Recently I participated in the (perhaps) targeted 1000 Free Priority Club points offer. At the end of the video, a credit card offer was given for 80,000 Priority Club points. I did the same video for my wife and her offer was for 60,000 Priority Club points.

80,000 points were too good to pass up, so I went ahead and applied for the card and was approved. There was no annual fee the first year and no minimum spend either.

When the card arrived, I called customer service to activate my card. One of the perhaps overlooked benefits is that you can set your own billing date if you ask them. I set my billing date to three days from the time I activated my card. As soon as I hung up the phone, I went online and made a purchase.

Three days later my billing date hit and just like that, 80000 points were in my account. I know that most cards today have minimum spends, but for those that don’t – this is a quick way to get your points!

There are treasures in regards to travel out there that perhaps you’ve been overlooking because you aren’t frequenting eBay as much as you should. I’m here to help you in your quest to find that perfect gift for the travel enthusiast.

Delta Hot Entree Plates

Relive the luxury of getting served an entree on an actual plate at home with these Delta Air Lines Pfaltzgraff Collectible Hot Entree Plates. Now you can enjoy dinner with the entire family with microscopic portions. Priced at $9.99 – these plates would make an excellent stocking stuffer.

1967 United Airlines ad

During this time, United Airlines stewardesses were trained to spot businessmen who were tired and just wanted to go home. Perhaps the businessman wanted a sizzling steak or broiled lobster or just wanted to spend some time listening to six stations of music. Relive how it used to be with this ad priced at $8.99, which is a 10% savings from the usual $9.99 price.

Marriott Rewards Elite Room Key

Why try and qualify for Marriott Rewards Platinum each year with 75 nights when instead you can purchase this Elite Room Key for $.99. You’ll have no idea the respect you’ll garner as you flash this key down at the pool. Extra towels? Check. Preferred suntanning chair? Perhaps. Complimentary frosty beverages? No. Rub shoulders with the elite in the lobby because you’ve got your Elite Room Key.

Used Qantas First Class Pyjamas

In this era of sustainability, why not recycle some old pajamas? Listed as “vintage” instead of “was cleaning out a closet and found these crumpled in a corner”, these pajamas have “no rips or stains” and luckily come with an “unused toothbrush and toothpaste” and are priced at $10.99. Thankfully only expedited shipping at a cost of $18.00 is available so that you will be able to quickly snuggle up with a loved one.

FTD flowers is offering 2500 Hilton Honors points for each purchase. The lowest cost item I can find is the Perfect Petals Mother’s Day Spa Set for $19.99 with a $10.99 delivery charge for May 15th delivery or $19.99 delivery charge to get it there by Mother’s Day. Flowers start at $39.99.

Terms and conditions:
This offer cannot be combined with any other promotions or discounts. Redemption of vouchers, gift certificates, gift cards, or reward codes may be subject to additional or different restrictions; please refer to those products for their terms and conditions. Offer not valid at retail stores or any other website. To earn Hilton HHonors™ Bonus Points, you must order online at www.ftd.com/hilton2500 or dial 1-800-SEND-FTD and mention promo code 24849.

Thanks to reader Sice for the tip

Have you ever heard of Richie Farmer? Neither had I until I read some articles out of Kentucky about his alleged abuse of power as the Commissioner of Agriculture for the state of Kentucky. Richie was a born and raised in Kentucky and played for the Kentucky Wildcats from 1988 to 1992. His jersey was retired after his college career and he eventually ended up being elected as the Commissioner of Agriculture in 2003.

A recent audit was performed in conjunction with his time as the Commissioner of Agriculture which found some pretty heinous abuses of power:

- Purchased rifles to give to staff members and kept a bunch for himself
- Reserved hotel rooms in the name of employees that was then used for his family members
- Had state workers construct a basketball court at his house
- Had an employee drive him to go hunting where Richie shot a deer from the car and made the employee field dress it for him
- Stole a VCR(??) from his office
- Had state workers mow his yard, chauffeur his dog, move a gun safe to his basement.
- Purchased a couple of 60 inch TVs for his office and a conference room so that he could watch March Madness and expedited the wall brackets costing $60 so it could be mounted before the tournament
- Lastly, Richie is accused of earning 55,000 Marriott Rewards points in conjunction with a 2008 convention held for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington.

The last point amuses me. There is a list of pretty blatant abuses of power, but is earning Marriott Rewards points for a convention really against the Kentucky state law? Shouldn’t that be a benefit to the employee? The company I work for allows us to accumulate our own hotel points and airline miles. The assumption is that we are using the lowest priced airline and not picking flights based on airline loyalty. In turn, the company allows us to accumulate points and miles. Luckily, living in a Delta hub, Delta is usually the lowest price option flying internationally.

The moral of the story is, don’t shoot animals from your state vehicle, don’t have state workers build a basketball court, and lastly don’t you dare steal Marriott Rewards points.

Business week recently did an article about how transporting animals is a pretty lucrative freight business for some major airlines such as Lufthansa, Emirates, and Air France / KLM. Lufthansa alone transported over 110 million creatures last year though the number is a bit deceiving when you take into account the tons of worms and tropical fish included in that number.

Lufthansa even has an animal lounge spawning 3750 square meters that includes the latest in comforts for your animals such as slip proof flooring and a roof to keep the animals dry. No word on if there is unlimited alfalfa or upscale birdseed included with your stay. I assume Animal Planet would be playing on the overhead monitors.

Sample cost of flying a horse from Frankfurt to New York runs about $6,000 and you probably don’t even earn any Miles and More miles for the horse. Lufthansa also cautions, “Please also ensure that you arrive at the airport with your animal in plenty of time before departure. In Frankfurt you should be at check-in at least one hour before departure.” I wonder if you’re allowed to ride your horse to the terminal or perhaps walk alongside your pancake tortoise to check in.

They don’t only specialize in horses, but other animals such as rhinos, hippos, penguins, dogs and pigs.

The next time you’re enjoying yourself at a lounge in Frankfurt, just remember that there are some furry friends that are having an equally enjoyable time at the animal lounge and some parakeets are probably enjoying priority boarding.

Thanks to reader Sice for the tip

The Airline World Cup started with 72 airlines. Through regional voting, this was whittled down to 32 airlines.

Cathay Pacific set the tone early with their 103-17 throttling of Finnair. It was on to Air New Zealand where once again a 62-20 result was never in question.

In the elite eight, Cathay demolished Emirates 82-24. Heavyweight Lufthansa was next in the final four and while they put up an early flight, Cathay pulled away 77-35.

This left Cathay and Singapore Airlines in the final. If there was any doubt, Cathay ran away with the final with a whopping 438 votes to Singapore Airlines 163 votes.

The commentors weighed in on the strength of Cathay Pacific. Samuel said “Cathay is far more generous with elite benefits and premium class inventory.”

Emma says ” Cathay Pacific crews are most helpful, I often see them trying their best to help the passengers with their baggage on the overhead lockers”

Jessica stated, “In comparison, with the first elite tier in CX’s Marco Polo Club it already rewards you with basically all the perks you need (lounge access when flying CX/KA, priority check-in, priority boarding, etc.). And then there’s the decent chance of op-ups vs. 0.001% for SQ.”

Lastly, Garryco sums it up: “Well Done CX. Online booking site is another feature of your service. love your lounges. Food is great too – good choice selections.Would prefer a few more inches between seats in Economy but all in all our Preferred airline for all our travel.”

Thanks to everyone who participated by voting throughout the tournament. I will be sending a trophy and a letter of congratulations to Cathay Pacific’s head office which I’m sure they will be displaying prominently.

Make sure and follow Lufthansa Flyer’s tournament as he launches the Airport World Cup where 64 of the most popular airports compete per Skytrax World Airport Awards.

I had a chance to stay at the Hotel Monaco in Salt Lake City recently.

Before you arrive, make sure and sign up for the Kimpton Hotels Loyalty program which allows you to receive the following benefits during your stay:

1. Raid the mini-bar up to $10 during your stay
2. Free Wi-fi

The second thing you should do before you check in at the front desk, is to check in with Foursquare. This will allow you to receive a complimentary upgrade during your stay (upon availability). Unfortunately, I didn’t see this until halfway through my stay and therefore can’t comment on what the upgrade was like.

I’ve stayed at the Grand America, Hilton, Radisson , and the Marriott City Center, but never the Hotel Monaco.

Valet parking is the only parking option available and costs $17 a night. The check in was very easy.

Overall I was impressed with the hotel. It was definitely in the upper echelon of hotels in Salt Lake City, ranking only behind the Grand America. The service was impeccable, the location was centrally located – within walking distance of the new City Creek development. I would recommend staying at the Hotel Monaco.

Here are my restaurant recommendations if you’re staying in Salt Lake City.

1. Thai – Sawadee restaurant for authentic Thai food.
2. Mexican – Red Iguana
3. Killer Belgian dessert waffles and fries with 10 types of homemade mayonnaise- Bruges
4. Philly Cheesesteaks and Meatball Subs (as seen on Diners, Drive ins and Dives) – Moochie’s
5. Burgers and Fries – Crown Burger
6. “Greasy spoon” breakfast – Blue Plate Diner

The championship game is here between the final two airlines in the single elimination Airline World Cup. Cathay Pacific vs Singapore Airlines!

Please vote for your favorite airline between these two to determine the winner of the Airline World Cup. The poll will remain open for 72 hours.

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The downloadable bracket of all the match ups can be found here.

If this or any other voting ends in a tie, a random number generator will be used to determine the winner.

Vote for your favorite airline between these two. The winner will advance to the championship match. The poll will remain open for 48 hours.

 Loading ...

The downloadable bracket of all the match ups can be found here.

If this or any other voting ends in a tie, a random number generator will be used to determine the winner.

Vote for your favorite airline between these two. The winner will advance to the championship match. The poll will remain open for 48 hours.

 Loading ...

The downloadable bracket of all the match ups can be found here.

I was surprised that Cathay Pacific crushed Emirates in the round of 8. It was also surprising that Singapore took down Swiss.

We’re now down to four airlines left to battle for the champion of the Airline World Cup. The four remaining airlines are:

Cathay Pacific

Lufthansa

Singapore Airlines

All Nippon Airways