Entertainment Book allows Free Cash and Carry Entry

The new Perth Entertainment Book for 2011/12 also includes free entry for the owner to the discount warehouse many of us have only dreamed to get into - Cash and Carry or also known as FAL. It seems that all you need to do is show your Entertainment Card to get in. Not everything here will be cheaper than in Coles or Woolworths because supermarkets often sell products below cost to get you in (called loss leaders) but it's certainly worth wondering around.

The Cash and Carry outlets are listed below.

CASH AND CARRY CANNING VALE
Baile Rd (Locked Bag 30, C’vale 6970
CANNING VALE WA 6155
Monday - 8.00am to 4.45pm
Tuesday - 8.00am to 8.30pm
Wednesday - 8.00am to 4.45pm
Thursday - 8.00am to 8.30pm
Friday - 8.00am to 4.45pm
Saturday - 8.00am to 4.00pm
Sunday - 9.00am to 1.00pm


CASH AND CARRY BALCATTA
8 Geddes St
BALCATTA WA 6021
Monday - 8.00am to 4.45pm
Tuesday - 8.00am to 4.45pm
Wednesday - 8.00am to 8.30pm
Thursday - 8.00am to 8:30pm
Friday - 8.00am to 4.45pm
Saturday - 8.00am to 4.00pm
Sunday - 1:00pm to 5.00pm


CASH AND CARRY BUNBURY
60-64 McCombe Rd
BUNBURY WA 6230
Monday - Friday - 8.00am to 4.45pm
Saturday - 9.00am to 1.00pm
Sunday - Closed

AUD at all time high against USD

The Aussie dollar has received the boost it needed to reach it's all time high this morning following the release of favourable inflation figures and with the backdrop of the US teetering on default. The AUD is currently buying $1.10335 US dollars after reaching $1.105, which beat the previous high set earlier in the year. Time to hit Amazon and other American websites once again :)

Fog Blankets Perth with Relative Humidity at 99%

I've lived all my life in Perth and I can't ever remember seeing Perth so foggy as tonight! Following the rain that we received today and the cold night, Perth streets were blanketed with thick fog that reduced visibility to only a few metres. Here are some photos but if you have more, leave a comment with a link to your pics and we'll add it here. And forget looking up the news websites.. no one is covering this :P

Free Virgin Australia flights with AMEX Velocity Platinum

I was surprised that the Velocity Platinum page on the AMEX website did not lay out the destinations you are able to choose from to redeem your free annual flight so I decided to dig into the product disclosure statement for the Velocity Platinum card and put it out here for all to search. (Go here for our review on this card). Please note that this is subject to change and was valid as at 15 June 2011 according to the PDS so treat this as only a guide. 

Departure City - Places you can go for free

Adelaide - Brisbane, Canberra, Coolangatta, Melbourne, Sydney
Albury - Sydney
Ballina/Byron - Sydney
Brisbane - Adelaide, Cairns, Canberra, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Mackay, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney, Proserpine, Rockhampton, Townsville
Broome - Perth
Cairns - Brisbane, Sydney, Townsville
Canberra - Adelaide, Brisbane, Coolangatta, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Coffs Harbour - Melbourne, Sydney
Coolangatta - Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Hamilton Island - Brisbane, Sydney
Hervey Bay - Sydney
Hobart - Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Karratha - Perth
Launceston - Melbourne, Sydney
Mackay - Brisbane, Sydney
Maroochydore - Melbourne, Sydney
Melbourne - Adelaide, Coffs Harbour, Coolangatta, Mildura, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Maroochydore , Newcastle, Sydney
Mildura - Melbourne
Newcastle - Brisbane, Melbourne
Newman - Perth
Perth - Broome, Karratha, Newman, Port Hedland
Port Hedland - Perth
Port Macquarie - Sydney
Proserpine - Brisbane
Rockhampton - Brisbane, Townsville, Sydney
Sydney - Adelaide, Albury, Ballina/Byron, Brisbane, Canberra, Cairns, Coffs Harbour, Coolangatta, Hamilton Island, Hervey Bay, Hobart, Launceston, Maroochydore,  Melbourne, Mackay, Port Macquarie, Rockhampton, Townsville
Townsville - Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Rockhampton, Sydney

Bookings must be made via AMEX Membership Travel Services between 0900 and 1800, Monday to Friday on 1300 366 105 (+61 2 9271 8655 internationally).

Other AMEX posts

• More about Virgin Velocity Platinum 
• More about Velocity Gold 
• Free flights with Velocity Platinum  
• Platinum Edge Free Travel Insurance but is it Good? 
• Virgin now flying AMEX Platinum cardholders
• Platinum Edge flights

AMEX Platinum Reserve vs Velocity Platinum

I recently noticed a very interesting comparison done on a bulletin board between the two recent AMEX platinum cards. So which card is better? Velocity or Reserve? Both cards will cost around $350 (or $395 for Reserve) but cheaper if you have some Chartered Accountants or Engineers membership. Here are some of the comparison points that were made, with some comments added by me.

Interest rate, Sign up Bonus, Points Per Dollar spent
Both have an interest rate of 20.74%, sign up bonus of 30,000 points and (no longer offered for the Reserve Card but you can still get 40,000 point by being referred) and earn 1.5 points per dollar spent. (Read here how to get 40,000 points instead).

Free flight each year - Newman or Brisbane? 
Velocity Platinum offerings for Perth are very poor. You are allowed one flight redemption a year to either Broome, Karratha, Newman or Port Hedland on Virgin. 
On the Platinum Reserve card, Perth residents can also redeem their free flight to Broome, Karratha, Newman, Port Hedland. However, Platinum Reserve holders can also choose to fly to Darwin, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Bali.

Lounge Benefits compared
Velocity Platinum: 2 x lounge passes for Virgin Australia lounges
Platinum Reserve: Priority Pass with 2 x lounge entries via Priority Pass membership however Priority Pass will no longer have access to Virgin Lounges in Australia starting in August 2011. 

Travel Insurance compared 
Velocity Platinum: Domestic/International travel insurance
Platinum Reserve: as above
Similarish; however the following points stood out when I was comparing the PDS':

• The Platinum Reserve will cover for longer periods
• The Velocity Platinum has higher payout figures for loss of life/limb/etc
• The Platinum Reserve has higher payout figures for travel inconvenience cover
• For emergency medical cover, the cover is the same (the Velocity Platinum has a higher excess)
• The Platinum Reserve has higher payout figures for Mobile Phones and Laptops
• The Platinum Reserve has higher payout figures for trip cancellation (loss of points through cancellation is covered -- nice!)

Did you find this useful? Which would you choose?


Other AMEX posts

• How to beat CHANGES to AMEX Platinum Reserve points program
• More about Virgin Velocity Platinum 
• More about Velocity Gold 
• Free flights with Velocity Platinum  
• Platinum Edge Free Travel Insurance but is it Good? 
• Virgin now flying AMEX Platinum cardholders
• Platinum Edge flights

Updated Perth Red Light Speed Camera Locations

Since the last time, we posted about red light speed cameras in Perth, there have been an additional nine new red light speed cameras installed in Perth streets. The updated list can be found below. These intersections enable WA Police to fine you for both speeding through an intersection AND running a red light at the same time. Cameras in bold are the new ones installed in the last six months or so.

Perth	Riverside Drive and Barrack Street
Applecross	Canning Highway and Riseley Street
Cottesloe	Stirling Highway and Eric Street
South Perth	Canning Highway and Douglas Avenue
Victoria Park	Great Eastern Highway and Shepperton Road
Bentley	Albany Highway and Leach Highway
Hamilton Hill	Winterfold and Stock Road
Hamersley	Wanneroo and Beach Road
Wilson	Leach Highway and Bungaree Road
Balga	Beach Road and Mirrabooka Avenue
High Wycombe	Roe Highway and Kalamunda Road
Padbury	Hepburn Avenue and Marmion Avenue
Dianella	Morley and Alexander Drive
Morley	Beechboro Road North and Morley Drive
Booragoon	Riseley and Marmion Street
Mandurah	Mandurah Road and Dixon Road
Canningvale	South Street and Roe Highway
Mirrabooka	Mirrabooka Ave and Ravenswood Drive
Joondalup	Joondalup Drive and Shenton Avenue
Piara Waters	Armadale Road and Nicholson Road
Canningvale	Bannister Road and Willeri Avenue
Balcatta Malaga	Reid Highway and Balcatta Road Malaga Drive and Reid Highway

Cameras currently being installed and not yet active
Hazelmere	Great Eastern Highway Bypass & Stirling Crescent
Welshpool	Orrong Road & Pilbara Street
Dianella	Alexander Drive & Grand Promenade
Bayswater	Guildford Road & Garratt Road
Bayswater	Guildford Road & Tonkin Highway  on/offramp
Madeley	Wanneroo Road & Hepburn Avenue
Bayswater	Tonkin Highway & Collier Road (north and southbound)

Here are the locations on a Google map.

View Perth Red Light Speed Cameras in a larger map