Travel

#New sweepstakes mailer: What is National Assoc. of Travel Centers?

By Connie Thompson Published: Mar 18, 2015 at 8:57 PM PDT Last Updated: Mar 19, 2015 at 3:06 PM PDT

SEATTLE -- Watch your mail for a new travel giveaway that promises big prizes worth thousands of dollars and no purchase necessary. The letter states your entry has been selected, but did you enter anything?

The letter is from the National Association of Travel Centers in Washington, D.C. It states you're guaranteed to win one of 4 big prizes: a vacation for 2 to Hawaii, a cruise, round-trip airfare in the continental U.S. and $50,000 in cash.

Details are in the abbreviated version of the rules on the back of the tri-fold mailer, which is posted in Tampa, Florida. You must attend a sales presentation, and you must come with your spouse or partner. The sales pitch lasts 90 minutes, then you get an instant-win scratch off prize card to see which prize you've won.

The fine-print also explains that the Travel Time Game is not valid in California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Wisconsin or Texas. To claim a prize after you've completed your attendance as a couple at the sale presentation , you must mail in your game card along with a copy of your valid government issued photo ID and a copy of your social security card for tax purposes.

According to the executive director, the National Association of Travel Centers is actually a lobbying organization that represents and markets for travel businesses.

We are meeting a need. Dave Nopanen said by phone. We help our members with marketing and help provide them the same pricing as the big online companies.

Nopanen said some of the NATC members are group travel companies, some are travel membership clubs, some are travel agencies and some are small online travel service providers.

Nopanen also said millions of the letters are being mailed out in hopes of getting qualified consumers to attend a sales presentation and check out the travel deals his members have to offer. The marketing is targeted to couples between the ages of 27 and 72 years old with a combined income of $60,000 per year. The couples should be interested in travel.

The National Association of Travel Centers is a very new organization. The sweepstakes' website shows a copyright date of 2015, so there is very little information regarding track record.

At this point, there's no indication the company is doing anything illegal with the letters, but travel industry experts, the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission always caution you to read all the fine print, check things out independently, and be prepared to walk away if you feel any pressure to sign a contract or make a purchase on your credit card. That's especially true when you're being asked to pay up front for travel you might do in the future, experts said.