Ask Finney: Travel insurance, wage claims, stopping magazine offers

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- 7 On Your Side's Consumer Expert Michael Finney answers your consumer questions.

Question 1:

Leslie asked: Planning on booking a summer or fall trip for me and my boyfriend. Should I buy travel insurance?

Answer 1:

I am a big believer in travel insurance if you are traveling abroad, but not so much for travel in the U.S. Here's why:

You should only insure for what you can't afford to pay yourself. Overseas, your health insurance is no good. So you need travel health insurance. You also need a way out of that country, sometimes quickly, to get quality care. That can run $50, 000 to $100,000 thousand dollars.

The right travel insurance covers that, too. Canceled and delayed trip coverage and lost baggage is nice and covered, too.

So... why not domestic travel? You can usually cancel your hotel and rental car reservations, so you are looking at the loss of your plane ticket. When you are buying your ticket, check the cost of the insurance offered by your airline. Often it is only $20 or so, that is worth buying.

Question 2:

Joseph asked: My father worked for a security company, but still has not been paid in full. How can he be paid for all the hours worked?

Answer 2:

Do you believe the companies do this kind of stuff? Unbelievable. Here in California, we are fortunate. The California Labor Commissioner's office does a great job of getting money for workers who were not paid. Go online and print out the forms. Good luck.

Here is a link to the California Labor Commissioner's Office.

Question 3:

Maureen asked: I am a member of an elderly-focused company and automatically started getting magazine offers. How can I stop getting them?

Answer 3:

It never works to call the company, since the people sending out the magazine are usually subcontractors. Your best bet is to go the Direct Marketing Association's mail preference service and ask for the magazines to be stopped. That usually works. Currently, it will cost $2 for the service and last 10 years.

Here is a link to the Direct Marketing Association's website.

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