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What shoppers should know about loyalty program risks

• Points arent cash. Dunkin added a one-year expiration rule, costing a loyal customer $260 proof rewards can disappear when terms change.

• Free rewards arent free. You pay with your data, which companies use to market harder and quietly tighten programs later.

• This happens everywhere. Airlines, credit cards, and retailers do the same, so redeem early and dont hoard points.

For years, Dunkin rewards points felt like found money. Something loyal customers could stash and use later for free coffee, breakfast sandwiches, or an occasional family treat.

But a recent policy change shows how quickly that value can disappear.

According to reporting by CBS Boston, Dunkin quietly updated its rewards program last fall, adding an expiration rule that limits points to one year from the end of the month theyre earned.

The change caught many customers off guard, including one Massachusetts man who lost the equivalent of $260 in rewards overnight.

Why loyalty points arent really 'yours'

While cases like this might feel unfair, especially if you had your points stripped from you, theyre rarely illegal.

Companies generally have the right to change loyalty programs at any time. For example, Chipotle recently won a court ruling allowing them to expire reward points after 180 days.

The fine print most people skip over usually spells it out. Specifically, rewards have no cash value, expiration rules can change, and programs can be modified or canceled entirely.

The one thing that rubs some loyal customers the wrong way is that even long-time customers dont get grandfathered protection.

So, the biggest takeaway here is that reward points arent actually yours until you redeem them for something tangible. In other words, use them before you lose them.

The hidden cost of 'free'rewards

Customers dont just pay with via their purchases; they pay with their data.

Every scan of your rewards app feeds companies detailed information about your buying habits, timing, locations, and preferences.

Information theyll use to send you targeted promotions, potentially adjust prices, and push higher-margin items on you.

So always keep in mind that youre trading your information for possible future discounts that can disappear overnight.

This isnt just a Dunkin issue

Dunkin isnt alone in this. Airlines have quietly raised award ticket prices. Credit card issuers have trimmed benefits and boosted redemption thresholds. Retailers have even added expiration dates on rewards where none existed before.

The pattern is usually the same: loyalty programs hand out cool freebies to attract users, then tighten once customers are hooked.

When backlash hits social media, companies often ride it out, knowing most customers wont walk away entirely.

How to protect yourself from losing rewards

If you participate in loyalty programs, here are a few habits that can limit your risk:

• Redeem early and often. Hoarding points for years is risky. If you see usable value now, take it.
• Track expiration dates manually. Dont rely on app notifications alone. Get in the habit of setting calendar reminders for large balances.
• Avoid savings account thinking. Points arent money, and theyre definitely not protected like a bank account is.
• Read update emails. Policy changes are often buried in routine app messages and emails.

What to check now so a flat doesnt leave you stranded

• Many new cars no longer include a spare tire automakers are cutting them to save weight and boost fuel economy, leaving many drivers without a true backup.

• Fix-a-flat kits have serious limits they wont work for blowouts, sidewall damage, or large punctures, which are some of the most common flat-tire scenarios.

• Check your car now, not later lift the trunk floor, confirm what your trim level includes, and decide if buying a spare is worth it before youre stuck waiting for a tow.

Drivers across the country are discovering that many new cars no longer come with a spare tire. The issue was highlighted in a recent report by WCPO-9 News, after multiple drivers opened their trunks expecting to find a spare and found nothing.

In one case, a new Toyota Prius owner discovered her trunk only contained Styrofoam and a tire inflation kit. Another driver learned her Jeep didnt even include a temporary donut tire, just a small air compressor that was useless for a sidewall puncture.

And these arent rare exceptions anymore.

Why spare tires are disappearing

According to Consumer Reports, automakers have been removing spare tires to remove some weight from the car which improves the overall fuel economy.

Their testing found that since 2020:

• Only 9% of cars come with a full-size spare.
• 46% include a space-saver or donut tire.
• 34% come with only a compressor and sealant kit.
• About 4% come with nothing at all.

That means many drivers are one pothole away from being completely reliant on a tow truck.

Why the 'fix-a-flat'kit often isnt enough

The small tire repair kits included in many vehicles sound somewhat reassuring, but they have some serious limits.

For example, they do not work if:

• The hole is in the sidewall
• The tire is blown out
• The damage is too large
• The tire pressure dropped too low before you noticed

In other words, theyre not a universal fix. Several drivers in the WCPO report said the kits included in their vehicles failed completely.

What to do right now:

With a little bit of forethought, you can avoid an expensive tow or repair down the road. Here are some things to consider.

Check your car first (dont assume anything)

Look under your vehicle, in the rear, for a hidden spare tire. If a spare isnt under your car, then open the trunk, lift up the cargo floor mat, and look underneath.

If you see molded foam, a small air compressor, or a sealant bottle, you dont have a spare.

Pro tip: Check again after dealer-installed accessories. Some dealers remove spares to make room for subwoofers or storage trays.

Confirm what your exact trim level includes

Two versions of the same car can be completely different.

Lower trims are far more likely to skip a spare, while higher trims may include a donut or full-size spare. The smart thing to do is check out the vehicles window sticker (if you still have it) or owners manual by VIN to see what was supposed to be included.

If youre buying used, dont trust the listing. Sellers often assume theres a spare when there isnt, so visually inspect to see whats included.

Ask the dealer to physically show you

If youre shopping for a new or used car, dont ask if it has a spare. Instead, ask them to open the trunk and show it to you.

If it doesnt have one, do the following:

• Ask if a spare is available as an add-on. Better yet, often times you can get them to throw a spare tire into the deal for free.
• Ask whether the vehicle is pre-wired or fitted to store one safely.
• Ask if adding one affects cargo space or fuel economy.

Getting this answered before you sign any paperwork can save you hundreds later.

Decide whether a spare is worth buying separately

Buying a spare or donut tire isnt cheap, but neither is being stranded, especially if you dont have roadside assistance that includes free towing.

Before buying a spare:

• Confirm the correct wheel size and bolt pattern of your vehicle.
• Make sure it clears the brake calipers (especially important on hybrids and EVs).
• Check whether your vehicle has a jack and lug wrench(many dont).

Reality check: A spare often costs way less than a single tow, especially if you need a tow after-hours or if your car is stuck in a garage where flatbeds cant fit.

How outdoor brands rewrote the rules on guaranteed for life

• Lifetime rarely means forever anymore it usually means the products useful life, narrowly defined by the brands policy.

• Open-ended guarantees became short windows many once-famous forever promises are now 60 days to one year and defect-only.

• The risk quietly shifted to shoppers keep all documentation, dont forget to register the product, and filing claims early now matter more than the guarantee itself.

There was a time when lifetime warranty felt like a handshake deal. You bought the jacket, the boots, the bag, or the tool, and the brand stood behind it. You didnt even need to hold to your receipt.

That era is mostly over.

Today, lifetime almost never means your lifetime. It usually means the useful life of the product, as defined by the company, enforced by a policy page that can change overnight.

This isnt just nostalgia talking. Over the past decade, some of the most consumer-friendly brands in America have dramatically rewritten what guaranteed forever actually means, and most shoppers didnt notice until it was too late.

What happened to lifetime warranties?

Two things can be true at the same time:

1. A small number of customers abused ultra-generous return policies.
2. Companies used that abuse as cover to walk back promises that helped build their reputations in the first place.

Add rising shipping costs, resale marketplaces, and social media hacks encouraging free rentals, and lifetime warranties became a real pain for companies.

So, brands didnt kill them outright, they just chose to redefine them.

The brands that quietly changed the rules:

Heres how this changelooks in the real world through the eyes of these major brands.

L.L.Bean

Then: They had a legendary, no-questions-asked satisfaction guarantee for all their products.

Now: They offer a 1-year return policy for most returns; with defects being considered after that.

For decades, returning an item to L.L.Bean felt like a civic right. Bought a coat in the 90s? Didnt love it in 2015? They would often make it right.

That ended in 2018.

Today, most items must be returned within one year, and anything beyond that is evaluated strictly for manufacturing defects. The company has openly cited abuse, with customers returning heavily worn items years later, as the reason for the change.

The policy shift makes business sense. But it also marked a turning point in the lifetime warranty game. If L.L.Bean could walk back forever, anyone could.

REI

Then: A near-unlimited satisfaction promise.

Now: 365 days for REI Co-op members, with some clear exclusions.

REIs return policy is still better than most retailers, but its no longer the open-ended safety net many members remember. You now have one year to return most items, and wear-and-tear exclusions are clearly spelled out.

In recent years, REI has also begun flagging excessive return behavior, another signal that even generous policies now come with behavioral guardrails.

Translation: the era of try it for a few seasons and decide later is over.

Pro tip: One company that has held on to their lifetime guarantee is Patagonia. Via their Ironclad Guarantee, theyll either fix, repair, or replace all of their products for as long as you own them. Theyll even repair items that have failed due to normal wear and tear at a discounted rate.

Duluth Trading

Then: No Bull Guarantee treated like a lifetime promise.

Now: One year. After that, theyll only consider defective products.

Returns are accepted within a year. After that, the company may consider claims for defects or performance issues. But its completely discretionary. This subtle shift happened around 2019.

This is the modern warranty trend in a nutshell where a company uses the same marketing language, but offers a much shorter guarantee.

Eddie Bauer

Then: A true unconditional lifetime guarantee dating back to 1922.

Now: They offer a 60-day return window.

Eddie Bauer once built its entire brand around its unconditional guarantee on all products. For many decades, this guarantee was part of their identity and really distinguished them from their competition.

Unfortunately, it quietly went away in2019.

Today, returns are limited to 60 days and many shoppers now question the quality of their clothing, especially compared to the stuff they made just 20 years ago.

lululemon

Then: They used to have a loosely defined, customer-friendly quality promise that told customers to bring back items at any time, for any reason. No questions asked.

Now: Starting in 2024, coverage is now framed around a 1- year policy.

lululemon still talks about standing behind its products, but the current Quality Promise is far more structured than shoppers remember. Claims are typically limited to issues within one year of purchase, and normal wear and tear is excluded.

As policies get abused, changes like this are not that unusual anymore. Whats unusual is how many customers still assume lululemon operates like it did years ago.

What smart shoppers should do now

Heres how to protect yourself in the modern warranty era:

1. Screenshot the policy the day you buy

Warrantiescan change, so its smart to take a screenshot of the current warranty, especially on significant purchases.

That way you have proof of the warranty on the day you bought the item, and can use it when dealing with a potential warranty claim with the company.

Also, if theres a tag or serial number, snap a picture of it and add the pic to a new folder in your phones photo roll labeled warranties or something similar.

2. Register products immediately

Unregistered items are the easiest claims for companies to deny. Thats because most warranties are time-based, so if you didnt register, the company may do the following:

• Default to the date of manufacturer, not your purchase date.
• Claim the warranty window already expired.
• Ask for some proof that you may no longer have.

3. Use a credit card with warranty protection

Many major credit cards include extended warranty protection as a built-in benefit.

This means that when you buy an item with that card, the card issuer agrees to step in after the manufacturers warranty expires.

Most commonly, this means:

• The card adds oneextra year to the original manufacturers warranty.
• Coverage applies to items with warranties of three to five years or less.
• The benefit mirrors the original warranty (same defects, same conditions).

So, if a product has a one-year manufacturer warranty, your card may give you two years total coverage without you having to lift a finger.

4. Dont wait until it really breaks

If something feels off, or if the product has what you consider a "small issue," I recommend returning the item right away.

When dealing with bigger items like electronics or appliances, file theclaim early as waiting almost always works against you.

If you wait until something completely dies or falls apart, the company can argue:

• The issue was caused by long-term wear.
• Your continued use of the item made the damage worse.
• The failure wasnt sudden or isolated.
• The product exceeded reasonable use.

In other words, you gave them an easy out. When you report a problem early, youre documenting a defect while its still clearly within normal use.

AI-powered shopping brings Targets catalog to Google Search and Gemini no hopping between sites required

• Soon youll be able to browse and buy Target products directly inside Googles AI assistant, Gemini.

• Target helped co-create a new AI commerce standard (UCP) that makes it easier to shop without switching apps.

• The experience aims to make discovery, recommendations and checkout faster and more conversational.

Target and Google just teamed up to make online shopping feel a lot more effortless.

Starting soon, youll be able to browse, compare, and check out Target products right inside Googles AI assistant including in AI Mode in Google Search and in the Gemini app without having to visit Target.com or the Target app for every purchase.

At Target, were focused on using technology to make shopping easier and more intuitive wherever our guests are, Prat Vemana, executive vice president and chief information and product officer at Target, said in a statement.

Were excited to co-develop a new standard for the future of commerce with Google and others. Universal Commerce Protocol will help us bring Targets curation and value into AI Mode and the Gemini app, making it easier for consumers to discover and purchase on-trend, design-forward products all with an experience that feels natural, helpful and built around their needs.

Whats changing

Traditionally, online shopping involves searching for products, opening multiple tabs to compare items, then navigating back and forth between sites which can feel clunky.

With this new experience, that all gets streamlined. When you ask Googles AI something like, Help me pick a cozy winter sweater from Target, the AI will show you curated Target options and let you buy right there in the same interface. No jumping between apps.

This is possible because Target helped co-develop a new technical standard called the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) with Google and other big retailers.

Think of UCP as a behind-the-scenes language that lets Googles AI talk directly to Targets product and checkout systems in a secure, seamless way. That means once youve found what you want, you can complete your purchase through Gemini or Googles AI Mode without the usual detours to another website.

For consumers, it all boils down to less friction. You can discover items, get helpful suggestions, and check out all conversationally, using natural language without switching apps or tabs. Its AI doing the heavy lifting while you shop.

What you need to know (and why it matters)

1. Its built for convenience. Instead of opening Targets site in a browser, you can ask Googles AI for recommendations, see options instantly, and buy in the same place. Thats a big time saver.

2. Personal shopping, simplified. The experience is meant to feel conversational. You dont have to remember exact product names you can describe what you want like you would to a friend, and the AI will guide you.

3. Its still rolling out. This experience will become available gradually, so you might not see it instantly, but its rolling out to more users soon.

In short, Target and Google are betting that the future of online shopping isnt separate apps and sites, but AI-powered conversations that help you find and buy what you want faster no extra tabs or steps required.

Most people feel overcharged, confused, and powerless, demanding clearer pricing and control

• Most Americans feel blindsided by their electricity bills, with surprise charges, confusing pricing, and sudden usage spikes leaving many convinced theyre being overcharged.

• Lack of transparency fuels distrust, as complex rate structures, vague line items, and hard-to-access usage data make it difficult for consumers to understand or challenge what theyre paying.

• Consumers can regain control, by learning to spot red flags, asking providers to explain charges in plain language, and choosing simpler rate plans or tools that offer real-time usage tracking.

Every month, millions of Americans open their electricity bill hoping for a familiar total and instead get sticker shock.

Its a story most of us know all too well: unexpected charges, confusing line items, and bills that climb even when you think youve cut back.

Prepaid Electricity conducted a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, which found that nearly nine out of ten people were surprised by their electricity charges at least once in the past year, and more than half suspect theyve been overcharged. Worse still, only about one in 14 people feel genuinely in control of their energy costs.

In an interview with Nick Barber, Co-Founder of Prepaid Electricity, ConsumerAffairs digs into whats driving this frustration and what everyday consumers can do to reclaim clarity and maybe even a little peace of mind when it comes to one of lifes most essential bills.

Why are consumers being overcharged?

Barber explained that overcharges are frequently detected when there is a spike in usage.

The difficulty in accessing consumption information and rate structures that includes tiered pricing or bill credits applied only when certain usage conditions are met can make it really hard for customers to understand their charges and verify if theyre being overcharged, which creates distrust between the two parties, he said.

Red flags to spot

The next time youre looking over your electric bill, Barber has tips to spot the biggest red flags that indicate there are errors.

If you see a sudden spike in your bill without any clear rationale, or a usage pattern that looks completely new, then thats a major red flag, he explained.

Its a good idea to pay extra close attention if theres any vague charges, or if its described in a way that utilizes confusing utility verbiage. Tiered pricing is considered the most unintuitive part of a utility bill for 43% of customers, and mistakes are likely to be found in an area of confusion.

On top of that, there are steps you can take if you think youve been overcharged.

First things first, document everything related to your issue by taking screenshots of your bills, and if possible, your meter reads, Barber said. Then, contact your energy providers customer service department and request an audit."

How do you make sense of your bill?

Confusion is a big issue when reviewing utility bills. With dozens of line items, and confusing terminology, how do you make your bill make sense?

Here are Barbers top tips:

• Start by comparing your current bill with your previous bills from the past few months to identify any discrepancies or irregularities. Note: weather is the number one driver in consumption increasing or decreasing. Therefore, the temperatures must be considered when comparing month-over-month.

• Next, the usage in terms of kilowatt-hours should be broken down and matched against the tiers if theyre provided.

• More than anything, dont hesitate to call your provider to get more details. Ask them to explain every charge in laymen terms.

Can you lower your monthly bill?

Barber explained that consumers can only control a few key factors when it comes to managing their electricity costs.

Here are his tips for lowering your monthly bill:

• First, manage your usage particularly by adjusting how often their HVAC system runs. In colder months, keeping the thermostat lower reduces consumption. In hotter months, setting the thermostat higher has the same effect.

• Second, choose a simple, nogimmick rate plan one without bill credits, tiers, or complicated structures usually results in lower, more predictable costs.

• Third, prepaid electricity plans can offer even greater transparency. Our survey found that 72% of U.S. adults would consider a prepaid plan if it were available in their area because these plans provide daily usage alerts. This allows customers to monitor and adjust their HVAC usage in real time rather than being surprised by a high bill at the end of the month.

• Finally, customers living in deregulated markets have the added advantage of being able to compare providers and switch to better rates.