A few days ago I received a check in the mail that I wasn’t expecting. It was a legitimate check for $9.25 that said it was for rewards from some program. It was from the Traveler’s Advantage program which I believe is associated with Budget Car Rentals. If you looked close, however, in fine print it said that by cashing the check you were enrolling in their program. Then on the back of the check where you would normally endorse it it had more fine print. You were agreeing to enroll in the program for 12 months at a cost of $14.99 per month.

Needless to say, I was not impressed with the tactic that was being used. Even if I had been interested in the program (which I wasn’t) I wouldn’t have signed up for it at that point because of the shady tactic that was being used. I would also venture to say that most people are turned off by marketing that is misleading. They are banking on the fact that at least some percentage of the people they’re sending it to will just cash it without reading the fine print.

This type of thing should serve as a reminder to all of us that we should always read and understand the fine print. These companies aren’t looking out for you financially, but you should be. Don’t fall prey to their deceptions. And if I were you, I wouldn’t sign up for Traveler’s Advantage. How good can the program be if they have to mislead people to get them to sign up for it?

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