Consumer News: U.S. holiday sales poised to break record

Your rewards arent money and the court just confirmed it

• Chipotle can expire points (180 days) because earned rewards points arent legally treated like gift cards

• Dont hoard points earn-and-burn programs are designed to make unused rewards disappear

• Protect yourself: check the programs expiration rules and use the minimum numberof points on a small purchaseto protect your points total

A federal court ruled that Chipotle Rewards points are not gift cards or gift certificates under California or New York law, which means Chipotle can legally keep its 180-day expiration policy for points earned through purchases.

The lawsuit tried to challenge that policy by arguing expiring points violate state laws that typically ban expiring gift certificates. The court rejected the claim for a simple reason: earned points arent the same thing as prepaid money.

Why this ruling matters to consumers

Gift cards usually get stronger legal protections because theyre basically stored cash that youve already paid for. But when it comes to loyalty points, its often more of a gray area.

If points are earned through spending, and dont represent a pre-funded cash balance, companies may be allowed to put expiration dates on them. And its my guess that more stores and restaurants will do just that as it encourages consumers to come back to their locations and buy stuff.

Why the court sided with Chipotle

The courts reasoning boiled down to how Chipotles points work in real life:

• They arent purchased or pre-funded. Meaning you dont buy points the way you buy a gift card.
• Points arent issued in a set dollar amount. Your points balance isnt a $5 value, but rather 500 points that you can use for free guac.
• They dont function like money. You cant use points across transactions like stored credit. You redeem them for specific rewards and free add-ons.

What this means for you

If you tend to treat reward points like money you can sit on and hoard until they build up, youre going to get burned and end up losing your points.

Points programs from places like Chipotle and Starbucks are built to be earn-and-burn, not earn-and-hoard. The longer you wait, the more likely youll forget to use them and youll run out of time.

What consumers should do now

Heres how to protect yourself so you dont lose rewards you already earned:

1. Check your balance today and find the expiration rule. Check your account and look for something like points expire after X days of inactivity.
2. Set a 120-day reminder. That gives you a buffer before a 180-day cutoff hits.
3. Track your last activity date, not just your balance. Ive noticed that many programs reset the timer only when you earn or redeem some points, not when you simply open the app.
4. Redeem smaller rewards sooner. Waiting for the perfect big reward is how points die unused.
5. Screenshot your balance and activity history. If points disappear early for some reason, you can use that screenshot as your leverage when dealing with customer service.
6. Watch out for dollar-based credits. If you ever notice that a reward is labeled something like $10 credit, it may be treated differently than points. Meaning if it expires, you have a better case when dealing with customer service to try and get it back.
7. If points disappear unexpectedly, escalate. Ask for a supervisor, reference your screenshot, and request a one-time reinstatement. Companies often have discretionary make it right power even when the policy says otherwise.

Pro tip: Make one occasional maintenance purchase. Keep your account alive by using some points onsmall add-on, a kids meal, or even redeeming the minimum number of points for a cheap reward. One $3$5 transaction every few months can preserve a much larger points balance.

At least 5,000 people a year are dying in overdoses that involve gabapentin

Prescriptions for the nerve-pain drug have doubled in 15 years as doctors moved away from opioids and benzodiazepines.
Growing research links it to risks including dementia, suicidal behavior and dangerous breathing problems.
At least 5,000 people a year are dying in overdoses that involve gabapentin, often in combination with opioids.

Once considered safe, gabapentin is now under renewed scrutiny

Approved decades ago to treat seizures and the nerve pain that can follow shingles, gabapentin has quietly become one of the most widely used medications in the country. It was the seventh-most prescribed drug in the U.S. last year, according to the Iqvia Institute for Human Data Science, with about 15.5 million people receiving a prescription in 2024, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis found.

Many of those prescriptions are for conditions the drug was never evaluated for. Off-label prescribing is legal and common, but it means the Food and Drug Administration has not assessed gabapentins risks or benefits for those uses.

A go-to drug for a wide array of ailments

Some physicians say gabapentin can provide real relief for neuropathic pain caused by damaged nerves. But its use has expanded far beyond that niche. Doctors regularly turn to it for chronic back pain, anxiety, migraines, hot flashes in menopause, insomnia and even distorted sense of smell. according to a Wall Street Journal report. Veterinarians prescribe it to calm or ease pain in cats and dogs.

It seemed harmless, said John Avery who was quoted in the WSJ report. He took gabapentin believing it carried few risks.

Evidence mounts that the risks have been underestimated

Recent studies suggest gabapentin is not as benign as once believed. Research has tied the drug to higher risks of dementia, suicidal behavior, severe respiratory complications in people with lung disease, and swelling, along with well-known side effects such as dizziness.

A study published this year found that giving gabapentin to surgical patients did nothing to shorten hospital stays or reduce complicationsand more of those patients reported pain four months after surgery. For years, surgeons had viewed the drug as a tool to curb opioid use.

Dependence and withdrawal concerns emerge

While the medical establishment has long argued that gabapentin isnt habit-forming, some patients say tapering off the drug can be debilitating. Withdrawal symptoms, they say, make clear theyve developed a dependence despite taking it exactly as prescribed.

Still, demand continues to climb. Prescriptions have more than doubled in the past 15 years, a shift driven by efforts to steer patients away from opioids and anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax, which carry more widely recognized dangers.

Rising overdose deaths underscore the stakes

Gabapentin is often taken alongside opioidssometimes under medical supervision and sometimes not. The CDC warns that the combination can be deadly. At least 5,000 people have died from overdoses involving gabapentin in each of the past five years, federal and state data show.

Experts urge caution, not abandonment

Gabapentin remains a crucial therapy for many patients and is well tolerated by most, said Kirk Evoy, a clinical associate professor of pharmacotherapy and translational sciences at the University of Texas at Austin who studies gabapentin misuse. But its rapid spread into so many corners of medicine worries him.

We shouldnt be thinking of gabapentin as this safe drug we can just try for anything and see if it helps, he said.

H3N2 developed after this season's vaccine was developed so it may not be as effective

• The flu is early this year, with cases reported throughout the U.S. and around the Western Hemisphere
• A new subvariant, H3N2, developed after this season's vaccine was formulated, which could affect its effectiveness
• Children were hard hit by the flu in Australia and other Southern Hemisphere countries this year

The flu is arriving a bit early this year, particularly the new H3N2 variant that's now being observed across the United States and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere.

Health reports indicate rising flu activity in numerous states, with increasing test positivity and respiratory illness visits in places like New York, Iowa, and New Hampshire, and outbreaks prompting school closures in some districts.Experts warn that flu activity is increasing in many regions across the U.S. and theres concern the season could be severe, similar to last years heavy H3N2-dominant season.

We are at the point now where were starting to see a sharp rise in flu cases. This is a few weeks earlier than we usually experience, but very much akin to what was seen in the Southern Hemispheres experience with flu during their winter, said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional physician director of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California in a Los Angeles Times report.

Vaccine may not be as effective

The new variant officially H3N2 Flu A subclade K appeared toward the end of summer. That was months after officials decided which strains this falls flu vaccine would target, meaning the vaccine may not be as effective against the new subvariant as it is against others. However, datarecently released in Britain showed this seasons vaccines were 70% to 75% effective against hospitalization for children from the flu, and 30% to 40% effective in adults, which is within expectations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionnoted.

This suggests that influenza vaccination remains an effective tool in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations this season, according to the agency.

While flu rates remain low overall at this point, officials say the experience in other nations could indicate that the U.S. is in for a severe flu season. They note that Australia's season hit hard and early and was especially hard on children. Three flu-related pediatric deaths have been reported in the U.S. so far this season. During the last flu season, 280 children died from flu.

Early diagnosis of flu can help stave off the worst by giving those who are sick time to take antiviral medications such as Tamiflu. Three out of 5 children who died from the flu during the 2024-25 season never received antiviral medication.

What to watch for

Emergency warning signs of flu complicationsin children include trouble breathing; bluish lips or face; ribs pulling in with each breath; chest pain; severe muscle pain, in which a child may refuse to walk; dehydration, signs of which include no urine for eight hours or no tears when crying; seizures; fevers above 104 degrees that are not controlled by medication; fever or cough that improves but returns or worsens; and any fever in newborns younger than 12 weeks.

It's another blow for automotive affordability

• Nissan has ended U.S. production of the Versa, long the cheapest new car sold in America.

• The subcompact sedan will not return for the 2026 model year, leaving a higher price floor for new vehicles.

• Its exit underscores the steady disappearance of truly affordable new cars from the U.S. market.

Yet again, the cheapest new car in America is exiting stage left. The Nissan Versa will not see a 2026 model year, with production for the U.S. market officially ending this month.

In a brief statement, Nissan said the decision aligns with its broader product strategy. In line with Nissans product strategy, the Nissan Versa ended production in December 2025 for the U.S. market, the automaker said. Nissan remains committed to offering affordable and stylish vehicles in the sedan segment with models like Sentra and Altima, while also offering strong value in the compact SUV segment with the Kicks, Road & Track reported.

With the Versa gone, the 2026 Kia K4 sedan is currently positioned as the least expensive new car available, with a starting price around $23,385.

The cheapest new Nissan now costs more than $23,000

At the end of its run, the Versa started at $20,435 with an automatic transmission, the only version still in production after Nissan discontinued the manual earlier this year. With the Versa gone, the least expensive 2026 model-year Nissan will be the Sentra, which starts at $23,845. The subcompact Kicks crossover follows closely at $23,925.

No other new vehicle on sale today comes close to the Versas roughly $20,000 starting price. For the 2026 model year, the title of cheapest new car in America shifts to the Kia K4, which carries a base price of $23,385.

Affordable cars continue to disappear

Perhaps thanks to its bargain positioning, the Versa was selling relatively well earlier this year. Over time, it evolved into a good enough affordable sedan, offering a respectable amount of technology and a driving experience that was no longer the penalty box it once was especially compared with its late-2000s days, when it was famously marketed with a sub-$10,000 price tag.

What its departure highlights most sharply is the continued erosion of affordability in the new-car market. Each year, the cost of entry for a new vehicle with a factory warranty rises, and the loss of the Versa marks another step in the steady retreat of truly low-cost new cars in the United States.