But the risk of identity theft does exist. Though it is no more riskier than using an ATM, you should absolutely take precautions when shopping online.

Online Shopping Precautions

Most precautions simply involve using common sense. Some safety measures to implement include:

1. Never Disclose Your Medicare Number

Never shop at any website that asks you for your Medicare number. When a company indicates that they require some form of highly sensitive identification for an unrelated product, I usually just call the company or move on to another website. And I tend to do it very quickly!

2. Shop at Trusted Sites

There are many great sites for online shopping. I shop at many different online retailers, but most of them are nationally known, like Target, Woolworths and Coles. I have also fostered good relationships with some smaller retailers. When in doubt, always look for the VeriSign Trusted or McAfee logo on the website. This means the site uses SSL encryption technology to protect your personal information and has passed a suite of security tests.

3. Review Your Credit Card Statement

I always review my credit card statements to make sure they don’t have any duplicate charges, overcharges, or any other fees that I don’t recognise. If you do see something out of the ordinary, contact your bank as soon as possible to point it out. Here’s a list of what to do if your card has been lost, stolen or compromised.

4. Use PayPal

You can set up a PayPal account in less than a few minutes. Making online purchases with PayPal, a company that allows users to make online payments and accept payments, provides you with another layer of protection. PayPal has extensive security measures in place to protect their customers. When you use PayPal to buy items online, the retailer never sees your credit card information; your personal financial information only resides on the PayPal servers. It is one of several non-credit card options available to you for paying online, a list of which have been curated here.

5. Use Up-to-Date Antivirus Software

Make sure that you have updated, properly functioning antivirus software. An absence of antivirus software or malfunctioning antivirus software can increase your level of exposure to cyber criminals who use hacking and phishing scams to get your information. You can find free antivirus software online, but the free products typically don’t provide you with full protection against malware, phishing, viruses, and spam. It is best to purchase a reputable antivirus program. Options include Norton AntiVirus, McAfee, AVG and Avast, among others.

6. Beware of Deals If They’re Too Good to Be True

If you shop on eBay or Amazon, review sellers’ feedback ratings very carefully by looking for patterns in names, times, purchases, etc. in order to decipher original reviews from seller-generated reviews. Avoid unknown websites offering fantastic deals. If you have concerns about a website’s validity, walk away from the fantastic deal and instead purchase the item from a well-known brand.

Everyone has some risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. However, the fear of identity theft shouldn’t prevent you from shopping online. You can shop from the privacy of your own home, avoid lines at retail stores, and find better prices on the Internet. By following these tips and simply using common sense, you should be able to safely make online purchases.

What’s Been Your Experience?

What are your thoughts on online shopping? Do you worry about identity theft?

David Bakke writes about smart shopping and money management tips on Money Crashers Personal Finance.

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What exactly does this mean for us? As an Australian resident, this may not seem incredibly life changing, but if you have been thinking about going on holiday or wish you could afford an overseas paradise getaway, this blog might be just the encouragement you need to take action.

Where to Go on Holiday

You want to take full advantage of the strong Australian dollar, which means going on holiday to destinations that will allow you to get the most out of every dollar in your budget. As noted above, the Australian dollar is performing well against the US dollar but it is gaining ground over many other major currencies as well. This opens up a world of opportunity as you start looking into booking a trip that suits your personal desires and financial standing.

United States

Judging by the information above, the Australian dollar will remain strong through 2012 when compared to the US dollar. For this reason, you may want to consider checking out the US. No matter if you stay in one location or move around the country, your money is sure to take you far. Take advantage of the cheaper prices on clothes, food, gas, accommodation and entertainment. You will be shocked at how far your Australian dollar will get you.

Top destinations include: New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, and Orlando.

Romania

Are you looking for a unique holiday that you won’t forget quickly? If so, put Romania on your list. This beautiful country often goes unnoticed but has a great deal to offer tourists. The sights alone are sure to keep you busy. From the unique Romanian food to mountain resorts and the Transfagarasan road, Romania promises a unique and cost efficient holiday.

At the present time, 1 AUD = 3.45 RON (Romanian Leu). With the ratio so high, you should definitely consider this Eastern European country when planning your next trip.

Top destinations include: Transfagarasan road, Bucharest’s architecture

The Czech Republic

Many people don’t think about the Czech Republic when it comes to taking a holiday, but this country serves as a very different location to get away with your strong Australian dollar. They have fantastic tourist attractions, such as the Prague Castle, the Bozkovske Caves and numerous beer festivals. Get lost in the streets of Prague or explore the historical city of Brno, all with the peace that your currency will take you far. And right now, 1 AUD = 19.53 CZK (Czech Republic Koruna).

Top destinations include: Prague Castle, Prague Old Town Square, Charles Bridge

Denmark

Since Denmark has a reputation of high prices, many people tend to avoid it when choosing holiday destination. Luckily, you are coming from Australia where 1 AUD = 5.85 DKK (Danish Krone). Denmark has a plethora of beautiful cities to visit but Copenhagen always makes its way to the top of the list. You can enjoy the many art galleries, picturesque churches and natural beauties the city has to offer. With your money taking you further than ever before, you can enjoy all that Denmark has, including the expensive beer, without having to pinch pennies.

Top destinations include: Tivoli, LEGOLAND, Copenhagen Zoo, Noma restaurant

Hungary

Last, but certainly not least, is Hungary. This country is located in the dead center of Europe and is one of the oldest countries in Europe. The Hungarian people are known for their hospitality and unique culture and language. They have exquisite lakes, castles and shops for travelers to explore.

In terms of “bang for your buck,” Hungary is at the head of the class. As you begin to exchange your money, you will be glad to see that 1 AUD = 226.10 HUF (Hungarian Forint). With this rate, you can live like a king during your Hungarian holiday.

Top destinations include: Budapest, Lake Balaton, Danube River Cruise

Where Are You Going?

With the Australian dollar gaining more and more momentum by the day, there are many holiday hotspots that are incredibly affordable as well as enjoyable.

Have you travelled recently with the Australian dollar? Tell us about your experience with currency in other countries!

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Where Can I Grab a Deal?

There are now over 700 fully formed businesses that are clones of the massive daily deal site, Groupon. There are now even more sites on top of that which are simply aggregators of all these deal sites. It’s enough to overwhelm a person, especially if you sign up for their multitudes of email newsletters.

Steady yourself and just signup for one deal option. I think LivingSocial has the best travel deals. The travel section is called “Escapes,” and they tend to be more focused on Australian breaks by providing airfare deals and international vacation packages. Sometimes I think I like reading about the places they suggest more than the deals! Unfortunately, the quality and quantity of deals depends on where you live.

What Seats Should I Choose?

When someone asks me how I choose which seats to sit in for an upcoming flight, I always send them immediately to SeatGuru.com.  If you haven’t heard of it, you’ll be blown away by this site. It offers travellers full seat maps of each airline’s planes, as well as information on the amenities offered on board.

I offer this site with a grain of salt, because some airlines have non-standard airplanes. Sometimes the in-flight amenities list, like power ports and Wi-Fi, isn’t accurate, but the seating recommendations are spot on. Don’t book without it. Trip Advisor bought the site last year but I still stand behind their recommendations.

Is There a Way to Track My Miles?

If you have a mileage-earning credit card, you’ll no doubt want to be keeping a close eye on your mileage earnings. If you’ve spread out your miles on a couple of different airline sites, check out UsingMiles. The site pulls all of your rewards earnings information into an easy-to-review dashboard. It also includes the option to import data on your hotel loyalty programs, credit card points programmes, rental car points, and hundreds of other options.

The site also has a “bonus offers” section where it will alert you to ways to earn additional miles for the programs you’ve setup in the system. This can be great way to boost your reward points!

Where Can I Get Some Travel Tips?

Trying to research your trip and have questions? Then why not ask someone who’s been?  Sydney-based Travellr is an online community with an extensive Q&A board offering practical advice, tips and recommendations. Users can “vote up” content, as well as fill out their profiles, helping you to decipher how much you can trust the provided information. It’s an alternative to Tripadvisor, which is great for hotel reviews but not so great on general destination recommendations.

These sites are what you make of it, so why not sign up and submit a tip or two of your own?

Which Airline Flies Where?

Not sure which airline flies to the airport you’re heading to? No sweat, the site Airline Route Maps has all the information you need. Granted, some of their maps aren’t as good as some airlines’ more interactive maps, but I can tell you the names of several airlines that don’t even have a comprehensive route map on their site! Check out the Oceania page as a good starting point but don’t forget to consider a foreign airline if you’re looking at international travel options.

Just looking for budget airlines?  Try Which Budget.

What’s the Best Flight Itinerary?

Trying to decide whether to take the red-eye with one connection or the later flight with two stops?  Look no further than the friendly, bushy-tailed Hipmunk, who not only gives you flight pricing and detailed options, but also rates his recommendations by what the site calls an “agony factor.” This factor is based on travel times, connecting airports, and other available information. I love using this site for fare research, but you can even click through to purchase tickets once the Hipmunk has found a flight that works for you.

What Time is it?

Recently, the folks at TimeAndDate.com updated their site with a fresh new design as well as a ton of handy new features.  You can compare information on two time zones, plan meetings, check out the weather, and even look at sunrise/sunset times.  Geeks will lose several hours playing around on this site, but if you just want to plan a meeting or a phone call to family back home, this site makes it easy.

Who Should I Complain to?

If you have a generic complaint about airline customer service, such as if they mishandled your baggage or treated you unfairly in a delay, your first port of call is the airline itself.  Give them a ring and if things continue to be problematic, put it down in writing.

But what happens if you feel like they’ve violated the law, or you can’t get them to satisfactorily respond to your complaint? You’ll need to contact the office of fair-trading, consumer affairs or consumer protection agency in the state that you live.

How do you find that information?  The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has a full list.  Bookmark the site that is appropriate for you – hopefully you’ll never need it.

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1.  Use Tools Like Seatguru to Research the Plane’s Seating Layout

With seat maps, explanations of the on-board services like Wi-Fi and personal television screens, it’s always good to know what the best seats are.  They use a red, amber, green rating system for each seat, making it easy see the best rows/aisles of the plane.

The site also offers you the option to type in a flight number and it finds the right seat map for you. Unfortunately, many airlines have multiple versions of the same equipment so this option is a bit buggy. Just be careful to double-check you’ve got the right seat map.

2. Stalk the Website

I have just done this and was finally successful in securing some much better seats. I had an international ticket that was booked by a travel agent who did not book me any seats and the flight was oversold! Thankfully, by checking on the website regularly I was able to spot when some seats opened up and snag them.

Note: If you’re flying on a code share (e.g. flying on one airline but you booked it with another airline), you may want to check the website of the airline that is actually flying the plane. This can be tricky because on a code share you might have two “PNR” or confirmation numbers, one for each airline.

One trick is to know when the airlines upgrade their elite partners. If they are a very frequent flyer, more than likely they are in good seats, like exit rows or extra leg room rows. When airlines are automatically pushing these customers up into first class, it is an opportunity to grab a good seat. This option may be a last ditch effort, especially if the elites are upgraded very close to the flight departure date.  Keep an eye out.

3. Get a Second Opinion

The age-old trick used to say, if you called the airline and didn’t like the answer, call back and you’ll get another one.  Though I think these days calling over and over can get you some potentially negative attention (call centre systems are much more sophisticated these days), I have, on more than one occasion, not gotten what I wanted, hung up and rang again. I seem to get a much more helpful responses the second time, especially on seats.

4. Get and Use Your Elite Status

It pays off in so many ways to put all of your business into a single airline and earn an elite status on that airline, especially when it comes to the perks of better seats. One thing to remember is that all airlines have partners, so sometimes your elite status on one airline can give you a boost on others. Be sure to read up on your airline’s website to find out more.

Don’t fly enough for elite status?  Some credit cards can help you earn elite qualifying mileage!

5. Review Your Options for Paid Upgrades

No, I’m not talking about that two thousand dollar upgrade into first class.  Most airlines offer options for improved seats, such as an exit row (more leg room), bulkhead (nobody in front of you), or premium economy (sometimes better service, better seats, or both).  For long flights, these can be over 100 dollars, but it could be worth it.  See what your options are and check reviews to see if you think the cost is good value.

6. Last Stop is Your Boarding Gate

Succinctly and politely speak to the agent operating the gate. Let him/her know what you’re looking for.  Most agents are more than accommodating and can slip you into a better seat should someone misconnect. Be mindful that these folks are an airline’s front line, so they’ve got urgent priorities and spending time futzing with seat assignments for passengers is not one of them.

Make it quick; be very clear and specific about what you are wanting (“I’d like to try and get an aisle seat if one becomes available, please.”).  In many cases, the agents’ hands are tied, but you don’t know if you don’t ask.

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They say that you never really know when it’s the right time to have a baby, so for many it’s “ready or not, here he or she comes.” If you are finding yourself in this situation, it is extremely important that you begin saving for your new child. Too many new parents focus on the immediate and do not plan for the future, but understanding the many milestones that are now ahead will help ensure that your family is prepared financially for the new addition to the family. There are three major milestones that require you to start saving right away:

• Nappies: Although this may not seem like a large financial responsibility, you will be surprised how much nappies will cost you and how many you’ll really need.
• Day Care: In today’s world, many households have two working parents. This makes daycare extremely important. It’s also worth considering staying home with your child, but then you will need to prepare for the cost of your or your husband quitting your job.
• College: This is the one that scares most parents. You want to give your new child the option to go to college someday, so you should start saving and looking into college plans now.

Fortunately, there are many different options that new parents can explore for each of these milestones. Although it may seem overwhelming at first, it is completely possible to make it through all of these milestones (and with a little extra in the bank!) if you take the time to weigh all of your options and begin saving right away. Consider below a few of these choices:

New Baby, New Expenses, New Options

Nappies

There are really two choices that new parents have when it comes to nappies: Cloth or disposable. Many are aware of disposable nappies and the convenience they can bring new parents, but few take the cloth nappy approach. It is up to you, the parent, to decide which avenue is right for you financially. Consider some of the costs associated with the two options:

• Disposable: According to Diaperco, you will go through approximately 6,840 nappies for your child until potty training begins. The price of disposable nappies will go up with size and will depend upon the brand, but Diaperco calculated this cost at about 17 cents to 25 cents per nappy. When you include another $200.00 for disposable wipes, your total comes to $1,751.60 for 30 months. This figure was calculated by looking at some of the least expensive options, but it can fluctuate a bit depending upon the size of your child and how many nappies your child will need. According to the Baby Center, disposable nappies actually cost $72 per month, which will bring your total to $2,160, so price may vary.

When it comes to disposable nappies, the biggest financial responsibility is choosing a quality brand and watching the price. However, cloth nappies are a bit different. Instead of worrying about brand, you need to worry about different kinds: prefolds and covers, fitted nappies and covers, AIO nappies, and pocket nappies. You can learn what each of these different types of cloth nappies means at The Diaper Jungle. Fortunately, all of the different types of cloth nappies are similar in price and only differ in features. What really changes the price of cloth nappies is whether you have a nappy service or wash them on your own:

• Cloth Nappy Service: A nappy service will deliver clean nappies to your home and pick up the dirty nappies on a weekly basis to clean them. They are cleaned with professional equipment and will make sure that the correct size is delivered to your baby. The service will usually give you a special hamper equipped with deodorant and a liner for the dirty nappies, and price will depend upon the number used and needed each week. In general, The Baby Center calculates a nappy service to about $76 per month, making the grand total $2,280 after 30 months.

• Cloth Nappies You Wash Yourself: Cloth nappies that you wash yourself are significantly less expensive because you really only need to pay for about one week’s worth of nappies and then the water it takes to wash the nappies. According to Diaper Decisions, your cost could be anywhere between $381 and $1,468 for 30 months. Although not quite as convenient, this is a huge money (and environment) saver.

Day Care

Day care does not necessarily mean that you are sending your new child to a new day care. Day care means the amount of money it takes to care for your child during the day. There are two ways to look at day care from a financial standpoint:

• Day Care Service: If both parents are working, you will need to send your new baby to a day care service. Price will fluctuate drastically depending on the amount of time your child is at the day care center and what type of day care you need. Below are a few of the approximate costs according to Care for Kids:
  • Nanny who stays at your house with your child: $15-$25 per hour.
  • Child day care center: $55-$135 per day.
  • Pre-school: $32-$60 per day.

• Stay at Home: Staying home to take care of a child is a full-time job, so either you or your husband will need to quit working. Eliminate an income from the household and you will instantly be able to tell that you need to start saving now!

Some families will also qualify for support and benefits if both parents need to work. Visit The Sydney Morning Herald for more information to see if you have this extra avenue available to help you succeed.

Saving for your child’s education is something that new parents need to start planning for the minute they know a baby is on the way. Although the need for these funds is far in the future, the cost of college is continually increasing and takes a long time to be able to afford. There are a large number of universities in Australia, and price certainly depends upon which school your child decides to attend. However, which school you’re saving up for does not matter in the long run. All you need to do is look at the money coming into your household and then calculate out how much you will need to save in 18 years.

According to Graduateshotline.com, the average cost of tuition in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Australia is $14,000-$35,000 a year. Although it may seem overwhelming at first, it’s important to remember that you have 18 years to save and many universities will offer scholarships and financial aid when the time comes.

Over to You!

Getting ready for a new child is a time to be excited. If you can begin saving now, you will be able to enjoy your child growing up instead of constantly worrying about finances and how you are going to give your son or daughter what he/she deserves. It will be tough at times, but good planning, and good planning early, can help make a huge difference.

Are you a recent new mom? Did you plan out your new financial responsibilities before having your child? If so, did you find that it made a difference? Let us know in the comments!

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Most people will tell you that loyalty doesn’t mean much these days when it comes to the airline industry; I agree. But you can’t discount those points and miles programs offhand, because in the end, making simple adjustments to your spending behaviour – paired with a bit of advance travel planning – can result in almost-free flights. (You’ve got to pay those taxes and fuel surcharges, remember?)

Yes, dealing with the airlines’ myriad of fees, blackout dates, and tormenting call centres certainly can get the best of anyone, but take a deep breath, because those free-ish flights are worth it!

3 Things to Keep in Mind

Before diving into details, I want to step back and talk about a few basic principles when it comes to earning and using frequent flyer miles. No matter what part of the country you live in, or which airline you choose to frequent, follow these three simple rules:

• Marry an airline (alliance): As you know, it takes a lot of miles these days to get a free ticket, so you want to give all of your business to one airline and their partners so you rack up points faster. That includes both airline and retail partners.
• Don’t use miles for cheap flights: You want to save miles for expensive flights, like business class to New York, not for a Sydney/Melbourne short hop. Always, always check the flight, and if it’s cheap, you’re better off paying.
• Plan as far ahead as you can: A couple of years ago, I booked an LA to Auckland business class ticket for the day after Christmas, and had no trouble doing so even though that’s a popular route and very busy time. Why? I got my flights in March. That’s a long lead time, but if you want to skirt seat availability problems, plan well ahead – 3 months is a minimum, 6-9 months is ideal.

Looking at Popular Programs

While air service is great in Australia, there isn’t as much of a choice of airlines as you would get in, say, America or Europe. That’s partly due to geography – many flights are considered long-haul, and some cities don’t really have an alternate airport nearby.

That being said, you can easily break down the popular programs into four groups:

• OneWorld Alliance carriers, which include Qantas, Jetstar, and Cathay Pacific and several other carriers
• Star Alliance carriers, which include Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and many other carriers
• Virgin, which includes not only other Virgin Airlines around the world but other airline partners
• Emirates, which has a handful of strategic partners

Knowing these groupings can help you decide which airline alliance to “marry”. If I was forced to choose, I’d narrow it down to three best options:

Qantas Frequent Flyer

For the sheer number of mileage-earning opportunities for Australian residents, Qantas/Jetstar is a clear winner. There are so many retail outlets that you can actually use – not expensive perfumes and magazines, but supermarkets and department stores, and these items can quickly add up. Adding to the fact that you can earn miles on less pricey domestic flights, then splurge with miles on your transpacific jaunts, makes Qantas Frequent Flyer the top mileage program for Australians in my book. The only downsides are the initial membership fee (waived if you open your account when applying for certain cards including the Nab Qantas card), and the fact that reward seat availability is reported to be quite limited, so definitely plan ahead if you plan to redeem points with Qantas.

Click here for Qantas Frequent Flyer credit cards.

Singapore Airlines (Star Alliance)

For frequent international travellers, Star Alliance’s massive flight network is very appealing. One trick that many don’t notice is that the mileage requirements on Star Alliance flights are generally lower than on the airline’s own network, so for example, you could earn Air New Zealand miles and then fly using less miles on United, or vice versa. Because the Star Alliance is so huge, you really can go anywhere on points – be sure to pick just one airline and always put your miles into that one spot. Most Star Alliance airlines have good credit card offers as well.

Click here for Singapore Airlines credit cards.

Virgin Australia

If you like Virgin’s style and on board flair, their new international rewards program is a real winner. Virgin has fabulous on board service, but it wasn’t until last month (March 2012) that their international rewards programs were linked, so you can earn and redeem points on Virgin Blue, Virgin America, and Virgin Atlantic – as well as their partners – all on a single rewards account. This is a massive improvement and if you like the Virgin ethos, then definitely consider Virgin’s Velocity Awards, which also includes other great partner airlines like Delta, Hawaiian, Singapore and Air New Zealand.

Click here for Virgin Australia credit cards.

And the Winner is?

It’s hard to choose; personally, I love the Star Alliance for good reward availability and extensive network. Virgin’s on board service and their top-notch partners make it a neck-and-neck tie up. But, overall, you can’t beat all the retail partners that Qantas has amassed – you can earn free flights without even having to fly!

Breaking it Down

As they say, the devil is in the details. Here are some more detailed specifics on several of the airline reward programs mentioned here.

Today’s Most Rewarding Frequent Flyer Cards Are:

	Credit Card Offer	Rewards Program	Purchase Rate (p.a.)	Frequent Flyer Points	Annual Fee	Apply now
	Virgin Flyer Credit Card 1.9% for 12 months on balance transfers. 4 complimentary flights per year. Earn Velocity Pts.	Velocity Frequent Flyer	20.99%	$1 = 1 Velocity Frequent Flyer point	$50	Featured Card more info
	HSBC Platinum Qantas Credit Card Get 20,000 bonus QFF points. Earn up to 2 Qantas Frequent Flyer points per $1.	Qantas Frequent Flyer	20.99%	$1 = 1 QFF point	$199	Editor’s Choice more info
	Westpac Earth Credit Card Cheap balance transfer. 60 Second Approval.	Qantas Frequent Flyer	19.99%	$1 = 1 QFF point (Amex)	$75	Editor’s Choice more info

Image: shootingjaydred

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