Billionaire Mark Cuban Says He Got Rich And Drunkenly Bought A $125K American Airlines Lifetime Pass —‘I Called Them Up And Just Slurred My Words’

For many new millionaires, the first splurge is easy to predict: a sports car, a waterfront mansion, or a watch with more diamonds than common sense. Mark Cuban had something else in mind. He wanted to make airports feel a lot smaller.

The billionaire entrepreneur has long said time is life’s most valuable asset, and one of his earliest millionaire purchases reflected that philosophy. Speaking on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast in 2024, Cuban recalled how celebrating the $6 million sale of his software company, MicroSolutions, led to one of the most memorable investments he ever made.

“My buddies and I [were] going out, just got destroyed,” Cuban recalled. “We went to one of these old-school steakhouses… They’re like, ‘What do you think you’re going to do with all this money?’”

His answer surprised everyone at the table.

“I don’t care about cars or houses, but boy, I fly a lot for work. If I could get this lifetime pass—I wonder if such a thing exists?”

One Phone Call, One Hangover, One Lifetime Pass

Curious, Cuban asked for a telephone at the restaurant and called American Airlines (AAL).

“I called them up and just slurred my words, ‘Do you guys sell lifetime passes?’” he said.

The airline transferred him to its AAirpass department. The next day, despite nursing a hangover, Cuban got the details and signed up.

“I got all that information, hungover as hell, and I signed up,” he said. “Initially it was $125,000, and then I upgraded it. I forget how much I paid, but it gave me almost unlimited miles for me and somebody else for the rest of my life.”

Rather than viewing it as an extravagant purchase, Cuban immediately did the math.

“What a deal, right?” he recalled thinking, estimating the pass worked out to roughly 12 cents per mile based on how often he traveled.

The Return Was Measured in Time

For Cuban, the lifetime pass wasn’t really about flying first class. It was about removing friction from his life so he could spend more time building businesses instead of worrying about travel logistics.

“I’d be out in LA or wherever, Dallas, and I’m like, ‘Want to go on a road trip? Let’s call American Airlines and see if they got any flights tonight. Let’s go to Vegas. What’s your name again? Doesn’t matter. Let’s go to Vegas,’” he said.

Years later, he transferred the pass to his father, who used it until he passed away. Cuban later gifted the remaining privileges to a friend.

American Airlines eventually discontinued the AAirpass program after frequent travelers made the lifetime memberships too expensive for the airline.

For investors, the story offers a reminder that the best purchases aren’t always the most glamorous—they’re the ones that create more opportunity. 

Cuban has repeatedly argued that entrepreneurs can’t make more time, only use it more wisely. In his case, spending $125,000 wasn’t about buying unlimited flights. It was about buying flexibility, efficiency, and the freedom to focus on building the next opportunity. Decades later, it’s still one of the purchases he remembers most.