Current Events in April 2019

Apple over the weekend pulled 11 out of 17 of the most-downloaded screen time and parental control apps from its App Store because they put user privacy and security at risk, according to a New York Times report.

The report suggested that the tech giant engaged in anti-competitive behaviors by removing the apps because, in doing so, Apple snuffed out rivals to its own Screen Time software.

In an effort to shed light on why the apps were removed, Apple published a statement on its website explaining that the apps were abusing a kind of technology called Mobile Device Management (MDM). The tech giant stressed that use of the technology, which can give an app developer access to a range of sensitive user information, “is incredibly risky—and a clear violation of App Store policies—for a private, consumer-focused app business to install MDM control over a customer’s device.”

“Contrary to what The New York Times reported over the weekend, this isn’t a matter of competition. It’s a matter of security,” Apple said.

The company noted that one of its App Store guidelines states that apps “should use APIs and frameworks for their intended purposes and indicate that integration in their app description.” MDM aren’t intended to be used to track and limit phone use, Apple said.

Accusations of anti-competitive practices

In response to Apple’s move, two developers (Qustodio and Kidslox) filed complaints with the European Union’s competition office, arguing that Apple forced them to modify their apps in a way that would make them less useful in comparison to Apple’s parental controls, according to the Times.

Spotify has also recently accused Apple of engaging in anticompetitive practices and limiting consumer choice on its Apple Music platform. In March, CEO Daniel Ek argued in an antitrust complaint that Apple forces rival streaming services to compete with Apple Music by charging a 30 percent tax on in-app purchases.

Earlier this year, Democratic Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren outlined a plan to prevent large tech companies like Apple from engaging in anti-competitive practices. To keep tech giants from stifling competition, she proposed designating large tech platforms as “platform utilities” and appointing regulators committed to reversing illegal and anticompetitive tech mergers.

“Tech entrepreneurs would have a fighting chance to compete against the tech giants,” Warren said.

When the government reported that the nation’s economy grew by 3.2 percent in the first quarter of the year, it came as unexpected good news. Few expected the economy to be that strong.

But despite the indications of prosperity, many consumers may be struggling because of two factors. Gasoline prices are rising faster than expected and more people received smaller tax refunds, which are normally used to make big purchases later in the year.

The new tax law cut taxes for most people, but employers apparently withheld less money in taxes. Paychecks might have been a little bigger during the year, but that refund check from the government was smaller, or it disappeared altogether.

In early April, a Harris Poll found nearly one-third of taxpayers who owe extra taxes this year got a refund last year. The survey found that 18 percent of taxpayers who had filed their 2018 federal tax return owed additional money, beyond what had been withheld during the year. The survey suggests that as many as 7.9 million taxpayers expecting a refund had to pay additional taxes instead.

Far-reaching effects

The effects on both consumers and the economy could be far-reaching. Consumers often use their tax refund to make a down payment on a car or truck. Others use it to pay down credit card balances. Many others need it just to get caught up on bills that have piled up over the last 12 months.

To make matters worse, consumers are paying higher prices for gasoline. The average price of gasoline is up about 20 cents a gallon in the last month. Barron’s reports that its calculations, and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), show the average U.S. household drives about 1,000 miles a year and spends roughly $2,500 on gasoline, which comes out to 4 percent to 5 percent of total household expenditures.

When gasoline prices go up, it acts as a tax on consumers, who have a little less to spend on other things. On Twitter, Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy noted that “Americans will spend in the neighborhood of $1.2 billion dollars on gasoline today, compared to (less than) $870 million/day on some of the miserably cold days in February.”

Higher rates too?

The unexpected spike in first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) raises the possibility of another consumer setback. What if the uptick in economic activity causes the Federal Reserve to change course once again and hike interest rates at its next meeting?

Should that happen, consumers carrying credit card balances would see their interest charges go up since credit card rates are directly tied to the Federal Reserve’s federal funds rate. Fortunately, that’s unlikely to happen.

In an analysis of the first quarter economic data, the Conference Board suggests economic activity in the first quarter wasn’t as robust as the 3.2 percent number would suggest. Rather, it says the stronger than expected estimate is primarily the result of temporary contributions from inventories, trade, and government spending that are unlikely to be sustained during the year.

Talk to just about anyone over 50 about retirement savings and chances are they will quickly change the subject. Hardly anyone wants to think about it because most assume they won’t have enough money to live comfortably once they stop earning a paycheck.

A new survey of consumers by AARP drives home the point. Well over half -- 59 percent -- agreed that it is "somewhat likely" to "not at all likely" that the combination of their savings, investments, and Social Security benefits will get them through retirement.  

Women were more uncertain than men, with two-thirds worried about stretching their assets through their golden years. In some cases, the uncertainty is understandable.

A Merrill Lynch report issued in January found most Americans under-save for retirement by about 20 percent. The report said retirement is getting more expensive -- now about $700,000 on average -- and it’s getting harder to accumulate that kind of money.

“The ‘three-legged stool’ traditionally used for funding retirement—Social Security, employer pension, personal savings—is getting very wobbly for many people,” the company said in its report. “[Consumers] will need to rely more on personal sources of income, and so the responsibility for managing retirement funding resides more than ever with the individual.”

Not much in savings

The AARP survey also reflects the recent findings from the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) that found most households getting close to retirement simply don’t have much in savings. A poll question that asked about respondents’ biggest financial mistakes got one common answer -- not saving enough money over the years.

"The situation is serious, but not one that can't be improved," said AARP Financial Ambassador Jean Chatzky.  "No matter your circumstance, there are resources available to help almost anyone take simple steps to improve your finances, start a savings plan, and get into the habit of putting away money on a regular basis."

Paycheck-to-paycheck

One of the most common reasons consumers give for not saving for retirement is no money left over at the end of the month. The 2018 TD Bank Love and Money Survey found that one-third of consumers were living paycheck-to-paycheck. That condition meant they were unable to buy a home, much less save for retirement.

One solution is to keep working well past age 65, which was the normal retirement age when life expectancy was about 66. If you have a job or career you have grown to dislike, that can be disheartening advice. But no one says you have to keep doing the same thing.

There are a growing number of resources, including this free employment website, available to help seniors transition into new jobs and careers.

Weight loss surgery continues to be a popular option for many consumers, but researchers have now found how it could be risky for women who want to have children.

According to a new study, weight loss surgery could increase the risk for women during both pregnancy and childbirth, and it could lead to serious birth defects and infant health complications.

“Our findings indicate that women with a history of bariatric surgery, and in particular gastric bypass surgery, are at much greater risk of several adverse perinatal outcomes,” said researcher Zainab Akhter. “These women require specific preconception and pregnancy nutritional support. This highlights the importance of dietary supplements, and extra monitoring of fetal growth and development. Health professionals also need training and guidance to be able to provide the right advice.”

Concerns to be aware of

To see how weight-loss surgery increased women’s risk during pregnancy and childbirth, the researchers evaluated previous studies in this area, analyzing nearly 15,000 pregnancies post-weight loss surgery and over four million pregnancies from women who hadn’t had surgery.

The researchers analyzed how weight loss surgery played a role in pregnancy outcomes; past research has shown how weight loss surgery has been effective in helping women have healthier pregnancies by reducing their risk of hypertension and diabetes while pregnant.

In analyzing the pregnancies, the researchers found that having weight loss surgery affected the way participants’ bodies processed and regulated nutrients. This, in turn, led to smaller babies at birth.

The study revealed that women who had bariatric surgery were nearly three times as likely to have a baby considered small at birth, with the average baby weighing approximately 200 grams lighter than babies born to mothers who hadn’t had weight loss surgery.

The researchers also found that babies born to women who had weight loss surgery had an increased risk of birth defects, as these babies were:

• Over 40 percent more likely to go into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU);

• Nearly 60 percent more likely to be premature;

• Nearly 40 percent more likely of experiencing perinatal death; and

• Nearly 30 percent more likely to have congenital abnormalities.

Despite these scary findings, the researchers note that their study was observational, and they believe that more work needs to be done in this area to firm up the results and find a more concrete link between weight loss surgery and pregnancy complications.

“It is not clear how weight-loss surgery may influence fetal development, but we know that people who have bariatric surgery are more likely to have micronutrient deficiencies,” said Zainab. “More work needs to be done to better understand the causes of these differences, so that steps can be taken to support women to achieve the best possible pregnancy outcomes for themselves and their babies.”

Commuting to work every day can be tiring and stressful for many consumers, but a new study shows that it could also be fatal for some people.

Researchers found that obese consumers who commute via car are over 30 percent more likely to die early from all causes when compared to those who have a lower body mass index (BMI) and are considered “active” commuters, meaning they walk or bike to work.

“Our findings, if causal, suggest that people with overweight or obesity could potentially decrease the risk of premature mortality if they engage in active commuting,” the authors wrote.

Prioritizing health

The researchers were curious to see how different kinds of commuting affected consumers’ health, so they utilized the U.K. Biobank to identify any possible patterns.

Using information from over 160,000 participants between the ages of 37 and 73 years old, the researchers evaluated all of the participants’ current BMI scores, as well as how they got to work every day -- whether it be by walking, biking, driving, or a mix of walking and biking.

All participants were re-evaluated at around the five-year mark, and the researchers monitored their health. Particular attention was paid to those who needed hospital attention due to heart disease, died due to heart disease, and died from any cause.

The researchers found that the group of participants who had the highest BMIs and drove to work each day were the most likely to have health complications at the end of the study. The study revealed that this group was nearly 60 percent more likely to develop a heart condition and two times as likely to die due to heart disease. Overall, this group was over 30 percent more likely to die prematurely from all causes.

Past Biobank research has shown that active commuting reduces the risk of premature death and heart disease by 50 percent, and this most recent study found that that extra bit of physical activity can be incredibly beneficial to consumers’ health.

Though active, overweight commuters were still over 80 percent more likely to develop heart disease; the risk of death for those who walked or cycled to work each day was about the same as those who didn’t have obesity.

The researchers hope that these findings inspire consumers to incorporate more physical activity into their already existing day-to-day routines, as it could drastically improve their health.

“Regardless of your body weight, being physically active could partly reduce the excess risk associated with obesity,” the researchers wrote. “However, compared to other forms of physical activity -- such as gyms and exercise classes -- active commuting can be implemented and fitted within our daily routines, often with no additional cost, but at the same time could increase our overall physical activity levels and therefore help to meet the current physical activity recommendations for health.”

Staying active

For those looking to maintain a healthy weight, one recent study found that exercise is more crucial to a daily routine than diet. However, it can be difficult to devote tons of time to the gym or any exercise regimen, which is where several recent studies can help consumers in their quest to stay active and healthy.

While researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that one workout can benefit the metabolism for up to two days later, another study found that short bursts of stair climbing can boost health.

And though high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been known to help consumers shed weight faster, a new study found that day-to-day tasks like carrying groceries can improve physical fitness as well.

“Regular incidental activity that gets you huffing and puffing even for a few seconds has great promise for health,” said researcher Emmanuel Stamatakis. “There is a lot of research telling us that any type of HIIT, irrespective of duration and number of repetitions is one of the most effective ways to rapidly improve fitness and cardiovascular health and [high-intensity incidental physical activity] works on the same idea.”

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 25,004 model year 2019 Jeep Renegades and Fiat 500Xs.

Incorrect software may cause the occupant restraint controller (ORC) module to disable certain passive safety features, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

What to do

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the ORC module software free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin May 30, 2019.

Owners may contact Chrysler's customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V42.

Grant Park Packing of Franklin Park, Ill., is recalling approximately 53,200 pounds of raw ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli O103.

The Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health officials, are testing to determine if the recalled ground beef products are related to an E. coli O103 outbreak.

The following item, produced October 30-31, 2018, and November 1, 2018, is being recalled:

• 40-lb. bulk cardboard boxes of “North Star Imports & Sales, LLC. 100% GROUND BEEF BULK 80% LEAN/ 20% FAT” marked “FOR INSTITUTIONAL USE ONLY” with lot code GP.1051.18 and pack dates 10/30/2018, 10/31/2018, and 11/01/2018.

The recalled products, bearing establishment number “EST. 21781” inside the USDA mark of inspection, were shipped to Minnesota for further distribution and Kentucky for institutional use.

What to do

Consumers should only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160°F using a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall may contact Darrin Bosell at (312) 421-4096.

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 50,504 model year 2018-2019 Odysseys.

Loose battery terminal connections or a degraded battery may cause the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) to unexpectedly reboot. Upon rebooting, the TCU may shift the transmission to the "Park" position, possibly damaging the parking rod.

A damaged parking rod can allow the vehicle to roll when parked, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

What to do

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will ensure the battery terminal connections are secure and will update the TCU software free of charge. Additionally, the parking rod effectiveness will be checked.

The recall is expected to begin June 1, 2019.

Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Z4J, Y4K.

It’s true that 5G will be blazing fast and open up many new opportunities on the internet, but you might not be able to get it. At least, that’s what some telecom executives are saying.

Both Verizon and T-Mobile have made public statements over the last few days revealing what should have been obvious. This new technology is highly complex and will be very expensive to deploy. It might not be available except in dense urban areas. Most likely it will be a long time before it makes it to rural America.

Most experts agree that 5G will be a transformational shift in internet connectivity. It’s 100 times faster than 4G and will enable online functions that aren’t available now. But unlike 4G wireless service, one tall tower won’t be able to cover a defined area. Instead, it will need scores of micro-antenna dotting the coverage area.

“We all need to remind ourselves this is not a coverage spectrum,” Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg told analysts on the company’s Q1 2019 earnings call this week.

His comments followed a claim a day earlier from T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray that Verizon’s 5G service would “never reach rural America.”

5G limitations

Ray explained that 5G technology has great potential to increase speed and capacity, but noted that it doesn’t travel far from the cell site. It also doesn’t penetrate solid wells that well. According to Ray, 5G will probably never be a factor beyond small pockets in dense urban environments.

AT&T and Verizon, the largest wireless providers, are leading the race to roll out a 5G network, but the progress has been fairly slow. Earlier this month, AT&T announced that is has expanded its mobile 5G network to "parts" of seven more cities, including Austin, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose. The addition of the seven new areas of coverage brings the carrier’s 5G city count to 19.

“We spent the early part of this year accelerating and advancing our 5G network with early adopters by our side,” said Andre Fuetsch, president AT&T Labs and chief technology officer (CTO). “And now it’s time to offer this experience to more businesses and consumers in another seven cities.”

Verizon gearing up

This week, Verizon announced 20 more cities will be upgraded to its faster, millimeter wave 5G service. The carrier has already activated the service in Chicago and Minneapolis, and now it’s adding Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, Providence, San Diego, Salt Lake City, and Washington DC.

Verizon has said it plans to launch 5G in more than 30 cities by the end of the year. Additional 5G cities will be announced in the months ahead.

The carrier says its 5G Ultra Wideband network will offer download speeds that are “significantly faster than 4G LTE.” Additionally, thanks to increased bandwidth capacity, more users will be able to use more data in the same location.

The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James has accused cryptocurrency exchange iFinex Inc. of deliberately concealing "the apparent loss of $850 million dollars of co-mingled client and corporate funds."

In a press release put out on Thursday, James announced that she had obtained a court order against iFinex, which operates both the Bitfinex exchange and the Tether cryptocurrency. The filing accuses the executives of the exchange of violating New York law through their involvement in activities that may have defrauded crypto investors in the state.

“Our investigation has determined that the operators of the ‘Bitfinex’ trading platform, who also control the ‘tether’ virtual currency, have engaged in a cover-up to hide the apparent loss of $850 million dollars of co-mingled client and corporate funds,” James said. “New York state has led the way in requiring virtual currency businesses to operate according to the law. And we will continue to stand-up for investors and seek justice on their behalf when misled or cheated by any of these companies.”

In response to the statement from the Attorney General, Bitfinex issued a statement of its own arguing that the claims are “riddled with false assertions” and that the funds are not lost.

“The New York Attorney General's court filings were written in bad faith and are riddled with false assertions, including as to a purported $850 million ‘loss’ at Crypto Capital. On the contrary, we have been informed that these Crypto Capital amounts are not lost but have been, in fact, seized and safeguarded,” the statement reads.

Bitfinex said it intends to “vigorously” challenge the actions.

Suffering with any kind of anxiety disorder can be extremely difficult, and many consumers often struggle with where these thoughts and feelings stem from.

Now, researchers have discovered a common personality trait that could be the driving force behind obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) -- being too hard on yourself.

“People with OCD [are] tortured by repeatedly occurring negative thinking and they take some strategy to prevent it,” said researcher Yoshinori Sugiura. “...GAD is a very pervasive type of anxiety. [Patients] worry about everything.”

A possible cause

The researchers were interested in seeing if they could determine a cause to these two common anxiety disorders, so they began by sending out a questionnaire to college students.

Prior to the study, the researchers hypothesized that feeling an overwhelming sense of responsibility could be the driving force behind OCD or GAD, and so they targeted their questions towards three important aspects of personal responsibility:

• Responsibility to think about a problem after it’s passed

• Responsibility to prioritize safety/prevent danger

• Sense of blame or personal responsibility for poor outcomes

In addition to questions about personal responsibility, participants were asked to report on their behaviors that could be linked to anxiety. In analyzing the survey responses, the researchers determined that feelings of responsibility were closely linked with behaviors known to be related to OCD or GAD.

Participants who reported feeling an overwhelming amount of personal responsibility were not only more likely to place blame on themselves and persistently think about issues, but they also had behaviors that were consistent with OCD and GAD.

The researchers hope that those struggling with anxiety or obsessive thoughts can work to place less blame on themselves and work to lift the burden of responsibility.

“[A] very quick or easy way is to realize that responsibility is working behind your worry,” he said. “I ask [patients], ‘why are you worried so much?’ so they will answer ‘I can’t help but worry,” but they will not spontaneously think ‘because I felt responsibility…’ just realizing it will make some space between responsibility thinking and your behavior.”

Earlier this year, ConsumerAffairs reported that the rate of cord-cutting has continued its meteoric rise. Recent reports show that AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon’s first-quarter loss ran precariously close to a million subscribers.

Now comes a new report forecasting a loss of 4.56 million American households by the end of 2019.

The Convergence Research Group -- consultants in the internet, content, telecom, and technology arena -- found that 34 percent of American cable and satellite TV subscribers will cut the cord by the end of 2019 and likely opt for a personal bundling of services like Hulu or Sling, where they subscribe to specialty channels they have a particular interest in, like the SEC Sports Network.

Taking the leap of faith

Cutting the cord and cobbling together the services that are most important is all personal preference. While it would be nice if a streaming provider like Hulu offered every single thing you want, it’s likely you’ll either have to find an additional provider that offers what you’re looking for or learn to live without it.

“Tried cord cutting once a number of years ago but just couldn’t live without all the channels and eventually went back to cable,” posted one user on CordCutters’ Facebook page. “But now that we’ve got all these live streaming and OTA (over-the-air) channels I’ve since cut the cord again and will never go back.”

Despite how much a consumer dislikes having to pay for cable or satellite TV, cutting that cord and creating the perfect bundle can be expensive -- maybe more than basic cable.

“There was hope within the TV industry that skinny bundles from ‘virtual MVPDs (multichannel video programming distributor)’ such as YouTube TV, Hulu and DirecTV Now would help fight cord-cutting,” is how Digiday views the current landscape.

“And to some extent, these services have done that — but at what is proving to be a steep cost. Now, these services are raising prices and looking for other bundling and distribution options in pursuit of profitability and sustainability. What that ultimately proves, yet again, is a very simple fact: No matter how you slice, dice or bundle it, live TV is expensive.”

Please don’t go

Unfortunately for consumers, there are streaming providers that seem to want to hold on to customers at all costs.

“Verizon FIOS is trying hard to lose customers,” writes one ConsumerAffairs reviewer. “I wanted a specific package that I had already been using, I signed a new 2-year contract with the understanding (including an agent sharing with me and assuring me that I will have the channels I watch in particular a golf channel) that I will get the channels I really wanted.”

“They shared the list of channels, etc. Then within two weeks, I found that they had migrated the golf channel to another package. To get it, I need to pay an additional $10 a month. So, the motto of Verizon seems to be, ‘Let's screw the customer. Provide him with a contract and then renege on it.’"

Chipotle Mexican Grill disclosed on Thursday that it received a fourth subpoena from federal prosecutors, this time seeking information related to a 2018 outbreak that sickened almost 700 people who had eaten at a Chipotle location in Powell, Ohio.

The latest outbreak was eventually traced to a type of bacteria that often occurs when meat and pre-cooked foods are prepared in large quantities and kept warm for a long period of time prior to being served. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said stool samples collected from people who got sick tested positive for the bacteria (clostridium perfringens).

In addition to seeking information about the latest outbreak at a unit in Ohio, the subpoena requests information related to illnesses traced to restaurants in Simi Valley, California; Sterling, Virginia; Boston, and Los Angeles.

History of food safety-related outbreaks

In the past several years, the fast-casual chain has been blamed for a number of highly publicized food safety incidents. But despite the outbreaks and ongoing investigation, Chipotle on Wednesday reported positive first quarter results.

As part of the investigation, which is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Central District of California, the latest subpoena asks Chipotle to produce documents and information related to company-wide food safety matters dating back to January 1, 2013.

Since that date, Chipotle said it has received “two other subpoenas on the following dates requesting information related to illness incidents associated with the following specific restaurants: July 19, 2017, requesting information about a single Chipotle restaurant in Sterling, Virginia; and February 14, 2018, requesting information about a single Chipotle restaurant in Los Angeles, California.”

In a memo to stockholders, Chipotle said it has “fully cooperated” and intends to continue fully cooperating with the investigation, which has been going on since 2016.

“It is not possible at this time to determine whether we will incur, or to reasonably estimate the amount of, any fines or penalties in connection with the investigation pursuant to which the subpoenas were issued,” the notice said.

News of the subpoena sent Chipotle shares down 5 percent, CNN reported.

Now that consumers have gotten accustomed to inserting their embedded-chip cards into a credit card terminal instead of swiping, the next trend may be just simply tapping the card on the terminal to record a purchase.

KeyBank is launching Mastercard contactless credit and debit cards, in partnership with Mastercard and FIS. The new cards, which are now being issued to account holders, will allow consumers to make in-store purchases by just tapping the terminal screen. The transaction is encrypted to provide security.

"We know that consumers value convenience and speed, and our new contactless cards make everyday purchases quick and simple, with the confidence that transactions are secure,” said Ken Gavrity, head of KeyBank Enterprise Payments. “We're thrilled to offer our customers this easy-to-use and safe way to pay."

Built-in antenna

Contactless cards come with a different kind of chip and a near field communication (NFC) antenna, which transmits data between the card and the terminal, usually in about half the time it takes to make a purchase using cards with the EMV chips.

Sara Rathner, NerdWallet’s credit card expert, says the contactless cards are popular in Europe, but U.S. consumers and businesses have been slow to adopt them.

“KeyBank is following other major credit and debit card issuers in offering this feature,” Rathner told ConsumerAffairs. “Wells Fargo, Chase, Capital One, and American Express have all started to roll out contactless payment capabilities on their products in the past few years. As more U.S. merchants update their point-of-sale hardware to accept contactless payments, consumers will adopt this faster way to pay in greater numbers.”

While consumers may worry about the security of contactless payments, a transaction is secured by using a one-time code rather than your personal information.

“While there’s always a risk of your credit or debit card being compromised, you have recourse if you report fraudulent charges to the issuer as soon as possible,” Rathner said.

According to CreditCards.com, the U.S. adoption of the EMV chip card as standard may pave the way to wider use of contactless cards. That’s because many of the new terminals that accept chip cards also work for contactless cards.

Digital wallets also use similar technology. Once you load your payment information into a digital wallet app, you can pay for purchases by holding your smartphone next to the credit card terminal. An estimated 30 million retailers are equipped to accept digital wallet payments.

Consumers are driving more this spring, and that extra demand has reduced supplies of gasoline and kept prices moving higher. But in all but a few states, the increase this week was minimal.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular is $2.88 a gallon, up five cents a gallon from last Friday. It’s nine cents higher than at this time last year.

The average price of premium is $3.42, four cents higher than a week ago. The average price of diesel fuel is $3.08, just a penny more than seven days ago.

Expect higher prices

The Energy Information Administration reports total supplies of gasoline fell by 2.2 million barrels in the previous week, 11 million barrels lower than domestic stocks at this time in 2018. Refineries’ switchover to summer-blend gasoline is reaching its peak, further reducing supplies.

“As a result, American motorists should expect increased pump prices as demand remains robust and stocks dwindle,” AAA said in its latest market update.

Crude oil to make gasoline is also rising in price, mainly due to OPEC and its partners agreeing on a 1.2 million barrel-per-day production cut. At the same time, the U.S. government is tightening enforcement of its crude export sanctions on Iran, removing more of that country’s oil from the world market.

California continues to have the most expensive gasoline by a wide margin, but the increase in the last week was only two cents a gallon. On the other hand, the average price jumped 10 cents a gallon in Alaska and rose eight cents in Nevada.

The states with the most expensive regular gas

These states currently have the highest prices for regular gas, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Survey:

• California ($4.04)

• Hawaii ($3.63)

• Washington ($3.49)

• Oregon ($3.39)

• Nevada ($3.38)

• Alaska ($3.33)

• Arizona ($3.08)

• Pennsylvania ($3.04)

• Illinois ($2.99)

• Idaho ($2.99)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

The survey found these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

• Alabama ($2.51)

• Mississippi ($2.53)

• Louisiana ($2.55)

• Arkansas ($2.56)

• South Carolina ($2.56)

• Missouri ($2.59)

• Texas ($2.62)

• Tennessee ($2.62)

• Virginia ($2.63)

• Oklahoma ($2.63)

General Motors is recalling 112,958 model year 2017-2019 Chevrolet Trax vehicles.

A joint in one or both of the front lower-control arms may have been improperly welded, resulting in the partial separation of the lower-control arm from the vehicle.

A partial separation of the lower-control arm from the vehicle could cause the attached front wheel to toe outward, affecting the vehicle's handling and steering and increasing the risk of crash.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left and right front lower-control arms, replacing them as necessary free of charge.

The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A182202370.