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Mobile apps offer last-minute deals

By WTOP Staff

STACY A. ANDERSON
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — While new technology and mobile applications have made old- fashion road trips easier, the thrill of spontaneity and surprise still remains. If travelers are flexible, apps can offer ease with last-minute deals, especially good for day trips and overnight stays.

Need a hotel room immediately? There’s an app for that. Or for a quick turnaround– when you just need a space to rest for a few hours_there’s an app for that too.

Here are three handy apps for mobile device users that I often use on weekend trips from Washington, D.C., to the Big Apple, which can be used for other destination cities.

HOTELTONIGHT

HotelTonight offers discounted rooms at more than 10,000 hotels in nearly 400 destination cities including Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston to international hotspots like London, Paris and Barcelona. Reservations are for the night of the day you select the discounted rate and can be booked up to five nights.

The app recently launched Express Check-in, which allows guests to immediately pick up their keys at the front desk without a lengthy process. This zip feature is only available for select hotels using the app on iPhones, and will roll out to Android users later this month.

Over a recent holiday weekend in New York– when locals often vacate the city and tourists take over– HotelTonight still offered substantial deals, especially for the early worm checking the app when new postings go live at 9 a.m. Rooms can be booked until 2 a.m.

For example, the Element by Westin in Times Square, a solid-rated Starwood Hotels and Resorts property, offered one king bed for $129 on HotelTonight, compared to $169 on its own website.

For a step up, the Soho House New York, a lux-rated hotel in the trendy Meatpacking District, posted a small room with a queen size bed for $298 on the app, a nearly 15 percent savings compared to $350 on its own website.

A perk of HotelTonight is that you can “look ahead” at other days later in the week to see the estimate price range for rooms. The app also notes major events in the city, such as conventions and parades, which may spike rates.

BREATHER

If you’ve checked out of the hotel room already and don’t depart until later in the day, or take a day trip and have some leisure down time, there may be a private space for relief in your city- – or coming soon.

The Breather app launched in New York City earlier this year lets you check-in to a commercial space complete with a table and couch to “meet, work or rest” for 30 minutes to several hours at a time. Some rooms are available as early as 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for $25 an hour, and may accommodate up to 10 people. Reservations can be made via the app on iPhone and Android devices, or online.

Co-founder and CEO Julien Smith said Breather is a welcome alternative to loud, bustling coffee chains where travelers often fight for space and outlets.

“You’re just constantly wondering around in cities that you don’t know very well and you feel like you have no place to go,” said Smith, who came up with the concept after frequently traveling for business and speaking engagements. “There’s this huge scarcity of space going on in any major city of the world … so, in a lot of places, people are just feeling that pain and when you don’t have a lot of time, you don’t mind paying for valuable time, or time that has what you want.”

The 10 Breather locations in Manhattan span from Midtown near the Rockefeller Center to Soho’s shopping district. After having brunch with friends and a few hours to spare before catching a bus back home, I checked into a Breather room two blocks from Penn Station to duck out of the rain.

The Montreal-based app is all about a trendy, relaxing oasis, and it’s in the details. The bright, airy room was equipped with the essentials, plus a white board, mini-book library on a wall rack, Tootsie Rolls on the coffee table and a yoga mat stowed in a corner.

Smith said Breather will add more rooms in New York to meet the growing demand for versatile uses of space such as business meetings, counseling sessions and acting rehearsals. Joining New York and Montreal, Breather expanded to San Francisco in June. Toronto, Boston and Seattle will soon follow in the third quarter.

TKTS

New York is best known for big lights and live shows on Broadway, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay hundreds for top-notch seats. The Theatre Development Fund has TKTS Discount Booths with locations in Times Square, South Street Seaport and downtown Brooklyn that sell Broadway and off-Broadway show tickets for 20 to 50 percent off.

Though discounted tickets must be purchased in person, a TKTS app lets customers see availability in real-time for evening shows that day and matinees (South Street and Brooklyn sites only), before reaching the cashier window or even getting in line. This saves you time and allows you to come up with a list of a few shows of interest, which TKTS recommends.

The app launched in December 2010, but became available to iPad users in April. The app also lists other helpful information including the show’s description and monthly schedule, theater location, directions, closest subway stops and– for the hard-pressed– a link to purchase full-price tickets.

After standing in line for about 10 minutes and deciding on my top three choices from the day’s selection, I scored a half-off, front-row ticket for $80 to see the Jazz Age-themed “After Midnight” staring Grammy-winning singer Fantasia.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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