Some Amtrak fares rise

Fares for Amtrak’s Northeast Regional service, which stops in Providence, Kingston and Westerly, rose 5 percent this week. That will add a few dollars to fares between Rhode Island and cities such as New York and Washington.

Fares for the Acela Express, which also serves Providence, were not affected. Northeast Regional trains run from Boston to Richmond, Va., and include stops in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

The fare hike will add $3 to $4 to the lowest-priced, one-way tickets, according to an Amtrak spokeswoman. As an example, the lowest fare for a trip from Providence to Washington rose from $80 to $84, while Providence to New York rose from $51 to $54. The $12 fare from Providence to Boston did not change.

New iPhone gets high marks

Consumer Reports tested Apple’s new iPhone 3G and concluded: “What was, hands-down, the best multimedia smart phone on the market just got a heck of a lot better. But as a corporate instrument, the 3G may still need a little more polish.” The magazine said the new iPhone has a few key features that set it high above the original iPhone. The 3G is: twice as fast, can use AT&T’s faster network, has better GPS navigation to pinpoint locations, has a comparable screen to the old one and allows the user to open but not edit office documents. There were 1 million iPhones sold in the first weekend of sales, Apple said.

Your financial resolutions

Half way through 2008, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling is suggesting a review of financial resolutions many people made earlier this year including, have holiday purchases been paid for and is household debt growing. The NFCC recommends paying off debt because it frees up future income for other uses, such as investing or saving for retirement. It also lowers your credit utilization ratio which improves your credit score.

Airlines increase revenue

Five U.S. airlines — Delta, Northwest, US Airways, United and Continental — will start publishing advertisements on their boarding passes that customers print at home to generate more revenue. The airlines have signed contracts with Sojern, and Omaha-based start-up, to fill their printed boarding passes with targeted ads, coupons, restaurant and shop recommendations. The information will be based on the destination and duration of stay.

Low-interest mortgages offered

AAA Southern New England and Rhode Island Housing is offering a low interest rate mortgage program that offers subsidized interest rates, down payment assistance, deferred-payment second mortgages and grants. The program, FirstHomes, is available to anyone who falls within income and purchase guidelines. The income limits are $87,400 for a household of one or two people and $102,400 for households of three or more. There is no income minimum. The program caps the purchase price at $417,000 statewide or $450,000 in federally designated target areas.