My girlfriend had to take care of family problems in Minneapolis so I haven’t seen her since July. We’re are trying to see each other at Christmas, but money is tight. 

Airfares have gone sky high with the fuel crisis – more than $300 per person for this trip ($600 including my daughter). Christmas week is the only time I can get vacation pay, otherwise we’d go in mid-December when fares are cheaper.

Because of some medical problems I had last year, we have bad credit and no credit cards.  None of this adds up to getting a loan for the trip. 

But then I thought about an auto title loans store out toward Camp Mabry that I drive past every day. I’m not sure I want to stand in line somewhere for this type of transaction.  But it got me thinking, so I did a web search for “loans with a car title” and “fast cash” and I found Car Title Loans in Austin.  They said my Jeep Liberty Sport was good enough for that $600 – and I could get it in 24 hours. 

The online application was very simple and only took about 20 or 25 minutes. The cash was in my bank account the next morning, just as promised, and I bought the ticket online through my debit card. 

Two days later, those fares all went up $120 each.  By acting fast, I saved $240.