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4 cruise line secrets revealed

4 cruise line secrets revealed
Cruises are one of the most relaxing vacations replete with fun. And there is a range of things that cruise lines would rather not tell you? Since most cruise lines are sales-based, profit is one of their important motives. There are quite a few tricks up their sleeve devised to encourage you to spend more. To save you from these traps, here are four cruise secrets you should know before you book your next cruise. All-inclusive packages are not all-inclusive Most all-inclusive packages only include room stay and meals cost. Beverages, tips, shore excursions, internet, activities, and dining outside the dining area are chargeable. Some cruise lines also charge for room service. So, read all the terms to know hidden and additional charges. Cruises are not crime-free Big cruise lines keep a tight watch on crime, but sometimes bad things can happen. Cruise lines are not required to report thefts of less than $10,000, so not everyone knows much about the rate of petty crimes. However, you should always be careful of your surroundings. For safety, do not carry valuables items on vacation. Some cruise liners have a prison or a “brig” to lock up unruly passengers, later handed over to port authorities.

5 easy steps to make a successful VA loan application

5 easy steps to make a successful VA loan application
Veterans or those on active duty can avail of VA loans for any financing purposes. The federal government guarantees these loans. However, to get them, there are specific steps to be followed for successful application. These steps include everything from looking for the best VA loan lenders to maintaining a stable credit score. Here are a few easy steps to make a successful loan application for veterans. 1. Get preapproval for the VA loan With preapproval, you can determine your budget. This process involves telling your VA loan lender about your homebuying goals, employment history, and military service. Some documents required during this process include copies of your driver’s license, DD-214 or Guard/Reserve points statements, recent pay stubs, and bank statements. 2. Look for VA-approved loan lenders Always shop for a lender who is an active participant in the VA loan program. The best VA loan lenders would offer several options and deals. The deals generally differ based on discount points, interest rates, and VA closing costs. If you face any difficulty, a loan officer can help you find the right VA loan lender. 3. Get an eligibility certificate A certificate of eligibility or COE is proof that you have met all the eligibility criteria for the VA loan.

3 common banking scams and how to avoid them

3 common banking scams and how to avoid them
According to data by the Federal Trade Commission, banking scams have increased by 70% between 2020 and 2021. Although bank security and technology have been rapidly evolving to keep accounts safe, this unprecedented rise in crimes is a matter of concern. Staying aware of some frequently reported frauds can help one steer clear of them and keep their money safe. Here are three of the most common banking scams and how to avoid them. Phishing scams Unfortunately, with the boom in online banking, there has also been a rise in online phishing scams. Here, the scammer sends a message or an email that looks like it is from the bank. These messages ask for immediate action and dangle the threat of account closure. They may also include a link to a website designed to look like the bank’s official website, but it is actually a front for gaining access to one’s account information. With access to this information, scammers and fraudsters can withdraw funds from any account. To avoid these scams, individuals must exercise extreme caution when opening messages received from unknown sources. If in doubt, double-check with the bank before clicking on any links. Automatic debit scams When scammers gain access to one’s banking information (including the account and routing number), they can set up routine, automatic payments to themselves in the same way that payments for subscription services are debited.

5 mistakes to avoid when buying a foreclosed home

5 mistakes to avoid when buying a foreclosed home
A bank forecloses on a home for various reasons, including if one cannot pay the agreed mortgage amounts. The property is then sold to other individuals to recoup the investment. Buying this type of home is a perfect opportunity for someone to own their dream home, especially since the bank may sell it at a lower price to balance its losses. However, various things must be considered to ensure a smooth transaction, including avoiding these five mistakes. 1. Failing to get a home inspection done A thorough check will reveal any issues with the property that the bank in charge of the sale is unaware of. Common problems include damage, intentional neglect by previous owners, foundation leaks and cracks, and electric and plumbing trouble. Therefore, an early inspection will help one notify the bank of these problems so they are resolved before the sale. 2. Neglecting local laws The laws for buying a foreclosed home will differ from one state to another. Therefore, understanding local and federal laws in the region will help one better understand the legalities of purchasing a home. Neglecting local laws could result in one signing up for terms that will cost them a lot of money in the long run.

5 ways to avoid concert ticket scams

5 ways to avoid concert ticket scams
Concert tickets sell out quickly and sometimes within minutes of announcing the event. The more popular an artist is, the harder it becomes to buy tickets, either online or in person. This is when scammers swing into action and launch a barrage of lucrative offers. Some tickets are sold for dirt-cheap prices, some are duplicates, and mostly these are just schemes to swindle people out of their hard-earned cash. Here is how you can avoid getting scammed. Check minute details Scammers sell tickets with a fake barcode or serial number for the registered event. This is hard to spot, but you need to know that these details won’t appear randomly on the ticket. Look for printing mistakes, invalid QR code scanners, and details that stand out. You can easily verify the authenticity using apps you can download to check barcodes. Don’t pay third parties Scammers usually have a third-party payment or merchant banking service to collect the sale proceeds. With third-party portals, there is no way to get your money back once it’s processed. When buying tickets online, make a payment once you confirm that the ticket money is being processed by the authorized online partners registered with the event.

3 quick and easy ways to repay loans

3 quick and easy ways to repay loans
While loans offer quick access to money, repaying them can be challenging. For many, debts feel like an unshakeable monkey on their backs. Additionally, if one fails to repay loan installments per the agreed schedule between them and their lender, the interest and penalties keep spiraling upward. To avoid this and other similarly nasty outcomes, repaying loans quickly and early is incredibly necessary. Here are some ways to achieve quick and easy repayment of loans: Making bi-weekly payments Usually, loan installment schedules are geared toward monthly repayments. However, one can speed up this process and simplify it by making the payments bi-weekly. All one needs to do is submit a half-payment of each weekly installment. This approach has multiple benefits. Firstly, as the payments are carried out more frequently, the interest rates do not accrue and grow with time. Additionally, breaking down the installment amounts make them smaller and easier to pay off. Additionally, by making about 26 half-payments annually, one shortens the life of their loan by a few months or even years. For example, using this approach on a 30-year mortgage can reduce its span to about 26 years. Refinancing personal loans Refinancing is the process where people can change the interest rate or terms of their current mortgage.

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Website building with Square Online

Square Online provides e-commerce tools and services to help businesses set up an online store. Business owners can easily build a new website with the Square and begin selling their products. If your growing newly venture needs an e-commerce scale-up, you can create a fully functional digital store in minutes. Let’s look at what you can avail with a Square Online website. Features you’ll get with a Square website When you create a webpage with the Square website builder, you’ll be able to choose marketing features, interface customisation, and social media integration. The integrative features like syncing with Square POS lets you create an e-store that is set for growth, aling with the option of setting up contactless pay options for seamless transactions. Moreover, Square Online has a to-the-point dashboard that has great analytics so that you can easily map a customer’s journey on the site. The best part is that you don’t need any coding experience to set up a website with Square Online; it’s easy, quick, and efficient. Square website building costs If you want to simply try the platform to see if it works for your business, start by building a website for free with Square Online. There’s one condition though: you have to pay when you make a sale. Square will take 2.9% + 30¢ for every purchase made. There are other options too. like Professional, Performance, and Premium. We particularly like the Performance set up because it is economical at around $26 per month. And you get to publish customer reviews on the site and send emails to potential buyers who have abandoned their carts. The Premium option is the most expensive set-up costing around $72 per month, but you get additional cost-cutting features. Good alternatives to Square Online While Square Online has amazing features, it is not the only option for setting up an online store.

Popular DIRECTV packages to avail of

DIRECTV deals on TV packages are quite popular among customers looking for affordable and reliable television services. This service provider is known to offer great value for money with their innumerable plans. Moreover, several DIRECTV promotions are offered with these sometimes. No matter the budget, there is something for everyone. Here are a few popular TV packages from DIRECTV. Entertainment Package Reasonably priced at around $64.99 per month, the Entertainment package included a total of 160 channels. These include channels for sports enthusiasts and customer favorites such as Fox Sports, ESPN, and ESPN2. In addition, this package also offers channel premium preview for three months. This feature is often a part of DIRECTV promotions. Moreover, customers can access more than 40,000 titles on demand. Choice™ Package At just around $69.99 per month, customers get a blockbuster DIRECTV promotion deal with the Choice™ package, which includes more than 185 channels. What’s more is that there is a premium channel preview thrown in as well. In addition, there are more than 45,000 titles available on demand. Along with this, customers get 2021 season’s NFL Sunday ticket. Plus, a one-year subscription of HBO Max™ is often an added plus as a DIRECTV promotional offer! Ultimate Package Customers get access to a whopping 250 channels and more with this DIRECTV promotion deal on TV package. Called the Ultimate package, it is priced are around $84.99 per month. There is an additional Regional sports fee as well. This package has more than 55,000 tiles on demand along with access to tons of films with Starz Encore and the Movie channel. In addition, there is three-month premium channel preview as well. Also, the Ultimate Package offers 2021 season’s NFL Sunday ticket as well as one-year subscription of HBO Max™, which is a DIRECTV promotional offer. Premier™ Package For those who want premier and open access to all DIRECTV deals on TV packages, the Premier™ package is the right choice.

Essential CMS and CRM software to grow businesses

Business owners indefinitely look for ways to outrun the competition with the content on their websites. A CMS (content management system) software helps create, manage, and update these websites regularly. It also acts as a foundation for an online presence. For those in search of a viable cloud-based CMS software, here are three efficient options. WordPress Based on PHP and MySQL, WordPress allows a business to create a feature-packed blog or website. The website can consist of videos, images, written content, or other things suitable for a business. It offers users full access to their theme store, unlimited storage space, and a custom domain at cost-effective prices. Magnolia The cloud-based CMS software works best for businesses that require websites to execute any task. Magnolia allows the integration of e-commerce, analytic, social media, marketing automation, ERP, and even CRM. One can always add in these features as the business evolves. Weebly Weebly is a CMS that is easy to use and allows respective businesses to set up a simple website within minutes. It also sports a drag-and-drop format that enables its users to add or remove media and features to their website with ease. What’s noteworthy is that CMS is not the same as CRM (customer relation management). However, the two can complement each other. CRM software allows businesses to improve sales and monitor customer relationships, among other features. Here are three cost-effective CRM software to pick from. Zoho CRM Zoho enables users to get a 360-degree view of their business. It also allows them to track essential sales and marketing opportunities while increasing their conversion rate. The platform is host to over 150,000 customers globally. Further, the software has stellar features, including an AI-powered sales assistant, price and quote generation, and process management. Nimble Nimble, simple by its digital nature, can function within the G-Suite inbox or Office 365.

Benefits of wet and dry cat foods

If you’re a cat parent, you’d already be aware of their eating habits. Cats prefer a variety of meals in small proportions. No wonder we find them grazing over their bowls time and again. Although, if you’re new to the concept of wet and dry foods for cats, dive right in, for we’ve got something for you. There are benefits of serving both wet and dry foods to felines. Mainly because, unlike dogs, they’re difficult to please, and one can’t trick them into things they don’t like. If your cat is a fussy eater, they may enjoy wet food better. Find out the benefits of the best dry and wet cat foods. Benefits of dry cat food While dry cat food is convenient to store and serve, cats may throw tantrums if served the same food every day. However, dry cat foods help maintain their dental health by preventing the buildup of tartar. Dry foods are also the best way to get the cat to chew its food, exercising its jaws. These foods are ideal when cats are suffering from diarrhea as it helps add bulk to their stool. Some best dry cat foods that are readily available in every kitchen include: Cooked sweet potatoes Beef Pork Lamp Dark meat chicken Cooked carrots Banana Green beans/ asparagus/ broccoli (steamed) Melon Spinach Pumpkin Peas Benefits of wet cat food Wet cat food has a potent aroma and taste, making it ideal for fussy eaters. Cats have a stronger sense of smell than taste, and that’s why they tend to lean more towards foods with a fresh aroma. Additionally, wet food is a great way to keep your feline friend hydrated, especially when they don’t consume adequate fluids in a day. Wet cat food helps induce digestion and prevents constipation. It also helps keep stomach issues at bay.

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6 best upcoming Viking Ocean Cruises in 2021-2022

6 best upcoming Viking Ocean Cruises in 2021-2022

It’s no secret that Viking Ocean Cruises is one of the best cruise lines to enjoy a luxurious cruise vacation with your friends or family. Their fleet of state-of-the-art ocean ships takes you to the most exotic destinations around the world. This article looks at some of the best upcoming Viking Ocean Cruises sailings in 2021-2022, along with Viking cruise deals and airfares. Panama Canal and Central America If you want to explore rich Caribbean diversity, this ocean cruise is the perfect opportunity. It’s a 15-day Florida roundtrip cruise that takes you to seven gorgeous countries, including Panama, Jamaica, Honduras, and Mexico, among others. Pricing: Cruise fare starts from $4,299. With Viking’s Special Cruise Savings deal, you can save up to $300 on airfare. You can also save up to $500 on basic accommodation (Veranda). Departure dates: 26th November and 10th December Los Angeles, California, to London Witness the diverse landscapes of Oahu (Honolulu), Kauai (Nawiliwili), Bora Bora, New Zealand, Tasmania, and Brisbain, among other places. This 119 days cruise could be a vacation of a lifetime for you and your family. It departs from Los Angeles, California, and its last stop is in Tilbury, London, which lasts for two days.
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Oil change coupons for your Ford Motor

Oil change coupons for your Ford Motor

Frequent motor servicing is expensive, but a Ford engine needs regular oil changes to keep it functioning optimally. Luckily, many dealerships offer coupons for a discounted oil change. Depending on your car model, your engine will require either synthetic, semi-synthetic, regular, or premium oil. Once you know the type of oil that needs to be replaced, look for a service center that has it, and check out these coupons for your Ford motor. These will make an oil change a lot more affordable. The Works® Package coupon Almost every Ford dealership is familiar with the popular Works® package coupon. With this deal, you get six quarts of Motorcraft® oil, which is a high-quality synthetic blend. The costs differ depending on if the vehicle needs premium oil; it will cost something around an additional $30 dollars. If you want to avail of this offer, get in touch with a local dealership and ask them if they accept this particular Ford Motors coupon for oil change. The Works® Package also includes brake inspection, battery test, and filter check, along with oil replacement. Santa Margarita Ford Express Service Santa Margarita Ford, based in California, is an automotive venture that specializes in Ford motor servicing.
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