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Tag: subscriptions

  • Amazon is issuing Prime refunds as part of an FTC settlement. Here’s who’s eligible and what you’ll get

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    Amazon began the process of issuing refunds to eligible Prime members this week as part of a large settlement the company agreed to over federal allegations that it misled customers.Related video above: Amazon Scam exposed — Don’t fall for this refund text trickIn 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Amazon. In it, and in media releases since, the FTC has said the company “enrolled millions of people in Prime subscriptions without their consent – and then made it hard for those unwilling Prime subscribers to cancel.”On Sept. 25, 2025, Amazon, without admitting liability, reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the FTC. “Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,” Amazon said upon reaching the settlement. “We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world. We will continue to do so, and look forward to what we’ll deliver for Prime members in the coming years.”As part of the agreement, Amazon agreed to offer $1.5 billion in refunds to eligible customers. So, do you qualify? Here’s everything we know about the Amazon refunds.When are refund payments being sent out? Amazon has already started the process of issuing automatic refunds to eligible Prime customers. The automatic payments began being doled out on Nov. 12, and that process will continue through Dec. 24, 2025. How much money will I get? According to the FTC, under the settlement, eligible Prime customers can receive a refund of their Amazon Prime subscription fees, up to $51.Who is eligible for the automatic refunds? To qualify for the automatic refund, you had to have signed up for Amazon Prime in the U.S. between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025.Customers only qualify if they signed up for an Amazon Prime subscription through a “challenged enrollment flow,” which the FTC says includes “the universal Prime decision page, shipping selection page, single page checkout, or the Prime Video enrollment flow.”If you’re unsure of whether you signed up through a challenged enrollment flow, you don’t need to worry. According to an FAQ document linked to the FTC’s alert about the refund payments, “you will not need to determine whether or not you signed up through a Challenged Enrollment Flow. That analysis is being completed for you.”Furthermore, to qualify, you must have used no more than three “Amazon Prime Benefits” in “any 12-month period following Amazon Prime enrollment,” according to the FTC. Those benefits include Prime Music or Prime Video products offered for free to Prime subscribers.How will payments be issued? Those who are eligible will receive an email. The FTC says refunds must be accepted within 15 days. Refunds can be issued via PayPal or Venmo. However, those who would rather get a check should “ignore the email from Amazon,” the FTC said in its alert. If you do not claim the PayPal or Venmo payment, a check will be sent to the default shipping address listed on your Prime subscription. The checks must be cashed within 60 days, the FTC said.What if I didn’t get an automatic refund?If you think you are eligible but don’t get an automatic refund, the FTC says you “don’t need to do anything right now.””In 2026, Amazon will begin its claims process for eligible Prime customers who didn’t get an automatic refund between November and December 2025,” the FTC said in its alert, adding, “You don’t need to contact the FTC to receive a refund.”The FTC said it will update its “Amazon Refunds” webpage when the claims process begins.You can also sign up to receive emails by going to this website.Don’t fall for scamsIn its alert about the automatic refunds, the FTC is cautioning consumers that the FTC “will never ask you to pay to get a refund.””Don’t pay anyone who promises you a refund in exchange for a fee. And don’t give personal information to anyone who contacts you promising a refund,” the FTC said.

    Amazon began the process of issuing refunds to eligible Prime members this week as part of a large settlement the company agreed to over federal allegations that it misled customers.

    Related video above: Amazon Scam exposed — Don’t fall for this refund text trick

    In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Amazon. In it, and in media releases since, the FTC has said the company “enrolled millions of people in Prime subscriptions without their consent – and then made it hard for those unwilling Prime subscribers to cancel.”

    On Sept. 25, 2025, Amazon, without admitting liability, reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the FTC.

    “Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,” Amazon said upon reaching the settlement. “We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world. We will continue to do so, and look forward to what we’ll deliver for Prime members in the coming years.”

    As part of the agreement, Amazon agreed to offer $1.5 billion in refunds to eligible customers.

    So, do you qualify? Here’s everything we know about the Amazon refunds.

    When are refund payments being sent out?

    Amazon has already started the process of issuing automatic refunds to eligible Prime customers.

    The automatic payments began being doled out on Nov. 12, and that process will continue through Dec. 24, 2025.

    How much money will I get?

    According to the FTC, under the settlement, eligible Prime customers can receive a refund of their Amazon Prime subscription fees, up to $51.

    Who is eligible for the automatic refunds?

    To qualify for the automatic refund, you had to have signed up for Amazon Prime in the U.S. between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025.

    Customers only qualify if they signed up for an Amazon Prime subscription through a “challenged enrollment flow,” which the FTC says includes “the universal Prime decision page, shipping selection page, single page checkout, or the Prime Video enrollment flow.”

    If you’re unsure of whether you signed up through a challenged enrollment flow, you don’t need to worry. According to an FAQ document linked to the FTC’s alert about the refund payments, “you will not need to determine whether or not you signed up through a Challenged Enrollment Flow. That analysis is being completed for you.”

    Furthermore, to qualify, you must have used no more than three “Amazon Prime Benefits” in “any 12-month period following Amazon Prime enrollment,” according to the FTC.

    Those benefits include Prime Music or Prime Video products offered for free to Prime subscribers.

    How will payments be issued?

    Those who are eligible will receive an email. The FTC says refunds must be accepted within 15 days.

    Refunds can be issued via PayPal or Venmo. However, those who would rather get a check should “ignore the email from Amazon,” the FTC said in its alert. If you do not claim the PayPal or Venmo payment, a check will be sent to the default shipping address listed on your Prime subscription. The checks must be cashed within 60 days, the FTC said.

    What if I didn’t get an automatic refund?

    If you think you are eligible but don’t get an automatic refund, the FTC says you “don’t need to do anything right now.”

    “In 2026, Amazon will begin its claims process for eligible Prime customers who didn’t get an automatic refund between November and December 2025,” the FTC said in its alert, adding, “You don’t need to contact the FTC to receive a refund.”

    The FTC said it will update its “Amazon Refunds” webpage when the claims process begins.

    You can also sign up to receive emails by going to this website.

    Don’t fall for scams

    In its alert about the automatic refunds, the FTC is cautioning consumers that the FTC “will never ask you to pay to get a refund.”

    “Don’t pay anyone who promises you a refund in exchange for a fee. And don’t give personal information to anyone who contacts you promising a refund,” the FTC said.

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  • I Made My Kids Build Robots and Read Books to Test the Best Subscription Boxes for Kids

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    My kids’ appetite for stickers is endless. I find them constantly, on the mirrors in our house, on their school planners and water bottles, and occasionally stuck to the back of my chair or in the car. Stickers are also an accessible way of supporting independent artists. Maybe you can’t buy a painting or a T-shirt, but a sticker only costs a few dollars and you can display it everywhere.

    For $12 a month, Stickii Club offers three different sticker styles—Cute, Vintage, or Pop—along with a storage sleeve and three stationery items, like a notepad, card, or stamp. The club works with independent artists and illustrators (no AI-generated art yet) to produce sheets of original designs. We tried the Pop subscription. These stickers are marvelous. There’s a huge variety in the sheets sent. Some are vinyl, some are transparent, but all are high quality and intricately detailed. The artist is also noted on each corner so we can look them up ourselves. My kids were delighted and traded them with each other like currency. I am now investing in Stickii folios (from $18) in the hopes that I can keep these just a little bit more organized (and sticking a few on my laptop while I’m at it).

    ★ Alternative: You can’t pick the style of box with a Pipsticks Kids Club sticker pack ($20), but with such a big selection, there are bound to be stickers that your child or children will love. It includes 15 sheets of Pipstickers, collectible stickers, a postcard, an activity book, and more. I have two kids who love stickers, and even we found the classic pack to be a bit much; Pipsticks also has a petite pack option for $14.

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    Adrienne So

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  • Should You Cancel Xbox Game Pass? Everything to Know on the Price Hikes and New Features

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    Like it or loathe it, we live in a subscription economy. Music, movies, meal boxes, and more are no longer things you buy once. They’re a constant draw on your wallet. Gaming is no exception, and while every major player in the sector has some form of sub for players—from PlayStation Plus and Nintendo Switch Online for consoles to Apple Arcade on phones—none of them offered quite as much for a modest monthly fee as Xbox Game Pass.

    Depending on the subscription tier, the service gave players access to a significant library of titles and was available on Xbox consoles, PC, or via cloud gaming. While most of its competitors focused on back-catalog titles for their gaming subscriptions, Game Pass stood apart by including major first-party titles on their day of release for subscribers to its Ultimate tier.

    Microsoft long claimed it was “the best deal in gaming,” and with new releases costing upwards of $70 per title versus a $19.99 monthly price tag on Game Pass Ultimate, it was hard to argue. Recent changes to the service, however—including some hefty price rises—have upset users in a big way, sending so many people rushing to cancel their subscriptions that the membership site crashed.

    What’s Happened?

    On October 1, Microsoft revamped the entire structure of Game Pass. Previously, and following an earlier rejig in September 2024, players had essentially four options—Game Pass for PC, Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, and Game Pass Ultimate. Going forward, Core is replaced with Essential, and Standard is replaced with Premium, while Ultimate retains its name. All tiers are now accessible on PC, although a dedicated PC-only plan remains available.

    It’s not the rebrand that’s had people canceling, though—it’s the hefty price hikes that have come with the upper tiers. While Essential keeps the almost totemic $9.99-per-month pricing of Core, Premium jumps to $14.99 from Standard’s $11.99 (a 25 percent increase), and the PC-only offering goes from $11.99 to $16.49 (a 38 percent increase). It’s Game Pass Ultimate that’s proven the most contentious, leaping from $19.99 to $29.99. Price increases on subscription services routinely boil the frog and creep up in price slowly—just look at what you used to pay for Netflix—but a massive 50 percent spike overnight, the equivalent of $120 more a year, has caught many off guard.

    It doesn’t help that it follows two price hikes on Xbox consoles themselves in the span of less than a year, at least in the US. In May 2025, the 512-GB Xbox Series S went from $299.99 to $379.99, the 1-TB Xbox Series X from $499.99 to $599.99, and the 2-TB Series X from $599.99 to $729.99. These prices rose globally, with prices reflected in each territory. But then, in September, prices rose again for buyers in America, taking those same models to $399.99, $649.99, and $799.99, respectively. Microsoft cited the increases being “due to changes in the macroeconomic environment”—read: tariffs—but the combined effect on pricing across the whole Xbox ecosystem really challenges that “best deal in gaming” idea.

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    Matt Kamen

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  • WIRED’s 3 Favorite Coffee Subscriptions Are Half Off Today

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    It’s September 29, the day that America celebrates its least guilty vice and addiction, known in the streets as “java” or “joe.” That’s right, it’s National Coffee Day—the day that thousands of people burn $2 worth of gas waiting in a drive-thru to get a free $2 cup of coffee from Dunkin‘.

    Or how about this instead? Get free or cheap coffee without leaving your house, like a civilized person in the age of the internet. Take advantage of online coffee subscription deals instead.

    WIRED has long considered delivery coffee subscriptions to be the promise of technology fulfilled: The best coffee, from all over the country and world, gets scooted to your door without you lifting more than a finger. Anyway, three of WIRED’s absolute favorite coffee subscriptions are offering big introductory deals for National Coffee Day 2025, so it’s a good day to discover the joys of always having good coffee.

    Here are National Coffee Day deals on Atlas Coffee Club, Trade Coffee, and Podium Coffee. Each is 50 percent off for the holiday.

    Atlas Coffee Club Deals and Promo Code

    • Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

    • Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

    • Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

    Atlas Coffee Club

    Coffee Subscription

    Atlas is WIRED’s favorite overall coffee subscription for multiple very good reasons. It roasts very good coffee. It also offers reliable, friendly, and swift service—a simple necessity when conducting long-distance relationships over the web. But especially, it offers single-origin coffee from a different country each month, letting you try coffee with flavors you likely haven’t tried before. Arabica coffee from Vietnam, or coffee grown in multiple regions of China or India. It’s cool. It’s kinda what you want showing up at your door, and you can choose your favorite roast level to suit the kind of person you are.

    Anyway, Atlas Coffee Club deals are going big for National Coffee Day.

    Between September 29 and October 1, 2025, enter the Atlas Coffee promo code FREECOFFEE to get the following discounts and freebies:

    National Coffee Day Deals at Trade Coffee

    Courtesy of Trade Coffee

    If Atlas is our favorite single-origin roaster subscription, Trade Coffee is your ticket to coffee from everywhere—the best and broadest selection of coffee from the best coffee roasters all over the country. I like Trade, especially, as a great way to find roasters I would have never tried, whether chocolatey roasts from Canton, Georgia, or big funky, fruity, light roasts from Portland, Oregon.

    And so a Trade Coffee deal is always welcome. On National Coffee Day, Trade Coffee is offering half off a one-month trial subscription.

    National Coffee Day Deals from Podium Coffee Club

    Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

    Podium Coffee Club

    Coffee Subscription

    Podium Coffee Club is yet another vision of coffee subscription, and also among my favorites. The name says it all: It’s a coffee subscription devoted to only award-winning coffees that have been judged among the best in the country and world in large and credible competitions. Podium picks just one wonderful coffee to send you each month, depending on whether you asked for the Gold or the Platinum subscription.

    The Podium Gold subscription is generally very balanced, classic, excellent coffee beans. The Podium Platinum subscription, in part, raises its standards for how prestigious an award a coffee might need to be included. But also, the Platinum picks are often rare, funky, interesting, or just different—coffee that changes your mind about what coffee’s supposed to taste like. Either way, lucky you, it’s cheap today with an exclusive code from WIRED.

    Enter the Podium Coffee Club promo code WIREDNTNLCFF50 for half off your first month’s subscription.

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    Matthew Korfhage

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  • Meta announces paid subscriptions for both Instagram and Facebook in the UK

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    Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will soon be offered that remove ads. In the coming weeks, those over the age of 18 can pay £3 ($4) per month on the web, or £4 ($5) per month when using Meta’s iOS or Android apps. If you’re wondering why the mobile version is more expensive, Meta blames that on fees levied by Apple and Google in their respective app stores.

    A no-ads subscription will apply to any Facebook and Instagram account added to a , which is what Meta uses to let users connect various Meta logins on its different platforms. Any additional account listed in a user’s Accounts Center will automatically gain their own subscription for an extra £2 ($3) per month on the web or £3 ($4) per month for iOS and Android. Anyone who chooses to decline Meta’s offer will continue to see ads on its free platforms as normal, and can still use Ad Preferences to choose which ads they would prefer to see more or less of.

    Meta the change is a response to new regulatory “consent or pay” from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), whereby users are given the choice between consenting to an organization using their data to personalize ads, or paying to avoid it. Meta previously introduced a similar change for its EU users, offering an ad-free subscription option for €10 ($11), but was by the European Commission for allegedly failing to comply with its stricter Digital Markets Act (DMA) laws. The company later a revised, cheaper, ad-free plan that was still being assessed by the EC earlier this year.

    Meta praised the ICO for its “constructive approach” to personalised ads, which it insists provide the best experience for both its users and businesses, and criticised EU regulators for continuing to “overreach” with its privacy regulations. As reported by , digital advertising accounted for around 97 percent of Meta’s revenue in 2024.

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    Matt Tate

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  • Amazon Will Pay $2.5 Billion to Settle FTC Suit That Alleged ‘Dark Patterns’ in Prime Sign-Ups

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    In the six-year time frame established in the settlement, anyone who “unsuccessfully attempted” to cancel their Prime subscription online is eligible to get paid up to $51 from Amazon. People who signed up for Prime during that same period can also get up to $51 if they signed up through a “challenged enrollment flow”—a page with a confusing interface that may lead to people inadvertently making a purchase. Previous court filings established that in some cases, some users may have selected “two-day shipping” on an item and not realized that, in doing so, they were also signing up for Amazon Prime.

    An FTC spokesperson tells WIRED that automatic payments will go out to some customers within 90 days.

    “The rest of eligible consumers will receive a notification from Amazon, and will have the opportunity to submit a simple claim form,” the FTC says. “Amazon is required to post information about this to Amazon.com and the app. The settlement also requires Amazon to have an independent third party who will monitor their compliance with these claims.”

    The court filing says that Amazon is also “permanently” barred from structuring Prime sign-ups with a confusing “negative option feature” where a customer is assumed to be making a purchase unless they actively refuse it.

    For example, the filing says, a button that reads “No thanks, I don’t want free shipping” does not clearly indicate that a customer will be signed up for Prime unless they click it. Amazon also has to make it obvious when a person is choosing to sign up for Prime, and include language like “Join Prime” in its user interface. Similarly, Amazon has to clearly communicate when a Prime subscription is subject to auto-renewals by using words like “renew.”

    The initial complaint, which was filed by the FTC in June 2023, alleged that while Amazon had improved its process for canceling Prime memberships, the company had spent years knowingly complicating the cancellation process.

    An attachment on a May 7 court filing includes an email chain with Amazon employees from December 2020, which was described as “privileged and confidential” in the subject line. In the email, a manager of Prime content and marketing paraphrased key points that came up in a recent “US prime performance meeting.”

    “Subscription is driving a bit of a shady world,” reads one paraphrased quote, attributed to an unnamed person at the meeting.

    “We should lean away from experimenting with sign-up clarity, and focus more on driving overall members and increasing confirmation that you are prime,” reads a different paraphrased quote from another person at the meeting, included in the same attachment.

    A different attachment shows that Amazon was aware that customers were frustrated. A company slide presentation dated September 17, 2017, focused specifically on customer service complaints about “unintentional” Prime sign-ups. (A different attachment, which includes an email chain dated September 25, 2017, appears to refer to the presentation. Two dozen people were asked to “delete the PowerPoint document” and send “confirmation” once they had.)

    One customer complaint in the presentation claims that they were “tricked” into signing up for a free trial for Amazon Prime when they selected two-day shipping on a purchase, not knowing that this would also sign them up for a trial for Prime.

    “I DO NOT LIKE YOUR SERVICE,” reads another complaint. “THIS IS CRAP THAT I ORDERED A PRODUCT IN AMAZON ADS [sic] ME TO A PROGRAM WITH AUTO BILLING THAT I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR. I WILL NOT USE AMAZON AND TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THIS TYPE OF CRAP YOU ARE PULLING.”

    “IT IS SNEAKY AND BLOODY DISHONEST FORCING SOMETHING THE [sic] I NEVER WANTED,” reads another complaint.

    The same Amazon slide presentation noted that confusing Prime sign-ups were leading to an increased burden on Amazon’s customer service workers, as well as a “loss of customer trust.”

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    Caroline Haskins

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  • 6 Best Snack Subscription Boxes to Satisfy Every Craving

    6 Best Snack Subscription Boxes to Satisfy Every Craving

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    I love snacks. I’m a grazer—someone who likes to eat small amounts of things throughout the day, so I usually have a hodgepodge of various foods scattered throughout my home. I’m not picky. I’ll try sweet, savory, salty, or spicy. But I do get bored quickly. Aside from a few old standbys, I’m always on the hunt for new things to try.

    Enter snack box subscriptions: For a recurring fee, you can get a package of goodies delivered to your door every month. But which snack boxes are worth your money? Which one gets you the most bang for your buck? Which will best fulfill your hankering for something tasty? I, and my taste buds, did the research for you. I tested 14 popular snack boxes, and these are my favorites (and ones to avoid).

    Be sure to check out our many other guides, including Best Meal Kit Delivery Services, Best Coffee Subscriptions, and Best Bar Accessories.

    Updated August 2024: We removed services that have shut down and updated pricing and photography.

    Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.

    If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED

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    Louryn Strampe

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  • Report finds most subscription services manipulate customers with ‘dark patterns’

    Report finds most subscription services manipulate customers with ‘dark patterns’

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    Most subscription sites use “dark patterns” to influence customer behavior around subscriptions and personal data, according to a pair of new reports from global consumer protection groups. Dark patterns are “practices commonly found in online user interfaces [that] steer, deceive, coerce or manipulate consumers into making choices that often are not in their best interests.” The international research efforts were conducted by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) and the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN).

    The ICPEN conducted the of 642 websites and mobile apps with a subscription component. The assessment revealed one dark pattern in use at almost 76 percent of the platforms, and multiple dark patterns at play in almost 68 percent of them. One of the most common dark patterns discovered was sneaking, where a company makes potentially negative information difficult to find. ICPEN said 81 percent of the platforms with automatic subscription renewal kept the ability for a buyer to turn off auto-renewal out of the purchase flow. Other dark patterns for subscription services included interface interference, where desirable actions are easier to perform, and forced action, where customers have to provide information to access a particular function.

    The companion from GPEN examined dark patterns that could encourage users to compromise their privacy. In this review, nearly all of the more than 1,000 websites and apps surveyed used a deceptive design practice. More than 89 percent of them used complex and confusing language in their privacy policies. Interface interference was another key offender here, with 57 percent of the platforms making the least protective privacy option the easiest to choose and 42 percent using emotionally charged language that could influence users.

    Even the most savvy of us can be influenced by these subtle cues to make suboptimal decisions. Those decisions might be innocuous ones, like forgetting that you’ve set a service to auto-renew, or they might put you at risk by encouraging you to reveal more personal information than needed. The reports didn’t specify whether the dark patterns were used in illicit or illegal ways, only that they were present. The dual release is a stark reminder that digital literacy is an essential skill.

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    Anna Washenko

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  • This Meal Kit Puts Tasty Organic Ingredients on Your Plate

    This Meal Kit Puts Tasty Organic Ingredients on Your Plate

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    Green Chef (owned by HelloFresh) is a great meal kit subscription for beginners. I said as much in our Meal Kit Buying Guide. The recipe cards are full of helpful pictures, and the intuitively grouped instructions don’t skip important steps. I’ve spent weeks testing meal kit subscriptions during my tenure at WIRED, but we’re testing them again in order to give them individual reviews. Green Chef has been an honorable mention in our guide since I first tested it, and I still think it’s a good option for anyone looking to build up their culinary prowess.

    Green Chef has a few plans available. You can get three meals with two servings per meal (which works out to $13.49/serving), or you can go all the way up to four meals with six servings per meal (which works out to $11.99/serving). Different lifestyle and dietary filter options include plant-based, low-calorie, high-protein, keto, and gluten-free (among others). Note that Green Chef’s pricing is higher than similarly styled meal kits—that’s because nearly every ingredient is organic.

    Usually there are introductory offers to make your first week(s) cheaper. Each week you’ll select your dishes from the weekly menu and make any customizations, such as swapping proteins or adding extra portions. You can pause or cancel your subscription anytime so long as you do it at least five days before your order ships. Most of the packaging is made from recycled materials and is recyclable itself.

    An Emotional Rollercoaster

    During my week of testing Green Chef, I experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. My Steak & Shrimp With Creamy Truffle Sauce was a brown, oversalted disaster—partially due to my heavy hand with the Maldon flakes, and (I think) partially due to the instructions telling me to salt my dish six separate times. For context, there wasn’t any particular kind of salt to use—most meal kit services have you provide your own, so I just used the flaky sea salt that I always season with. I was so absorbed in following each step thoroughly that I didn’t stop to think, “Hmmm. I’ve already salted and peppered this four times.” Instead, with reckless abandon, I enthusiastically seasoned, and at the end I cried, threw it away, and sadly DoorDashed myself chicken nuggets at 10:30 pm. And for what it’s worth, even outside of the salty sauce, I didn’t love the accompanying green bean and tomato side. I didn’t love the ratio of shrimp to steak. I just didn’t love this dish!

    Photograph: Louryn Strampe

    On the flip side, my Chicken With Maple-Dijon Sauce was delicious. Possibly one of my favorite dishes I’ve ever made. The chard, sweet potato, and apple hash could have been a meal in and of itself, and the maple-glazed chicken was divine. I realized it reminded me of my favorite dish from Sweetgreen (the Harvest Bowl), and after trying the finished dish thoroughly enough to be able to review it, I went rogue from the recipe and added a chunk of goat cheese to further emulate the Harvest Bowl. It was perfect. So good that I didn’t want to share it. I loved this dish so much that I saved the recipe card.

    And I had a similar experience with the third dish—Buttery Lemon-Garlic Shrimp. The star of the meal was the sun-dried tomatoes that had soaked in a lemon juice and vegetable broth mixture. They were bright and tangy, a true delight that brightened up the otherwise heavy, shrimpy pasta. I’ve cooked with lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, and vegetable broth individually hundreds of times. Why did I never think to combine them before?

    Overall, I found that the recipes’ time estimates were a bit short. I think all recipe kits have this flaw. If you’re Ina Garten or one of the wonderful Bon Appetit food editors, maybe you’d nail the timing. But for the average person, it’s safe to give yourself a 20-minute buffer on top of the estimated prep time shown on the recipe card.

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    Louryn Strampe

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  • How to get “Hamilton” tickets this fall in Denver

    How to get “Hamilton” tickets this fall in Denver

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    Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning “Hamilton” is returning to Denver this fall, but you’ll have to wait until next month to buy tickets.

    At least, that is, if you aren’t a subscriber to Denver Center for the Performing Arts. If you are, a members-only sale will run June 11-17, based on availability. After that, public tickets go on at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9. Call 303-893-4100 or visit hamilton.denvercenter.org to buy.

    The touring Broadway show runs Oct. 16-Nov. 24 at the Buell Theatre. Here’s what else you need to know, according to DCPA officials:

    • There is a maximum purchase limit of 9 tickets per account for the engagement.
    • When tickets go on sale on July 9, prices will range from $49 to $199, with a select number of premium seats available from $229 for all performances.
    • There will be a lottery for 40 $10 seats for all performances, and those details will be announced closer to the engagement.
    • Visit denvercenter.org/hamilton — which is different than the ticket-sales site linked above — for more details as they become available
    • The show is considered an “added attraction” for the regularly scheduled, 2024-25 DCPA season. Visit dpo.st/3VwdmqU for the full season’s schedule and more information.

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    John Wenzel

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  • What Is Apple One, and Should You Subscribe?

    What Is Apple One, and Should You Subscribe?

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    What if you scored a free trial of Apple TV+ for three months, or you have six free months of Apple Music through an offer you redeemed? Unfortunately, Apple One will cut those free trials down to the standard one-month period, after which you will start to pay the Apple One plan price you chose. Note: You don’t get any free trial allowance back if you cancel your Apple One plan.

    Apple One Services

    Courtesy of Apple

    What exactly do some of these services offer? Here’s a closer look:

    Apple Music

    Apple Music appears in our Best Streaming Services guide because the entire library of more than 90 million songs is available in lossless format, and you get immersive 3D sound with albums tuned in Dolby Atmos. It has an excellent iPhone app and Siri support, but the Android app is just OK, and we’re not fans of the desktop app. Social playlist sharing and curation don’t quite match up to our favorite service, Spotify, but the gap is closing. If you want to switch from Spotify to Apple Music, you can also take your playlists.

    Apple TV+

    With a focus on quality over quantity, Apple TV+ isn’t competing with the enormous libraries offered by Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu, and it deserves its place in our Best Streaming Services guide. It’s light on movies, though there are highlights, like Killers of the Flower Moon, Wolfwalkers, and Finch. But the real appeal of Apple TV+ is unmissable hit shows like Severance, Foundation, Ted Lasso, and The Morning Show, and it boasts excellent music documentaries, too. Everything is offered in 4K with HDR, and no, you don’t need an Apple TV to watch content in Apple TV+.

    Apple Arcade

    Closing in on three years since its release, the impact of Apple Arcade on mobile gaming is still unclear. What isn’t up for debate is the fact it offers some of the best mobile games without ads or in-app purchases. There are more than 200 titles in the Apple Arcade now, many of them exclusive. Some of our favorites include Mini Motorways, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Sneaky Sasquatch, Bloons TD6, and Assemble With Care.

    iCloud+

    Everyone gets 5 GB of storage space in iCloud for free, but that soon fills up with device backups, photos, and videos. You can upgrade to iCloud+ to get 50 GB, 200 GB, or 2 TB, and each option supports family sharing. There are several alternative cloud storage services that work well with Apple devices, but iCloud is tightly integrated. Aside from the extra space, another reason to upgrade to iCloud+ is for HomeKit Secure Video. It allows HomeKit security cameras and video doorbells to record 10 days of activity, viewable in the Home app. The 50-GB plan supports a single camera, the 200-GB plan covers up to five cameras, and the 2-TB plan supports unlimited cameras. These HomeKit videos don’t count against your iCloud storage limit. Every iCloud+ subscription also includes Private Relay, which encrypts your Safari web browsing, and Hide My Email, which gives you unique, random email addresses to use when you’d prefer to keep yours private.

    Apple News+

    If you love to read great magazines like (ahem) WIRED, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Time, People, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and Popular Science, or newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times, you can find them and many more, cover-to-cover, in the News app with an Apple News+ subscription. The service saves you from paywalls, features slick presentation, and offers curation based on your interests. On the downside, it doesn’t include everything—The New York Times and The Washington Post are famously unavailable. It also only works on Apple devices.

    Apple Fitness+

    Workout subscription services grew popular at the start of the pandemic, as people could no longer visit the gym. Apple Fitness+ offers various workout types, from yoga to strength training, audio-guided walks and runs, and meditations, along with plenty of real-time metrics. It works via the Fitness app on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, and it requires an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer. You can read more about it in our review, but the service has since expanded. (Apple adds around 30 new workouts and meditations every week.)

    How to Subscribe to Apple One

    If you are sold on Apple One, signing up on an Apple device is easy. Go to Settings, Account (tap on your name), Subscriptions, and you will see Apple One with the option to Try It Now. That’s it!

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    Simon Hill

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  • What Is Google One, and Should You Subscribe?

    What Is Google One, and Should You Subscribe?

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    Photograph: Simon Hill

    In the unlikely event that 2 TB is not enough, you can increase your storage, but the option to upgrade to an even larger plan is available only for current subscribers and in select countries. Here are the plans (no annual discount on the 10-, 20-, or 30-TB plans):

    • 5-TB Plan: For $25 per month or $250 per year (£20 or £200 in the UK), you get 5 TB with family sharing, the same perks as the original tier, 10 percent back on purchases from the Google Store, and a VPN for Android and iOS.
    • 10-TB Plan: For $50 per month (no annual plan) (£40 in the UK), you get 10 TB with family sharing and the same perks as the 5-TB plan.
    • 20-TB Plan: For $100 per month (no annual plan) (£80 in the UK), you get 20 TB with family sharing and the same perks as the 5-TB plan.
    • 30-TB Plan: For $150 per month (no annual plan) (£120 in the UK), you get 30 TB with family sharing and the same perks as the 5-TB plan.

    Google One Benefits

    The main benefit of a Google One plan is the extra cloud storage you can share with up to five family members. While families can share the same space, personal photos and files are accessible only to each owner unless you specifically choose to share them. Everyone in the family can also share the additional benefits (provided you all live in the same country).

    Let’s take a closer look at those benefits:

    Access to Google Experts

    You get instant access to Google experts for general questions or tech support for any Google product or service. You can contact support by phone, chat, or email through the Google One app 24/7. Response times for phone and chat are 2 to 3 minutes, while emails can expect a response within 24 hours.

    Screenshots of Google One service displaying options and Google Photos editing features

    Google via Simon Hill

    Extra Editing Features in Google Photos

    This adds features like Magic Eraser, enabling you to delete unwanted people or objects from the background of your photos, Portrait Light and Portrait Blur, enabling you to brighten faces and eliminate shadows or blur backgrounds for that bokeh effect, and HDR to enhance brightness and contrast. All features work with eligible shots in your Google Photos app. These features are available on Google Pixel phones, even if you don’t subscribe to Google One.

    Cash Back on Purchases

    The 200-GB plan nets you 3 percent back in Google Store credit for any Google Store purchases. The 2-TB plan and above nets you 10 percent back. If you’re thinking about buying multiple Google devices, this could prove useful. It can take up to one month to get the credit after your purchase, and it will have an expiry date attached.

    VPN for Android and iOS

    All plans now come with Google’s virtual private network service, VPN by Google One, for Android and iOS devices. It’s good for privacy and designed to prevent logging (so no one can see what you are doing on the internet), but it is a limited service compared to our favorite VPNs, chiefly because it works only with Android and iOS devices (no web support), and there’s no option to choose servers in specific countries.

    Dark Web Monitoring

    This is another security feature that scans the dark web and notifies you if any of your personal information (such as your email address or date of birth) is found there. If any of your data shows up, it will suggest next steps, such as setting up two-factor authentication. You can choose exactly what personal data it looks for and make changes at any time via the Google One app. You will also find some basic advice on things like how to avoid malware or create strong passwords.

    Google Workspace Premium

    Both the Premium plans include Google Workspace Premium, which gives you enhanced features in Google Meet and Google Calendar. For example, you can have longer meetings with background noise cancelation, or create a professional booking page to enable other folks to make appointments with you.

    Nest Aware

    Only included in the UK so far, a Nest Aware subscription that includes extended storage of video from home security cameras is now part of the 2TB Premium plan and above, starting from £8 per month or £80 per year. Considering Nest Aware costs £6 per month or £60 per year on its own, this seems like a great deal.

    Fitbit Premium

    Again, only included in the UK so far, Fitbit Premium is now included as part of the 2TB Premium plan and above, starting from £8 per month or £80 per year. Considering that Fitbit Premium currently costs £8 per month or £80 per year on its own in the UK, this deal is too good to pass up.

    A screenshot of the Google Gemini Advanced prompt page a black screen with the personalized greeting Hello Reece in...

    Gemini Advanced

    Google’s AI chatbot (previously known as Bard) is “capable at reasoning, following instructions, coding, and creative collaboration,” according to Google. It can understand and generate high-quality code in various programming languages, and you can input text, images, or code. Google also plans to roll Gemini into Google apps, like Gmail, Docs, Slides, and Meet, but there’s no fixed release date for this yet.

    Extra Benefits

    A couple of things fall into this category:

    • Google Play Credits: You will occasionally get credits to redeem in the Play Store on books, movies, apps, or games. The amount and frequency vary.
    • Discounts, Trials, and Other Perks: You may get offers for discounted Google services or hardware, extended free trials of Google services, and other perks (for example, Google offered everyone upgrading to a 2-TB plan a free Nest Mini). These offers pop up and disappear seemingly at random.

    How to Subscribe to Google One

    If you want to sign up, it’s easy. Create or log in to a Google account, then visit the Google One website or install the Android or iOS app.

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    Simon Hill

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  • I Tested the Subscription Box Designed for Soup Lovers and It Instantly Transported Me to My Mom’s Kitchen

    I Tested the Subscription Box Designed for Soup Lovers and It Instantly Transported Me to My Mom’s Kitchen

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    If there’s one thing you need to know about me it’s that I’m a big soup girl. In my home, soup wasn’t just the thing you turned to when you had a cold or needed to warm up after a chilly winter’s day. It was a meal, an experience, a way to experiment with new flavor combinations you wouldn’t have tried otherwise (To this day, my mother’s Granny Smith apple, parsnip, and onion soup is my favorite thing she makes). So, you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered 18 Chestnuts, a company designed to get delicious, high-quality soups delivered right to your door.

    As much as I love to make soup, as someone who lives on her own, making a whole pot of soup can be a lot for one person. Plus, I don’t think I need to tell you how pricey groceries have gotten so the last thing I want to do is waste anything (and I can only freeze so much). So, when I saw that 18 Chestnuts soups came in convenient 16-ounce servings and featured some incredible flavors, I knew I had to give it a try. What I didn’t expect was for these soups to not only nourish my body, but my soul.

    Based in Asheville, North Carolina, 18 Chestnuts began as a creative outlet for soup-lover and founder Ilona Kossoff. With the intent of keeping community and sustainability at the forefront, the brand works with local farmers to source the freshest fruits and vegetables to make nutrient-dense, plant-based soups. With 10 soups on its roster — including the namesake Chestnut Maple blend, made with, yes, 18 chestnuts per batch — you have a great variety of unique flavors to choose from. Bonus: each soup comes in an easy-to-recycle glass jar!

    To say I was excited to try these soups would be an understatement. I decided to go with the Best Seller Box, which comes with three of the brand’s most popular soups: Butternut Squash Pear soup, Tuscan Tomato soup, and Roasted Cauliflower soup. Now, after the aforementioned Granny Smith-apple soup, my mother’s butternut squash soup is second to none, so the moment I pulled the 18Chestnuts variety out of the box, I knew what I was having for dinner that night.

    As I warmed up a serving (each 16-ounce bottle comes with two servings but you can also opt for 32-ounce bottles for double the soup), the rich smell of butternut squash and pears began to fill my apartment. I then leaned over the pot, took in a big whiff of the soup, and immediately a smile crept across my face: this soup smelled just like my mother’s. And while it tasted different, the feeling I was looking for was still there. The comfort, the nostalgia, the hug-like warmth — the things that make soup, in my humble opinion, the best type of meal around. As I happily devoured my soup, I pictured myself at seven years old, helping my mother create a big batch for Thanksgiving with the biggest grin. I couldn’t wait to try the other flavors — and yes, my night did end with a great catch-up with my mom.

    Whether you’re in search of a great meal with a homemade feel, looking for a great gift for the foodie in your life, or simply love soups, 18 Chestnuts is a can’t-miss. The Best Seller Box comes in at $38 for three jars of rich soup. Not into these flavors? No worries, you can build your own box, too! As for the subscription part, you can pick between a one-time purchase or a recurring order (Note: with the subscription, you’ll save 10% on each order!) so you’ll never have to be without your new favorite soups ever again.

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    Sarah M. Vazquez

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  • HP Wants to Rent You a Printer That It Monitors at All Times

    HP Wants to Rent You a Printer That It Monitors at All Times

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    HP launched a subscription service Thursday that rents people a printer, allots them a specific amount of printed pages, and sends them ink for a monthly fee. HP is framing its service as a way to simplify printing for families and small businesses, but the deal also comes with monitoring and a years-long commitment.

    Prices range from $6.99 per month for a plan that includes an HP Envy printer (the current model is the 6020e) and 20 printed pages. The priciest plan includes an HP OfficeJet Pro rental and 700 printed pages for $35.99 per month.

    HP says it will provide subscribers with ink deliveries when they’re running low and 24/7 support via phone or chat (although it’s dubious how much you want to rely on HP support). Support doesn’t include on- or offsite repairs or part replacements. The subscription’s terms of service (TOS) note that the service doesn’t cover damage or failure caused by, unsurprisingly, “use of non-HP media supplies and other products” or if you use your printer more than what your plan calls for.

    HP Is Watching

    HP calls this an All-In-Plan; if you subscribe, the tech company will be all in on your printing activities.

    One of the most perturbing aspects of the subscription plan is that it requires subscribers to keep their printers connected to the internet. In general, some users avoid connecting their printer to the internet because it’s the type of device that functions fine without web access.

    A web connection can also concern users about security or HP-issued firmware updates that make printers stop functioning with non-HP ink.

    But HP enforces an internet connection by having its TOS also state that HP may disrupt the service—and continue to charge you for it—if your printer is not online.

    HP says it enforces a constant connection so that the company can monitor things that make sense for the subscription, like ink cartridge statuses, page count, and “to prevent unauthorized use of Your account.” However, HP will also remotely monitor the type of documents (for example, a PDF or JPEG) printed, the devices and software used to initiate the print job, “peripheral devices,” and any other “metrics” that HP thinks are related to the subscription and decides to add to its remote monitoring.

    The All-In Plan privacy policy also says that HP may “transfer information about you to advertising partners” so that they can “recognize your devices,” perform targeted advertising, and, potentially, “combine information about you with information from other companies in data sharing cooperatives” that HP participates in. The policy says that users can opt out of sharing personal data.

    The All-In-Plan TOS reads:

    Subject to the terms of this Agreement, You hereby grant to HP a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free right to use, copy, store, transmit, modify, create derivative works of and display Your non-personal data for its business purposes.

    Two-Year Commitment

    In January, HP CEO Enrique Lores declared that HP’s “long-term objective is to make printing a subscription.” The All-In-Plan is HP’s latest attempt at that goal, hoping people believe that the subscription service will simplify things for themselves. And by including high cancellation fees, HP is looking to lock subscribers in for two years.

    HP will charge subscribers who cancel their subscription before its end date up to $270 plus taxes (the amount decreases to as little as $60, depending on the printer rented and the length of the subscription). After two years, users won’t see a cancellation fee if they return the rental printer and ink cartridges within 10 days after canceling their subscription. With these tactics, HP is creating the same type of subscription reliance that has made companies like phone carriers rich while limiting customer options.

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    Scharon Harding, Ars Technica

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  • ButcherBox’s famed ‘free bacon for life’ promotion was actually a happy mistake, founder of $600 million meat subscription service says

    ButcherBox’s famed ‘free bacon for life’ promotion was actually a happy mistake, founder of $600 million meat subscription service says

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    Mike Salguero likes to say that ButcherBox, the meat subscription company that made him a multimillionaire, was “built on bacon.” Though entrepreneurs can often overuse hyperbole and flowery language, this one isn’t an exaggeration. 

    Early on, when the company was still getting off the ground with a Kickstarter campaign, Salguero and his team told backers that if they reached $100,000 in sales, everyone would get free bacon in their box of grass-fed meat. Naturally, bacon lovers began putting their weight behind the $100,000 target, Salguero recalled in a recent interview with Fortune. And the company made good on its promise, stuffing a pack of top-of-the-line bacon into every box. 

    ButcherBox soon outgrew Kickstarter and began fulfilling orders from its own website, focusing on a subscription model rather than one-off purchases. Then came the funny part.

    “About two weeks in, my engineer called me with a problem,” Salguero said. “He said, ‘it turns out that we’ve been giving everybody free bacon, not just the Kickstarter people. Everyone who signed up. It’s a problem.’” 

    It wasn’t fixable at the time, he added, because the early code was built in an irreversible way. That meant there was no way of stemming the tide of free bacon. Luckily, Salguero said a marketing leader on his team suggested capitalizing on the happy accident: “‘Why don’t we just tell people: Sign up and get free bacon?’ And that was it.” 

    Thanks to the technical nature of the screw-up, ButcherBox changed their messaging to “Sign up for ButcherBox and get free bacon in your first box.” The hook worked surprisingly well at bringing in new customers, Salguero found. But they didn’t stop there. When someone suggested putting bacon in every box a customer ever gets, he figured, “That’d be cool.” Thus, Bacon for Life was born. It still exists and a free order of bacon appears in every box for the duration of a customer’s subscription. 

    It was a brilliant incentive, Salguero found, and it’s helped bring the company to its current $500 million valuation (Salguero himself has an estimated $375 million net worth.) They’ve since rolled out several “for-life” campaigns, including chicken wings, ground beef, and steaks. “It’s a much better value for [customers]; they’re getting free products,” he said. “And they sign up much more frequently, so we have built a whole bunch of for-life offers around our business.” 

    The idea behind the promotions is fairly straightforward, he said. “We’re a subscription business, so we want you to get more than one box.” His team found that “customers really love when they have these additional deals in their box, and we keep them for a much longer time.” That’s a particularly vital stat given how much customer loyalty has cratered for most meal delivery kits in recent years. 

    That’s not quite a problem for ButcherBox, which boasts 400,000 subscribers and has sent out a $169 custom box to 1.6 million households—and counting. 

    As for Salguero himself, he’s more of a steak guy. “We have these amazing Tomahawk steaks, and I love cooking our ribeye on the grill—and I make a really killer meat sauce,” he told Fortune. “I’m more of a functional cook. I want to cook something in under 30 minutes and just be done with it.”

    Subscribe to the CEO Daily newsletter to get the CEO perspective on the biggest headlines in business. Sign up for free.

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    Jane Thier

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  • 25 Super Last-Minute Gift Ideas That You Can Instantly Send Online For the Holidays

    25 Super Last-Minute Gift Ideas That You Can Instantly Send Online For the Holidays

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    All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, StyleCaster may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

    We get it. Life can get busy, and sometimes certain special occasions can slip through the cracks. If you’re not sure what to buy someone for a significant event or know you’ll be waiting to do your shopping until the very last minute, we suggest bookmarking this page now. To help all the busy bees and procrastinators out there, we’ve rounded up the best last-minute gifts you can send online—many of which arrive instantly via email (!!!). Because let’s face it: When it’s crunch time, and you’ve really run out of options, you need some solid digital solutions to save the day.

    Of course, you can send these online gifts ahead of time, too. They don’t seem last-minute at all, making them perfect for any situation. And if it is a last-minute gift, no one will suspect a thing. Thanks to technology, it’s easier now more than ever to send a meaningful and useful gift online.

    From MasterClass subscriptions that can connect your giftee with celebrities to subscription boxes that will deliver different items on a regular basis, there’s no shortage of great gifts you can send online at the push of a button. There’s something for everyone on your list, regardless of their interests. Got a beauty lover on your list? There’s an easy subscription box for them. Is your partner obsessed with wine? Yes, there’s an online gift for them, too.

    These subscription services, gift cards and memberships are truly great last-minute gifts year-round. In fact, you might even end up wanting to snag a few for yourself. We won’t tell.

    RELATED: 24 Delicious Food Gifts That’ll Impress ~Literally~ Anyone Who Likes To Eat

    ESPN+ Subscription
    Photo: ESPN+.

    Perfect for the sports fanatic on your list (or anyone who likes to watch live games), an ESPN+ subscription is available to instantly send online. You can also get a Disney bundle which includes subscriptions to Hulu and Disney+ right now.

    1-800-flowers.com
    1-800-flowers.com

    Did you know it’s possible for flower delivery to be under $100? Retailer 1-800-Flowers has plenty of bouquets to choose from, with prices going as low as $40.

    STYLECASTER | Last-Minute Gifts Send Online
    Courtesy of MasterClass.

    With a subscription to MasterClass, an online learning platform that offers lessons from industry leaders and bona fide celebrities, you take classes about acting, cooking and fashion design from A-listers like Natalie Portman, Steph Curry, Marc Jacobs and Anna Wintour—and all within the comfort of your own home. A lot of people wouldn’t justify buying it for themselves, which makes it the perfect gift that’s totally procrastinator-friendly. Subscriptions start at $15 a month, which means $180 a year, but you can also score 2 for the price of 1 right now.

    Secluded Hideaway Park City, Utah Airbnb
    Photo: Rocky and Gianni.

    The gift of travel might be just what they need to rejuvenate and relax. Airbnb makes it so easy to find a destination that fits your needs and then book the trip. If we had to choose, we’d go with this cozy Park City abode. This one costs $245 a night, but you can definitely find super affordable getaway options on the site, too.

    Artifact Uprising Everyday Photo Book
    Photo: Artifact Uprising.

    You might not think you have enough time to put together a whole custom photo book, but with Artifact Uprising, you sure do. Pick from several different shipping speeds, including an extra expedited option that takes one day plus production time. Hunker down, pick their fave mems, place them in a book and order your project—it’s that quick and easy! If you don’t have time to create an entire book, there are plenty of other options, like calendars, photo prints and more.

    Cometeer Mixed Box
    Photo: Cometeer.

    Any coffee addict will appreciate a gift that gives them their daily caffeine fix. Cometeer makes it even easier than driving to Starbs or making a pot of coffee. All they have to do is use the Cometeer pod and water or milk. Opt for a one-time purchase to test it out or subscribe for less. Regardless, one box gives them 32 pods in four different roasts. Based on first-hand experience, all of the roasts taste so delicious and smooth, and the pod system is more than a breeze to use.

    Winc-Membership
    Courtesy of Winc.

    For the wine connoisseur in your life (or just someone who always has a glass in their hand, TBH), Winc offers last-minute gifters a digital gift card option that you can send to the recipient instantly via email in the amount of your choice. Send one, two or three months of Winc—the choice is yours. Plus, use code GIFTING2023 for 20 percent off gift cards of $100 or more.

    Function of Beauty Gift Card
    Photo: Function of Beauty.

    Function of Beauty lets you customize your haircare so that you’re treating your strands with targeted formulas rather than with ones that aren’t actually suitable for your hair type or concern. Personalized products are almost always going to be pricier than its counterparts, which is why this gift card will help them start their Function of Beauty journey.

    Glossier Gift Card
    Photo: Glossier.

    Any beauty guru will appreciate a gift card from the iconic Glossier. From Balm Dotcom to Boy Brow, there’s no shortage of options for them to add to their cart with this gift card.

    Thousand Fell Gift Card
    COURTESY: THOUSAND FELL. DESIGN: KATIE DECKER-JACOBY / STYLECASTER.

    Everyone needs a pair of plain white sneakers in their closet. Why not go for a brand like Thousand Fell that prioritizes quality and sustainability?

    STYLECASTER | Best Online Class Gifts
    Courtesy of jchizhe/Adobe.

    Udemy offers a huge selection of online courses, spanning from social media lessons to career planning and more, but our favorite area of their offerings is their virtual cooking courses. Whether you’re gifting this to a clueless-in-the-kitchen partner or a bona fide chef looking to learn a new cuisine, Udemy’s catalog is chock-full of fun options. Get courses from $12.99 through Dec 21.

    Instacart Valentine's Day Flower Delivery
    Courtesy of Instacart.

    Yes, just like groceries, household items and even luxe beauty products from Sephora, you can now order and send flowers for timely delivery in just about two hours with Instacart. It works just the same as getting an item delivered to you, except you’ll want to enter the recipient’s address instead of your own.

    The great thing about Instacart is that it offers a “make this order a gift” option where you can provide the giftee’s name and phone number, select a cute gift card image and add a thoughtful message. If you’re worried about the flowers getting to them, your partner will receive a notification that lets them view the message you wrote and track the flower delivery. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

    Atlas Coffee Club Subscription
    Courtesy of Atlas Coffee Club.

    If your giftee is the type to geek out over coffee, this monthly subscription box can help them get their caffeine fix. Start with a three-month subscription that’ll send them coffee and culture from various places around the world.

    Flaviar Membership
    Courtesy of Flaviar.

    This whiskey membership is so flexible to gift. Simply buy a membership, and they can choose what they want in their kit and when they want it delivered. Flaviar lets you choose from tasting flight or full-size bottle options, so your giftee will definitely get exactly what they want this year. Take advantage of the holiday special deals before they’re gone.

    Cameron Hughes Wine
    Courtesy of Cameron Hughes Wine.

    The CHW club membership is perfect for those that love to switch up their wine selections. Gain access to hand-picked seasonal bottles, extra discounts on select Cameron Hughe’s wine sales, 15 percent off regular orders year-round, as well as early entry to special promotions. Choose between monthly or quarterly deliveries, starting at $60.

    Ipsy Personalized Monthly Beauty Subscription
    Courtesy of Ipsy.

    Beauty lovers and novices alike will go bananas over an Ipsy subscription that includes personalized picks for their unique skin tone, eye and hair color, makeup experience, hair type and skin concerns. This set is advanced, but prices start at just $14 a month.

    Boomf Boxes
    Boomf

    Offering a huge variety of personalized and customizable boxes, greeting cards and sweet treats, Boomf is the perfect gifting service that will leave the giftee with the impression you’ve been planning this gift all year.

    STYLECASTER | Last-Minute Gifts to Send Online
    Courtesy of VidDay.

    This genius service allows you to create quick and thoughtful videos to surprise the giftee in question without having to DIY. It offers a vast selection of themed and customizable templates that you can send instantly.

    Nuuly Subscription
    Courtesy of Nuuly.

    Let your loved one in on the best clothing subscription service around: Nuuly. It has all of the brands we’re obsessed with, from Urban Outfitters to Rachel Antonoff, and it’s just $98 a month. This is one of those gifts that we’re encouraging you to get for yourself, too. It’ll save space in your closet and room in your wallet and will help you expand and explore your own unique fashion tastes. You get six items a month and, if you fall in love with the pieces, you’ll get a major discount on them if you’d like to purchase them.

    ButcherBox
    Courtesy of ButcherBox.

    This is the best last-minute gift you can send to any home chef you know. A subscription to ButcherBox allows your foodie S.O. to receive up to 14 pounds of high-quality meat (and free bacon) at their door each month. The cuts and options will help them refresh their recipe books and bring renewed energy to their home cooking endeavors. Plus, choose the high-quality, sustainably sourced product you want to get for FREE in every order for a year right now as a limited-time deal.

    If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you already know how much the service’s ridiculously expansive product range is, and how the one to two-day shipping speeds are a major game-changer. Plus, Prime members get access to special deals and streaming services. You can give the gift of Prime for an entire year for $139.

    Goldbelly E-Gift Card
    Courtesy of Goldbelly.

    You really can’t go wrong with a food gift. Goldbelly has an array of gourmet meals that are sure to please. They can choose from different courses, cuisines, restaurants and top-tier chefs to treat themselves to a little something special.

    Rent the Runway Membership
    Photo: Rent the Runway.

    For the person on your list who is obsessed with fashion and trends, get them a Rent the Runway membership. There are three different plan options, but they will essentially get to handpick and receive four or more designer items per month. They then get to decide when they’d like to return the garments—rinse and repeat!

    STYLECASTER | Best Flower Delivery Services | Urban Stems
    Courtesy of Urban Stems.

    With Urban Stems, you send bouquets of flowers to anyone you love—but you can also go a step further and gift them an Urban Stems subscription. All you have to do is choose between the Classic ($55), Seasonal ($75) or Luxe ($105) plans, then set up how often you want flowers delivered to the recipient. It can be as often as bi-weekly, too, so your giftee can constantly have fresh blooms.

    cameo
    Photo: Cameo.

    Speaking from personal experience, Cameo is a great way to surprise your loved one with a thoughtful video message from their fave athlete, actor, musician, comedian, politician, etc. There really is no shortage of options, and you can even filter your search to show creators that have a 24-hour delivery turnover. It’s truly a procrastinator-friendly gift!

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    Tamara Kraus

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  • Your car’s dashboard is about to get a lot more expansive — and expensive – National | Globalnews.ca

    Your car’s dashboard is about to get a lot more expansive — and expensive – National | Globalnews.ca

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    I still remember the Delco AM radio in my dad’s 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that sat smack in the middle of the dash with its two knobs. The one on the left set the volume as well as turned it off and on. It had an inner ring on the same knob stalk that controlled “tone” (left to turn down the bass and right to turn up the treble; it was useless). The one on the right was for tuning in stations. Cranking it sent an indicator across the dial.

    Once you found the station you were looking for, you pulled out one of the five slat-like buttons on the front of the unit and then pushed it all the way back in, mechanically creating a memory for the tuning indicator. When you had all five buttons programmed, flipping from station to station was as easy as pushing the corresponding button which responded with a hearty ka-CHUNK.

    There was a lot of fighting over that radio because it was the only entertainment device available in the car. How times have changed — and continue to change.

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    I was reminded of that old Delco while attending a couple of panels at Canadian Music Week in Toronto this month. Dashboard times are a-changin’ and changin’ fast.

    As manufacturers and dealers pivot away from ICE (internal combustion engines) to electric vehicles, they’re also looking for new ways to monetize their vehicles. For example, dealers are going to be heavily impacted in the area of after-sales service, the part of the business that brings in most of the revenue.

    With electric vehicles, there are no oil changes, radiators to fix, belts to replace, injectors to clean, exhaust systems to replace, and spark plugs to change. Sure, there are still the mechanics of the electric motors that need attending along with tires to swap, bodywork to repair, and brakes to maintain, but overall, electric vehicles should need less service than ICE vehicles.

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    That lost ICE revenue needs to be made up somewhere. And that somewhere is going to be the dashboard.

    Manufacturers worldwide are looking at new ways to monetize the experience of being in a vehicle, not just for the driver but for all the passengers, too. And it all comes down to data. More and more vehicles are coming with cellular connections, linking them to the exchange of all kinds of data with the cloud. Cars are increasingly big computers on wheels run by millions of lines of code and for them to work properly, they need to be connected to the internet.

    We’re starting to see the introduction of what’s known as “pillar-to-pillar displays,” basically one long electronic ribbon extending from the driver’s side door to the passenger door. The driver will still have all the usual dials and indicators (virtual ones) while the passenger will be invited to engage in their own displays: vehicle analytics, navigation maps, video screens for watching things like YouTube and TikTok, and more. Mercedes S-Class and the company’s EQS EV are already deep into this territory as is Porsche’s all-electric Taycan. Hyundai/KIA isn’t far behind. I’ve driven all of them and it’s pretty sexy.

    Yes, we have CarPlay and Android Auto, but after years of ceding dashboard connectivity to Apple and Google, automakers are swinging back to proprietary systems that they can control — and from which they can harvest all kinds of user data. And by controlling the dashboard, automakers and their partners will start selling services and features as subscriptions.

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    Satellite radio has been delivered this way for decades. I’ve used the example of BMW’s heated seats subscription. The car comes with the mechanics installed. However, you can’t turn them on without paying a monthly fee. Think about the other options you have in your current vehicle. Which ones could be ruled remotely and only usable if you pay?

    But this is just the beginning. The next version of the BMW 5-Series will offer a Tivo option, meaning that passengers, each with their own individual screen, will be able to access all kinds of streaming TV and recorded TV. That’s a far cry from minivan DVD players, isn’t it?

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    Which brings me back to Dad’s old Delco. Radios have long been standard equipment, offering free news, information, and entertainment. As vehicles become more connected, AM/FM radio will be delivered via IP (internet protocol) instead of over the air from a transmitter and tower, meaning that it will be streamed to the car using cellular data and then interpreted by software instead of an old-school antenna and tuners. Data costs money, of course. And because the manufacturer controls which software goes in the dashboard, the chances of us having to subscribe to a radio tuner package is pretty much a slam-dunk.

    First, the bad news. Local radio will no longer be free and unlimited. Second, with all the other subscription offerings that will be available, radio runs the risk of getting lost in a multitude of news/entertainment choices. Today’s broadcasters will have to figure out what to do about that.

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    But there is also some good news. AM/FM radio is a one-way medium. By switching delivery to IP, cars and their occupants will have two-way communication with the broadcaster, paving the way for on-demand and personalized offerings. Real-time listening will still be a thing but there will be more curation opportunities for parties on both sides of the interface, not to mention advertising. I’m currently working with a company that envisions drivers calling up a display for, say, Tim Hortons, to order your double-double and old-fashioned glazed even before you hit the drive-through. If that’s your regular order, the car will even call ahead as you approach your usual location without you having to do anything.

    And then there’s the thorny problem of audience measurement. Compiling radio ratings has always been imperfect with results subject to wild and inaccurate swings. IP delivery of radio will allow for pinpoint determinations of who is listening to what and when — at least within the environment of the vehicle. I saw a demonstration of a system called DTS Soundstage that generates real-time dynamic heat maps of people listening to specific radio stations in their cars. Again, if you’re a broadcaster, this is the kind of accuracy and granularity you’ve been dreaming about when it comes to your audience’s habits and movements.

    How long before all this happens? Not as long as you may think. The average age of a car on Canadian roads is around 11 years; more impactfully, it’s 12.5 years in the U.S. As old analogue vehicles disappear from the roads, pushed by government demands for more EVs, we’ll see a wholesale change in the look, function, and cost of vehicle interiors in the early 2030s. Start budgeting now.

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    Alan Cross is a broadcaster with Q107 and 102.1 the Edge and a commentator for Global News.

    Subscribe to Alan’s Ongoing History of New Music Podcast now on Apple Podcast or Google Play

    &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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    Alan Cross

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  • More restaurants trying subscription programs | Long Island Business News

    More restaurants trying subscription programs | Long Island Business News

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    Consumers are willing to pay monthly subscription fees for streaming services, pet food and even toilet paper. And now some restaurants are betting they’ll do the same for their favorite meals.

    Large chains like Panera and P.F. Chang’s as well as neighborhood hangouts are increasingly experimenting with the subscription model as a way to ensure steady revenue and customer visits. Some offer unlimited drinks or free delivery for a monthly fee; others will bring out your favorite appetizer each time you visit.

    They’re following a trend: The average American juggled 6.7 subscriptions in 2022, up from 4.2 in 2019, according to Rocket Money, a personal finance app.

    “This is just another way for customers to provide a level of support and joy and love for our offerings,” said Matt Baker, the chef at Gravitas, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Washington.

    For $130 per month, Gravitas Supper Club subscribers get a three-course takeout meal for two. Baker said Gravitas shifted to takeout during the pandemic but saw demand fizzle once its dining room reopened. The Supper Club — which serves about 60 diners per month — keeps that revenue flowing.

    The upscale Chinese chain P.F. Chang’s also saw an opportunity to increase to-go orders with its subscription plan, which launched in September. For $6.99 per month, members get free delivery, among other perks.

    Other restaurants are experimenting with memberships, which let diners pre-pay toward their visits.

    El Lopo, a San Francisco bar, has 26 members in its Take-Care-Of-Me Club. They pay either $89 per month for $100 in dining credits or $175 per month for $200 in credits. When members come in, El Lopo starts bringing out their favorite dishes. Each visit, they can gift a free drink to anyone in the bar.

    El Lopo owner Daniel Azarkman started the club in March 2021 to encourage patrons to return as the pandemic eased. Now, he’s hearing from restaurants all over the country who are interested in starting similar programs.

    “What it really achieves is getting them in more often,” he said.

    Rick Camac, executive director of Industry Relations at the Institute of Culinary Education, said he expects many more restaurants to offer subscriptions in the coming years. Consumers are accustomed to them, he said, and the regular monthly income helps restaurants manage their cash flow.

    But not all subscription programs have had success. In 2021, On the Border Mexican Grill introduced its Queso Club, which offered free cheese dip for a year for $1. The program stopped taking new subscribers a year later.

    Edithann Ramey, On the Border’s chief marketing officer, said more than 150,000 people signed up for the Queso Club, and members visited seven times more often than the average guest. But the Dallas-based chain wasn’t making enough to cover the cost of the dip.

    On the Border is now retooling the program and expects to reintroduce it later this year. It may charge more or move to a monthly model, Ramey said, but the subscription element will remain.

    “It’s becoming kind of a hot trend and we want to stay as a leading brand,” Ramey said.

    Taco Bell is also tinkering with its $10 Taco Lover’s Pass, which lets subscribers get a taco every day for a month. The pass was introduced in January 2022 and again in October; it generated buzz, but the chain is trying to think of ways to make it more valuable to consumers, said Dane Matthews, Taco Bell’s Chief Digital Officer. A subscription could promise faster service, for example, or unlock unique menu items.

    Other restaurants have dropped subscriptions, saying they have their hands full just running the kitchen.

    In late 2020, SheWolf, an upscale Italian restaurant in Detroit, started sending subscribers a box of pasta, sauces and other treats for $80 per month. But when its dining room fully reopened six months later, it was too much work to put together hundreds of boxes.

    Still, SheWolf is keeping one foot in the subscription space. Dan Reinisch, the restaurant’s beverage director, sends Italian wines to about 80 subscribers who pay $60 or more each month.

    Other businesses have had better luck. St. Louis-based Panera had nearly 40 million members in its loyalty program in early 2020, but it wanted to convince them to drop in more often. So it launched a subscription program that offered unlimited coffee and tea for $8.99 per month. Customers started coming in several times a week, and about one-third of the time they bought food.

    Last year, Panera expanded the subscription. Now, members can pay $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year for unlimited hot and cold drinks. Annual subscribers also get free delivery.

    Eduardo Luz, Panera’s chief brand officer, won’t share exact numbers but he said members now make up 25% of the chain’s transactions.

    “It’s a huge traffic driver,” Luz said.

    The idea quickly spread overseas. Pret A Manger, a sandwich chain owned by the same private company as Panera, launched its own coffee subscription in the U.K. in 2020. As of November, it was being used 1.2 million times per week. Pret also offers subscriptions in France and the U.S.

    Chris Hosford, a communications consultant in southern California, joined Panera’s subscription plan a year ago. He passes four or five Paneras on his regular routes and often stops to grab a coffee and a bite to eat.

    “It’s not a huge amount of savings for me — probably $5-10 in the average month,” Hosford said. “But I’m good with that.”

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    The Associated Press

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