Bank Overview: Capital One

By: Jason Steele

09/07/2011

Over the next few days, I will be taking the big picture approach to examining credit cards. By looking at the major banks and the cards they offer, I hope to provide a comprehensive analysis of card offerings. Today, I am starting with Capital One, which is certainly one of the largest card issuers in the United States.

Personal Cards

Capital One currently offers no less than twelve different products directed at consumers. Their newest card is their Cash card that offers 1% cash back along with another .5% at the end of the year. Their next most valuable rewards cards are the Venture Rewards and the VentureOne card. These products offer 2% and 1.25% in “miles” that can be redeemed for travel credits at the rate of one cent each. The Venture card has an annual fee of $59 (waived the first year) while the Venture One card has no annual fee. The travel rewards come as a statement credit against any travel related expense. Next up on their reward card list is the Cash Rewards card (not to be confused with the new “Cash” card). it offers 1% cash back on all purchases, with 2% on gas and groceries. There is a $39 annual fee that is not waived the first year. Other rewards cards include their offering co-branded with Orbitz and MTV. These cards offer points for all purchases as well as additional rewards for transactions with their affiliate.

Capital One also offers two special rewards cards. There is their Journey student rewards product that offers 1% cash back and an additional 25% bonus on the cash back when you pay your bill on time. The Cash Rewards card for Newcomers is aimed at new immigrants and offers 1% cash back on all purchases, and 2% cash back on travel. Neither of these cards has an annual fee.

Non-Rewards Cards

Outside of the rewards card market, Capital One offers their Platinum line of cards that are aimed at people with average credit. The plain Platinum card has a 24.9% variable interest rate and a $19 annual fee that is waived the first year. The Classic Platinum has a $39 annual fee but a lower 17.9%–22.9% variable APR. They also offer a 0% introductory APR seven months. Finally, the Platinum Prestige card offers a longer introductory 0% APR for 15 months, then a 10.9%–18.9% variable APR. There is no annual fee for this card. Capital One also offers its Secured MasterCard for people with rebuilding credit. It has a 22.9% APR and requires a security deposit upon account activation.

Which Card Is Best For You?

Those who always pay their balance in full and on time should be looking to maximize their credit card rewards. Here Capital One offers many choices. Their new Cash card is a good product for people who do not charge enough each year to justify an annual fee, yet still earns 1.5%. This is superior to their VentureOne card that only returns 1.25% and then just as a statement credit against travel expenses, not as simple as straight cash back. For those who spend more than $4,000 a year, and travel occasionally, the Venture Rewards card makes the most sense with it’s phenominal 2% return rate. Other rewards cards in their lineup just can’t match that return.

For those who do tend to carry a balance, the lowest APR they can find is always the best. Applicants should look for the card they can qualify for within their Platinum range with the lowest APR.

Finally, I cannot mention Capital One without applauding the fact that none of their products charge the ubiquitous foreign transaction fees. This trend is picking up speed with other banks, but consumers should not forget that it was Capital One that has been the leader in this field.

Phone Hacking Equals Credit Card Hacking

By: Jason Steele

09/06/2011

Everyone was shocked recently by the phone hacking scandal at the News Of The World paper in England. The technical details involve using caller ID to fool the telephone company into thinking that an unauthorized caller is really calling form the victim’s phone. Since the voicemail system automatically allows access to the owner without a password, gaining access was easy, so long as you can spoof the caller ID system. Unfortunately, the caller ID system is about as secure as the return address on an envelope. Caller ID information is just a small piece of data in a telephone transmission that is easily manipulated by a number of products and services.

The Implications For Credit Cards

Like the vulnerable voicemail systems, banks often rely on your caller ID to partially authenticate you. Often, they will ask for the last four digits of your credit card or your zip code. This is where the vulnerability lies. The last four digits of your card are listed on your receipt, and can be easily memorized by anyone who comes into contact with your credit card. Your zip code is hardly private information either. Put this information together with your phone number, and anyone can spoof the bank’s system into authenticating your phone call and handing out all sorts of private information. How private? Are you seeing a medical specialist or a mental health professional? Do you want other people to know how much you spend or where you travel to? Although this information might be very boring in my case, other people can be very vulnerable to such an easy hack. Think of battered spouses, people in messy divorces, and, of course, celebrities and politicians. According to this article in Consumer World, Bank of American and Chase are the two major card issuers that are most vulnerable to this flaw.

What You Can Do

First, withhold as much information as possible. This means don’t give out your zip code or phone number to any merchant unless it is absolutely necessary. Protect all of your credit card receipts, as they contain the last four digits of your telephone number. I am not sure if it will work, but you can at least request that you bank fully authenticate you before divulging information as it may be possible for them to turn off the fast track authentication features that rely on your caller id. Now that caller ID spoofing is a well known phenomenon, we can expect it to be utilized by mainstream users like News Of The World, not just a small cadre of elite hackers. Every time you call a company, be it a bank or corporation offering some other service, be especially conscious of their use of your caller ID information in authenticating you before divulging your personal information.

Conclusions

Back in the time of War Games, hacking used to be the hobby of uber geeks with expensive computers and too much time on their hands. Today, everyone has a computer and people are becoming increasingly savvy on how to easily manipulate vulnerable systems to their advantage. By understanding vulnerabilities such as the caller ID spoof, you can better protect yourself and your information from malicious people.

Delta Announces New JFK Terminal Populated By Thin White Women In Short Skirts

By: Jason Steele

09/05/2011

Delta is the largest airline serving New York State. Notice how that title conspicuously excludes Continental/United’s hub in Newark, New Jersey. They have been expanding their presence rapidly at New York’s JFK Airport, but they have been hampered by some terrible facilities. There are stories abound about long waits for customs when arriving, and indoor waiting areas frequented by birds and their droppings. There are also horror stories about Delta’s staff being of a much lower caliber than those at their other hubs, to be polite about it.

Enter Delta’s New Terminal Four, And The Weird Video To Prove It

Delta has already announced that it will be demolishing their old Terminal 3 and reconstructing it as an addition to Terminal 4. They even put out an odd YouTube video with computer graphics. I don’t know where to begin analyzing this computer generated propaganda. First of all, it is hard to miss the lack of children, elderly, minorities, fat people, and even luggage (this is an airport, right?). The primary demographic seems to be thin white women in short skirts (not that there is anything wrong with them, certainly.) If this is representative of some place in the world, perhaps it is Sweden, but certainly not New York City. I am totally, serious, watch the video. I think they have one white guy working check in along with a dozen white women!

Political correctness aside, there are several substantive matters I take issue with. First, there are no lines for checking baggage, even at the non “Sky-Priority” check in counters. Yeah, right. Second, the voice over in the video proclaims that expanded customs and border patrol stations will make arriving from an international flight as easy as a domestic trip. Good grief! First, Atlanta has about 100 stations at their customs. The last time I arrived there, I had an hour wait as only about five were manned. Delta can build a terminal to house million government workers, but if it isn’t staffed properly (it never is), there will still be long lines. How we wish the delays with customs at airports around the country was merely caused a lack space. To be clear, Delta isn’t responsible for this issue, but they certainly can’t claim to solve it. Frankly, even if immigration was a breeze, travelers still have to claim and re-check their bags, and re-clear security. No matter how you slice it, it will still take much, much longer than a domestic transfer and it is crazy for Delta to claim that a new building, no matter how grandiose, will change that.

Conclusions

Delta travelers deserve a decent facility at JFK. They are finally going to get that, but it won’t be the ultimate terminal known to mankind. They will still have to staff it appropriately and hope that Customs does the same. At the very least, we can all watch their video, have a chuckle, and imagine the computer graphics replaced with the gritty reality that will always be a part of New York City.

Two New Mercedes Benz American Express Cards

By: Jason Steele

09/02/2011

It feels like it has been some time, months perhaps, since we have seen a new product emerge from American Express. Finally, the company has treated us to a pair of new cards co-branded with Mercedes Benz. Let’s take a look at what they are offering:

Mercedes-Benz Credit Card from American Express

Unlike other cards co-branded with automobile manufacturers, this card does not simply offer credit towards a new car or accessory purchases. Cardholders will earn Membership Rewards points for using this product, as well as other benefits from the car maker. One Membership Rewards point is earned for each dollar spent on most transactions plus 3 points for gas purchases and two points at restaurants. Cardholders can also earn 5 points per dollar spent at a Mercedes dealership. Other benefits include a $500 discount on the purchase or lease of a new car after spending $5,000. Those who lease will get an additional 1,000 excess miles waived at lease end. There is also a $50 reward certificate good for any Mercedes accessories when the cardholder renews each year. There is an annual fee of $95 for this card.

Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Mercedes-Benz

This is an interesting offering that is the first branded version of American Express’s flagship Platinum card that I am aware of. This is not like the Delta SkyMiles Platinum, this is an actual American Express Platinum card with all its exclusive benefits that happens to be co-branded with Mercedes. It features the same Membership Rewards plan of one point per dollar with five points per dollar spent at a Mercedes dealership. Oddly, it omits the extra points for gas and dining. It offers many, if not all of the benefits of their normal platinum card including the $200 annual airline credit and all of the airline lounge and hotel status programs. Cardholders get double the benefits of the standard Mercedes card; a $1,000 certificate towards the purchase or lease of a new Mercedes after spending $5,000 and 2,000 extra miles waived at lease end. The annual renewal certificate is also doubled to $100. Unfortunately, this card also has an annual fee similar to the Platinum card, $475.

Who Should Get This Card?

This card doesn’t offer much to people who do not own or aren’t planning on buying a new Mercedes. In fact, most benefits are best for people who will be buying one in the near term. In fact, if I was so un-frugal to buy a new Mercedes, yet frugal enough to want to get the best price, the Platinum card would be a no-brainer. I would get $1,000 off of the car for the $475 annual fee, plus enjoy all the perks of the Amex Platinum, which are significant. Of course, the coolest thing I could possibly do is to charge as much as possible of my new car purchase to this card. Let’s say a dealer let me put $10,000 of the price on this card. I would walk away with 50,000 Membership Rewards points. Those would be worth a minimum of $500 in cash back, or as much as two free domestic flights, or even more if I took advantage of one the bonus mileage promotions they are always running.

Mercedes Benz makes some nice cars, and if you have to have a new one, you should probably get this card first.

How Credit Card Interest Is Calculated

By: Jason Steele

09/01/2011

There are two different ways to use a credit card, as a method of payment or as both payment and finance. When you use a credit card, or a charge card, strictly as a method of payment you pay your bill in full and on time every month, avoiding all interest charges. When you also use your card as a method of finance, you are liable for interest, but it is not that simple.

How Interest Is Calculated

Most credit card issuers use the method called average daily balance. The name is somewhat self explanatory, but here is how it works. Let’s say you get a new card on September 1st. At the end of the month, say September 30th, your statement closes. Each day during that month, the bank’s computers multiply your current balance by the daily periodic rate, which is just your APR divided by 365. The amount of interest accrued each day is then added to your statement at the end of the day. There are two major companies, Bank of America, and Discover, that use daily compounding interest. That means they add your interest from the previous day to the balance the next day. Compounding interest is great for you when you have a savings or investment account, but it is only good for your bank when they use that method to calculate the interest that you owe.

Ok, so you have your statement that get’s mailed to you, in this example, in early October and is due later that month. If there was no previous balance, and you pay this statement in full, all the interest is forgiven. You have then essentially received a free loan by paying the entire balance in full within the “grace period.” Let’s say you charged $1,000 in September, but you chose to only pay $900 by the time your due date came around on October 25th. Your statement will then close again on October 30th and your new balance will include:

All the daily interest calculations from day 1, in this case September 1st, until October 30th, so essentially two months worth of interest.
The unpaid $100 left over from the September statement.
All of the new purchases made since the previous statement closing date on September 30th

Note that the daily balance will decrease by the amount of the payment on the day that the payment is credited to to the account.

How To Stop Paying Interest

To continue with our example, imagine that the credit card holder has decided to pay his or her entire balance in full on the October 30th statement. They issue a check or preferably an electronic payment for the entire balance including all interest charges listed on the statement from October 30th. Imagine this person is very careful to ensure that the entire payment is received by the due date, November 25th. On November 30th, the statement cycle closes again, and this person receives his or her November statement in the mail in early December. This statement will contain the following charges:

All new purchases since October 30th.
Interest on all purchases since October 30th.

Only by paying off the next statement, the November statement, received in December and due in January, will the interest charges go away. In fact, this person would have been wise to find out what their balance was on the day they were going to make the payment to ensure that the balance is paid in full and that they retain their grace period in the future.

Conclusions

You can see how not making a payment in full on purchases made in September could take until January before no more interest is owed. If you think that is bad, it could be worse. Before the credit card reform law was passed, the CARD Act of 2009, interest was calculated on the basis of double cycle billing. This used the average balance for the previous two cycles, which meant it would take even longer to retire any interest payments. Thankfully, the idea of paying interest on part of a balance that was already paid was determined to be so unfair that it is now illegal.

Maximizing Sign Up Bonuses And Your Credit Score

By: Jason Steele

08/31/2011

I get a lot of miles through sign up bonuses. I do so while maintaining a high credit score. How do I do it? I don’t sign up for eight cards with a 25,000 mile bonus, I sign up for two cards with a 100k bonus. In the case of Capital One’s match my miles promotion, I didn’t even have to sign up for a new account, I just asked them to change my existing card to the new Venture product.

What Applying For A Credit Card Does To Your Credit Score

To be blunt, not much. That is because signing up for a new card has both a positive effect and a negative one that cancel each other out. The positive effect is the increase in your available credit. While it doesn’t make sense that increasing your available credit will help your score, it actually does. That is because one component of your score is your credit utilization ratio. For a given amount of debt, the more credit that you have, the lower your utilization ratio. The negative effect is that your report will indicate that you have recently applied for new credit. One credit application, or hit, is negligible. It is hard to say, but even two or three recent hits will have, at worst, a very minor effect on your credit score. Not only that, but the key here is recent hits, so that any negative effects will be very temporary. This is in contrast to missing payment, foreclosures, and bankruptcies that have major and long lasting effects. Essentially, the negative hit is an artifact of the formula they use to calculate your credit score. The idea is that someone applying for a lot of credit in a short period could be in financial distress. The fact that you aren’t will become apparent when your credit utilization declines. A month or two later, your credit score will improve slightly to where it was before, or even better due to the effect of new credit on your ratio.

How I Approach It

Obviously, I am always looking for the best sign up bonuses. I know a lot about how credit scores are created, but my knowledge is not as exhaustive as others. Lately, I have been just applying to two or three new cards a year. That really isn’t much, and I have verified that my credit remains exemplary. One thing I try to do is restrict applications to the same bank. I don’t want too many hits on the largest banks, such as Chase, for fear they will release a new, killer offer that I won’t qualify for. Also, different banks check credit through different agencies, so I further spread my new applications around.

The Big Picture

Really the recent applications and the credit utilization ratios are each just one of several components that each make up only a tenth of your credit score. The big things are obviously to pay your bills on time, and not have too much debt. One could argue that if you follow those two rules, the rest is details. In fact, I am not even someone who religiously checks my credit score or subscribes to a credit monitoring service. That may make sense for people who have a lot of debt and/or are struggling to raise their scores, but not those factors do not apply to my situation.

Finally, there is no reason for people with good credit to obsess about their scores. Credit works off of ranges. If you are at the top level, above 740 or so, it doesn’t make a difference. You can’t get an A+++ by getting your score over 800. There is no difference in the interest rate, insurance rate, or job offer you will receive for a 820 score versus a 780 score. Yet it is important to have good credit, but there is no award for having the best score.

Reconsideration Works

By: Jason Steele

08/30/2011

My wife and I both applied for Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards business card. We did so during the recent promotion where there was a 50,000 points sign up bonus. Those points are worth $830 each towards any flight in the Wanna Get Away fare class. Actually, they were worth even more to us, since they will put us over the top to receive our last round trip awards in the old system as well as plenty of points left over for the new system. I was instantly approved, but she wasn’t. Later, she even got a rejection letter. Knowing that such a rejection letter is never the final answer, I had her call up Chase and ask them to reconsider her application.

The Call

She called them to explain how she was not sure why she was declined. She explained that she will be traveling more on business and was looking forward to using this card. The customer service rep was very friendly and agreed to look into the matter. To everyone’s surprise, it appeared that her application lacked some sort of information. After supplying that information, she was told that it would take a few more days for Chase to reach a decision. The next week, we received a notice that she had been approved!

The Lesson

Credit card companies are run, in part, by computers. Computers gather information from applicants and make the first decision. That decision is by no means final, and customers have nothing to loose by asking their bank to reconsider their application. The fact that Chase took several days to reach its decision is an indication that perhaps a human being looked over the application again. Being a good and long standing customer of Chase with a strong credit score, it made little sense that she was denied the application. Eventually, Chase got the information they needed and made the right decision.

What To Do

When you are rejected for a credit card, consider if that card is really the best one for you. If it is, you have nothing to loose for trying to get the bank to reconsider your application. Find their phone number for applications, or Google their reconsideration line. That way, you can talk directly with someone who has the authority to approve your application, n0t just someone who will simply confirm that you have been denied. Stress the reasons you need the card and highlight your relationship with that bank. Do not get combative or feel insulted. Remember that both you and the customer service representatives need to be on the same side in your efforts to satisfy the bank and their computers that you are indeed qualified. In the case of my wife, they were very helpful. Banks want to give you their credit card. They spend hundreds in sign up bonuses and advertising for each new customer. Give them every reason to say yes to you and they probably will.

Do Walk Up Fares Ever Make Sense?

By: Jason Steele

08/29/2011

Recently, a reader of mine came to me with a question. How could she find a cheap fare for her son to come home t0 Denver from Fort Polk Louisiana while on leave from the military. The problem was that she wanted to find a ticket for this weekend which is Labor Day. We quickly determined that Alexandria Louisiana was the only airport with commercial service within hours of her son’s location. I then consulted Wikipedia to determine that only three airlines offered services there; Delta, American, and United/Continental. A quick check showed that all three were charging in excess of $1,200 for this flight. Thanks for nothing guys!

The Challenge

As a travel expert, I refused to let this soldier and his family down, even while the airlines were happy to charge more for this flight than many trans-Atlantic trips. My next thought turned to miles, but they didn’t have any. With not nearly enough time to have them get a rewards credit card for a sign up bonus, I had to find some other way. It turns out miles was the key, specifically buying them. Right now, all the airlines (or their partners) serving Alexandria Louisiana have some kind of buy miles promotion going on. US Airways was offering a %100 bonus that would have been good for flights on United/Continental through Houston, but their partner award availability was non-existent. American Airlines had a mere 25% bonus, but their only awards were at the 50,000 mile level. In the end, it would have been over $1,000 to buy and book the miles, hardly much of a savings. Finally, I turned to Delta. They are also offering a %100 bonus off of their ridiculous rate of 3.5 cents per mile. Their only awards were at their “High” level of 60,000 miles, so it was still going to end up over $1,000.

The Transfer

Then it came to me. Delta is also running a promotion to transfer miles at a %100 bonus. Miles can be transferred at a rate of 1 cent per mile. This would also be absurd, but the promotion means that you are earning a mile per penny. My reader has two family members with Delta accounts who were happy to transfer 60,000 miles between their accounts, earn and earn an additional 60,000 miles, enough for the award flight. They then booked the award flight as a gift. The end result was that $600 was spent, plus another $60 in fees (Delta charges a $30 processing fee on each transfer, with a maximum of 30,000 miles per transfer, so we had to do two transfers), plus $10 in taxes, $670 total, about half what the ticket would have cost.

What Is The Point Of Walk Up?

It always disgusts me that the airlines use their monopoly pricing to gouge customers on last minute tickets. What’s even more strange is that travel experts can circumvent these rip-off fares simply by purchasing miles. I know that people will still buy these fares for business travel that is being reimbursed by companies and clients (who would use their miles when someone else is paying). Yes, I understand the complex supply and demand principals at work, but there will always be something nefarious about a business that charges several times their own price when they know they have the customer right where they want them. Every time the airline industry looks at why they are held in such dismally low esteem by the general public (#8 most hated according to this poll), they would be wise to start looking at the “walk up” fare when seeking answers.

New Capital One Small Business Card

By: Jason Steele

08/25/2011

Capital One is continuing to up the ante on cash back rewards cards, this time with a new small business offering. They just released their new Business No Hassles Cash Premier card that is offering 2% cash back on all purchases. Regular readers will know it is a rare card that will offer 2% on all purchases. Schwab Bank used to offer such a card, but no longer does. Capital One’s own Venture Rewards card provides the next best thing, 2% back as a statement credit towards any travel expense. This new card negates the travel requirement and just gives you the cash.

Some Details

There is a sign up bonus of $100 when you spend $1,000 in the first three months, and another $50 if you add an authorized cardholder to your account in the first 60 days. This card offers a host of small business features such as online quarterly and year end expense reporting. Of course, there are no foreign transaction fees, but there is an annual fee of $59 that is waived the first year. There is a non-Premier version of this card that offers 1.25% cash back with no annual fee.

What’s Going On?

These cards seem very close to the Venture Rewards and Venture One cards offered to consumers. In fact, there is a Venture Rewards card for business that they do offer. While the Venture cards offer 1.25% and 2% cash back as a statement credit towards travel, the Business No Hassles Cash card just gives you the cash. In a way, this is like their consumer Cash card, but that card offers .5% of the cash back only as an annual bonus.

Where Is This Going?

Capital One is dancing around the 2% number and is marking it as the figure to beat. It is not hard to imagine their competitors scrambling to match this in the coming months, especially in their business lines. When Schwab did this a few years ago, nobody else bit, other than Fidelity. It seems as if the major banks looked at that card as a niche offering, and eventually it proved to be unsustainable. This Cap 1 product is a mainstream product aimed at anyone who wants to call themselves a business. It will be interesting to see how the larger market responds.

Update To When Flights Go Bad

By: Jason Steele

08/24/2011

Last week, I told you about the situation a relative of mine faced when she arrived in Philadelphia to find out that her connection to Providence was cancelled. Worse, she was only put on standby for the next two departures. In case you were concerned, she did ultimately make it to Providence that night. She arrived too late for her dinner there, but was able to enjoy the weekend.

Can You Get A Flight On Another Airline?

One of the things I recommended to her was that she try to get her airline, US Airways to put her on another airline to get her there. She told me she had already asked them, but that she was told that because the delay was weather related, the could not endorse her ticket to another airline. In fact, the situation was more complicated than that. First, there was no way that US Airways would put her on a connecting flight from Philadelphia, her intermediate city to a destination as close Providence. Even if they did, she should never accept it, there is just too many things that can go wrong. Therefore, that leaves only non-stop flights. Other than US Airways, only one other airline will fly her non-stop from Philly to Providence, Southwest Airlines. The problem with that was two-fold. First, Southwest did not have another flight until about the same time as the US Airways flight that she was eventually confirmed on, so there was no time advantage. More importantly, Southwest, like many other discount carriers, does not have agreements with the legacy airlines to accommodate displaced passengers. Think of it like two countries that don’t have diplomatic relations; The US Airways personnel can’t just call up the Southwest embassy and request asylum for their displaced passenger.

Nevertheless, I did think it was odd that the airline staff told her they couldn’t endorse her ticket to another airline because it was a weather delay. First, the weather delay excuse was, at best, only partially true. This fact was as clear as the blue skies in Philadelphia that day. The aircraft needed had suffered a delay earlier when attempting to depart Raleigh, so the airline just decided to cancel the Philly-Providence leg and proceed straight to Providence, according to my sources. It could operated the flight late or used a spare aircraft, but it chose not to. My suspicion at the time was that the US Airways rep in Philly was just trying to get rid of my relative, and saying “can’t do it, weather” seemed like the more simple and defensible excuse over “we don’t have a reciprocal agreement with Southwest to re-accomodate passengers when irregular operations (IROPS) ocurs.” Who can argue with the weather, right?

Her Return Flight

The next day, she was returning to Atlanta, again via Philly on US Airways. Unsurprisingly, there were again weather delays. Essentially, any time there is weather anywhere in the United States that US Airways flies, your flight is likely to be delayed or cancelled due to “weather”, according to Un Scheduled Airways, regardless of how nice it is at your origin and your destination. The delay was such that she would have missed her connection, the last flight out of ~~Saigon~~ Philly and had to overnight there at her own expense. After failing to consult me before deciding to fly US Airways, she at least made the right move in calling me for advice. I told her to beg them to endorse her ticket over to Delta for their non-stop flight to Atlanta leaving in an hour. (She didn’t book that flight initially because Delta was charging double what US Airways was, something our friends in Atlanta love to do when they have the monopoly on a non-stop route.) This time, she encountered a helpful US Airways rep who was happy to offload his problems on Delta. Despite another delay, she slept in her own bed that night, not a Philadelphia airport motel.

Conclusions

Clearly, it is a good idea to avoid connecting on US Airways though Philadelphia. If you have the choice, Charlotte is a better option as you can avoid the delay ridden Northeast corridor. Also, when flying the majors, keep in mind alternative flights on airlines with reciprocal agreements. If you are told it can’t be done, try again with a different agent or over the phone. There are usually more than one way to get your destination, and passengers often have to find it themselves.