Million Mile Flight Success!

I wasn't particularly worried when I was standing in the Group 1 line and saw that we were delayed - no plane at the gate, but the crew was there and ready to go.  Eventually the plane was moved over and boarding started. 

Pre-boarding activities were normal.  The person in front of me, Chris, was fun to chat with about points and miles.  Drink choice to start was a glass of Brut (excellent).  Eventually the purser walked around asking about dinner choices - when she stopped by my seat, I confirmed my choice and quickly said 'I'm also your million miler for the flight'...and she laughed and said 'oh yes! we know, the crew knows, ops knows, you are very well-known for this trip'.  I'm glad that it worked to call earlier in the week and ask for the note on my flight record.  She also mentioned that I would be given something special later in the flight. 

During the meal service I chose to try the 2019 Mascot Cab that was recently highlighted as a special offering by United.  It was excellent! 

I did my best to try and sleep - the flight time estimated my rest to be several hours though I don't feel that I ever really conked out. When I woke up, there was an envelope with my name on the side shelf. It was a nice card with the coin.  The purser mentioned that ops brought over the coin to the flight crew, but she got it from them in order to give to me.  Before landing she made an announcement that I was crossing the million and there was a nice round of applause.  I also quickly thanked the flight crew and Captain Keith on the way off the plane.

Overall it was a fun flight!  

Million Mile Flight!

Today is the day!  I will be departing this evening for a fast weekend adventure that will include my one million mile flight on United.  And of course I had to make the primary segment a trip to Zurich from Newark, because, why not?

I'm going to do my best to note any specific things that occur on the flight - as many have already reported, the experience can vary.  

Another Chase United Offer

I received another spending/miles offer from Chase for my United card, and honestly, it's not great:

That's significant spend for not many miles!  I highly doubt I'll make this one.

Cards in My Wallet Right Now (2026)

Happy New Year!  My card list is relatively the same compared to the last year with just a few updates.  I retired the Chase IHG card and downgraded to the Sapphire Preferred since the Reserve annual fee is significant and I didn't want to deal with keeping track of partner requirements.  I'm still using the United Club card for lounge access.  I can share referral codes for most cards if interested! 

Cards in my Wallet:

Chase Sapphire Preferred - one of the best earning cards with 3x for dining; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase Freedom - Quarterly bonus categories give 5x points and pairs with Sapphire

Chase World of Hyatt - 4x Hyatt points per stay make this one of the best for hotel stays, 2x for restaurant/transit; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase United Club Infinite - 4x miles on United, 2x miles on other travel, 2x on dining, United Club membership

Chase Biz Plus (replaced with Business Preferred - my ref link) - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x on gas station and hotel; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase Biz Cash - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x points on gas stations and restaurants

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless - 6x points at Marriott properties; 3x Gas/Grocery/Dining up to $6k, 1 Elite Night credit per $5k spent; 2x points on other purchases; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase British Airways - 3x Avios on BA purchases; 2x on hotels; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank Strata Premier - 10x hotel and car rental, 3x points on air travel/hotel, 3x on dining/gas/grocery, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank AA Platinum - 2x American Airlines miles on purchases plus free checked bag and priority boarding; 2x on restaurants/gas stations, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank AA Mileup - 2x American Airlines miles on flights, plus 2x miles for grocery purchases, No Annual Fee

Citibank Double Cash - 2% cash back on all purchases, though the transfer option to Citi ThankYou Points makes this card strong for all non-category spend, No Annual Fee

American Express Hilton card - 7x Hilton points on stays, 5x points dining/gas/grocery, 3x all other purchases, complimentary Silver status, No Annual Fee, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Discover It card - 5x points/cash on quarterly bonus categories, link to Amazon.com purchases, No Annual Fee

Bank of America Alaska Airlines Atmos Ascent - 3x miles on Alaska purchases, 2x points on Gas/Streaming/Rideshare, $99 companion fare

Travel Stats 2025

I can't believe we're already at the end of December - where did the year go??  I feel as though I didn't have as many int'l flights compared to last year but I did make more trips to the north which was needed to take care of outside responsibilities.  

For 2025 I ended with 65,560 miles flown across 73 flights (with 45,745 BIS/37 on United and lifetime count at 990,638).  It was another year of relatively easy connections with no major weather impacts other than one trip through Ohare.   Global Entry is still the best and no luggage problems for those trips.  I was also able to get a year of Mosaic status on Jetblue with 27 flights and 11,525 flight miles. 

I'll get another year of Globalist on Hyatt stays and will enjoy that for a number of trips in the spring including a planned return to the Maldives. 

Happy New Year!