Some guys are great at recording all of their trips and the value of each mile burned. I’m not that precise, but I went back several years, tracked down my flights taken, and posted them on DDF for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Last year I flew some 42,000 miles:
Here’s how I burned them:
January:
-5 OW first class awards on United from Cleveland to Honolulu via Chicago for the family and my brother as a babysitter: 250,000 United miles
-5 RT interisland stopover awards on Hawaiian from Honolulu to Kauai to Maui to Honolulu: 60,000 United miles
-7 nights for an Ocean view room at the Grand Hyatt Kauai: 150,000 Hyatt points
-7 nights for an Ocean View suite at the Grand Hyatt Kauai: 75,000 Hyatt points+$1,050+diamond suite upgrade
February:
-7 nights for a suite at the Fairmont Kea Lani Muai: Free with lifetime Platinum.
-5 OW business class awards on United from Honolulu to Cleveland via Newark: 200,000 United miles
March:
-1 RT business class award on United and SAS from Cleveland to Svalbard via Newark and Oslo with stopovers in Bodø/Lofoten Islands and Paris: 127,500 United miles
View this post on Instagram
-1 RT coach award from Newark to Svalbard on United, SAS, and Swiss via Oslo and Zurich with stopovers in Bodø/Lofoten Islands and London for our photography guide, “Something Fishy”: 60,000 United miles
-Oslo and Lofoten stays via Airbnb 50% off.
-2 nights for a room at the Park Hyatt Paris via Hyatt card signup nights.
View this post on Instagram
April:
-2 RT business class award from Cleveland to San Francisco via Chicago for Rafi and I to fly on the Queen of the Skies: 100,000 United miles.
-2 nights in a Fairmont San Francisco Suite: Free with lifetime Platinum.
June:
-1 OW coach award from Cleveland to San Francisco on United to watch the Cavs bring home the first Cleveland trophy of my lifetime: 12,500 United miles.
-1 OW business class award from San Francisco to Cleveland on United’s party plane back home just hours after the game: 25,000 United miles.
August:
-2 RT coach awards from Cleveland to JFK on American: 30,000 BA Avios
-2 RT first class awards from JFK to Vancouver on Cathay Pacific: 140,000 Alaska miles
-2 nights for a room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim: Free with lifetime Platinum.
-1 OW coach award from Cleveland to Chicago on American to play Softball in Wrigley Field: 7,500 BA Avios
-1 OW coach award from Chicago to Cleveland on United: 10,000 United miles
-4 OW coach awards from Cleveland to Newark via Boston: $400 and negative 304,000 JetBlue points
-2 nights at Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston: Free with lifetime Platinum.
-4 OW coach awards from Newark to Kansas City on United: 40,000 United miles
-4 OW coach awards from Kansas City to Cleveland via Chicago on United: 40,000 United miles
December:
-2 RT coach awards from Akron to LaGuardia on American: 32,000 LAN kilometers
-1 private jet from Cleveland to Teterboro with helicopter transfer to the W.30th Street Heliport: 16,000 LAN kilometers
-1 OW coach award from Newark to Cleveland on United: 10,000 United miles
Total= 1,385,500 miles and points redeemed for travel.
And of course I spent 1,060,500 Starpoints for 4 tickets to game 7 of the World Series and the right to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
Total= 2,446,000 miles and points redeemed.
OK, to be fair I gained 304,000 JetBlue points back from their ridiculously lucrative promotion and United refunded 70,000 miles due to being downgraded from first to business from Chicago to Honolulu as they no longer allow carseats in 3 cabin first class.
But either way that’s over 2 million miles burned in 2016 and I’d call that a success. Though it would have been even more successful if it had hit 3 million with trips approaching the South Pole and North Pole in the same year. The miles aren’t getting any more valuable with age and I’m not getting any younger, so I’ll keep earning and burning whenever I get the chance.
Interested in seeing a post like this for previous years? How did you do last year? Hit the comments below and make your own map to post on DDF.
Your 5 united seats to Hawaii, were they readily available or did you have to pull some sort of shtick for that?
@Michael:
That varies by bank.
@Ryan:
Nice!
@Harry:
Actually I’m GS now 🙂
If you keep using miles how are you 1K on United?
Thanks Dan for the share all the info you provided, I started following this site a year and a half ago and i am sitting on 400,000 points now
@dan what I meant to ask is, isn’t there a limit how many cc you can open in a certain amount of time? Second question, ever thought about making a YouTube tutorial or lessons.”?
@Grazira:
LOL
@elie232:
Thanks
@Frank:
6MM is quite respectable 🙂
@Josh:
Yup.
@Michael:
Methodically and over the years.
@Seminar:
Many Q&A sessions were quite frank and open. But, no. you’re never going to get everything without putting in your own work on places like the DansDeals Forums.
@Newbie:
Microsoft Excel 🙂
@jp:
Thanks
Great year for you Dan! Keep up the good work.
Dan what App or tool do you use and suggest, to record and keep track of all trips, miles, reward points..?
I attended Dans seminars
No, he doesn’t explain all your asking for.
So don’t feel bad if you didn’t attend
How do you open so many credit cards
How to get 5x on amazon purchases w ink card….
1.Go to staples or Office Depot
2. Buy amazon gifts cards, paying w chase ink
3. Go online and spend gift cards
Please clarify how one earns 5x points when using ink for Amazon???
Amazing how you’ve detailed all the wherewithal to document as much. Even just my flying which I did aprox 125k miles butt in seat in 2016.
Too bad the seminar is sold out 🙁
Geez! And I thought I was a baller for holding 6mil miles. You burn that in a couple years!
@LEO: @Wondering:
Amazon GCs
@LEO: @Wondering: Many office supply stores sell Amazon Gift Cards
@elie232:
I can write up a trip notes if you like
Pretty astonishing! we want more!
@Dan how do you get ” 5x on Amazon purchases with Ink” ?
@Dan:
Dan, How do you get 5% on Amazon for more than 1,500?
In 2016 I sat in my apartment mostly but I went out for pizza a couple of times
Everyone: STOP HATING… and if you don’t know, start listening and learn… like @dan replied that he’s been talking for 15 years about it… get on board…
I’m dizzy with all the changes in time zones.
For those curious/bored/indignant enough to PM me about this: what what paid for does not always equal what was flown…
dan, if you’re ever interested in adopting a son….i promise i’ll behave;)
@Something Fishy:
Please. Aurora kept all of us up all night.
@nirc:
2 weeks. Had 2 rooms in Kauai.
wow! 3 weeks in Hawaii
Dude I babysat the four of you + Aurora. Think that was easy ;p?
@Eli:
Spoken like someone who has never babysat before 😀
So your brother baby sitter gets biz class but you leave something fishy inn the back ?!
Lol
@MIMB:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/85765
Dan is using Alaska miles or Avios the cheapest way of getting first class for JFK to YVR on CX?
@Anonymous:
Other than one-off events like Pesach at Whistler I don’t have any plans to un-retire.
@Sam Finkelstein:
People also redeem for toasters.
@ABC:
Definite maybe.
@Matthew:
Wow, that’s a lot of time in the air!
Dan,
Can’t say I spent any miles during the past year although I did fly a personal record setting 302,000 miles. This year we will be reducing our mileage account significantly.
Should we expect part II of your Svalbard trip this year?
@Dan: I was pulling your leg. Pretty sad to see people actually do that.
@Dan: When will we have that seminar? I’ve never been to one and even this late in the game those of us who haven’t attended one would really appreciate it. Maybe a private seminar for active DDF folks.
@Caravan:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/97809
“I’ve built up a stash of tens of millions of miles over the past 15 years. Opening hundreds of credit cards, taking advantage of stackable Hyatt faster free nights promos, mileage running stacked with promos like free system wide award tickets of 10K bonus miles per segment, the JetBlue 300K mileage run, Wendy’s cups, transferring eBay anything points into miles, manufacturing points with Google Checkout, US Mint, Amazon Payments, gift cards, etc, etc.”
@Mendy:
@Steve:
http://www.dansdeals.com/index.php?s=whistler
@Abraham:
@Me:
See comment 5.
@Sam Finkelstein:
I don’t burn unless I get ~2+ cents per mile from them.
Besides I’d rather earn 5x on Amazon purchases with Ink.
Burning those miles is easier. Just start paying on Amazon with points.
How did you use 13 nights free with Fairmont? Doesnt it only give one annually?
@Dan:
“Ask me at a seminar” what seminar, thought the seminar were × ×¤×˜×¨ 🙊
If I read the Fairmont platinum post correctly, doesn’t it get you one free night per year? How did you get 7 free nights and then another 2?
@Dan when ARE you having another seminar?!
@Caravan:
So there’s this website that I’ve been posting on for the past 13 years where I talk about opening credit cards and manufacturing spending…maybe you’ve heard of it 😉
@Theblaide:
Lol, ask me that at a seminar.
@12HRS:
Technically I didn’t buy any, but yes, I do have 9 in total.
I had the same question
I think I counted 9 free nights in a fairmont this year? You bought 9 statuses?
Dan how did you book the private jet to teterboro and helicopter to mahattan
How you earn so much miles/points???