The businessman slides an Amex card of bone across the table. "The benefit of it is to allow the deceased to redeem unspent KrisFlyer miles at the end of their life. In every seat is a passenger who's ever died on a Singapore Airlines flight. There are participating airports to the other side on every continent, which must always be referred to by their secret names."

I have four or five more pressing questions, but think better of it. It's easier to get them to underestimate you when you reply with flattery instead of curiosity. I smile coyly: "I don't suppose they have that with my OCBC."

"They probably do, if your spending qualifies you for it." He spears another slice of binturong into his mouth, chewing slowly. "All the major banks have some form of fractional reserve banking with the afterlife. It's why hell notes aren't inflationary. Same goes for the national carriers, who, in representing earthly territory in the heavens, are compelled to ferry the departed when called on. It's a win-win -- the airline keeps the ghost flights off the balance sheet, and the bank ensures customer loyalty stays rewarded, even in death."

I eyeball the bone card and its sixteen digits. "Wow, I've never thought about it like that before. Is there much to do once you get there?"

"Sadly, I'm told there aren't a lot of tourist amenities for the departed. You mill around at the bar -- of course, there's always a bar -- enjoy a smoke, then get your passport stamped one last time before you head through the pearly gates. Some, like Dubai's, are essentially way too crowded, on account of all the bodies in the sand. The novelty makes it worth it, though. We're quite lucky that SIA has generous carry-on allowance -- turns out, you can take it with you when you go."

"That's super cool of them." I watch him lift the card off the table and slide it back into the kidskin wallet. I lick my lips. "You mentioned that the card comes with dessert?"

"Yeah, there's no end of the perks you get on this Amex tier. Wait till you hear about the karmic points system."