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Last fall, I went to Cancun for the first time and saw why this vacation area is so popular. The sun always shines, the beach goes on forever and most hotels offer unlimited food and drink as part of a package deal. And if you get tired of lying around, you can hop a bus and see fabulous Mayan ruins.

Now, of course, the H1N1 flu has made us all steer clear of Mexico and the federal government is warning us not to go there for “non-essential travel.”

But what if your trip is already booked and paid for? Do you have the right to a refund if you cancel?

U.S. airlines and tour operators are being lenient with travellers who want to change ..read more

Aeroplan has a harsh bereavement policy, which requires widows and widowers to pay 1 cent a mile to transfer points after their spouse has died. When I wrote about this in my column, I heard from many readers who had beefs about both Aeroplan and Air Miles.

Did you know you still have to pay a fuel surcharge when you use your points to get a reward ticket? Both programs have kept the fuel surcharges, even though many airlines have dropped them (including Air Canada on North American flights) as oil prices have plunged.

I checked Aeroplan’s website and found a vague question and answer. Since it told me nothing, I called Aeroplan’s customer service (as instructed) and got the real story.

Yes, Aeroplan does have a fuel ..read more

As consumers, we have the power to take our business elsewhere. We should use that power now, during this recession, to get better deals.

When calling a company you deal with, ask for the retention department. That’s where you can get rock bottom prices or special inducements to keep you around. The people working there only tell you about these deals if they believe you’re going to leave.

The first time it happened to me was when I called to cancel a credit card I wasn’t using. Within a minute, they had lowered my interest rate from 18 per cent to about 12 per cent — and I didn’t even ask for it.

David Bach has a new book, Fight for Your Money, where he has a good ..read more

I think I pulled my punches in calling for an end to auto-renewal of energy contracts last week. Today, I’ll go further.

In my view, allowing an army of pushy salespeople to trick people into signing contracts adds no value. It should be outlawed in Ontario.

Companies can continue selling their fixed-price deals, but only online or by phone (as RiteRate does). Doing it face to face just leads to abuses.

The reason I’m so angry is the sheer volume of complaints I get about deception at the door. I also hear from people who can’t seem to contact these companies on their own. They’re frustrated talking to call centre robots, who listen but don’t follow up.

Bell and Rogers, you’ve been outgunned by Direct Energy, Universal Energy, Summitt ..read more

My column last Wednesday on this subject drew lots of comments. This is one of my favourite hobbyhorses, since I now know (from my experience with Rogers) that you can get deals just by asking.

The Star’s new series, Personal Bailout, is about getting smarter with your money. So, my first contribution talked about whittling down your cellphone bills, which tend to be pure discretionary spending.

I got a few helpful suggestions from readers which I’m posting below. Now I want to hear from you about the best ways you’ve found to reduce those hefty monthly costs.

Have you switched from paying after you talk to paying before you talk? This is a big trend in the U.S. and there are deals to be had here at ..read more