. There's no other instance in which you'll be asked to make a payment with either of these gift cards.
  • Do not provide the numbers on the back of the gift card to anyone that you don't know.
  • Immediately report potential scams to your local police department as well as the FTC (ftccomplaintassistant.gov).

Contact Apple

If you have additional questions, or if you've been a victim of a scam involving App Store & iTunes Gift Cards or Apple Store Gift Cards, you can call Apple at 800-275-2273 (U.S.) and say "gift cards" when prompted, or contact Apple Support online.

 

Other Articles on Scams

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These Are the Best Days to Book 2019 Holiday Travel

Michelle Baran 

It’s not too late to score a good deal.

Haven’t booked your Thanksgiving or end of year holiday travel yet? Fear not, procrastinators. According to online booking data, the best days to book are still ahead of us.

The cheapest airfares for Thanksgiving travel will be available between October 29 and November 13, online booking giant Expedia revealed this week, based on historical data analyzed by the company. Booking two weeks to a month in advance of Thanksgiving can save travelers more than 5 percent. But if you wait too long (read, until the week before), you could pay more than 20 percent above the average rate.

For Christmas, the cheapest time to purchase flights will be between November 23 and December 9, Expedia reported. Booking during that window can save travelers around 15 percent. Interestingly, those who wait until the very last minute might get dinged less than early birds.

Last-minute bookers pay about 2 percent more than is typical, while early birds who booked three months or more in advance of their flight paid around 15 percent more than the average holiday traveler, according to Expedia.

For those who are nervous about the prospect of waiting until the end of October or November to book their holiday trips, online travel site Hipmunk offers slightly more conservative guidance. According to the folks at Hipmunk, booking flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas during the first week of September can save travelers an average of 12 percent on Thanksgiving flights and 19 percent on Christmastime flights.

Similar to Expedia, Hipmunk found that Thanksgiving flights will peak around mid-October and then start to dip down again toward Halloween and into early November. They will then rise sharply in the two weeks prior to the holiday, Hipmunk reported. Similarly, Christmastime booking prices see a drop in the two-week window before the holiday and then a sharp increase the week of. 

The online booking sites had additional tips on how to get the best deals when booking holiday travel. According to Expedia, traveling on the holiday itself will often yield the cheapest rates, for those willing to fly day of. Also, avoid starting your trip on the Saturday before the holiday, which is consistently the most expensive day to fly.

Last year, travelers who flew out on Thanksgiving proper paid on average $100 less than those who departed the Saturday prior to the holiday, according to Hipmunk. The site noted that the second cheapest option will be starting your trip on the Monday or Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. The busiest travel day leading up to Thanksgiving is the day before Thanksgiving.

As for around Christmas, Hipmunk revealed that the cheapest day to fly is traditionally Christmas Eve, followed by December 23.

There are a lot of factors that influence the rise and fall of airfares during any given day, week, or month. Expedia advises travelers to set up price alerts for flights, which you can do through booking engines such as Expedia and Google Flights.

Expedia also noted that you are likely to find better savings if you bundle your flight and hotel—whether you book your flight and hotel at the same time or come back and add a hotel later, you can save a few hundred bucks.

 
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I Work for N.S.A. We Cannot Afford to Lose the Digital Revolution.

Technology is about to spend our entire national security infrastructure.

By Glenn S. Gerstell

Mr. Gerstell is the general counsel of the National Security Agency.

The National Security Operations Center occupies a large windowless room, bathed in blue light, on the third floor of the National Security Agency’s headquarters outside of Washington. For the past 46 years, around the clock without a single interruption, a team of senior military and intelligence officials has staffed this national security nerve center.

 

The center’s senior operations officer is surrounded by glowing high-definition monitors showing information about things like Pentagon computer networks, military and civilian air traffic in the Middle East and video feeds from drones in Afghanistan. The officer is authorized to notify the president any time of the day or night of a critical threat.

 

Just down a staircase outside the operations center is the Defense Special Missile and Aeronautics Center, which keeps track of missile and satellite launches by China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, and other countries. If North Korea was ever to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile toward Los Angeles, those keeping watches might have half an hour or more between the time of detection to the time the missile would land at the target. At least, in theory, that is enough time to alert the operations center two floors above and alert the military to shoot down the missile.

 

But these early-warning centers have no ability to issue a warning to the president that would stop a cyberattack that takes down a regional or national power grid or to intercept a hypersonic cruise missile launched from Russia or China. The cyberattack can be detected only upon occurrence, and the hypersonic missile, only seconds or at best minutes before the attack. And even if we could detect a missile flying at low altitudes at 20 times the speed of sound, we have no way of stopping it.

 

The threats of cyberattack and hypersonic missiles are two examples of easily foreseeable challenges to our national security posed by rapidly developing the technology. It is by no means certain that we will be able to cope with those two threats, let alone the even more complicated and unknown challenges presented by the general onrush of technology — the digital revolution or so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution — that will be our future for the next few decades.

 

The digital revolution has urgent and profound implications for our federal national security agencies. It is almost impossible to overstate the challenges. If anything, we run the risk of thinking too conventionally about the future. The short period of time our nation has to prepare for the effects of this revolution is already upon us, and it could not come at a more perilous and complicated time for the National Security Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the other components of the intelligence community.

 

The immediacy and specificity of the war on terror following the Sept. 11 attacks permitted the intelligence community to reorient itself relatively quickly and effectively from the Cold War and its immediate aftermath. But the intelligence community and its allies who rely on one another for information-sharing must now adapt to adversaries with new capabilities — principally China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, each of which presents different and complex threats — while still not forsaking the counterterrorism mission.

 

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Entrepreneur | Speaker | Advocate | Writer | World Traveler... And her favorite.. Mom

Tammy Searle

Instructor

After you spend a few minutes with Tammy it will become apparent that she enjoys teaching any aspect of technology or safety. Tammy has been an entrepreneur for 24 years and is nationally recognized as a Child and Senior advocate. Since 2011, she has worked with various cruise lines to teach passengers across the globe.
Tammy has traveled to nearly 50 countries teaching internet safety, travel safety and technology classes. During these travels, she has gained quite a bit of insight and knowledge about the concern for personal safety Worldwide. She takes her hands-on experience to create extremely informative courses.

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