Welcome to Miles and Points Daily Podcast! I'm Lucas, and if you're like me, you probably check your credit card points balance more often than your bank account balance. Don't worry, we're all in this together, and today I've got some fascinating stories from the miles and points world that'll make you feel better about your obsession. Let's dive right in.

First up, we've got a real-life Catch Me If You Can situation that would make Frank Abagnale proud. A Florida man named Tiron Alexander has been convicted of hacking Spirit Airlines' employee travel system to score one hundred and twenty free flights. This guy claimed to be a pilot or flight attendant with seven different airlines, using thirty fraudulent sets of credentials and stolen badge numbers from actual airline employees. He managed to book all these flights through Spirit's employee travel portal. While I admire the creativity, folks, this is definitely not the kind of points and miles strategy we recommend. Stick to legitimate sign-up bonuses and earning opportunities, because federal fraud charges are not worth any free flights.

Speaking of legitimate opportunities, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is currently offering a fantastic deal for buying miles. Right now through June twenty-sixth, you can purchase Alaska miles with up to a seventy percent bonus, bringing the cost down to just one point seven four cents per mile. This is actually a really good deal, especially considering Alaska's strong award chart and partner options with airlines like Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines. If you're planning any travel to Asia or need to top off your account for a specific redemption, this could be worth considering. Just remember to have a specific use in mind before buying speculative miles.

Now, here's something that should concern all of us who fly regularly. It's been revealed that United States airlines have been secretly selling passenger data to Customs and Border Protection through their data clearinghouse. We're talking about one billion passenger records here. The government's contract apparently prevents them from admitting where they got this data, which feels pretty sketchy to me. While there's not much we can do about this as individual travelers, it's worth being aware that your travel patterns and personal information from airline bookings might be more accessible to government agencies than you realized.

On a lighter note, let's talk about something that's been making waves in the travel community - the so-called solo traveler surcharge. Ex-American Airlines CEO Doug Parker recently defended airlines charging solo travelers extra compared to those traveling in groups. While American pulled some of these fares after they were exposed, they've largely returned to the market. This practice is frustrating for solo travelers, but there are ways to work around it. Try booking directly with airlines, be flexible with your dates, and consider using points and miles for these trips where dynamic pricing might be less of an issue.

Speaking of buying points, Southwest is also running a promotion right now, offering Rapid Rewards points for fifty percent off, which works out to about one point five cents per point. While Southwest's revenue-based program makes buying points a bit strange conceptually, this could still be valuable if you have a specific Southwest redemption in mind, especially for domestic travel where Southwest often offers good value.

Here's an interesting route announcement that should excite Oneworld loyalists. Finnair is launching new flights between Helsinki and Toronto starting May fourth, two thousand and twenty-six. This marks the carrier's return to Canada after a decade-long absence. The route will operate three times weekly and should provide some nice redemption opportunities using American Airlines AAdvantage miles or other Oneworld partner currencies. Helsinki is also a great gateway to Europe and beyond on Finnair's network.

Finally, let's end on a high note with some exciting hotel news. The new JW Marriott Crete Resort and Spa has just opened on Marathi Beach near Chania. This marks JW Marriott's first location on the island of Crete, and you can book it starting at forty-four thousand Marriott Bonvoy points per night. Crete is an absolutely stunning destination, and having a premium Marriott property there opens up some great redemption opportunities for your Bonvoy points.

Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and more. Try it for free with our link in the shownotes.

That's a wrap for today's Miles and Points Daily Podcast. Thanks for listening, and remember, the world of points and miles moves fast, so make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, or visit us at milesandpointsdaily.com to stay up to date with all the latest news and deals. Until next time, keep earning and burning those points wisely!