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February 20, 2007

The 411 on free 411

411 is convenient when you don't have access to a computer, but it costs money. Even when you dial 800-555-1212 for directory assistance for toll-free numbers, you get charged if you use your cell phone (which I recently found out when Cingular charged me $1.49 for what I thought was a free call).

Fees are going up, too. Sprint, Cingular, and Verizon now charge $1.79 for directory assistance.

Now you can bypass those fees if you're willing to put up with a little advertising. Call 800 FREE-411 (800 373-3411) and it works just like regular 411, without the fees. The catch? You have to listen to a couple of ads. I just tried it and had to listen to spiels from a mortgage lender before the automated voice asked me for the listing and then heard a travel agency ad before I got the number. In all, it took about 30 seconds longer than regular 411 but it was free.

Posted by brian at 01:16 PM | Comments (0)

February 06, 2007

Don't forget about that $30 tax credit

I already posted about the money the U.S. Treasury Dept wrongfully took from you if you've paid your phone bill anytime in the last 100 years. The details are here. Now the IRS is helping you get some of that money back but it seems that a lot of people aren't claiming the money.

Almost on the bottom of Form 1040, line 71, is something called "Credit for federal telephone excise tax paid." I just did my taxes this weekend, and even though I knew about this credit, I still almost missed it. A spokesman for the IRS, Eric Smith, said this week that, "A little more than one-in-three returns are omitting the telephone tax refund."

The refund is only available this year. If you've paid long-distance between March 2003 and July 2006 you can either claim the credit or add up all the excise tax you paid and claim that. (Does anyone really keep their phone bills for four years? I shred mine as soon as I finish paying the bill online).

Here's what to claim: If you have one exemption, claim a $30 refund; two exemptions, $40; three exemptions, $50; and four exemptions, $60.

Posted by brian at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)