<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">But let's not lose sight of all the weaselly nickel-and-dime tactics that companies employ every day to separate us from our money.

Case in point: A whole menagerie of corporate behemoths has come together to lure unsuspecting consumers into joining a "rewards and discount program" that'll in fact cost you about $70 a year.</font>