from The Guardian

The gold standard of sterling is long forgotten and now the supremacy of the greenback has been surpassed. The world has a new global currency – airline frequent flyer miles, which have a greater total value than dollars, euros, pounds or yen.

….

By the end of 2004, almost 14 trillion frequent flyer miles had been accumulated worldwide, worth between 1p and 6p apiece.

According to a new analysis by The Economist magazine, the global stock is worth more than $700bn (£370bn), more than all the US dollar bills in circulation, and streets ahead of Britain’s £42bn of notes and coins.

Somehow I’m reminded of this Dilbert stripe.