We’ve all heard of frequent flyer programs that reward customers with points and miles for purchases, but few have taken advantage of these programs quite like David Phillips, an engineer from California who became known as the “Pudding Guy.” In 1999, Phillips spotted a creative way to earn over a million airline miles—not by flying, but by buying thousands of pudding cups. His legendary scheme, which took advantage of a promotion by Healthy Choice Foods, set the bar for travel hackers everywhere. Here’s how a love of dessert turned into a lifetime of free travel.
The Promotion: A Sweet Deal
The story began when David Phillips, a frequent bargain-hunter, noticed a promotional offer in a local grocery store. Healthy Choice Foods was offering 500 airline miles for every 10 barcodes submitted from their products. As an engineer, Phillips immediately saw an opportunity to turn this promotion into a serious mileage windfall.
Healthy Choice allowed customers to choose between American Airlines, United, or Delta miles as part of the promotion, but the promotion also had a deadline. Phillips quickly did the math and calculated the cost-per-mile using various Healthy Choice items. That’s when he found a golden ticket: pudding cups.
The Great Pudding Purchase
After pinpointing pudding cups as the cheapest qualifying item, Phillips took action. He bought out every single pudding cup he could find across multiple grocery stores, ultimately purchasing 12,150 pudding cups. In total, he spent around $3,000—an upfront investment that, to Phillips, was well worth the miles he would earn.
Phillips also had to get creative in processing his thousands of pudding barcodes. He reached out to his local food bank and offered to donate the pudding if they’d help him cut out and mail the barcodes. The food bank staff agreed, getting involved in what must have been one of the most unusual charity drives they’d ever seen. Not only did they receive a hefty donation of pudding cups, but they helped Phillips acquire a whopping 1.2 million airline miles.
Reaping the Rewards: A Lifetime of Free Flights
With his hard-earned miles, Phillips essentially secured himself a lifetime of travel perks. He started using his miles for international flights, upgrading to first class, and taking his family on luxury trips, all thanks to his pudding investment. He quickly became a legend in the travel community, and his story was picked up by news outlets, cementing his status as one of the most creative and thrifty travel hackers of all time.
The Pudding Guy Legacy
The success of Phillips’ scheme didn’t go unnoticed by companies running similar promotions. Many brands learned a valuable lesson from the “Pudding Guy,” implementing stricter terms and conditions to avoid loopholes. Phillips’ story inspired many other would-be travel hackers to seek out unusual mileage strategies, though few have managed to pull off a feat quite as creative or lucrative.
Today, Phillips’ tale stands as an iconic example of “travel hacking” and a reminder that sometimes, the path to free flights isn’t about flying at all.
Closing: The Ingenious Power of a Sweet Deal
David Phillips’ journey from engineer to frequent flyer icon proves that sometimes, a little math, creativity, and pudding can take you a long way. Whether you’re an aspiring travel hacker or just love a good story, Phillips’ clever scheme reminds us of the joy of unexpected opportunities. Would you have the patience to buy, sort, and donate 12,000 pudding cups for a million miles? Sometimes, the path to a free flight is sweeter than you’d think.