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CNET
17 hours ago
- Business
- CNET
Freezing Your Credit Is Free. Join Me in Taking This Important Cybersecurity Step
Viva Tung/CNET As a personal finance editor covering identity theft, I knew freezing my credit would make it harder for cybercriminals to open a new account in my name. But I still went back and forth on freezing my credit before I actually did it because it also adds a few extra steps for me to do the same. When you freeze your credit, you have to manually unfreeze or "thaw" it with Experian, TransUnion and Equifax whenever you want to apply for a new credit card, mortgage or car loan. The process of freezing your credit isn't straightforward either. It involves signing up for individual accounts with each credit bureau and freezing your credit manually online, by phone or by mail. Online is the fastest option. But there are two benefits that ultimately sold me on it. First, freezing your credit is absolutely free. And second, I get peace of mind in knowing I've neutralized a major tool in identity thieves' playbook. Why I froze my credit reports Data breaches happen more often than you think, across multiple industry sectors. And chances are, your data has been compromised at least once. Last year, Ticketmaster and AT&T reported data breaches that affected millions of customers. And hacks of background search company National Public Data and UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare also compromised the personal data of hundreds of millions of people. But if you're worried about new credit accounts being opened in your name, a credit freeze can help. I've noticed an uptick in the number of scam messages I receive on my phone and in my email inbox over the past year. Most are easy enough to sniff out, but some were fairly well researched. I've received a variety of messages asking me out for ribs and even offering me new job opportunities. The barrage of messages, phone calls and emails makes me think that at any given moment -- while distracted or in a rush to get back to my desk for my next meeting -- I may fall victim to a scam that could lead to identity theft. Freezing my credit is one of the best ways to protect your data and money, but it's not foolproof. Fraudsters and identity thieves might still gain access to my personal information via existing accounts. I can limit the damage, however. Read more: 5 Signs Your Personal Data Is on the Dark Web, and What You Can Do About It How I froze my credit with TransUnion, Equifax and Experian When you freeze your credit, you'll need to do it with each of the three main credit bureaus. That requires setting up accounts with each -- a process that took about 30 minutes online. Generally, you're asked for the same information: your name, birthday and the last four digits of your Social Security number. You then need to complete two-factor authentication via text or email. TransUnion and Equifax have dedicated tabs on your dashboard for freezing your credit after you create an account. With a few clicks, I was all set. Experian makes this option a bit more difficult to find. After some clicking around, I found two ways to activate a free security freeze. You can hover over "credit" on your dashboard and click Experian Credit Lock -- Experian's paid offering that works similar to a credit freeze but locks your credit report instantly, among other features. On that page, you'll see the free "security freeze" option. Experian/Screenshot by /CNET You can also scroll down to the bottom of the page while signed in and click Experian Credit Lock to get to the same page. All three credit bureaus will confirm your credit freeze via email. If you don't want to set up online accounts, you can call each credit bureau to freeze your credit. Here are the numbers for each: TransUnion: 800-916-8800 Equifax: 888-298-0045 Experian: 888-397-3742 After you've requested a credit freeze, each bureau must freeze your credit within one business day. When you need to unfreeze your credit, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax are required to thaw your credit within an hour. By mail, it may take up to three business days to freeze and unfreeze your credit. Freezing your credit won't solve all of your identity theft worries Setting up the credit freeze was simple enough. But I'm not going to tell you that having your credit frozen is convenient. Here are some downsides to consider. You'll have to unfreeze your credit every time you open a new account Freezing your credit prevents cybercriminals or identity thieves from opening new credit accounts in your name. But it also stops you. To open a new credit account, you'll need to log into your accounts or contact each of the three credit bureaus and temporarily unfreeze your credit. If you're thinking of applying for a new credit card, looking for your first home or thinking of taking out a new car loan, it's probably best to wait until after you've opened the account before freezing your credit. False sense of security Freezing your credit is a good step toward protecting your identity, but it can still be stolen. You may consider signing up for an identity theft protection service. Individual plans typically start from $7 to $15 depending on the level of financial and identity monitoring you want. With an identity theft protection plan, you can monitor your credit, bank accounts and the dark web for your or your family's personal identifiable data, or PII. Alternatively, you can take advantage of free tools at your disposal. Review your monthly credit card and bank statements. Also look at your medical claims history online and on your credit report. You can download your free credit report on It won't stop spam messages If scammers have your phone number or email, you won't be able to stop attempts to scam you out of money in your existing accounts. It's best to block telephone numbers and email addresses from unrecognized senders every time you receive a strange message. Also, take a minute to read messages carefully before clicking on a link. It won't put an end to new credit offers Freezing your credit also won't eliminate the spam mail and prescreened offers you receive. Credit freezes are meant to prevent hard inquiries on your credit, such as lease applications or applying for a student loan. You can still expect to receive offers from credit card companies, insurance carriers and more. Financial institutions you already have a relationship with and debt collectors can also view your credit. Under special circumstances, so can the federal, state and local government. Credit monitoring companies like Credit Karma and Credit Sesame can still provide you with your up-to-date credit scores. You'll still need good password hygiene Even if your credit is frozen, you'll still need to make sure you have good passwords. Be sure not to use the same login information across multiple sites -- using the same login is a common tactic by cybercriminals. If keeping track of your passwords becomes overwhelming, consider paying for a password manager. CNET recommends Bitwarden. It won't protect your bank account information Even if you freeze your credit, it's still your responsibility to protect your bank account information from scammers. If you mistakenly provide any account numbers or login information to cybercriminals, contact your bank immediately and change your password. In the end, I'm glad I froze my credit There are pros and cons to freezing your credit. But with no plans to open a new account anytime soon, it was worth it to me. I also feel safer after doing it. It's nice to know I have thrown a wrench into any cybercriminal's plans. Sure, the spam messages keep rolling in. But I'm fine with being the gatekeeper of my financial accounts. I make a habit of checking my bank and credit card statements regularly. More credit advice
CNET
5 days ago
- Business
- CNET
I'm Breaking Up With My Chase Sapphire Preferred. Here's Why the Love Is Gone
Chase will offer 1.25% boosted redemption on travel through October 2027. Viva Tung/CNET The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card* has saved me a lot of money on flights and hotels over the years. It was even CNET's best travel card and one of my personal favorites. But not anymore. Sadly, Chase recently removed my beloved 25% boosted redemption rate when booking travel through Chase Travel℠. Chase's Ultimate Rewards portal lets you redeem your points for travel, gift cards, experiences and even shopping. Sometimes, my points added up to a free round-trip flight, which was a game-changer. Chase replaced it with a Points Boost program, which offers a higher per-point value than the 25% bonus. Here's the catch: It's only for specific flights and hotels, and the deals periodically change. If you book travel for any other non-boosted offer, you'll earn a measly 1 cent per point. And I'm not happy about it. I guess you could say it's good that other money-saving card benefits are sticking around, like the $50 hotel credit and the 10% anniversary bonus points. But if I'm using more points to book with the new rewards program, the card and Chase travel portal both feel a lot less valuable. This big change might persuade me to swap cards. Let's walk through the program and figure out if the Chase Sapphire Preferred is still worth it for you. What is Chase's new Points Boost program? The new Points Boost program went into effect last month. However, any points earned before Oct. 26, 2025, can be redeemed under the previous rewards program for the next two years. But any points earned after Oct. 26 will be valued at up to 1.5 cents per point on select flights and hotels, and up to 1.75 cents per point on premium flights. However, the boosted offers will change. That can mean good savings if you're booking a first-class flight or find a good deal on a hotel, but the promise of a flat 1.25-cent redemption value regardless of the day or form of travel was an easy way for me to secure value. I'm glad I'll have two years to use my points as I have been. Points redeemed during this time will qualify for the Points Boost program, too. That gives some time to compare the value and savings. Why I'm not excited about Chase's Points Boost Chase's Point Boost feels like gambling for a travel deal. You may spend more points for the same deal you could get for less. Here's how the math shakes out. If I book an economy round-trip flight from Charlotte to New York's LaGuardia airport, I'll spend $179 or 14,316 points booking through the Chase portal. But if those points were redeemed at only 1 cent, I'd need 17,900 points. If I'm lucky enough to score a Points Boost offer that lets me redeem points at 1.5 cents per point for the flight, I'll need fewer points: 11,933. But the big question is, Will the offer apply when I'm ready to book, since offers are limited and can change? Where once there was certainty in landing a good deal, it now feels like it's up to Chase's whims to decide when I can earn more value and when I'll miss out. The Chase Sapphire Reserve's new annual fee isn't worth it, either The Chase Sapphire Reserve®* is Chase's premium travel card, and though it may seem like the next best choice if you're not happy with the CSP's changes, think again. The Sapphire Reserve could be worthwhile if you use the myriad of perks and annual credits attached to its steep $795 annual fee, but the Points Boost changes will apply to the CSR, too. Seeing that I'll run into the same problem with my points, the card's benefits and annual fee don't make sense for my wallet. I'm not breaking up with Chase yet, but it's complicated Although I don't like the new Points Boost program, it's not all bad. For example, I like that Marriott is a Chase travel partner, and I'm a fan of the card's travel insurance perks. But I'm on the fence. So is my colleague Evan Zimmer, a CNET money editor who's covered credit cards for eight years. He typically uses the Chase portal to book flights and has been able to score some savings. But he's not certain of his future with the CSP. "I'll keep the card for the foreseeable future, but the redemption changes certainly are making me reconsider it," he said. "I'll probably wait to see if I notice a big difference in savings." I'll likely do the same, but in the meantime, I'm shopping for new cards that are a better fit for my wallet and have a better redemption value than what Chase will give me, like the Capital One Venture X and the American Express Gold Card.
CNET
6 days ago
- Business
- CNET
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Isn't the Card I Fell in Love With Anymore. Here's Why I'm Moving On
Chase will offer 1.25% boosted redemption on travel through October 2027. Viva Tung/CNET For a while, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card* was CNET's best travel card. And it's been a favorite in my wallet -- until now. Sadly, Chase recently removed my beloved 25% boosted redemption rate when booking travel through Chase Travel℠, which is why I applied for the card in the first place. Chase's Ultimate Rewards portal lets you redeem your points for travel, gift cards, experiences and even shopping. But I mainly redeem my points in the portal for flights and hotels. Chase replaced it with a Points Boost program, which offers a higher per-point value than the 25% bonus, but only for specific flights and hotels that can periodically change. If you redeem for any other, nonboosted, flight or hotel, you'll receive only 1 cent per point. While the other card benefits are sticking around, like the $50 hotel credit and the 10% anniversary bonus points, the new rewards program makes the card less valuable than it was with the previous 25% redemption bonus. I'm not thrilled about Points Boost. It might even push me to swap cards. Let's walk through the program and figure out if the Chase Sapphire Preferred is still worth it. What is Chase's Point Boost program? The new Points Boost program went into effect last month. However, any points earned before Oct. 26, 2025, can be redeemed under the previous rewards program for the next two years. But any points earned after Oct. 26 will be valued at up to 1.5 cents per point on select flights and hotels, and up to 1.75 cents per point on premium flights. However, the boosted offers will change. That can mean good savings if you're booking a first-class flight or find a good deal on a hotel, but the promise of a flat 1.25-cent redemption value regardless of the day or form of travel was an easy way for me to secure value. I'm glad I'll have two years to use my points as I have been. Points redeemed during this time will qualify for the Points Boost program, too. That gives some time to compare the value and savings. Why I'm not excited about Chase's Points Boost Chase's Point Boost feels like gambling for a travel deal. You may spend more points for the same deal you could get for less. Here's how the math shakes out. If I book an economy round-trip flight from Charlotte to New York's LaGuardia airport, I'll spend $179 or 14,316 points booking through the Chase portal. But if those points were redeemed at only 1 cent, I'd need 17,900 points. If I'm lucky enough to score a Points Boost offer that lets me redeem points at 1.5 cents per point for the flight, I'll need fewer points: 11,933. But the big question is, Will the offer apply when I'm ready to book, since offers are limited and can change? Where once there was certainty in landing a good deal, it now feels like it's up to Chase's whims to decide when I can earn more value and when I'll miss out. The Chase Sapphire Reserve's new annual fee doesn't make it worthwhile, either The Chase Sapphire Reserve®* is Chase's premium travel card, and though it may seem like the next best choice if you're not happy with the CSP's changes, think again. The Sapphire Reserve could be worthwhile if you use the myriad of perks and annual credits attached to its steep $795 annual fee, but the Points Boost changes will apply to the CSR, too. Seeing that I'll run into the same problem with my points, the card's benefits and annual fee don't make sense for my wallet. I'm not breaking up with Chase yet, but it's complicated Although I don't like the new Points Boost program, it's not all bad. For example, I like that Marriott is a Chase travel partner, and I'm a fan of the card's travel insurance perks. But I'm on the fence. So is my colleague Evan Zimmer, a CNET money editor who's covered credit cards for eight years. He typically uses the Chase portal to book flights and has been able to score some savings. But he's not certain of his future with the CSP. "I'll keep the card for the foreseeable future, but the redemption changes certainly are making me reconsider it," he said. "I'll probably wait to see if I notice a big difference in savings." I'll likely do the same, but in the meantime, I'm shopping for new cards that are a better fit for my wallet and have a better redemption value than what Chase will give me, like the Capital One Venture X and the American Express Gold Card.
CNET
02-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
This is Your Last Day to Claim a Piece of Apple's $96 Million Siri Settlement: Here's How
If you're eligible for a settlement payout from Apple, make sure you sign up by July 2. Viva Tung/CNET As useful as they -- sometimes -- can be, virtual assistants can often be just as annoying, especially if you've ever called one up by mistake. If you're an Apple user who's had that sort of issue with Siri in the last decade, I've got a settlement you should know about. Apple customers may be eligible for a payout from a $96 million class-action settlement if the Siri virtual assistant was accidentally activated during a private conversation. However, if you want your payout for this privacy invasion, you'll need to make sure you sign up soon. The deadline to file a claim now less than a week away, and after that you'll be out of luck. Apple agreed to the settlement after being sued for allegedly allowing Siri to listen in on private conversations without consent. Now, a claims website is live, and if you meet the criteria, you could get a piece of the payout. Whether you're a longtime iPhone user or just want to see if you're eligible, here's everything you need to know before the window closes. The settlement period covers a full decade and given the ubiquity of Apple products, there's a good chance you'll be eligible for a piece of the payout. If you meet the eligibility standards, you can claim a payment for up to five Siri-enabled devices, with a cap on how much you can receive per device. We'll get into the specific amount a little bit later. The impact of this settlement has the potential to be wide-ranging, given the reach of Apple's product ecosystem. According to a Business of Apps report from November, citing company and market research data, there were roughly 155 million active iPhones in the US as of 2024, a number that's been steadily increasing since the product's debut. Similarly, active Apple TV streaming boxes in the US have also been increasing year to year, with more than 32 million active in the US as of 2023. To find out if you're eligible for this settlement, read on. For more, find out what's up with the recent delay of T-Mobile data breach settlement checks. Who sued Apple and why? This class-action lawsuit, Lopez et al v. Apple Inc., was first brought against Apple in 2019, with plaintiffs alleging that they were routinely recorded by their Apple devices after unintentionally activating the Siri virtual assistant, violating their privacy in the process. They further alleged that these recordings were then sold to advertisers and used to target them with ads online. Specific incidents mentioned in the suit include plaintiffs seeing ads online for brands like Air Jordan and Olive Garden after Apple device users discussed them out loud. In some instances, plaintiffs claimed that their devices began listening to them without them having said anything at all. At least one plaintiff involved in the case was a minor when it was first filed. Though it agreed to the settlement, Apple hasn't admitted any wrongdoing. "Siri has been engineered to protect user privacy from the beginning," Apple said in a statement sent to CNET. "Siri data has never been used to build marketing profiles and it has never been sold to anyone for any purpose. Apple settled this case to avoid additional litigation so we can move forward from concerns about third-party grading that we already addressed in 2019. We use Siri data to improve Siri and we are constantly developing technologies to make Siri even more private." Who is eligible for this class-action settlement? The eligibility requirements for this settlement are fairly broad, as it's open to anyone who owned a Siri-enabled Apple device between Sept. 17, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2024. In order to opt in, you'll have to swear under oath that at some point during that period, you accidentally activated Siri on each device you want to get a payment for, and that these activations occurred during a conversation meant to be private. Siri-enabled devices include iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, iMacs, Apple TV streaming boxes, HomePod speakers and iPod Touches. How can I opt in to this Apple settlement? As of Thursday, May 8, a website has been launched where Apple customers can claim a portion of the settlement, if they believe they qualify. If you're looking to submit a claim, you have until July 2, 2025, to do so. It's not clear at this time when payments will be disbursed to approved claimants but it will surely be sometime after Aug. 1, 2025, when a final approval hearing is scheduled. How much can I get from the class-action settlement? Payments per device are to be capped at $20, although depending on how many people opt in to the settlement, claimants could receive less than that. Each individual can only claim payments for up to five devices, meaning the maximum possible payment you could receive from the settlement is $100. For more on Apple, see why a majority of users don't care for Apple Intelligence and find out which iOS setting can stop apps from tracking you.
CNET
28-06-2025
- Business
- CNET
Supplemental Security Income July 2025: Here's When Your Money Is Coming
Getty Images/Viva Tung/CNET Supplemental Security Income recipients didn't receive a check in June, and that's because it was sent on the last day of May this year due to the payment date falling on a weekend. The typical schedule is back in July, with payments being sent out shortly. We'll tell you when below. Supplemental Security Income is a program designed to help individuals with low income or resources, or those with qualifying disabilities. The application process can take time and requires several pieces of information to determine if you qualify, but once approved, monthly payments will be sent as long as you're still eligible. There's also a cap on how much you can receive in SSI money each month, which depends on your income and resources. Whether you're about to apply or just trying to find out more about SSI, we'll lay out the payment schedule for the rest of 2025. For more, don't miss how to apply for Social Security benefits. Read more: Social Security Has a 'Maddening' New AI Phone Bot. Here's How to Deal With It The SSI payment schedule for 2025 Here's when you can expect to receive your SSI payments for the rest of 2025: Tuesday, July 1 Friday, Aug. 1 Friday, Aug. 29 (for September) Wednesday, Oct. 1 Friday, Oct. 31 (for November) Monday, Dec. 1 Wednesday, Dec. 31 (for January 2026) Since July 1 falls on a Tuesday this year, the payment will be sent out right on schedule. Will other Social Security benefits come early? No. For the most part, each Social Security benefit has a straightforward schedule, with only a couple of instances where it can differ from the typical timetable. For your reference, the Social Security payment schedule for June is below. If you've received Social Security before May 1997 July 3 If your birthday falls between day 1 and 10 of the month July 9 If your birthday falls between day 11 and 20 of the month July 16 If your birthday falls between day 21 and 31 of the month July 23 For more, don't miss how your Social Security benefits can be suspended if you do one of these things.
