(MONEY Magazine) – TAX-BREAK EXPANSION. Starting this year, you can give up to $11,000 a year to a child or anyone else without triggering the gift tax. Married couples can give one person up to $22,000 a year. This is the first increase to the gift-tax exclusion in 20 years.

PHONE-RATE HIKE. Not on a discount calling plan yet? Here's some incentive: All three major long-distance carriers raised basic rates early this year. Sprint doubled Saturday basic rates to 20[cents] a minute, for example. AT&T raised rates 16% to 18% and now charges 35[cents] a minute on a weekday, as does MCI. Getting on a calling plan can bring that rate down to 7[cents] a minute if you pay a $3.95 monthly fee.

DEBIT-CARD MILES. Opportunities to earn frequent-flier miles on a debit card are expanding. Citibank's new American Airlines debit card joins Chase's Continental debit card and U.S. Bank's Northwest card. The basic versions of all three cards--which have $20 to $30 annual fees--award one mile per $2 spent. Citibank's premium $65-a-year American Airlines card has a more credit-card-like reward structure: one mile per dollar.

--M.J. AND CARA MOULTRUP