He Spent $290K On Unlimited Pass With Airline: 'Best Investment Of My Life' Has Turned Into Flights To 100 Countries

In 1990, a leading airline introduced a lifetime pass. One individual has since accumulated over 23 million miles of air travel, saving millions of dollars due to this one-off purchase. This is the incredible tale of Tom Stuker, the ultimate frequent flyer.

What Happened: Flying from one place to another can be an expensive and timely task. In some cases, flights can be used to save money on items like state taxes or rent.

For Stuker, many flights are undertaken simply because he has the ability to do so.

Stuker paid $290,000 for a lifetime pass offered by United Airline Holdings UAL. While many would raise their eyebrows at the six-figure price Stuker paid, the car dealership consultant has definitely gotten his money's worth.

Stuker has flown 23 million miles, making him a potential record holder, and the subject of a recent Washington Post interview.

“Best investment of my life,” Stuker said.

One of the biggest returns on investment for Stuker has been the frequent flier miles he obtains. Stuker is able to sell them, trade them, bid on auctions, or use them for other trips. The frequent flier used miles to buy enough gift cards to help redo his brother’s home.

A notable win for Stuker was when he bid 451,000 miles in a charity auction to make an appearance in an episode of "Seinfeld."

In 2019, Stuker embarked on 373 journeys within the span of 365 days, making it his most travel-intensive year to date. The avid traveler covered 1.46 million miles on his journeys, equivalent to approximately 6.1 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. It's estimated that the cost of the flights Stuker took would amount to $2.44 million, a figure substantially greater than what he paid for his lifetime pass several decades ago.

In another anecdote, Stuker shared that he once embarked on a continuous 12-day journey from Newark to San Francisco, then to Bangkok, Dubai, and back again. This travel marathon was equivalent to making four trips around the globe.

Thanks to his unlimited pass from United, Stuker has visited over 100 countries. The frequent flier also estimates that he has taken his wife on over 120 honeymoons.

Related Link: How This 21 Year Old Is Saving Thousands Of Dollars By Flying To Work Every Week

Why It’s Important: The unlimited pass is no longer offered by United, and it's unlikely that airlines will plan to reintroduce such an offer in the future.

Despite Stuker's usage of the pass leading to financial losses for the airline, they have honored him in various ways. They've emblazoned his name on two planes, involved him in designing menus, and provided him with personalized customer service.

Stuker offers advice to both seasoned travelers who frequently fly and those embarking on their first flight.

1. Compliment the first flight attendant on board: Stuker said to lie and say something like “I remember you, you gave such great service last time.” He said this can lead to getting free stuff on the flight as this is the “head attendant.”

2. Keep the seat map app open as you board. Stuker said they won’t care if you take a blocked seat that you want if it opens up.

3. Never check a bag. This advice from Stuker likely is one you won’t hear too often. “Every town has laundromats. And stores.” Stuker said to under-pack and not check a bag.

4. Don’t use your cell phone without headphones. One of Stuker’s biggest pet peeves from his hundreds of flights is hearing someone on a long phone call that’s on speakerphone. His typical response to such situations is, "Hey, next time you're going to invite all of us to your business meeting, bring doughnuts."

Read Next: 22 Year Old Bought Coin Operated Car Wash That Basically Runs Itself And Generates More Than $65K 

Photo: Shutterstock