Clark Howard

Traveling for less is one of money expert Clark Howard’s favorite pastimes — and it can be done in many ways.

One way it cannot be done is via a vacation club, says Clark.

Thinking About Signing Up With a Vacation Club? Read This

Vacation clubs have risen in prominence over the past several years, and although there are some fans of the model, there are real concerns with not only the practices of the salespeople who entice you (with alcohol-fueled presentations), but also the extravagant perks promised.

In this article, we’ll explain what a vacation club is and why Clark says it’s not a good deal for travelers.

What Is a Vacation Club?

A vacation club is an arrangement that allows travelers to pay a yearly or monthly fee to stay at an assortment of destinations. Oftentimes, you’ll see fliers and videos that show pristine beaches and waterfront rooms, but many people never make it to those places.

“The idea of a vacation club is that you don’t own anything,” Clark says. “You’re just paying for the right to be able to take vacations whenever you wish for so many days a year for free or the rest of the year at greatly reduced prices.”

Adding to their legitimacy is the fact that many vacation clubs have names that feature major hotel or hospitality brands. For example, here are just a few:

• Marriott Vacation Club
• Disney Vacation Club
• Hilton Grand Vacations
• Hyatt Vacation Club

No matter which company you book with, Clark says vacation clubs are very similar to another awful travel product: timeshares.

“Timeshares stink. And I’ve said this for 40 years,” Clark says. “Timeshares are something that are defective by their very design because no matter how much you love your timeshare, when you buy it or for years to come, when you don’t want it anymore, it sticks to you like glue.”

Come to think of it, vacation clubs which typically lure customers due to being associated with major hotel brands, are worse than timeshares, says Clark.

Why Are Vacation Clubs Worse Than Timeshares?

Although both timeshares and vacation clubs typically feature high-pressure sales tactics to get customers to sign the dotted line quickly without thoroughly reading the contracts, the latter only promises “access” to a property — not the property.

According to a recent New York Times article on the subject, many vacation club subscribers ended up in 40-year contracts and were allegedly unable to use any of the benefits.

“Remember, at least with a timeshare, you have your designated week and you can use your week year after year — it may not be a good deal, but you have your week,” Clark says. “With these vacation clubs, it’s just an empty promise that you’ll be able to take a vacation.”

To get out of a vacation club, you often will lose the membership fee, which is typically tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the specific deal.

“To exit a timeshare, you have to pay somebody to take it over almost always,” Clark says. “And it’s almost impossible – even in the most perfect situation – to not lose tons of money when you sell a timeshare.”

Read our guide on how to sell, cancel or get rid of a timeshare.

Is It Possible To Get Out of a Vacation Club?

According to the New York Times article, one customer was only able to get out of her vacation club agreement by canceling it within the five-day grace period. But that has not been the case for many others.

In one case, customers found out that a vacation club with Hyatt branding “is in fact governed by the laws of Panama, according to the contract’s fine print,” according to the Times article.

Some options you might consider include:

• Filing a complaint with your credit card company.
• Make a “stop payment” with your bank.
• Litigation (this could potentially be costly and time-consuming)

Want more tips? Read our guide on how to fight fraudulent bank charges.

Bottom Line

Clark says the travel industry has simply replaced the word ‘“timeshare” with “vacation club,” which appeals to frequent travelers who want to get away for less. 

“Enough people have heard that the word ‘timeshare’ has become a damaged word,” he says. “And so the industry wants to come up with new ways — and they’ll use different terms like ‘interval ownership’ or whatever — but the latest is actually, believe it or not, worse than timeshares. Yes, the industry managed to come up with a way to make it worse: vacation clubs.”

So here’s Clark’s bottom-line advice on vacation clubs:

“Don’t fall for a timeshare that by any other name is still a rotten, terrible deal,” Clark says.

Instead of signing up for a vacation club and hoping the destination, price and availability work out, “What should you do? Buy the best deal on a vacation when you want to take one.”

Want more travel advice? Read Clark’s #1 Rule for cheap travel and check out the best travel deals available right now.

The post Why Vacation Clubs Are Even Worse Than Timeshares appeared first on Clark Howard.

Do you have a subscription to discovery+? You can expect to pay more for it in 2025.

The Warner Bros. Discovery-backed video streaming service just announced it is raising the price on both the ad-supported and ad-free subscription tiers in January 2025.

Let’s look at the details.

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Discovery+ Will Cost More for Both Subscription Tiers in 2025

Whether you’re paying for ad-free or ad-supported content from discovery+, you’re going to be asked to pay more this year.

The discovery+ plan (with ads) is increasing by $1 to $5.99 per month. And the discovery+ ad-free plan is also increasing by $1 to $9.99 per month.

If you are a new customer, these prices are effective as of January 7, 2025. I have confirmed on the discovery+ website that the new prices are already in effect. There’s a 7-day free trial available if you’ve been considering checking it out.

Existing customers have a little more time to brace for this modest increase.

If you’re billed directly through discovery+ or an app store like Apple or Google, your subscription will automatically renew at the new price on your first billing date on or after February 7, 2025.

If you have a promotional discount, discovery+ says your price won’t increase until your promotional period ends.

Discovery says those who are billed through a third party like Prime Video Channels or The Roku Channel will be notified of any price impacts by those parties. Some people may have promotional rates through those outlets that are not immediately impacted.

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Is discovery+ Still Worth It?

It has become commonplace to hear “price increase” muttered at least once per year for most streaming services. So, it’s not a complete surprise that discovery+ finally decided to budge from its $4.99 pricing.

Even at its new price, discovery+ is still one of the cheapest monthly subscription services among the major video streamers. Services that used to compete in the “$5 per month” space, such as Paramount+, Peacock and Apple TV+, have each implemented multiple price hikes that have pushed their subscription fees into the “$10 per month” range.

But, even in its market positioning, is discovery+ still worth it at $5.99 per month? I guess it depends on your perspective.

If you’re trying to pick “just one” video streaming service, your money is likely to go much further with Netflix’s ad-supported tier at $6.99 per month.

However, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy on-demand content from one or more of the following channels, this is likely your cheapest way to access it:

• Magnolia Network
• HGTV
• Food Network
• TLC
• Investigation Discovery
• Discovery Channel
• OWN
• Travel Channel
• A&E
• Animal Planet
• Planet Earth
• HISTORY
• Lifetime
• Science Channel
• Cooking Channel
• Destination America
• American Heroes Channel
• Discovery Life

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Are you a current subscriber who is considering cancellation? Or will you keep your subscription in spite of the price increase? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.

The post Discovery+ Announces Subscription Price Increases for 2025 appeared first on Clark Howard.

The retirement-saving pendulum has shifted toward our responsibility, right? From the company saying, “Now we’re going to take care of you” to “Hey, no, you’ve got to take care of yourself in retirement.” That’s been a huge shift over the last 30 years, just like longevity in retirement in general.

I was looking at a pie chart of the amount of time we spend in retirement in 1970 versus today. We spent about 10% of our lives in retirement back then in the 70s — not that long ago. And now, we spend about 30% of our lives in retirement. We have a lot of time we need to be planning for.

The world is always so complicated, and there’s always so much uncertainty in markets. Investing is a nerve-racking thing for a lot of people. It’s a big responsibility.

5 Fundamentals for Successful Investing

I want to go through my five fundamental keys to being a successful investor:

• Stocks (Mostly)
• Massive Diversification
• Patience and Longevity
• Investing Is Easier and Harder Than Ever (Ignore the Headlines)
• Planning

To simplify how we think about the longevity of retirement, you’ve got to have some pillars or some corners to stick to. So here are my five that I’ve seen work for many decades now. And I think they’re a really good starting place.

Stocks (Mostly)

Let’s start with “stocks mostly.” When I say “stocks mostly,” we know that over time the best elixir to fight against inflation is owning equities, right? Not only have stock prices, if we’re looking at the S&P 500, grown on average, depending on the time period you look at, let’s call it 10% on average over time. The last 10 years have been even higher than that.

Well, let’s say 10%, that is way above inflation. And that is what we’re trying to do here is being able to make our money and our purchasing power last. Remember mathematically, if we make 10% a year, that means our money doubles every seven to seven and a half years. That in itself is powerful.

However, not everyone can have 100% in stocks just because of the volatility of it, particularly as your balances get higher and higher, and you get closer to retirement. A 5-10% move in stock values can be jarring for folks.

When I say stocks, mostly, even though I think that’s our best law, one of our best long-term inflation fighters is that we want to have some level of what I call “dry powder,” which is just safety assets. This can be bonds, it can be treasuries, it can be money markets.

We know that if we have some dry powder, it allows us to psychologically handle the downs of stock. The dry powder part of this is that ideally, and you don’t have to do this right away, but as you get closer to retirement, if you look at your overall allocation, you may want to have something like three years worth of dry powder when it comes to spending. So if you’re spending $50,000 a year, you need $150,000 in dry powder.

Massive Diversification

The second piece is massive diversification. The good news is that in any given ETF, if we look at some of the broad market ETFs, the S&P 500, as an example, has 500 companies. The total, many total stock market indexes have 3,000 or 4,000 stocks in them. So we can get diversification in a really big way — better than ever today.

Patience and Longevity

The third piece is patience and longevity.

You can’t avoid hearing about the price of gold, the price of Bitcoin, the price of the best stock that’s performing or what has done really well this month. We’re always getting pulled to do something else because, in fact, there’s always some investment that’s doing better than the investments you have. And that pulls us as investors. We’re human. We want to do the best we can. We’re often pulled into something that has already done well. And we abandon what can be a tried and true strategy.

We all turn into a guy we all know, his name is FOMO (fear of missing out) Freddy. He’s the guy at the cocktail party who always has done better with his investments than you. Your 401(k), it’s been a great year, it’s up 20%. Well, FOMO Freddy has been in Bitcoin all year and he’s up 100%. So there’s always something better.

Not only do we not want to be FOMO Freddy, but we also want to avoid FOMO Freddy at the cocktail party because he’s always going to make us feel like we’re missing out.

Investing Is Easier and Harder Than Ever (Ignore the Headlines)

The next piece of this (and this, to some extent, contributes to FOMO Freddy) is that investing is both easier and harder than it’s ever been. It’s easier because there are low-cost products and there are thousands of them to choose from. That makes things easier.

And there’s all of this information that’s out there that also makes things somewhat easier, but it also makes it harder.

You’re pulled in all these different directions. And then the headlines of the world about what is about to go wrong or what is currently going wrong, that permeates to everything. It makes it really hard for stock investors because you can always make a case that, hey, the world’s about to fall apart. That means the stock market is going to go down. The economy is going to go into recession. There’s a jobs number, inflation number, what the fed’s doing.

It’s not that it’s not okay to understand what’s happening in the world, but we can’t let the headlines constantly knock us off course. We have to we have to figure out a way to mentally ignore the headlines.

Planning

The last piece of this, equally as important as the last four that I shared, is to start with some sort of plan.

The world is uncertain, but when we do planning we can bring some certainty into our lives because we can control how much we’re saving every year, how much we’re spending every year, how much we think we might want spend in retirement.

When are we going to start our income streams? We could start Social Security at 62, but if we do some planning, maybe it makes more sense to wait for a higher Social Security number amount per month and wait until we’re 67 or maybe even age 70.

I’m a big believer in writing down a one-page plan, drawing out a timeline, and seeing when our different income streams are going to start depending on our age.

If we are able to put something in place, and it doesn’t have to be overly complex, it really helps us, and guides us on that journey. It helps us avoid FOMO Freddy. It helps us with patience and longevity and investing. And it brings all of these pieces together.

It gives you a really good shot at achieving your goals of financial freedom and retirement. And most importantly, it gives you more peace of mind so that you end up with a happy retirement.

This content was originally published on the Ask an Advisor show on the Clark Howard Podcast. Listen or watch to learn more about the keys to being a successful investor. New shows air every Tuesday!

The post 5 Keys To Be a Successful Investor appeared first on Clark Howard.

There is a major shakeup in the live TV streaming world for 2025: Fubo and Hulu + Live TV will be joining forces.

Disney (Hulu’s parent company) and Fubo announced on January 6, 2025 that Disney will combine its Hulu + Live TV business with Fubo and become the majority owner of the resulting company.

This major streaming news comes after a drawn out legal battle between Fubo, Disney, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery regarding the proposed launch of an all-sports streaming service called Venu Sports.

This new agreement has closed those legal matters between the businesses and paved a new way forward for all parties.

And it has potentially major implications for streaming customers moving forward. Let’s take a look at what we know so far.

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What the Fubo and Hulu + Live TV Deal Means for Streamers in 2025

So, to summarize: Disney is acquiring a majority stake in Fubo and will combine its Hulu + Live TV business with Fubo to create a larger, more robust live TV streaming offering.

But what does that mean for consumers?

We don’t have all of the answers just yet, but here are some key takeaways from the announcement:

1. Both Streaming Services Will Remain Available … For Now

If you’re a customer of either business, your first question was probably: “What does this mean for my subscription?“

While you may be forced to make some changes in the long term, it appears as though it’ll be “business as usual” for you the next time you turn on the TV.

According to the language of the announcement, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV will continue to be available to consumers as separate offerings.

They both will continue to operate separately from Disney, which has its own popular video streaming product in Disney+.

“The combined company will negotiate carriage agreements with content providers for both Hulu + Live TV and Fubo services independently from Disney.”

As things stand, Fubo’s Pro subscription is available for $79.99 per month and includes access to regional sports networks (an additional RSN fee applies for most customers). Hulu + Live TV, which includes access to Hulu’s on-demand library, Disney+ and ESPN+, carries a monthly fee of $82.99 per month.

You can use Team Clark’s Streaming Channel Tool to determine if either of these companies is actually the best option for your household based on the channels you watch most often.

It remains to be seen if this new partnership will result in new package options for either service. But we can hope. For example, it’d be great to see RSNs available on Hulu + Live TV or perhaps a “Disney Bundle” option for Fubo users.

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2. Disney Will Own It, but Fubo’s Management Team Will Run It

You may be wondering about who will be calling the shots in this new arrangement. After all, you may prefer one product to the other as they’re currently constructed and may be concerned about decision making going forward.

According to the press release, Disney will be the majority owner of the combined venture, but Fubo’s existing management team will handle the day-to-day operations of both products.

Disney, which already has a controlling stake in Hulu, will own 70% of Fubo.

Fubo’s co-found and CEO David Gandler will operate both the Fubo and Hulu + Live TV businesses.

“This combination will allow both Hulu + Live TV and Fubo to enhance and expand their virtual MVPD offerings and provide consumers with even more choice and flexibility,” said Justin Warbrooke, Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Development, The Walt Disney Company. “We have confidence in the Fubo management team and their ability to grow the business, delivering high-quality offerings that serve subscribers with the content they want and offering great value.”

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3. A New Sports Streaming Service Is Coming After All

Sports fans clearly stand to benefit from this announcement.

The concept that fueled the Venu Sports project, which was the root of disagreement between Fubo and Disney’s content partners back in 2024, may have a chance to survive now that an agreement is in place.

At a minimum, Disney can now use Fubo’s assets to further advance its sports streaming endeavors without fear of litigation.

Per the press release, Disney will be entering a new agreement with Fubo that allows for the creation of a new sports-only service:

“Disney will enter into a new carriage agreement with Fubo that will allow Fubo to create a new Sports & Broadcast service, featuring Disney’s premier sports and broadcast networks including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, as well as ESPN+.”

Details on what that might look like in terms of content offering and pricing have yet to be revealed.

Remember, Venu Sports was reportedly set to launch in Fall 2024 with a monthly ask in the $40 to $45 per month range while providing access to live games from the ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery owned channels. Stay tuned.

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Final Thoughts

This is pretty big news in the streaming TV industry.

Fubo and Disney were at odds over sports streaming content, and this transaction will effectively end the legal red tape that was holding up the delivery of a sports-only streaming product to consumers.

With live sports being such an important asset for live TV streaming services looking to retain customers who have been fleeing for cheaper options amid price increases, it makes sense that these companies decided to combine assets and work together.

But will their efforts help streamers access the games they care about at a reasonable monthly price? That remains to be seen.

With Google’s recent price increase for YouTube TV and DirecTV’s premium pricing on its streaming product, sports fans are hurting for a comprehensive cost-effective streaming option. Sling offers smaller bundles with a slightly cheaper monthly cost, but it also recently announced price increases for 2025.

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What do you think about Fubo and Hulu + Live TV joining forces? Will this change your streaming TV strategy? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.

The post Fubo and Hulu + Live TV Are Merging: What Does That Mean for Streamers? appeared first on Clark Howard.

It is no secret that money expert Clark Howard loves all things Costco. It is easy to see why, with staples like their Tire Center and Optical Department, and a constant array of new inventory. 

As a superfan of Costco myself, I love walking through the store and discovering fresh, new products. Sometimes, these products are from top-name brands. Sometimes, they are from small, local companies. Regardless, it is all part of the fun — especially when the product is food-related and you can try free samples!

New Products at Costco This Month

Each month, I will review the newest Costco products. While the majority will be under $100, if I find a particularly good deal, I will let you know. 

Remember: Costco products are not guaranteed to be there from month to month, so if you discover a new product that you can’t live without, be sure to snag it.

I learned a tip from a Costco associate: You will find new items right when you walk into the store and on the ends of the aisles. While this is true in many cases, don’t let that stop you from checking out cool new finds all over the club.

With the holidays behind us and the new year upon us, I am showcasing new items that would be perfect to snag now or give as a gift later.

Connect 4 Giant Edition

Why I chose this:

Grab it now! There are less than 80 days until spring, which means more family time in the backyard. This giant Connect 4 is pretty amazing. I saw people clamoring around it in my Costco store, and once they moved away, I swooped in and gave it a try.

It comes with the classic red and yellow chips, is weather-resistant, and is super easy to assemble. The dimensions are 46” x 40”. If you do see this, take a peek. At the very least, give it a try. My local club was selling them for $72.99, and online, they are $84.99 with shipping included.

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Founder’s Chai Collection- Chai Sampler Set

Are you a fan of tea? Or do you like trying different teas? I wish I could have checked this out in my store, but unfortunately, it is an online-only item. But I have some good news! The price includes shipping, so I may give it a try.

This sampler kit comes with six different tins of chai, and it is estimated to make roughly 15-22 cups of tea per tin! Tea includes Loose-Leaf Masala, Cardamom, and my favorite, Rooibos Masala. I could see this being a slam dunk for a tea lover or if you know someone who is a perfect gift.

I have never heard of this brand before, but it sells for $80 directly from The Chai Box company, and Costco is selling it for $59.99.

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LEGO Wicked Welcome to Emerald City

Why I chose this:

Wicked mania is in full swing! Costco is selling a LEGO kit that recreates scenes from the movie, including a 3-story tower. It also comes with 5 Lego figurines and is recommended for ages nine and up.

I did not see this in my local club, but it sells for $89.99 online, and that price includes shipping. Please email me a picture of your completed Emerald City. I would love to see it!

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Smart Solar Bird Feeder

Why I chose this:

I LOVE my smart bird feeder and being able to see who is in my neck of the woods. Aside from the occasional squirrel, I have seen birds ranging from woodpeckers to sapsuckers, mourning doves, and even families of parakeets!

Costco is now selling a smart solar feeder for $109.99. It comes with a 1080p HD WiFi camera and 144-degree view and pairs with the free Birdty app. The built-in solar charger is kind of nice. I don’t have that, and I typically recharge the battery about once every 8 weeks. It’s manageable, but the solar charger will take away that need.

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Sand + Fog 57oz Square Candle with Rubber Wooden Lid

Why I chose this:

As I turned a corner at my club, I did a double take at how large this candle was paired with its beautiful square shape. I thought it was a home entertainment device until I realized it was a candle!

This candle is made with 4 Lead-Free Wicks and essential oils and costs $24.99 in-club. It is selling for $31.99 online, but the better value is in the club. Not only would you save a few dollars, but you could also try the scents available.

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Charisma 3-piece Corduroy and sherpa Fleece Quilt Set

Why I chose this:

While this may be a new item for January, my Costco club is not ordering more, hence the asterisk on the tag. What caught my eye was the presentation: this three-piece set comes in what looks like a tote bag. It is reversible and comes with one quilt and two pillow shams.

My club only carried them in king size, but online, they also come in queen size and in four color options: taupe, blue, red, and green. The king-size online costs $69.99, and my club sells them for $59.99.

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Nectar Tri-Comfort Cooling Bed Pillow

Why I chose this:

I have noticed the commercials advertising the Nectar pillow. This was the first time that I could experience the hype. It is hard to describe. It is firm yet has microfiber technology and a dual-sided cooling cover.

This pillow is available in jumbo and king sizes. My club sells them for $34.99, and they are available online for $49.99. If you want to see what the Nectar pillow is all about, definitely swing by your local club.

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Smart Design Acacia Armrest Tray

Why I chose this:

I saw this on my first look into new items this month, and when I circled back, it had sold out online. I did notice they sell it in-club, and while my specific club did not have them, they told me that several nearby do sell them, which is why I decided to include them this month.

It is made from acacia wood, has a non-slip back, and even holds a phone or tablet! The price of $27.99 includes shipping if it comes back in stock, but it may be offered cheaper in-club.

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MIU Stainless Steel Colanders, Set of 3

Why I chose this:

The sleek design caught my eye, along with the fact that these are nesting, which means they all fit inside each other for optimal space saving. The extra-large handles provide a secure grip, and they are dishwasher-safe!

My club was selling these for $21.99, but they sell online for $29.99. It is worth checking out if you are looking for a good set at a decent price.

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Kirkland Signature Seal Top Freezer Bags, Quart Plus, 264-count

Why I chose this:

This is exactly what was missing in my life! I no longer need to purchase the name-brand reclosable bags. Costco now sells storage bags in its Kirkland Signature brand! They are selling freezer quart plus and freezer gallon plus.

With the quart plus, you receive 264 total bags for $14.99, and with the gallon plus, you receive 192 bags for $15.99. I can’t wait to check these out in-club.

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Final Thoughts

This is just the tip of the iceberg for the month of January. As of today, January 1, 2025, there are over 320 new items available at Costco.  

Be sure to check back every month as we update this list. 

Can’t wait until next month? You can find even more great Costco deals at Clark Deals right now.

The post 10 Best New Products at Costco in January appeared first on Clark Howard.

Planning a trip across the pond in 2025? Whether you’re jetting off to London to visit Big Ben, Northern Ireland, or heading to the Scottish Highlands for an adventure, there’s an important new travel requirement you need to know.

All travelers will now need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) before boarding their flight to the United Kingdom. The ETA is required for travel on and after January 8, 2025.

New UK Travel Requirement in 2025

An ETA is an easy online travel authorization to enhance pre-screening and border security. It’s required for travelers from visa-exempt countries, including the United States, who are visiting the UK for tourism, business, or short-term studies (up to six months).

Starting January 8, all U.S. travelers must obtain an ETA before entering the UK. If you’re planning a trip in 2025, it’s crucial to apply in advance to ensure a smooth travel experience. Children of all ages, including infants, must have their own ETA if they are nationals of a country where ETAs apply. The approved ETA remains valid for up to two years or until your passport expires — whichever comes first.

First things first: Ensure your passport is valid for the duration of your UK visit (having six months’ extra validity is a good idea to help avoid any border issues). Since the ETA is linked to your passport, you’ll need to reapply for an ETA before you travel if you renew your passport.

Here’s how to apply:

• Visit the official UK ETA website to apply or use the UK ETA app.
• Submit the required basic personal information, travel plans, and a valid passport number.
• Pay the ETA cost of £10 per person ($13 USD)

Most applications are processed within three business days, but it’s recommended to apply at least a week before travel.

Once approved, your ETA is linked to your passport for a two-year period, and it’s good for multiple trips within that period. Make sure you create and keep a copy of your approval.

The post Travel Alert: New Requirement for UK Travelers in 2025 appeared first on Clark Howard.

If you’re considering downloading a personal finance tool, Monarch Money may be a good option. 

In this article, I’ll take a close look at five things to know about Monarch Money, so you’ll know what to expect before you pay for a subscription. I set up a budget with Monarch Money, checked out what features it offers and looked at other popular budgeting tools to see how Monarch compares.

5 Things to Know About Monarch Money

If you have financial goals that you’re trying to achieve, budgeting is a crucial step. It’s important to delegate where your money is going so that you aren’t left wondering where it went. While you can set up a budget on your own, there are tons of budgeting apps and websites that can set one up for you. One of the newest options on the market is Monarch Money.

If you’re curious about where your money has been going, looking for motivation to start saving, need alerts to remind you of upcoming bills or simply want to see all of your investments and net worth in one place, Monarch Money may be the perfect resource for you. However, you will have to pay for a subscription.

If you’re thinking about signing up for Monarch Money, here are five things to know:

Table of Contents: 

1. What Is Monarch Money?
2. How Does Monarch Money Work?
3. How To Get the Most Out of Monarch Money
4. How Does Monarch Money Compare?
5. Final Thoughts: Should You Pay for Monarch Money?

Below, you’ll find more detailed information on Monarch Money including how to best use the budgeting tool and what to expect once you’ve created an account.

1. What Is Monarch Money?

Monarch Money is a paid personal finance and budgeting tool that launched in 2018. Since then, it’s grown rapidly in the U.S. and Canada.

According to the company’s website, Monarch “simplifies finances by bringing all your accounts together into one clear view. Always know where your money is and where it’s going, achieve your goals quicker, and collaborate with your partner or professional at no extra cost.” 

Monarch Money is currently available as an app for iOS and Android devices as well as online at MonarchMoney.com. Currently, the app maintains a 4.9/5 rating from 33.4K reviews on the App Store. On Google Play, 7.98K reviews leave the app with an average rating of 4.7/5.

While the app is free to download and an account is free to create, you’ll have to pay for a subscription to use any features. Fortunately, Monarch Money offers a 7-day free trial. That gives you a week to set up your budget and decide whether or not the features will be worth the cost of a full subscription. To avoid being charged, cancel your subscription before the free trial ends.

Here’s how much you can expect to pay for Monarch Money after your 7-day free trial:

• Annual Subscription: $99.99 ($8.33/month)
• Monthly Subscription: $14.99

2. How Does Monarch Money Work?

Like many other budgeting apps and services, Monarch Money works by connecting all of your accounts so that you can view and categorize all deposits and transactions in order to meet your financial goals. With Monarch, you can also track your investments, customize your financial plan and share your budget with a household partner or a financial planner.

In this section, I’ll take a close look at what you can expect when you sign up for Monarch Money. For a more in-depth walkthrough of how to get started, check out this guide from Monarch Money.

• Getting Started: Creating an Account
• Connecting Bank Accounts
• Customizing Categories
• Setting Goals
• Creating Your Budget
• Other Features

Getting Started: Creating an Account

When I tested Monarch Money myself, I downloaded the app to get started. You can download the app for iOS and Android devices or you can visit Monarch Money’s website to get started.

You’ll have to enter and verify your email address to create an account. Then, you’ll be able to create a password and answer a few questions about what you’re hoping to get out of Monarch as well as your personal goals. Once you’ve created your account, you can begin a 7-day free trial before paying anything for the app.

Once you sign in, you’ll see your account’s Dashboard. Eventually, your Dashboard will have a quick overview of all your finances with customizable widgets. You can choose which features are most important that you’d like to see on the front page of the app including your budget, recent spending, net worth, transactions, investments, goals and more.

To finish setting up your account, you can follow the quick list on your Dashboard under “Getting Started.” 

Connecting Bank Accounts

First, you’ll need to connect your bank accounts. Monarch used Plaid to connect two of my accounts and Finicity to connect two other accounts. According to Monarch, your institution may also connect through MX.

I chose my bank institutions and entered/verified my phone number. Then, I was able to log into my bank. For me, I was redirected to the banking apps that I already use on my phone to give Monarch permission to see certain information about my accounts including balances and transactions. 

Once you’ve connected your accounts, you can personalize alert preferences including when you make a transaction or deposit over a certain amount, when you’ve exceeded your budget, when transactions need to be reviewed, when recurring merchants are detected, etc. You can also skip this step and manage your alerts later. 

You can learn more about connecting your bank accounts to Monarch Money here.

Customizing Categories

After you’ve added your bank accounts, you can customize your categories. 

Customizing categories tells Monarch how you’d like to label and organize your income (including paychecks, interest and more), expenses (including donations, auto, housing, bills, travel, food and more) and transfers (including credit card payments and balance adjustments). 

You can customize the symbol that appears next to these types of purchases, the category and group those purchases fall under, whether they should appear in your budget and whether they should have a “rollover fund” that carries over remaining balances to the following month.

You can learn more about creating and customizing categories on Monarch Money here.

Setting Goals

Creating a goal will help you better save for large future expenses such as an emergency fund, down payment, vacation, retirement or something else. You can also use the Goals tab to make a plan to pay down long-term debts including credit card debts, student loans, mortgages and more. 

If you choose more than one goal, you’ll be able to customize each goal’s priority level. Then, you can enter how much you’d like to save up for each goal. If you connect accounts associated with any current debts, Monarch will automatically determine how much is owed to pay it off. 

Once you’ve set your goal(s), you can choose how much you currently allocate to each of your goals. This amount will be added to your budget to help track your progress. Plus, if you’ve connected your accounts, you can easily see what your average savings have been over the most recent three months to help you better determine how much you’d like to allocate toward each goal. 

Once your goals are set up, you can customize them and track your progress through Monarch. 

You can learn more about setting goals on Monarch Money here.

Creating Your Budget

Linking your bank accounts, customizing your categories and setting goals are all important steps to take before creating your budget. Once all the previous steps are completed, it’s much easier to see how much money you actually have to budget after expenses and savings. 

In the “Budget” tab, click “Create My Plan” to get started. 

If you’ve connected accounts, Monarch will automatically predict and verify your monthly income as well as frequent expenses. Then, you can choose between a “Flex Budget” or “Category Budget.”

“Flex Budgeting” is a simpler approach to budgeting that allows you to focus solely on the amount of flexible cash you have each month (after set expenses and goals). According to Monarch Money, this type of budget is best for people who haven’t had success with traditional budgeting, who don’t want to get into the details of their spending, have big goals to save for and varying spending habits each month. You can learn more about setting up a Flex Budget on Monarch’s website.

Alternatively, “Category Budgeting” offers a more traditional approach. You’ll be able to assign a budgeted amount to every expense category including set expenses. According to Monarch Money, this type of budget is best for people who want to learn about and manage their spending, who are actively trying to cut overall spending and those who prefer cash envelope-based budgeting. You can learn more about setting up a Category Budget on Monarch’s website.

Other Features

Once you’ve completed all the steps to get started with Monarch Money, you can fully take advantage of all the available features. Here are a few that stood out to me while testing Monarch Money: 

• Cash Flow: Click the “Cash Flow” tab to see an overview of your income, expenses and savings by month, quarter or year. You can also see a breakdown of expenses by category, group or merchant.
• Recurring Expenses: If Monarch notices new recurring expenses or deposits, it will ask you to verify the amount and frequency to better predict your budgeting in the future. For me, it noticed that I signed up for Sling last month and had two new “recurring” charges.” This tab will then show you any upcoming recurring expenses each month as well as those that have already been paid. 
• Investments Portfolio: You can add investment accounts to analyze your portfolio performance across all of your holdings. Monarch allows you to easily track ETF, stock and cryptocurrency. 
• Your Household: Under “Your Household” (“Settings” from the desktop version), you can manage trusted household members to view and modify your household’s budget. This is a great way to manage your budget with a partner or financial planner.

3. How To Get the Most Out of Monarch Money

If you’re just getting started with Monarch Money, I recommend checking out this Getting Started guide on the company’s website. You’ll find a detailed article and video on how to set up your account in order to get the most possible benefit from the app or website.

After signing up for Monarch Money myself, here are my top five tips:

1. Follow Monarch’s “Getting Started” Checklist. When you first log into Monarch Money, you’ll see a “Getting Started” checklist on your dashboard. Set aside at least an hour to complete all four tasks. While it takes some time to set everything up, your monthly budget will be much more accurate after you do. Plus, this will lead to less manual adjustments after you start budgeting. 
2. Link As Many Accounts As Possible. This is the best way for Monarch to get the most accurate picture of your finances. You will have to log in to your bank accounts for this and give them permission to share data with Monarch. However, your login information is not stored and only grants Monarch “read-only” access. You can learn more about Monarch’s privacy and security practices here. 
3. Review Transactions Regularly. When Monarch pulls your income and spending data, it automatically categorizes the transactions based on the preferences you made while setting up your budget. However, it may make mistakes. For this reason, it’s important to regularly review your transactions and make sure they’re categorized correctly. You can learn more about reviewing and editing transactions on Monarch’s website.
4. Track Cash Spending. If you budget with cash, you can track your transactions manually with Monarch. This is a great way to get a complete picture of your spending habits and cash flow. You’ll need to add a manual “Cash” account to do so. You can learn more about managing cash transactions with Monarch here.
5. Customize Your Alerts. Whether you’re using the Monarch app or using Monarch’s website to track your budget be sure to set up notifications and alerts. This is a great way to get the most out of linking all your accounts in one place. Plus, Monarch makes it easy to customize your notifications.

For even more ways to get the most out of Monarch Money, visit the company’s website. There, you’ll find a huge selection of Product Feature Guides that cover lesser-known features and options. When I checked out the Product Feature Guides, here are a few that I found most helpful: 

• Transactions and Rules Tips & Tricks
• Tracking Recurring Expenses and Bills
• Understanding Your Budget in Monarch
• Budgeting for Couples
• Using Goals
• Manual Investment Holdings

You can check out all of Monarch Money’s Product Feature Guides here.

4. How Does Monarch Money Compare?

Compared to other budgeting apps, I found that Monarch Money provides the most customization when it comes to your monthly budget. While it takes some time to set up any budget, I found that Monarch Money was very simple to set up with a straightforward checklist of how to get started and how to get the most out of the service. Plus, as a paying subscriber, you’ll have access to all of the app/website’s premium features.

Still, it’s far from the only personal budgeting tool available. If you’ve been searching for the best budgeting tools, you’ve probably also come across competitors like Empower, Quicken, PocketGuard, YNAB and Honeydue.

Here’s a quick highlight of what to know about the features available with each of these budgeting tools: 

	Empower	YNAB	PocketGuard	Honeydue	Quicken	Monarch Money
Best for	Investments	Budgeting	Avoiding overspending	Budgeting with a partner	Premium features	Customization & Ease of Use
Free to use	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Ad-supported	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Track spending	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Monthly budget planner	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bill payment alerts	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free credit score	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Retirement planner	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Investment tracking	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

As you can see, all six budgeting apps offer a variety of different features that help you track your spending and net worth to build a practical budget. But they each specialize in different areas of your finances. 

Quicken is one paid alternative to Monarch Money that offers premium features focused on personal budgeting and investments. It’s slightly cheaper than Monarch Money at regular rates ($5.99-$7.99/month, billed annually) plus you can frequently find deals on your first year of service.

YNAB, like Monarch Money, is a paid option. YNAB has similar pricing: $14.99 monthly or $109 annually ($9.08/month). It’s an excellent resource if you need a strict monthly budgeting tool, though you’ll find far more features with Monarch including bill payment alerts, retirement planning and investment tracking. 

If you’re mostly focused on watching your investments or planning for retirement, Empower may be enough to meet your needs. Plus, unlike Monarch Money and Quicken, Empower is free to use.

For free alternatives, consider PocketGuard or Honeydue. PocketGuard automatically sets up a budget for you and categorizes your transactions in real-time. If you’re budgeting on your own and need these automated features to avoid overspending, PocketGuard may be a great free alternative for you. To manage your finances with a partner for free, I recommend trying out Honeydue.

5. Final Thoughts: Should You Pay for Monarch Money?

Budgeting is essential if you’re serious about reaching your financial goals, and Monarch Money provides everything you need to take control of your money. While you will have to pay for this personal finance tool, the features may be worth it. 

Before you subscribe to Monarch Money, here are a few questions to ask yourself first to help you determine whether or not it’s worth the price: 

1. Have you tried a free budgeting method? Whether it’s pen and paper, cash envelopes or a free budgeting app like Empower, PocketGuard or Honeydue, there are several ways to budget for free. However, not all of these methods include the premium features that you’ll get with Monarch. If free budgeting methods aren’t working for you, it may be time to pay for a premium budgeting tool like Monarch Money.
2. Are you willing to pay for a budgeting tool? Monarch Money offers a risk-free 7-day trial with full access to the software’s features. If you decide to keep the subscription once your trial ends, you can expect a monthly or annual charge. Monarch Money costs $14.99/month or $8.33/month when billed annually. However, if the budgeting tool is truly helping you manage your spending and savings, it can easily pay for itself.
3. Are you willing to invest time in setting up the software? Monarch Money includes a lot of great features to help you manage your finances, and compared to other budgeting tools, it’s very easy to use. However, if you don’t link your bank accounts, create goals, customize categories and set up your budget with intention when you get started, you won’t be able to use the software to its full potential. While you can always make changes later, taking the time to set up your Monarch Money account effectively will pay off in the long run!

If you can answer “yes” to each of these questions, Monarch Money is likely going to be worth the cost. Fortunately, new customers are eligible for a 7-day free trial before committing to a subscription.

If you do decide to start a free trial with Monarch Money, I recommend checking out the company’s excellent online resources including this getting started guide and these product feature guides to get the most out of the software.

Do you use Monarch Money or another personal finance tool to stay on budget? Tell us about your experience in the Clark.com Community.

The post Monarch Money Review: Is This Budgeting Tool Worth the Price? appeared first on Clark Howard.

Are you paying for too much internet speed in 2025?

We all want to have quick browsing and smooth streaming on our devices at home, so there’s definitely a “minimum speed” that you’ll want to buy to ensure that you’re getting quality service.

But money expert Clark Howard says many of us may have fallen victim to some shrewd marketing from the cable and phone companies that control much of the home internet access in the United States.

“They have been pushing higher and higher speeds, creating this perception in our minds that we need these faster and faster internet services in order to do all the things we want to do in our home,” Clark says. “And what do they do along with that? They keep moving the price per month higher and higher.”

So how do we take control back? Let’s look at some of Clark’s tips for getting the best value on your home internet plan.

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How To Save Money on Home Internet in 2025

We’ve established that many internet service providers are simply charging too much money in 2025. So what can you do about it?

Clark has some ideas for a self-assessment to see if you’re getting the most for your dollar.

1. Test Your Internet Speed for Free

First thing is first: Let’s find out what type of speeds you’re actually getting with your home internet.

Gathering this information will help you determine:

1. If you’re currently getting the speeds you’re paying to receive
2. If you’re paying for speeds that you don’t really need (more on that later)

Team Clark has an article to help with conducting this test properly. But, the short version is that there are several free speed tests available that you can use to get a sampling of the speeds at which your device is downloading and uploading content via your home internet.

These speeds are measured in Megabits per second, which is abbreviated as Mbps. Once you’ve reached 1,000 Mbps, you’re now receiving what’s called a Gigabit. This level of speed is often referred to as “gig internet” in marketing campaigns.

You’ll probably want to test with a few of the free tools and do it at various times of day (connectivity can vary based on outside variables) to get a true feeling for what you’re actually receiving.

Once you’ve determined an approximation of your current speed, start answering these questions in your head:

• Do the speeds I’m receiving match the speeds I’m paying my service provider to provide?
• Am I happy with the consistency of the performance of my home internet?
• Does my current setup support all of my household devices in use simultaneously?
• Am I able to stream all of the content I desire without buffering or interruption?

If your answer to any of the above is not a resounding “yes,” you may need to be shopping around for internet anyway.

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2. Consider Throttling Down Your Speed

Now that you have a realistic view of your current internet speed and how it’s meeting your needs, it’s time for an honest assessment.

Do you really need the gig speed you may be paying for?

Yes, it’s true that “faster is better” when it comes to internet download and upload speeds.

But, for the average person who just wants to stream Netflix and surf the internet at home, there’s a point of diminishing returns.

“Unless you’re a gamer, where you really have that need for enormous capacity, you’re fine at 300 Mbps,” Clark says. “You may even be fine at 100 Mbps. You can likely stream all you want at that speed.”

That may be hard to believe, but it’s usually true.

Team Clark has a list of the download speed requirements for most of the popular TV streaming services, and you may be surprised to learn that many of them require 10 Mbps or less to get a quality stream. Even high-data streaming in 4K usually only requires around 25 Mbps.

If that’s your top ask of your internet service, you may be able to dump gig pricing and not even notice.

At a minimum, you’ll want to check your existing provider’s pricing chart to see if you may be able to save some cash by asking them for a lower top-end speed.

But you may want to take this a step further and comparison shop with some of the emerging competitors in the space.

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3. Consider Leaving the “Usual Suspects” for Home Internet Service

The majority of homes receive high-speed internet through either a traditional cable or phone service provider.

For example, Comcast (doing business as Xfinity) and AT&T (offering Fiber internet) are two of the largest home internet providers in America. Clark says these two love hooking you in with promotional pricing on superfast internet speeds with the hope that you won’t bother to shop around once they start charging you full price.

You may have some emerging options in your area that could save you money.

First, for those of you who may still desire Gig-level speeds: Check to see if Google Fiber internet has made it to your area. Clark says they have a habit of undercutting the traditional providers by 20-30% once they move into a market. You can search by your address here.

But if you’ve followed the steps above and determined that you can survive with lower top-end speeds than you’ve been paying for, you may be able to save even more money by considering one of the wireless phone service providers who are now in the home internet space.

Two of Clark’s favorite choices in this space are Verizon and T-Mobile.

With prices as low as $35 per month for speeds of up to 300 Mbps, they could offer significant financial relief on your home internet bill.

Team Clark’s Dallas has reviewed both of these services here:

• Verizon Wireless Home Internet
• T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

These services don’t require a long-term contract, meaning you can test them out before canceling your existing service.

And, even if you don’t commit to one of them, you may be able to use them as leverage to get your existing provider to price match in an effort to keep your business.

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Do you have tips for saving money on internet? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.

The post Clark’s Tips To Save Money on Home Internet in 2025 appeared first on Clark Howard.

The Federal Reserve voted on Wednesday to cut the central bank’s effective interest rate by a quarter-point. It’s the third such rate cut this year, marking a combined 1% reduction. And the bank’s target rate now sits at 4.25% to 4.5%.

It seems like a big deal. Every major news outlet reports on any Fed interest rate movement. But why do interest rate cuts matter? What happens as a result? And how does this affect you and your wallet?

5 Reasons Why Interest Rate Cuts Matter

The Federal Reserve (or “the Fed”) exists to meet a “dual mandate” of maximum employment and stable prices (inflation). Manipulating interest rates is the Fed’s most powerful monetary policy tool.

If the economy sputters, it can cut rates to improve the job market and speed up economic activity. Cheaper money in the form of lower interest rates on mortgages and business and auto loans can help boost spending, employment and economic confidence.

Raising rates can help curtail economic activity and inflation over time as borrowing money and servicing debt becomes more expensive.

Here’s a partial list of the items that rate cuts impact (along with the inflation rate):

• Mortgage rates
• Auto loan rates
• Business loan rates
• Personal loan rates
• Savings account interest rates
• Certificate of Deposit (CD) interest rates
• Credit card interest rates
• Series I savings bond interest rates
• Annual Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) to Social Security

Now let’s run through the biggest reasons why interest rate cuts matter.

1. Sets a Baseline for Banks

Banks use the federal funds interest rate when they lend each other money daily.

Although individual members own credit unions, which in theory work in the best interests of its customers (its owners), banks are for-profit entities.

Banks want massive piles of money. The bigger the money pile, the more loans a bank can make in the form of mortgages, auto loans, personal loans and credit card loans.

That’s why banks offer interest on savings accounts and CDs. The banks want to incentivize you to hold your money with them, so they can turn around and lend that money to someone else at a higher rate.

If a bank can access funds at, say, 4.25%, it has little incentive to offer you a 4.5% interest rate on your savings. If it needs more dollars to make loans, it can just borrow from other banks at a cheaper rate.

2. The Price of Borrowing Money and Debt Management

In general, lower Fed interest rates reduce the cost of borrowing.

Lower rates can lead to spending more on big-ticket items such as houses, vehicles and small businesses. In turn, that can stimulate the economy.

So if economic activity is too slow, the Fed can cut interest rates to attack that problem.

The same goes for managing debt with variable interest rates. Credit card debt is a good example of that. Many factors determine the exact rate you pay on each credit card. But Fed interest rates influence the general trend. Rate cuts lead to lower interest rates on your running credit card balances.

The shorter the timeframe on a loan, the more impactful a rate cut will be. For example, a bank offering a 30-day CD must adjust quickly to any interest rate cut. And it must make sure the rate it offers makes sense in light of the Fed rate.

However, a fixed-rate 30-year mortgage must take into account the interest rate outlook for years and even decades into the future. So a single quarter-point rate cut may not have much impact vs. the broader intermediate- and long-term economic outlook.

Overall, cheaper money means more consumer spending and more business investment.

3. Stock Market Impact

Depending on who you listen to, the stock market is brutally efficient or sometimes totally irrational.

In theory, in the long term, a company’s stock price should reflect its revenues, profits and future outlook.

Markets love predictability. Being able to know and project variables such as interest rates and the pace of consumer spending makes it much easier to project the future outlook of a specific business.

Some speculated that’s why the Fed slashed another quarter-point off the interest rate despite inflation creeping up to 2.7% again in November.

The Fed’s stated goal for the inflation rate is 2.0% year-over-year. And generally, you raise rates to counter inflation and slow spending down.

Also, when fixed-income investments and savings interest rates are lower, more people seek out the potential for higher returns by investing in the stock market.

4. Consumer and Business Confidence

With a somewhat decent job market and inflation threatening to reach 3% again, one may expect that the Fed should hike rates, not cut them.

But market expectations are important. If the Fed defied all expectations, did a 180 and suddenly started hiking rates again, it likely would crush consumer confidence and may even inspire some stock market panic selling. Rate cuts also help boost consumer confidence and signal that the Fed is acting to support the economy.

Sometimes the comments that the Federal Reserve chairman (currently Jerome Powell) makes at the end of Fed meetings can impact the stock market more than the decision to raise, cut or hold rates. Because it gives insight into the future outlook.

The Fed often tries to signal what its next move could be based on the current information so that the market and consumers aren’t shocked.

5. Exchange Rates

Interest rate cuts can cause the dollar to depreciate as investors seek higher returns elsewhere. A weaker dollar can boost exports by making them cheaper for foreign buyers.

However, that’s assuming that rate cuts happen in a vacuum. Often many of the world’s biggest central banks are moving in the same direction (all cutting rates or hiking rates on a similar timeline, for instance). So the dollar’s relative strength may not be impacted much if the United States is following the same path of other major economic powers.

Final Thoughts

Inflation in the United States topped the stated 2% goal in March 2021 (2.6%). At the time, media reports and officials believed inflation was transitive.

But after peaking at 9.1% in June 2022, it has proved stickier than almost anyone imagined at the time — and in fact is 0.1% higher than it was in March ’21 even 45 months later.

Still, the Fed made a third consecutive interest rate cut, dropping rates by a combined 1% during that time. We’re entering a period of much greater uncertainty in ’25 — politically and economically.

It’s much less clear what the Fed will do moving forward, and it probably will depend on what happens with inflation in the coming few months.

Hopefully, I’ve helped you understand what happens when the Fed cuts interest rates, how it matters economically, and how it may affect you.

The post Why Interest Rate Cuts Matter appeared first on Clark Howard.

Tello Mobile (Team Clark’s Review) has introduced a new unlimited plan: Unlimited Plus. The new plan costs $35/month and includes 45GB of high-speed data before reduced speeds. 

In this article, I’ll take a closer look at Tello Mobile’s newest unlimited plan including what you’ll get for the price and how it compares to other affordable unlimited phone plans. 

Tello Mobile’s Newest Plan: Unlimited Plus

Until now, Tello Mobile’s top-tier plan was the “Unlimited Data” plan that includes 35GB of high-speed data plus 5GB of mobile hotspot for $25/month. This plan is still available. However, this month, Tello introduced an even better unlimited plan: Unlimited Plus.

Unlimited Plus costs $35/month for one line (plus taxes and fees) when purchased with unlimited minutes. Here’s what you’ll get with Tello Mobile’s newest plan:

• Unlimited talk and text
• 45GB of high-speed data followed by unlimited data at reduced speeds
• Access to T-Mobile’s 5G network
• Typical download speeds: 79-357 Mbps (5G); 13-61 Mbps (4G)
• 10GB of mobile hotspot data
• Free calls to 60+ countries
• Wi-Fi calling

To get this plan, visit Tello Mobile’s website and select “Unlimited Plus.” Before you decide to make the switch, be sure to also read my full Tello Mobile review here. 

Tello Mobile: An Affordable T-Mobile MVNO

If you aren’t familiar with Tello, it’s an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) that uses T-Mobile’s network to deliver service to its customers at a major discount. If you have service in your area from T-Mobile, you’ll likely also be covered by Tello.

Other resellers and MVNOs that use T-Mobile’s towers include Mint Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, US Mobile, Google Fi Wireless and more. 

Compared to T-Mobile itself, you’ll find an excellent price with Tello’s phone plans. T-Mobile’s unlimited postpaid plans start at $50 for one line (Essentials Saver with an autopay discount). While you’ll get more high-speed data and additional postpaid benefits, you’ll find a much better price with Tello’s $25 Unlimited plan (35GB of high-speed data per month) and the newest $35 Unlimited Plus plan (45GB of high-speed data per month). 

Compared to other prepaid plans, Tello Mobile’s prices are still competitive. This is especially true when it comes to unlimited phone plans with 35-45GB of high-speed data. To compare, here are a few other unlimited plans from other affordable providers on T-Mobile’s network:

• Mint Mobile (Review): New customers can get an unlimited plan with 40GB of high-speed data for $15/month for the first three months. For a limited time, new customers can get the same plan for $180 for 12 months of service. At regular rates, the same plan costs as low as $30/month when prepaid annually.
• US Mobile (Review): Monthly unlimited plans begin at $25 for 35GB of premium data with Unlimited Starter. When prepaid annually, the same plan costs $270 ($22.50). Choose the “Light Speed” network to access T-Mobile’s towers.
• Metro by T-Mobile (Review): Single-line accounts that port an existing phone number can get an unlimited 5G plan with 35GB of high-speed data for $25/month. Regular single-line unlimited plans with 35GB of high-speed data begin at $50/month online with autopay, but multiline discounts are available.
• Google Fi Wireless (Review): Simply Unlimited typically costs $50/month for one line and includes 35GB of high-speed data. However, now through January 7, new customers can bring their own phone and get the same plan for $25/month the first six months.

Be sure to check out our full Tello Mobile review before you purchase a plan. If you’re still hesitant to make the switch, I recommend trying out Tello Mobile’s 1GB plan for a month before you cancel your current cell phone service and purchase an unlimited plan. Then, you can test out the service in your area for only $9 before committing. 

If you do decide to switch to Tello Mobile, be sure to also check out our step-by-step guide to switching cell phone service providers.

Will you be switching to Tello’s newest Unlimited Plus plan? Let us know in our Clark.com Community!

The post Tello Mobile: New Unlimited Plus Plan for $35/Month appeared first on Clark Howard.