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Attention, Kroger shoppers: You can now redeem your Kroger Rewards points for groceries instead of just fuel.

Until now, Kroger Fuel Points (as it was previously known) has been one of our top loyalty programs for saving on gas because it can save you up to $1 per gallon on as many as 35 gallons of fuel purchased at Kroger gas stations and participating partner locations. But that maximum value assumes you actually need to buy a fair amount of gas, which many shoppers don't. In fact, some shoppers don't have cars at all.

That's exactly what this new redemption option solves, giving shoppers who don't regularly buy gas another easy way to use their rewards.

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Kroger now allows you to use points to save on groceries

Members continue to earn 1 point per dollar spent on most grocery purchases, plus bonus points on qualifying gift cards and eligible prescriptions. That part doesn't change.

But now, when it comes time to redeem your Kroger points , you have more choices, including:

The ability to redeem 100 points for $1 off groceries (up to $10 off per day)

The ability to redeem 100 points for 10 cents off per gallon of fuel (up to $1 off per gallon on up to 35 gallons of fuel)

KROGER Which is the best way to use points at Kroger?

It's hard to argue against using points to save on groceries since we all need to eat.

But if you regularly buy more than 10 gallons of fuel at a time, redeeming your points at the pump will usually provide better value.

KROGER Here's what 1,000 Kroger Rewards points are worth depending on how you redeem them.

1,000-point redemption options Total savings Point value

Groceries $10 1 cent per point

10-gallon fuel fill-up $10 1 cent per point

15-gallon fuel fill-up $15 1.5 cents per point

20-gallon fuel fill-up $20 2 cents per point

35-gallon fuel fill-up $35 3.5 cents per point

If you buy exactly 10 gallons of gas, redeeming for fuel and groceries provides the same value. Buy more than 10 gallons and you'll get a greater return with fuel. Buy less than 10 gallons — or don't buy gas at all — and redeeming points for groceries is the better option.

Think of the grocery redemption as a new floor value for Kroger Rewards while fuel remains the ceiling.

M. SCOTT BRAUER/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES Related: How to ensure you earn bonus points for grocery purchases

Bottom line

Previously, shoppers who didn't buy much gas often struggled to get significant value from their Kroger Rewards points, especially given that points expire at the end of the month following when they were earned.

This change makes the program useful to a wider audience since the new grocery redemption option gives Kroger Rewards members a guaranteed minimum value of 1 cent per point when redeemed toward groceries and provides for more options to use the points before they expire.

However, if you regularly buy more than 10 gallons of gas at a time or frequently shop at one of Kroger's sister brands — including Fred Meyer, Ralphs and Harris Teeter, which have similar loyalty programs but don't currently offer a grocery redemption option — fuel remains the more valuable (or only) way to use your points.

Related reading:

6 foolproof ways to maximize rewards on grocery spending

2 grocery cards, twice the rewards: Why I double up at supermarkets

Why I love using my Chase Sapphire Preferred for grocery shopping — and you might, too

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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The hantavirus outbreak that struck a cruise ship in April, killing three people and sparking fears of further spread, is over, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced.

"Today, the final contact of a person exposed to hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius completed their quarantine period, tested negative and returned home. No further cases have been reported since the 25th of May," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , the WHO's director-general, said in his opening remarks at a news conference Thursday (July 2). "We are therefore very pleased to say that WHO considers the outbreak of hantavirus over."

The total number of cases linked to the outbreak was 13. All those affected were either passengers or crew on the ship.

The outbreak began aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius after it departed southern Argentina on April 1. It involved the Andes virus , the only known hantavirus that can spread between people.

Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses that are found in the Americas, Europe and Asia and spread to humans relatively rarely, usually via contact with the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents. The Andes virus, however, has sparked short chains of human-to-human transmission in the past.

Before public health authorities were informed of the cases on MV Hondius, several dozen people disembarked the vessel on the island of St. Helena. To find them, authorities launched an international contact-tracing operation, tracking down more than 650 contacts in total who were then followed by health authorities in 33 countries and territories, according to the WHO.

Additionally, health authorities coordinated the monitoring, care and transport of the remaining passengers and crew aboard MV Hondius.

Of these contacts, those considered at the highest risk of infection were then quarantined and monitored for up to 42 days, because sometimes, hantavirus symptoms don't show up until weeks after exposure to the virus. Depending on their jurisdiction and degree of exposure, some contacts quarantined at home while others stayed in specialized facilities.

The initial unchecked travel of some contacts, alongside the virus's long incubation period, prompted concern from the public that the cluster of cases could explode into an enormous outbreak, or even a global pandemic. Many infectious-disease experts emphasized that the Andes virus does not spread easily between people and that the containment effort was going well , so the risk of a large outbreak was low. Still, some experts raised concerns that the international travel of contacts could trigger pockets of the deadly disease , and some argued that the Andes virus does have "pandemic potential ."

Now, with the final contact having completed their quarantine period and no further cases reported, the WHO has declared the outbreak over. All of the contacts who were repatriated to the U.S. completed their quarantine period by June 21 .

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"WHO will continue working with governments and partners to advance our understanding of this outbreak and of hantavirus more generally," Tedros said. "We are also coordinating a study involving 21 countries to understand how the disease develops, which will support the development of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines for future outbreaks."

Besides rigorous contact tracing, the WHO credited the coordinated actions of national public health bodies as being vital to preventing the further spread of the disease. These measures included the response of the Spanish government, which created a safe zone on the island of Tenerife for the ship's remaining passengers to disembark before they were repatriated under quarantine.

As the hantavirus outbreak concludes, there's an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an outbreak of the Marburg virus in Uganda . These and future outbreaks will require similarly robust international cooperation, the WHO emphasized.

"The outbreaks of hantavirus, Ebola and Marburg all show why there is no alternative to international cooperation in the face of international threats," Tedros said. "No country alone can fight."

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

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Now is an exciting time to be a fan of The Lord of the Rings , and it isn’t just due to the franchise’s long-awaited return to the big screen in live action with The Hunt for Gollum . Prime Video is also bringing back The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for its highly anticipated third season this November, and by the time the dust settles at the end of the season, the story of The Rings of Power will be more than halfway over. Reports indicate that Amazon is eyeing a five-season run for its most expensive fantasy series, which is estimated to cost over $1 billion for its first two seasons. There are more things for LOTR fans to be excited about beyond The Hunt for Gollum and The Rings of Power , though.