Coming home from HKG on Sunday, I noticed that the duty free catalogue was different. It was the new edition and I went through it seeing if there were many changes (there wern't).

But there WAS something that was different and actually an enhancement (I really do hate that word). If you purchased anything from the catalogue with your Mileage Plus Visa Card, you were entitled to a 15 percent discount. No minimum purchase necessary. Sure beats the 10 percent from your 1K or GS card that usually never seems to work.

Since I was prohibited from purchasing any "liquids" in HKG for my flight home, I thought I would buy a last-minute gift on the plane. Gave the FA my Visa card and voila - without hassle or question she gave me the slip to sign with the 15 percent already taken off.

UA doesn't have the greatest prices (especially from Asia, almost competitive from Europe), but it is a nice perk if you need to buy that last-minute item on the plane.