Welcome to Miles & Points Daily Podcast! I'm Lucas, and I've got some fascinating stories from the miles and points world to share with you today. Before we dive in, let me tell you about Hotel Redemptions dot com - a fantastic tool that monitors your hotel bookings and alerts you when you can rebook for fewer points. It's like having a personal assistant watching your reservations twenty-four seven.

Let's start with some troubling news from the rewards world. The Pepper Rewards App, which many of you may remember for offering incredible five to ten percent back on gift cards from hard-to-discount retailers like Amazon and Walmart, appears to be finished. Blackhawk Network has filed a lawsuit against Pepper's parent company, Moochoo Incorporated, seeking repayment of a sixty-five million dollar promissory note. The lawsuit suggests that Pepper has been unable to make required payments and has essentially admitted they have no path forward. This is particularly disappointing for users who were holding unredeemed coins when the app went dark earlier this year, promising that a Pepper two point zero was coming soon. If you have any unredeemed gift cards that were purchased through Pepper, I'd recommend using them quickly, as there's no guarantee they'll remain valid.

Switching to some positive news, Wells Fargo is offering an impressive one hundred thousand point welcome bonus on their Autograph Journey card, but there's a catch - it's only available to Premier clients and only in-branch. This is a significant jump from the previous high of seventy thousand points for Premier members. The card comes with a ninety-five dollar annual fee and earns five times points on hotels, four times on airlines, and three times on travel and restaurants. If you're already a Wells Fargo Premier client, this could be worth considering, especially since the points transfer to partners like Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, and Air France KLM at one to one ratios.

Now for some concerning news from Austrian Airlines. The Lufthansa Group carrier has reportedly uncovered quite the scheme involving employee flight benefits. According to reports, one employee managed to sell over one thousand staff travel tickets to third parties in twenty twenty-five alone - and we're not even at the end of the year yet! The employee reportedly charged up to two thousand euros per ticket for booking these flights. Austrian has issued internal warnings about violations of flight benefit rules and is systematically reviewing how these types of tickets have been booked. This serves as a reminder that while airline employee benefits are generous, they're strictly regulated for good reason.

Speaking of airlines, there's an interesting debate brewing about which carrier can actually claim to be America's oldest. Delta just celebrated what it claims is its one hundredth birthday, but the reality is more complicated. When you properly trace the corporate history, United Airlines will actually be the first to legitimately claim that crown next year. It's a fascinating example of how airline mergers and acquisitions can create complex corporate genealogies.

For those interested in maximizing online shopping rewards, Rakuten is currently offering its best-ever fifty dollar new member bonus. This is exclusively available through referral by select existing members and requires just fifty dollars in spending. Since you can easily purchase a fifty dollar gift card to meet this requirement, it's essentially free money. Even better, Rakuten rewards can be converted to American Express Membership Rewards points at favorable rates, potentially making those fifty dollars worth even more.

Finally, if you're considering premium credit cards, The Points Guy has published an excellent comparison between the American Express Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards. Both have undergone major refreshes this year, with the Amex Platinum now carrying an eight hundred ninety-five dollar annual fee and the Sapphire Reserve at seven hundred ninety-five dollars. The Platinum offers more lifestyle statement credits but requires more effort to maximize, while the Sapphire Reserve provides more straightforward value with its three hundred dollar travel credit and broader earning categories. The choice really depends on your spending patterns and which benefits you'll actually use.

That's all for today's episode. Looking for the best award flights? Be sure to check out Award Travel Finder dot com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and more. You can try it for free with our link in the show notes.

Thanks for listening to Miles & Points Daily Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform or visit us at milesandpointsdaily dot com for more updates. Until next time, keep earning and burning those points wisely!