Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine has purchased a Southern California beachfront mansion for $34 million, according to The Real Deal.
The 11,200-square-foot, six-bedroom, seven-bathroom, Tuscan-style villa is in a gated community in Newport Coast, CA.
Views from all angles
Built in 2010, the mansion offers panoramic Pacific Ocean views, while its manicured lawns and meticulously placed shrubbery create a resortlike feel.
A stone walkway at the home’s entrance leads to an oversized, arched doorway.
It’s all in the details
Inside, a dramatic staircase with marble steps, a rustic chandelier, and small sitting area make for a high-impact entry.
The large kitchen has a spacious center island, wooden cabinetry, and beamed ceilings. Marble countertops provide plenty of space for meal prep, and the bar seating is perfect for guests.
A separate dining area with a fireplace and hardwood floors is the ideal backdrop for holiday dinners and formal gatherings.
The abundant arched doorways throughout the home are a delightful design detail.
Luxurious yet relaxed
The estate also has plenty of luxe sitting and lounge areas. Some of these spaces boast marble fireplaces, while others feature beamed ceilings. One sitting area even opens to a pool room outfitted with a modern chandelier.
Royal treatment
The bedrooms are fit for royalty. Between spacious balconies, private patios, and, yes, more fireplaces, you might never want to leave these sleeping quarters.
And with six bedrooms, there’s more than enough room here for overnight guests.
Spa-inspired amenities
You’ll feel as if you’re at a five-star spa when you use any of this home’s bathrooms
Breathtaking and massive, these incredible washrooms have multiple vanities, carved wood doors, and cavernous tubs.
But wait, there’s more
And that’s not all. Additional amenities include a home theater, gym, golf simulator, and built-in whirlpool.
The main bedroom suite’s heated floors and retractable television round out the extravagance.
LaVine, 28, has starred as a shooting guard for the Chicago Bulls since 2017. The high-scoring shooter has made two All-Star teams but has yet to lead the Bulls on a deep playoff run.
While some people think of Walt Disney World as a place designed for kids, that’s not entirely the case. In fact, some parts of Disney World aren’t kid-friendly at all. The elegant, AAA Five Diamond Award-winning restaurant Victoria & Albert’s doesn’t allow kids under 10, and Jellyrolls — a dueling piano bar — is for vacationers 21 and up.
A trip to Disney World for couples or adult friends can be fun and worth taking. But even without kids to add onto trip costs, a Disney trip for two is not cheap.
The average cost of Disney World for two adults can easily top $4,000 for a seven-night trip, and that’s for frugal travelers. Couples who want to splurge on the fanciest rooms and restaurants, perhaps those traveling for a honeymoon or proposal — or those who simply want to travel in style — should budget at least $10,000 for seven nights.
A NerdWallet analysis sought to find out how much a trip to Disney World for two costs, accounting for line items across these four categories:
Park tickets (and add-ons, like Genie+).
On-property hotel room rates.
Food at park restaurants.
Add-on activities, like spa treatments and tours.
Because Disney offers options for a range of budgets, NerdWallet categorized the average cost of a Disney vacation for two into three price tiers: Value, Moderate and Deluxe (which is the same classification that Disney World uses for its hotels).
A frugal couple might be fine booking a Value hotel with minimal frills and only dine-at-counter service restaurants or carts. But other adults might purchase extras to improve the experience, like line-skipping privileges or larger rooms — all variations accounted for in the average price estimates listed below. Read more about NerdWallet’s methodology at the end of this article.
Here’s how much you should anticipate spending per day, per person (with hotel prices based on double occupancy), based on travel style:
One-day, one-park theme park ticket
One-night hotel room (Saturday night)
Individual meal
The average total Disney World cost for 2 adults
Here are NerdWallet’s estimates of a Disney vacation for two, broken down by travel style and length of trip:
Each Disney budget listed above assumes daily theme park tickets, three meals per day and overnight stays at a Disney-owned hotel with both travelers sharing one room.
Disney World ticket prices
Disney World ticket prices vary by park and date.
One-day Magic Kingdom Park tickets average $160, making it typically the most expensive of the four Walt Disney World theme parks. Magic Kingdom may be the most iconic and features romantic spots like Cinderella Castle (which might be ideal for a Disney proposal), but it’s also viewed as the most family-friendly park, which means more strollers to dodge.
Meanwhile, Epcot tends to be the cheapest Disney theme park — which is a plus given it’s often considered the best Disney World park for adults anyway. About half of the park is devoted to World Showcase, which consists of 11 mini subsections themed to a different country, including Norway, China and Morocco. Each serves up food and beverages (including alcohol), and some have rides, too.
Disney World price per person
One-day, one-park ticket advertised price range
$109 to $189.
Average one-day, one-park ticket price
Genie+ (add-on option for Moderate and Deluxe trips)
Starting at $15.
Disney World ticket prices drop the longer you stay. For example, five-day, one-park-per-day tickets average $643 (that’s $129 per day).
Optional Disney ticket upgrades include Lightning Lanes, which are priority queues for certain attractions, and Park Hopper tickets, which allow multiple park visits per day. Upgrades aside, here’s how much you should expect to spend on Disney tickets for two adults, based on number of theme park days:
Disney World hotels
The myriad of Disney-owned hotels offer options across price points. They range from Disney’s All-Star properties — which start at $128 per night, according to Disney trip planning website Touring Plans, and are considered Value properties — to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, which starts at $780 and is one of the most expensive Deluxe hotels.
Specific room rates vary based on check-in date and specific property, but here are average prices broken down by type and trip length, according to NerdWallet’s analysis:
Three nights
Seven nights
Even Disney’s cheapest hotel rooms are more expensive than what you might find elsewhere in the Orlando area. The average daily room rate across Orlando is just $186.49, according to Visit Orlando’s 2022 Travel Industry Indicators. That’s about 35% less than the $286 average price for the cheapest Disney resort.
Disney World food
NerdWallet researched average meal prices to find an estimate for the Disney World cost of food. Value meals consisted of an entree and drink, while meals placed in the Moderate or Deluxe tier (all served at table service restaurants with waitstaff) also included either an appetizer or dessert.
Here were average Disney World meal prices per person, based on restaurant tier:
Other activities and expenses
NerdWallet’s calculations did not factor in miscellaneous items and souvenirs, which you might want to account for when estimating your own trip to Disney World.
But NerdWallet’s seven-day trip estimations did consider other entertainment and activities, which are add-ons that Disney refers to as its “Enchanting Extras Collection.” They include scuba diving, golf lessons and dessert cruises aligned to sail during the fireworks. (NerdWallet did not add the costs of these extras for shorter trips, given that most people would be devoting their time to the theme parks).
Someone seeking a behind-the–scenes tour on a budget might book the $35, one-hour Behind the Seeds tour that takes you into Epcot’s fish farm and greenhouses. Longer and more expensive tours include the Animal Kingdom’s $199 Wild Africa Trek tour, which involves three hours of hiking, off-roading in a safari vehicle and traversing a rope bridge.
For couples taking seven night trips, here’s how much extra NerdWallet estimates you should budget for Disney World extras (for two people):
Value: $284.
Moderate: $443.
Deluxe: $911.
While not everyone will opt for these activities, many adult travelers might incorporate Disney Enchanting Extras in their budget for Disney World.
How couples can visit Disney World on a budget
Couples should expect to spend a minimum of $700 if staying on Disney property for one night and visiting the parks for one day.
For three-night stays (and two theme park days), costs inflate to a minimum of $1,800. And for seven-night stays with five theme park days, expect the trip to cost at least $4,000 if you’re low-frills. However, you might spend more than $10,000 across seven nights if you vacation like you’re keeping up with the Joneses. And that’s all before accounting for the cost to actually get there.
Here are some strategies for couples planning a trip to Disney World on a budget:
Book Disney Good Neighbor Hotels, which are hotels owned by other large hotel chains. Cash rates are typically cheaper than those at Disney’s own hotels, and they can sometimes be booked for free (assuming you have hotel points earned through frequent stays or credit card rewards).
Commit to Disney’s free mass transit. While families might require a rental car to use their own car seat, adults can get away with relying solely on Disney’s extensive transportation network of boats, monorails, buses and gondolas, which are free to use.
Don’t be afraid to order the kids’ meals. Particularly if dining at a counter-service restaurant, no one will know if you’re ordering a kids menu item to be consumed by an adult.
Methodology
To better understand what an average trip to Disney World for two adults costs, NerdWallet gathered more than 200 ticket prices, 550 Disney-owned hotel room rates and 100 additional activities and restaurant prices between April 2023 and April 2024. NerdWallet aggregated those figures to build sample trip budgets based on travel style and trip length and ultimately to determine how much a Disney trip for two costs.
NerdWallet’s trip costs start once you’re on property, thus don’t account for parking, airfare or driving costs. Here’s what’s included in each price tier:
Travel style
A budget-minded traveler seeking affordable options, few frills and little to no add-ons.
Someone price conscious but who occasionally splurges.
Someone who will pay top dollar to access the high end of what Disney offers.
Tickets (Disney World)
One-park-per-day tickets.
One-park-per-day tickets with Genie+.
One-park-per-day tickets with Genie+.
Hotels (Disney World)
Overnight at Disney’s Value hotels.
Overnight at Disney’s Moderate hotels.
Overnight at Disney’s Deluxe hotels.
Daily meals (Disney World)
Three meals (one entree and one beverage) at Value counter service restaurants or food carts.
Two Value meals plus one Moderate meal (one entree, one dessert or side and one beverage) at a casual, table service restaurant with waitstaff.
One Value meal, one Moderate meal plus one Deluxe meal at an upscale, table service restaurant with waitstaff.
Extra activities (Disney World)
Value add-ons, like cheap seats at Disney World’s Cirque du Soleil show or a lower-budget spa treatment (like an express pedicure).
Moderate add-ons, like central seats at Disney World’s Cirque du Soleil show or a grand pedicure at the spa.
Deluxe add-ons, like front-row seats at Disney World’s Cirque du Soleil show or a full-body massage at the spa.
Stateroom type (Disney Cruise Line)
Standard Inside.
Deluxe Oceanview.
Deluxe Oceanview with Verandah.
Daily meals (Disney Cruise Line)
No extra meals added.
One additional meal at Palo.
One additional meal and wine pairing at Palo.
Extra activities (Disney Cruise Line)
No extra activities added.
Moderate add-ons, like a spa day pass or snorkeling excursion.
Deluxe add-ons, like a spa day pass with massage or scuba excursion.
Because Walt Disney World ticket prices vary by park, one-day ticket prices were based on Magic Kingdom admission. Two-day ticket prices were based on Magic Kingdom and Epcot. In addition, NerdWallet’s analysis did not account for Park Hopper tickets, which allow access to multiple theme parks per day.
And of course, these budgets for the average cost for a trip to Disney should be used to estimate — rather than determine — your own Disney trip costs. Couples who pack their own snacks might spend less on Disney food. Meanwhile, those using their Disney trip as a shopping spree should account for souvenir costs, alongside other potential extras like PhotoPass.
(Top photo courtesy of Walt Disney World)
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for:
Travel demand between Asia and the U.S. is roaring, and United Airlines is looking to get on board.
The Chicago-based carrier announced an expansion of its Pacific schedule this winter, taking advantage as demand surges following broad reopenings across Asia.
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United will start with a brand new route between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in the Philippines, with daily service beginning Oct. 29.
With the new route, United will become the only U.S. airline to fly between the contiguous U.S. and the Philippines, although it’s actually the airline’s second route to Manila. United already flies daily to Manila from its Micronesian base at Guam International Airport (GUM) on Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The flight from SFO, on the other hand, will operate on United’s largest aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER. That aircraft is equipped with Polaris business class seats and a premium economy cabin, giving passengers options for the nearly 7,000-mile flight.
Landing gear in the kitchen? Touring United’s renovated Chicago headquarters in the Willis Tower
While no U.S. airline currently flies to the Philippines, Philippine Airlines flies from Manila to GUM, SFO, Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
United also announced two other new routes, including the restoration daily service from LAX to Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) starting on Oct. 28. United previously operated that route before shifting it to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND). The new Narita route will exist alongside the Haneda flight, making for two daily departures from Los Angeles to Tokyo. The airline will use a 787-10 to Narita.
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Finally, the airline will begin flying from Los Angeles to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) with daily service starting Oct. 28, complementing an existing route from SFO. That flight will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
More from TPG: The best credit cards for United Airlines flyers
As part of the announcement, the airline also said it would add a second daily flight between SFO and Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in Taipei, Taiwan, using a Boeing 777-200ER.
The new service comes several months after United announced a substantial expansion of its South Pacific and Oceania network. With the new routes, United says it will fly to 15 different transpacific long-haul destinations this winter — more than other U.S. carriers.
The expansion and associated demand comes on the tail of a similar boom in the transatlantic market. It saw more demand than airlines could keep up in 2022 and this summer following the closed borders of 2020 and 2021.
In contrast to its competitors, United took a risky approach during the pandemic by keeping its entire wide-body fleet rather than retiring any of those larger aircraft to reduce costs. While some planes were put in storage during the peak of the pandemic, the airline could still bring them back into service to maximize the sudden increase of demand following reopenings.
It’s an approach that the airline says paid off. The share of international flights in the airline’s network is 2% larger than in 2019, Patrick Quayle, United’s head of international network planning, said during a conference call on Monday ahead of the announcement.
The key, Quayle said, is trying to grow “responsibly,” capturing demand where it exists and where it’s growing while not overcommitting resources.
In the case of the Pacific, demand has been surging. However, that has varied by region, so the airline is trying to be strategic in how it’s adding capacity.
“Tokyo started off the year a little weak,” Quayle said. “But as Tokyo opened up to global travel, it’s really gone gangbusters.”
Moves by rivals: Sayonara, Narita: The Rise and Fall of Delta’s Tokyo Hub
Notably, the announcements centered around United’s West Coast hubs and excluded Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), which has been in the spotlight following operational struggles ahead of the July 4 holiday week.
United operates a nonstop flight to Tokyo Narita from Newark. It previously flew to Hong Kong as well.
Quayle said that although the airline was working to shore up its Newark operation and was “not rethinking our international network out of Newark,” it had no plans to add service to Asia from the East Coast hub anytime soon. Quayle said restrictions on flying through Russian airspace create range issues for anything beyond the Northern Pacific, while flights to mainland China remain limited due to ongoing trade tensions.
Nevertheless, the Pacific announcement represents another phase in the reopening and resumption of travel, and with Manila, expansion is back in the skies.
Farm loans help farmers and ranchers start, grow or maintain their farming businesses. These small-business loans can be used to cover operating expenses, purchase livestock, buy farm machinery and agricultural equipment, as well as construct farm buildings, among other purposes.
Loans for farms are available from a range of sources, including government agencies and lenders that specialize in agriculture. The best farm financing for your business will be the most affordable option you can qualify for that meets your needs.
How Much Do You Need?
with Fundera by NerdWallet
Best farm loan options for agricultural businesses
1. Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans
Best for: Low interest rates; the variety of loan options.
Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the FSA offers several types of farm loans. FSA loans can be a good choice for first-time and established farmers alike. These loans have competitive interest rates, long repayment terms and can be used for a range of different purposes. Here are your options:
Direct operating loans. These loans can be used to cover daily operating costs and family living expenses. They can also be used to purchase livestock, seed and equipment. Loans are available in amounts up to $400,000 with repayment terms up to seven years. The FSA sets monthly interest rates — and as of July 2023, the interest rate on these loans is 4.5%
. No down payment is required.
Direct ownership loans. Farm ownership loans are used to buy or expand a farm or ranch. These loans are available in amounts up to $600,000 with repayment terms up to 40 years. As of July 2023, the interest rate on these loans is 4.875%.
Microloans. FSA microloans are designed to provide financing to small and beginning farmers, as well as niche and nontraditional farm operations, such as truck farms, farms participating in direct marketing and sales, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). You can choose between an ownership and operating microloan; interest rates and eligible use cases mirror their standard loan counterparts. Funding amounts for either microloan max out at $50,000.
Guaranteed loans. Unlike FSA direct loans, which are issued directly from the agency to the farmer, FSA guaranteed loans work similarly to the SBA loan program. With these farm loans, the FSA guarantees up to 95% of the financing, and the loans are issued by USDA-approved commercial lenders. Rates and terms are negotiated between you and your lender, subject to the FSA’s maximums.
Additional loans. The FSA also offers youth loans, Native American tribal loans and emergency loans. Rates, repayment terms and maximum funding amounts vary based on the individual program.
To qualify for one of these FSA farm loans, you’ll need to meet a variety of industry- and loan-specific requirements. You’ll need to prove your operation is an eligible farm enterprise, show your managerial experience, as well as describe your acceptable loan purpose.
As a borrower, you’ll need to show your ability to repay the loan. Although the FSA doesn’t rely on credit scores to make eligibility determinations, it’s helpful to have a good credit history. However, the FSA will not deny applications based on credit problems or a lack of credit history.
Applications for these government business loans will require extensive documentation. You have the option to apply online through the e-Gov system, by mail, in person at your local FSA office or by phone. You can expect to receive funding within 60 days after the FSA has received your application and corresponding paperwork.
2. SBA loans
Best for: Established businesses with good credit.
Like FSA farm loans, SBA loans offer long repayment terms and competitive interest rates. Plus, SBA loans have larger maximum funding amounts — up to $5 million.
Although the U.S. Small Business Administration recommends that farms and agricultural businesses look at FSA loans before applying for SBA loans, SBA 7(a) and SBA 504 loans can both be good options for established farmers with strong credit
.
SBA 7(a) loans can be used for a variety of purposes, including working capital, buying inventory and purchasing equipment. Interest rates range from 10.5% to 13%, and repayment terms are up to 10 years for working capital, inventory and equipment purchases and up to 25 years for real estate.
SBA 504 loans, on the other hand, are specifically designed for equipment and real estate purchases. Unlike 7(a) loans, which are issued by banks or credit unions, 504 loans come from three places:
A bank (50%).
A Certified Development Company, or CDC (40%).
The borrower (10%).
Typically, the borrower would provide 10% of the financing, but because farms are considered a “special purpose property” by the SBA, you’re required to provide 15% of the loan amount.
SBA loan rates on 504 loans are tied to the 10-year U.S. Treasury notes. You’ll also have to meet a job and retention requirement to qualify, which is not an element of the 7(a) loan program.
You’ll generally need multiple years in business, good credit and strong finances to qualify for either of these SBA loan options. Although — like FSA loans — SBA loans can be slow to fund, you can expedite the process by working with an SBA preferred lender. These lenders have extensive experience with SBA loan applications and are authorized to accelerate the underwriting process.
3. Farm Credit organizations
Best for: Industry expertise; personalized experience.
Farm Credit is a network of lending institutions across the U.S. that are owned by farmers, ranchers and other agricultural businesses. These institutions are divided into four districts and each district has its own regional wholesale bank.
In each of these districts, you can find organizations that offer loans exclusively for farms and other agricultural businesses. These banks offer farm equipment loans, first-time and beginning farm loans, livestock loans, poultry loans, land loans and lines of credit, among other options.
Loan amounts, repayment terms and interest rates will vary based on the specific institution and loan program — but regardless of which Farm Credit institution you work with, you’ll receive guidance and expertise that’s unique to your industry.
Representatives at these institutions can offer a personalized experience, as well as educational resources and a continuous relationship with your business. If you’re looking to work closely with your bank throughout the loan process and beyond, a local Farm Credit organization may be an option to consider.
4. Farm Plus Financial
Best for: Beginning farmer loans.
Farm Plus Financial is an asset-based lender that offers both farm loans and lines of credit. All of the lender’s available products are secured by agricultural real estate, making it a good choice for newer farmers who may not have the financials to qualify for other options.
Farm loans from Farm Plus Financial are available in amounts that range from $200,000 to $50 million. For term loans, the company can finance up to 75% of the loan-to-value (LTV). For lines of credit, on the other hand, this amount falls to 50% LTV.
Interest rates vary based on the product you choose, your repayment terms and your qualifications, among other factors. You can reach out to a lending representative to receive more information about current interest rates.
Although the value of your farm’s real estate will be one of the most important factors in your business loan application, Farm Plus Financial also requires that all borrowers have a minimum personal credit score of 660 or higher. In addition, your farm property must be five acres or greater to be eligible.
You can start an application by submitting an online inquiry form with basic information about your farm and its financing needs. Once you’ve sent the form, a farm loan specialist will reach out to discuss your options and help you with the application. In general, it can take anywhere from one to three months to get funded.
5. National Funding
Best for: Bad credit; quick access to capital.
If you need capital quickly — or you have bad credit (a personal credit score of 620 or below) — you might consider National Funding for a farm loan. National Funding is an online lender that offers two distinct options: short-term loans and equipment financing.
With National Funding’s short-term loans, you can access up to $400,000 and can use the money to cover working capital needs, inventory purchases and other day-to-day expenses. These loans are available with repayment terms up to 24 months and interest is quoted as a factor rate, which starts at 1.1 for borrowers with strong credit.
The lender’s equipment financing program, on the other hand, provides equipment loans and leases in amounts up to $150,000. You can finance or lease new and used equipment, such as combines, tractors and trucks.
These farm loans have repayment terms up to five years and factor rates that also start at 1.1 for borrowers with strong credit.
Regardless of which option you choose, National Funding offers flexible business loan requirements and a streamlined application process. To qualify, you’ll need to have been in business for at least six months, a personal credit score of 600 or higher and an annual revenue of $250,000 or more.
When you’re ready to apply, you can fill out a simple form on the lender’s website. Next, you’ll talk to a funding specialist who will help you decide which type of farm loan is right for your needs. This representative will also guide you through the application — and once you’re approved, you’ll receive funds in as little as 24 hours.
How to get a farm loan
To get a farm loan for your agriculture business, you can follow these steps:
Understand your financing needs
Think about why you need capital and what you’re going to use it for — this will help you determine which type of financing is right for your business.
You should also consider how much debt you can afford to take on. You should make sure that you’ll be able to handle any potential loan payments based on your current income.
Evaluate typical farm loan requirements
Overall, the farm loan requirements you’ll need to meet will vary based on your loan type and business lender. Most lenders, however, will consider your personal credit score, time in business and annual revenue.
Additionally, as an agriculture business, lenders will likely pay close attention to industry-specific criteria, such as your farm management experience, the amount of land you have, your farm business plan and assets.
Research and compare lenders
With a better understanding of your needs and qualifications, you should be able to focus your lender search to find the options that will be best suited to your business. In general, if you think you may qualify for an FSA loan, you might consider starting your search with these low-interest options.
As you explore different lenders, you should compare them based on factors such as:
Loan types.
Maximum funding amounts.
Repayment terms.
Down payment requirements.
Funding speed.
Application process.
Customer service.
Industry experience.
Lender reputation.
Gather your documentation and apply
Once you’ve found the right lender for your needs, you can gather all of the documentation you need to submit your application. In many cases, you’ll be able to work with a lending representative who will be able to help you through the process and answer any questions you may have.
Once you’ve submitted your application, approval and funding times will vary. Government and commercial lenders tend to have longer timelines, ranging anywhere from several weeks to several months. Online lenders, on the other hand, can fund applications much faster — with some companies providing capital in just 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a farm loan with bad credit?
Yes. Although there may be fewer farm loan options available to borrowers with bad credit, it is still possible to get financing. The FSA, for example, does not exclude its loan applicants for poor or non-existent credit histories. Online lenders are also more likely to accept borrowers with bad credit.
Can you get a loan to buy a farm?
Yes. In fact, the FSA offers a direct farm ownership loan specifically designed to help borrowers buy a farm or ranch. Commercial and online lenders may also issue business loans that can be used to buy a farm.
How can you get a farm loan with no down payment?
If you want a farm loan with no down payment, you can start by looking into FSA loans. Some of the FSA direct farm loans do not require a down payment.
You might also consider online lenders, such as National Funding, many of which don’t require down payments for their loan options. However, to get a loan with no down payment, it will be helpful to have strong qualifications.
And it’s essential to keep in mind that lenders may charge higher interest rates on no-down payment loans than they would if you provided a down payment on your financing.
Every American Airlines plane flies for hundreds of hours, carrying thousands of passengers for miles across the globe. But after a while, even the most reliable aircraft needs a break. For some of them, that break comes at a sprawling 3.3 million-square-foot facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Functioning as its own ecosystem within Tulsa, this facility’s various hangars and warehouses are where the airline’s planes are picked apart. Seats and engines are refurbished. Exteriors are repainted to sport red, white and blue stripes along the tail fins.
These are only some of the many tasks that occur in this spacious, maze-like facility. Hangars upon hangars stretch across the massive property by a National Guard base and an Amazon warehouse.
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“It’s like a city within a city,” Barbara Cruz, a store supervisor at American’s Tulsa facility, said.
Thousands of American planes have gone through Tulsa since 1946, when the Fort Worth-based carrier relocated its maintenance base from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to the old oil capital following World War II.
The base — a major hub for American’s maintenance operations — now has about 4,800 employees and claims to be one of the largest commercial aviation bases in the world.
At any given time, the facility can hold up to 20 narrow-body aircraft in its hangars; 800 commercial planes pass through it annually.
In 2020, American unveiled plans to invest $550 million in the Tulsa base to construct a new wide-body hangar and make improvements to each building in the facility. The new hangar should’ve begun taking shape in early 2021, but its construction start date was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will be able to hold two wide-body (or about six narrow-body) aircraft at a time.
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Despite the renovation delays, the Tulsa base serves as an important destination for many American aircraft. It handles every bit of maintenance for a plane, from cleaning out toilets to inspecting engines.
Boeing 737s and 777s are the jets that primarily make their rounds in Tulsa. The aircraft either go through heavy, routine or unscheduled maintenance in a process that’s similar to surgery.
“We document all the findings,” Ed Sangricco, the managing director at the Tulsa base, said. “We go in, and we fix all those findings. We close the airplane, we put it back together again, and then we check everything — we make sure everything works.”
While the pandemic halted travel and grounded planes worldwide, that didn’t stop the maintenance technicians, engineers, managers and supervisors in Tulsa. American’s aircraft technicians were tasked with maintaining roughly 100 aircraft already at the base to prevent corrosion (and to stop weeds and birds from infesting the crevices of the planes). That meant remote work wasn’t an option for the employees at the Tulsa base.
Airlines received billions of dollars from the federal government during the pandemic partly to keep their fleets in tip-top shape, so they would be ready when travel demand returned.
“Maintenance requirements don’t stop during COVID-19,” Sangricco said.
Related: 6 incredible facts about the Boeing 777
What it takes to maintain a plane
Maintaining a commercial plane is a complicated process. Hearing all the steps to ensure an aircraft is running smoothly — all over the course of an eight-hour tour — was similar to taking a college crash course in physics and engineering.
Aircraft maintenance is heavily governed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which has a set list of requirements and deadlines for every plane component. Every record chronicling the maintenance of an aircraft needs to be preserved to be in compliance with the FAA, according to Roger Steele, a supervisor at the Tulsa facility who specializes in 737 narrow-body maintenance.
So, document holders containing slips of paper that detail every task from the FAA line two walls of an office within a 737 hangar at the Tulsa base.
At the start of a visit, a 737 narrow-body will undergo about 1,200 required tasks — excluding non-routine inspections — before it can fly again.
The Tulsa facility is never quiet. Throughout my tour of the maintenance site, I could hear constant drilling noises and the occasional thunderous engines of a National Guard plane taking off a couple of miles away as Steele explained the ins and outs of narrow-body maintenance.
The 737 I saw in the hangar had already been stripped down, as it was in its fifth day of maintenance. (The crew at American has around 25 days to completely finish work on the plane.)
The seats, the walls and the flooring were completely gutted from the aircraft. All that was left inside were gray insulation bags on all sides, which made the 737 look more like a cave than a plane.
Inside, technicians were already hard at work. One was by the plane’s back door, critically documenting what parts had been affected by corrosion.
While several areas can suffer from corrosion, a plane’s galleys and lavatories are the most susceptible to corrosion and environmental damage, as moisture from toilets and soft drinks wear down the interior.
“What coffee and soda pop can do to an aircraft after humans consume it is very corrosive,” Steele joked.
Once the technician documented the damage, the next step was determining what parts needed reinforcement. One piece of metal in the galley suffered from corrosion, so the technician sanded the area and recorded its remaining structural thickness.
Like the maintenance process itself, refurbishing an aircraft is anything but glamorous. At the Tulsa base, the majority of hangars and buildings have no air conditioning, leaving most of the workers stuck toying away at engines and aircraft in the sweltering summer heat.
When I toured the site, it was already a muggy 90 degrees, but Tulsa summers can soar well into the 100s during the season’s peak.
For some, the day starts early. Robert Bales, a maintenance technician who works on wide-body half galleys, normally wakes up at 5 a.m. for his 6:30 a.m. shift.
Each technician works around 8 1/2 hours. Much of the schedule, specifically for cabin work, is determined by the crew chief and the needs of the aircraft.
Before someone can start working at the facility as a technician, they must undergo significant training.
Gabriel Figueroa Navedo, another wide-body aircraft technician, said he went to trade school to receive an FAA-issued aircraft technician license. There, Navedo — who first started his career managing reservations and bookings for American — learned extensively about topics like hydraulics and electricity.
However, Navedo said many of those skills do not directly apply to his day-to-day job. Instead, the training provided a general knowledge of planes.
“I like to call it a license to learn,” Navedo said, “because it’s got to cover stuff like small propeller engines, and the FAA doesn’t know if you’re gonna work here, or if you’re gonna be working on your own private plane.”
Related: What it’s really like at flight attendant training
Even the seats and toilets need a makeover
When an aircraft’s seats need refreshing, the plane goes to a different warehouse, where the seats get disassembled. During this process, technicians tend to find all sorts of trash underneath, including gum, candy, pills, credit cards, cellphones and iPads.
“You’re gonna find no telling what,” Brent Strickland, a supervisor who primarily works on Boeing 777s and 787s, said.
Strickland said he has even found false teeth and engagement rings inside the seats.
After removing the various items passengers leave behind, the seats are washed and left to dry. Then, the technicians check the hardware for any damage.
Cushions are changed about every six years, according to Strickland, and it only takes two to three days to completely finish a seat.
It’s not just the seats that need refurbishing during maintenance — the toilets also get picked apart. The waste tanks are cleaned out, and the flushes are inspected by another team of technicians dedicated to toilet maintenance. Strickland described those team members as “another one of those unsung heroes.”
Dee West, a technician, cleaned out a water valve during my tour, closely inspecting the valve under the scope of a flashlight before carefully reassembling the three parts and a spring in the pipe.
“It ain’t no joke,” he said. “It’s gotta be done right.”
One mistake by a toilet technician could be costly for the airline, as each toilet costs $17,000.
Perhaps surprisingly, this area of focus is one of the more desirable on the Tulsa base, according to an American spokesperson. That’s because it’s one of the few jobs workers can do inside an air-conditioned building — providing a reprieve from the otherwise hot and muggy weather Tulsa experiences every summer.
Engines, windows and other plane parts also get a makeover, depending on the aircraft’s maintenance schedule. This includes the fans and combustive parts of the engine, which the staff works on separately in “cold” and “hot” rooms within another hangar, respectively.
Blue lines on the walls demarcate the “cold” parts of the room, whereas painted yellow lines indicate the “hot” area.
Staff members also inspect some parts of the engine by soaking them in a fluorescent lime-green liquid to magnify which parts need to be reinforced.
Whenever parts like the wings and the radome — located at the tip of the plane — need a lift, they are sent to a composite center. There, they get reinforced with materials such as carbon fiber and a honeycomb web made from materials like aluminum.
“[It’s] poetry in motion,” Jody King, a composite repair center crew chief at American’s composite repair center, said when referring to the process of fitting the materials onto parts of the aircraft.
The reason this complex web of maintenance is even possible is because American’s site also has a warehouse containing thousands of parts and stickers. These parts are either shipped to other hangars in Tulsa or to airports and third-party services that need to do maintenance on an aircraft.
Related: Take a look inside Air New Zealand’s unique cabin innovation laboratory
Gearing up to fly again
Before a plane is ready to fly again, the landing gear — the wheels on the plane, in layman’s terms — must be checked, and the exterior must be repainted and rewaxed.
You may not notice the gargantuan size of planes since you typically only see them from afar in the sky or through the windows of an airport. However, were you to see one up close, you’d be struck by the size.
The landing gear alone measures at least 21 feet tall, roughly the equivalent of four people my height (I’m around 5 feet, 4 inches) standing on top of one another.
The wings also feel so vast it almost seems impossible that workers can repaint them by hand in a matter of days; the team uses foam rollers and brushes, according to Jeff Green, a shared services supervisor.
Once the plane completes its maintenance maze in Tulsa, it’s ready to return to the skies and fly to hundreds of destinations. Later, it’ll likely touch down in Tulsa yet again to go through the same routine.
A business credit card is a lot like a personal credit card: Both let you borrow money and pay them off on an ongoing basis. But business credit cards typically come with features tailored toward entrepreneurs, like free employee cards and rewards on common business purchases, like office supplies.
Business credit cards offer other benefits as well. They are great tools for separating your business and personal finances, on-time payments can help you build business credit, and unlike other types of business financing, you may be able to qualify for one even if your business is new or small.
What is a business credit card?
A business credit card is a revolving line of credit that lets you spend up to a certain amount, pay off some or all of what you owe, then repeat that process. This can help you make purchases you need, even when your cash flow is uneven.
Technically, you can use consumer cards for business expenses. However, card issuers have products designed for business owners. These cards often come with higher credit limits than personal credit cards and make it easier to spot potential tax deductions, among other features.
Business credit cards are one of the easiest types of business financing to qualify for. Eligibility largely depends on your personal credit history, which can make business credit cards for new businesses and very small companies more accessible than traditional business loans.
How do business credit cards work?
Business credit cards work a lot like personal credit cards do. But for bookkeeping and liability purposes, you should only use a business credit card for your business expenses.
Broadly speaking, here’s how to use a business credit card:
Charge business expenses to the card.
Receive a statement that specifies how much you borrowed over the statement period and how much you need to pay back.
Make at least your minimum payment, but try to pay down your balance in full. If you can’t, you’ll pay interest on the remainder. Annual percentage rates (APRs) on business credit cards typically range from 20% to 30%.
Earn rewards, like cash back or airline miles, as a result of your spending.
Business owners may also have access to business charge cards. Charge cards have no credit limits, but you’ll need to pay them off in full every month or face stiff penalties. They’re best for businesses with robust cash flow that want to maximize rewards.
Benefits of business credit cards
Business credit cards help you build business credit. Business credit card issuers report your payment history to business credit bureaus. Making early or on-time payments can help build your credit history and strengthen your business credit score.
You can finance purchases as needed. Your business may not always have enough cash in the bank to stock up on inventory or make large purchases while keeping up with day-to-day expenses. Using a credit card can help spread out big-ticket items over time — especially if it’s a business credit card with a 0% APR intro period — or help you keep buying what you need during slow seasons.
You can get rewarded for your spending. For instance, business travel cards offer perks like airline miles, airport lounge access and hotel points. And using a cash back business credit card means you’ll get a percentage of what you spent — either across the board or in certain categories — typically as a cash deposit or credit at the end of each statement period.
Drawbacks of business credit cards
They’re not covered by the Card Act. The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (Card Act) created new consumer protections for credit card users, like limiting credit card fees and sudden changes to interest rates. But the rule doesn’t extend to business credit cards — which means interest rates can change with little warning and you may encounter fees that you’re not used to on personal credit cards.
They’re more expensive than other forms of financing. If you need to finance large expenses that you probably can’t pay back in one statement period, consider applying for a business loan or business line of credit instead. Those products are harder to qualify for than business credit cards, but they usually come with lower interest rates.
Is a business credit card right for you?
Business credit cards can be useful tools for companies of all sizes. You may be able to qualify for a business credit card whether you’re a solopreneur with a side gig or running a small business with multiple employees.
Eurostar passengers can now avoid UK border checks by having their face scanned
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Some Eurostar passengers passing through London’s St. Pancras International Station will now be able to use a facial verification system instead of manual ticket and passport checks.
The new technology, called SmartCheck, aims to reduce passport and ticket check lines at St. Pancras and is currently being tested for Business Premier and Carte Blanche customers. Eurostar hopes to roll out the technology for more customers if early trials prove successful.
Eligible passengers are directed to use an app before traveling to scan their travel documents and verify their face and ticket. Once at the station, they can use special screens to scan their face before proceeding through check-in.
While SmartCheck will be used to verify passports and tickets, baggage will still be scanned by the security staff. Border officials at your destination will also continue to check passports for now.
Related: How to earn loyalty rewards with European train travel
“SmartCheck in St Pancras International station is a solution for a faster and seamless check-in experience,” Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said. “By introducing SmartCheck, we become the first rail travel operator to adopt biometric face verification. This innovation will enhance our customer departure journey, which is crucial to provide Eurostar’s unique travel experience.”
Regular Eurostar travelers will no doubt embrace the efforts to speed up the check-in process at St. Pancras; the station has seen check-in times increase after French border officials introduced additional checks post-Brexit.
While Eurostar is the first rail operator to utilize facial recognition in this way, it’s not the first time that the technology has been used within the travel sector in the U.K. London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) began testing facial biometric scanners in 2019, before dropping the project when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
Related readings:
Featured image by CHESNOT/CONTRIBUTOR/GETTY IMAGES
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
The Medicare eligibility age is 65, unless you qualify sooner because of certain health conditions
. Before age 65, people can qualify for Medicare based on disability, end-stage renal disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS.
But don’t wait until after your 65th birthday to sign up for Medicare. You can and should sign up a few months before you turn 65
.
Here’s what you need to know about your Medicare eligibility age and when to sign up.
What’s the Medicare eligibility age?
For most people, Medicare eligibility starts at age 65. There are over 58 million people who qualify for Medicare based on age as of March 2023 — about 88% of all Medicare beneficiaries
.
Do I automatically get Medicare when I turn 65?
Some people automatically get Medicare when they turn 65 — but not everyone does.
If you’re already receiving Social Security payments as you turn 65, you’ll be automatically signed up for Medicare Part A and Part B when you become eligible. (Even though the full retirement age for Social Security is 67 for people born in 1960 or later, you can start claiming reduced benefits as early as age 62
.)
So if you started taking Social Security payments early, you’ll automatically get Medicare when you turn 65
.
Enroll in Medicare before your 65th birthday
You become eligible for Medicare at age 65, but you should sign up before that if you want your coverage to start as soon as possible
.
You can sign up for Medicare during your initial enrollment period, which starts months before you turn 65 and lasts for seven months. For most people, it starts three months before the month you turn 65
. So if your birthday is in April, for example, you could sign up starting Jan. 1. Your initial enrollment period ends on the last day of the month three months after you turn 65.
If your birthday is on the first of the month, your initial enrollment period starts earlier — four months before your birthday month, rather than three
. So if your birthday is April 1, you could sign up starting the previous Dec. 1. For this example, your initial enrollment period would end June 30, or two months after your turn 65.
If you enroll before the month you turn 65, your coverage starts on the first day of your birthday month
. If you sign up during or after your birthday month, Medicare coverage starts the month after you sign up.
Cruise passengers do not get bumped as often as airline passengers do, and you aren’t likely to find out there’s no room for you on the ship during the boarding process the way you might on a flight. But cruises can be oversold or canceled in advance for a variety of reasons.
Cruise lines employ some of the same approaches to inventory management as their airline counterparts, resulting in the ever-dreaded bumps. Plus, ship upgrade initiatives or mechanical repairs may cause changes to itineraries departing within weeks, months or even years.
For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG’s cruise newsletter.
But wait, some of us don’t dread airline bumps — we may, in fact, seek them out. Could the same apply to cruising? The biggest difference is that you’ll rarely be able to volunteer to be bumped, though that can happen in some situations. For example, Royal Caribbean overbooked Allure of the Seas earlier this year and contacted passengers to ask if they would voluntarily swap ships or sailing dates to free up rooms.
Whether you get a rare volunteer option or are involuntarily bumped from a canceled or oversold cruise, there’s a chance that you might come out ahead. First, let’s look at the reasons cruise lines bump passengers, then at the kinds of compensation you might expect if you get bumped from a cruise.
Reasons cruise lines bump passengers
Because cruise lines and their passengers have far less flexibility than airlines and flyers, every effort is made to avoid bumping guests that have confirmed cruise bookings — but there are several reasons it can happen.
Probably the most common reason for a cruise bump is maintenance and/or safety. Storms sometimes cause cancellations, and even though cruise lines schedule routine maintenance and upgrades, unexpected problems do crop up between those scheduled dry docks. Think damage from collisions, fires, rogue waves or engine failures — all of which have happened on cruise ships, sending them to the repair dock and resulting in last-minute canceled cruises.
Nobody wants to have their cruise canceled that way, but neither should you want to board a ship that might be less than seaworthy. The events that cause this type of bump often make the news, possibly alerting you to your potential bump before it happens. That’s small consolation for a canceled cruise, but it might allow you to begin rearranging your travel plans a bit sooner.
Related: Are cruises safe? Here’s what you need to know about cruise ship security and safety
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Behind-the-scenes cruise line maneuvers can cause bumps that rarely make the mainstream news. Fleet changes and charter sales are two of those issues. Luckily, both of these types of cancellations usually provide months of lead time for cruise passengers to make changes to their travel plans.
You’d think dry docks are planned well before a ship’s future itineraries are announced, but don’t be surprised if dry docks for upgrades or maintenance are scheduled after cruises start booking. That recently happened with Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, causing cancellations of cruises in December 2024 and January 2025. Early planners were bumped from their trips, including holiday sailings.
Fleet changes happen when a cruise line either feels it can make more money from moving a ship to a different destination or occasionally when a destination becomes impossible to cruise to. Currently, the slow resumption of cruising in Asia (especially China) has caused strings of cancellations and bumps.
Fleet changes can also result from ship sales or even transfers between sister companies (like Carnival Cruise Line taking some of sister brand Costa Cruises’ ships). Occasionally these can be short-notice situations, but not usually.
Charter sales are when the cruise line sells a large block or the entire capacity of a ship to a charter company. These sales are worth millions to the cruise line. They generally avoid charters of ships that are already heavily booked, but it does sometimes happen, triggering a number of cancellation emails.
Then there is the oversell. It’s easy to assume that cruise lines could manage their cabin inventory through their complicated multistaged cancellation policies without the need to oversell. After all, guests who cancel their cruise at the last minute are not given refunds. Why can’t the ship sail with a few empty cabins?
Cruise ships often sail with empty rooms, and most lines use upgrade options to eke out a few extra dollars from unsold rooms at the last minute. But the important factor is that cruisers spend hundreds (if not thousands) on things like drinks packages, spa services, port excursions and specialty dining. Empty cabins don’t generate that additional money, so cruise lines oversell popular sailings as airlines do with flights. They hedge their bets, and sometimes the gamble fails.
Related: How to get a free or cheap cruise ship cabin upgrade
What passengers can expect from the cruise line if they are canceled or bumped
In the case of storm cancellations or emergency maintenance needs that occur pre-cruise, you will likely get a refund of your cruise fare or credit toward a future cruise. In general, cruise lines would rather not give out refunds, so they use bonuses of additional future cruise credits if you choose credit rather than a refund. You will get little assistance for your non-cruise travel arrangements unless those were booked through the cruise line.
Fleet changes generally involve offers to move your reservation to a different ship sailing a similar itinerary, the ship you booked on different dates, or a different ship and itinerary altogether. Again, refunds are the cruise line’s least favorite choice, so you may expect bonus credit if you opt to either move your reservation or accept credit for an alternative cruise. Because this kind of bump usually comes with advance notice, the offer you get may not include huge bonuses.
Celebrity Cruises recently had a fleet-change situation roughly six months out and offered affected guests alternative cruises and as much as $500 toward ancillary travel cancellation or change fees, which might not be enough to cover nonrefundable airline tickets for many destinations.
Related: 6 tips for booking your 1st cruise
Oversold cruises, though still quite rare, can result in enticing options for those who either accept a voluntary bump or anyone subject to an involuntary one. Possibilities include upgraded cabins on the alternative cruises offered, price freezes so your new booking doesn’t cost more, and a longer cruise than the canceled one at the same rate.
The options you are offered could go the other way, though. During one of its recent oversell situations, Royal Caribbean offered those being bumped from its largest class of ships a replacement cruise on a midsize ship. Sure, it was a similar itinerary, but a cruise on an Oasis-class ship is an entirely different experience than a sailing on a Voyager-class vessel.
Related: The 6 classes of Royal Caribbean cruise ships, explained
The good news is that the closer it gets to the oversold cruise, the better the offers are likely to be. The caveat, though, is that you may already have paid for airfare, hotel stays and other pre- and post-cruise bookings that cannot be canceled without paying a penalty.
Does travel insurance help with cruise cancellations or bumps?
Having travel insurance that covers cancellation of the full amount of your travel, including airline tickets and hotel reservations, is always the safest choice on any cruise. Insurance coverage can be tricky, so read all policy details carefully before you choose.
The first thing to know is you cannot be reimbursed for your cruise fare from travel insurance if you accept a refund, alternative cruise or future cruise credit from the cruise line. Where it can come in handy is if you had already paid for nonrefundable flights, hotel stays or tours before your cruise was canceled or changed.
I checked the fine print on several policies designed specifically for cruises, and none of the policies I looked at would cover your extra costs like nonrefundable airline tickets or change fees if you take a voluntary bump. Even involuntary bumps due to cruise line fleet changes don’t appear to be covered, and forced cancellations due to an oversell by the cruise line are not listed as covered reasons on any insurance policy I checked.
Related: Cruise travel insurance: What it covers and why you need it
If you were really concerned about cancellations, you could purchase a “cancel for any reason” add-on to your insurance plan. These can be pricey and possibly not worth the cost just to protect against an unexpected bump.
Cruise line cancellations due to mechanical failures would likely be covered under the common carrier clause, but only the amounts for which the cruise line doesn’t reimburse you. If your cruise line offers you $500 toward flight and hotel changes, and you are out $1,000, you can file for the extra $500 with insurance. If the cancellation happens before you leave, you’ll use trip cancellation coverage. If it happens after you have left home, you will file under trip interruption coverage.
Insurance payouts for cancellations due to weather have specific conditions regarding when you paid for the insurance coverage (often it must be 14 days before the cancellation) and whether the storm was named or not at the time you purchased coverage.
Related: The 5 best cruise travel insurance plans
Having a ‘Plan B’ may help you come out ahead on cruise bumps
Just knowing that your cruise could be canceled is a good starting point. Consider that situation when deciding on the rest of your travel plans. Perhaps you want to choose the hotel rate that lets you cancel up until 24 hours before your stay, no matter how tempting the lower, prepaid nonrefundable rate looks. The same goes with airfare.
Also, consider what you might do if your cruise gets canceled or changed. If you do book nonrefundable flights or hotel rooms, are you willing to use them even if you don’t take the cruise you planned? Can you change the dates or destinations? Would you consider booking a trip on another cruise line from the same port on the same dates to salvage your vacation — or would you enjoy a land-based holiday in Florida, Seattle or the area around your intended departure port?
Planning for the unexpected is especially important if your cruise is a one-way trip where you fly into one port and home from another (like some Alaska cruises). Having a Plan B is also crucial if your cruise involves a group or an event like a wedding.
What to do if you are notified of a bump or cancellation
When you are notified of a change in cruise plans, the first step is to read the notice carefully to understand your options. If you booked through a travel agency, call your adviser if they do not reach out first. Have them explain the reason for the bump and any options the cruise line offers. A valued agent may even check cabin availability on other sailings for you before they call.
The cruise line will often offer complimentary replacements on smaller ships or slightly different itineraries. If you don’t have an agent, your next step should be researching your options (including cabin availability) before committing to any of the cruise line’s choices. If you are picky about ship size, where the ship stops or cabin type or placement, you wouldn’t want to swap to the proposed alternative sailing if it wouldn’t make you happy.
Once you get a representative (or your travel adviser) on the line, clarify whether your reimbursement options include bonus future cruise credit or a refund. If you’re not offered the compensation you prefer, it never hurts to ask for it. The cruise line wants to keep you as a valued customer and knows it has inconvenienced you. The greater the inconvenience, the more the line might be willing to give.
Related: Is it better to book a cruise through a travel agent? We say yes
Finally, don’t wait too long to decide. You won’t necessarily know how many passengers are being bumped, but it could be hundreds, all scrambling to rebook something. Even if you’re inclined to wait a full year for a replacement cruise, the dates or cabin you want might fill up.
One of the worst situations I’ve heard of was a group of friends traveling together in six cabins. Half were canceled due to an oversell of the cruise. Handling that kind of bump takes coordination among the travelers, as well as with the cruise line. In theory, the reservations should have been linked, which might have avoided the split, but because the cruise lines don’t share their algorithms for who gets bumped, it’s impossible to know how any situation can play out.
Bottom line
If you cruise often, you might eventually be subject to a cancellation or bump. Being prepared with insurance coverage, refundable travel arrangements and a plan for what to do with your vacation time if it happens to you can make a cruise cancellation far less difficult to deal with.
My family once had a cruise trip canceled by a hurricane. Once we got our refunds squared away, we hit the road for what turned out to be an epic road trip. What’s your backup plan?
Whether you’re thinking of renting a beach home or planning a multifaceted trip requiring a flight, hotel stay and car rental, you now have an opportunity to earn rewards, receive discounts and reach elite status through a new loyalty program.
Expedia Group brands including online travel agencies Hotels.com, Expedia and vacation rental site Vrbo are joining forces for a program called One Key.
One Key has replaced the existing travel rewards programs used by Hotels.com and Expedia. The inclusion of Vrbo makes it the first loyalty program among major vacation rental sites as well.
Note that there are some limitations around booking through an online travel agency, and previous Hotels.com Rewards loyalists may find earning a free night is more difficult under the new program.
However, for some travelers, One Key will provide an avenue to earn rewards for almost every element of their trip, from flights to hotels to vacation rentals to experiences.
Here are some things to know about the One Key program.
How the One Key loyalty program works
The One Key program combines the booking possibilities from three sites into a lot of earning potential. It’s probably most beneficial for the more infrequent travelers who may not stay or fly enough with one brand to earn perks but could use rewards on all of their travel spending combined.
In other words, it doesn’t matter which of the three sites you’re using. Loyalty currency you earn and elite status progress you make will all count toward a single program.
Like with most loyalty programs, One Key is free to join.
How to earn rewards on Vrbo, Hotels.com and Expedia
The One Key program will use a new loyalty currency: OneKeyCash. Members will be able to earn through:
Eligible stays on Hotels.com.
Eligible rentals on Vrbo.
Eligible flights, hotels, rental cars or activities on Expedia.
Members will receive 2% in OneKeyCash for every dollar spent on eligible hotels, vacation rentals, activities, packages, car rentals and cruises and 0.2% in OneKeyCash for every dollar spent on eligible flights. That means if you spent $100 for a hotel night, you’d earn $2 worth of OneKeyCash.
🤓Nerdy Tip
You can double dip and earn more rewards by using a travel credit card to pay for your booking and adding your frequent flyer account number to any flight reservations.
The earnings rates get higher for certain hotel reservations as members earn elite status in the One Key program.
In a nice benefit for families, whichever member makes the booking earns the rewards for their whole traveling party. So, a parent reserving flights and a hotel for the whole family would earn all of the OneKeyCash for the trip.
Can you transfer OneKeyCash?
You won’t be able to transfer OneKeyCash to another member’s account. However, you will be able to book travel for another member. So, if you have OneKeyCash in your account and no plans to use it, you can book a trip for a family member or friend with your rewards.
Redeeming OneKeyCash
OneKeyCash is equal to $1. For most bookings where you pay upfront, you’ll be able to apply the OneKeyCash you’ve earned toward the cost. For example, if you had $20 worth of OneKeyCash, you could apply it to your next hotel booking on Hotels.com for a $20 discount off the total price.
There is one key exception: For flights booked with OneKeyCash, you’ll need to have enough in your account to cover the entire booking.
OneKeyCash can be used on booking participating rentals in U.S. dollars.
Earning elite status through One Key
The earnings, discounts and perks improve as you earn status in the One Key program. And because the loyalty program encompasses flights, hotels, rental cars and more, it is possible to earn elite status in just one trip.
Trip elements
Many major loyalty programs are built around revenue-based models for elite status, but One Key uses what it calls “trip elements.”
A trip element includes any of the following:
One air ticket.
One room night.
One vacation rental night.
One night on a cruise.
One day’s car rental.
One round-trip ground transportation ticket — like a taxi, shuttle, etc.
One activity ticket.
Trip elements must be worth $25 or more (not including taxes or fees) to count.
How to earn One Key elite status
Members reach elite status levels by accumulating trip elements. Here’s what it takes to qualify for each tier:
One Key status tier
Requirements to earn
One Key Blue
No benchmark; entry level.
One Key Silver
Five trip elements within a year.
One Key Gold
15 trip elements within a year.
One Key Platinum
30 trip elements within a year.
You can see how it’s possible to quickly reach status levels. Let’s say a member books the following as part of a trip:
A flight for a family of four (on Expedia) = 4 trip elements.
A seven-day car rental (on Expedia) = 7 trip elements.
A seven-night rental property stay (on Vrbo) = 7 trip elements.
Two activities during the week (on Expedia) = 2 trip elements.
This fairly ordinary vacation booking totals 20 trip elements, enough for the One Key member to reach Gold status and be two-thirds of the way to Platinum.
For any of these trip elements to count and to earn status and loyalty currency, the member will need to book while logged-in to their One Key account.
One Key elite status
Clearly, earning elite status in the One Key program is easy. But what does it get you?
Members who join the One Key program (known as Blue members from the outset) enjoy some limited benefits like discounts on some hotel stays and free price tracking. The latter is a great tool for finding the best deal.
Like with any tiered loyalty program, as you work your way up the ladder, you’ll retain the lower-tier benefits but accumulate new perks along the way.
Here are the perks for One Key’s elite status tiers:
Elite status tier
Trip elements required
Perks (accumulated by tier)
One Key Blue
None; entry-level status.
Earn OneKeyCash on eligible bookings.
Free price tracking.
10% member discounts on eligible properties.
One Key Silver
Five trip elements.
15% member discounts on eligible properties.
50% extra OneKeyCash on stays at VIP Access properties booked on Expedia or Hotels.com.
Priority traveler support.
One Key Gold
15 trip elements.
20% member discounts on eligible properties.
100% extra OneKeyCash on stays at VIP Access properties booked through Expedia or Hotels.com.
Extra perks at VIP Access properties like food and beverage discounts, late checkouts, early check-ins and room upgrades (when available).
Free price drop protection on eligible flight bookings made on the Expedia app.
One Key Platinum
30 trip elements.
200% extra OneKeyCash on stays at VIP Access properties booked through Expedia or Hotels.com.
Platinum VIP support.
One-time Expedia launch discount of 10% (good for up to $100 in savings).
Some of the most notable benefits of elite status are the perks at VIP Access properties, which are a collection of hotels that “consistently receive the highest guest reviews on Expedia Group and meet stringent standards of quality.” For flights, the price drop protection is a great way to ensure you’re getting the lowest price. If your fare drops in price, you’ll get the difference refunded to your account in the form of OneKeyCash.
Is it worth using the One Key program?
Though booking through an online travel agency or using the One Key loyalty program may not make sense for most avid travelers, it can certainly be helpful for others.
Here are a few of the benefits to consider.
Search a full range of options when booking
One of the compelling reasons to use an online travel agency like Expedia or Hotels.com is that it searches a wide range of brands. This can be helpful in finding the cheapest prices and, in some cases, alternative options like a small, family-run, boutique hotel off the beaten path.
Bundling your bookings
Another benefit of using a site like Expedia to book your trip is that it can help you keep all the details of your trip organized in one location, including the hotel stay, flight reservation and car rental. Sometimes, bundling can help you tap in to discounts, too.
Earn rewards for Vrbo stays
Even the most avid points, miles and travel enthusiasts will want to take advantage of Vrbo’s participation in the One Key program. Previously, there was no true way to earn rewards for stays at a Vrbo property (such as a beach house).
By logging-in to your One Key account when booking your Vrbo reservation, you’ll be able to earn OneKeyCash, which you could use for a future flight, hotel stay, rental car, activity or rental property.
Great for infrequent travelers hoping to earn perks
Though online travel agencies often don’t make sense for frequent travelers who are pursuing elite status and points or miles with airline and hotel loyalty programs, the One Key program can be a great way for less frequent (or less loyal) travelers to get some return on their investment.
Don’t have any hope of reaching elite status with the likes of Hilton or Marriott but planning a trip or two for the family with a car rental, Vrbo stay and maybe even a flight?
A weeklong Vrbo stay with an accompanying car rental and flight is enough to earn you Gold status. This alone could help you potentially enjoy a room upgrade and perhaps a food and beverage credit at your next hotel stay, when available (provided it’s at one of the program’s VIP Access hotels).
Earn for one thing, use for another
Likely the most notable benefit of the One Key program is that you can earn loyalty currency for one booking activity and use the rewards on another.
Booking a rental car will help you earn OneKeyCash and make progress toward elite status you can redeem or enjoy during a hotel stay. Booking a flight could help offset the cost of a future Vrbo stay. And so on.
The interconnectivity of the program across Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo’s platforms makes it possible to earn and redeem in a variety of ways.
Drawbacks of One Key
Though there are some enticing reasons to use the One Key program, there are some clear drawbacks — when it comes to the program itself and to online travel agencies more broadly.
Earning free nights harder than with Hotels.com Rewards
For travelers who have used the Hotels.com Rewards program through the years, the earning and redeeming setup of the One Key program may well come as a disappointment.
With Hotels.com’s previous program, you earned a free night by collecting “stamps” — one stamp for each night stayed, and 10 stamps got you a free night. The free night was worth the average of the rate of the 10 nights you stayed. So, if you stayed five nights at a rate of $50 and five nights at a rate of $100 (a total of $750 in spending), your free night would be worth $75 — a 10% return on your investment.
Under One Key, you get 2% OneKeyCash for every dollar spent at hotels and Vrbo properties — a significantly lower rate of return.
Harder to earn and use other hotel loyalty program benefits
Oftentimes when you use an online travel agency, you’re not able to earn points or enjoy elite status perks with a separate hotel loyalty program.
So, if you’re a frequent traveler who has reached (or is pursuing) elite status with a major hotel chain, note that you may not earn any points or elite qualifying credit for the stay with the hotel’s loyalty program. For this reason, avid travelers may be better off booking direct.
It is worth noting, though, that when it comes to booking flights, you will earn both airline miles and OneKeyCash.
Reservation changes can be more complicated
For instance, airline customer service representatives frequently have more limited ability to change a ticket booked through an online travel agency. While all of these booking sites do offer their own customer service representatives and, indeed, enhanced customer support for the higher-level elite status members, having a “go-between” can often be a headache.
Elite status perks limited to certain reservations
Another noticeable weakness of the One Key loyalty program is that some of the elite status perks are confined to certain types of reservations.
Sure, you can earn and redeem OneKeyCash (and earn elite status) for a hotel stay, a flight, a rental car reservation, a cruise or an activity.
However, to fully enjoy the program’s complement of elite status benefits like property credits and upgrades, you’ll need to book a hotel through Hotels.com and Expedia — and not just any hotel; it’ll need to be one of the VIP Access properties.
Recap of the One Key program
The new program is unlikely to be a groundbreaking option for the most experienced travelers. And Hotels.com Rewards loyalists may find the path to a free night a bit trickier.
But it does make it possible to earn rewards on one site and redeem on another — particularly for those who frequently rent vacation homes with Vrbo. And it figures to give even more infrequent travelers a path to elite status.
Regardless of whether you’re booking with Expedia, Hotels.com or Vrbo, be sure to use a travel credit card that offers bonus earnings categories for general travel purchases, which will allow you to rack up credit card rewards on top of your earnings in the One Key program.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for: