I nearly did a double-take when I saw what Southwest just announced. The airline that built its reputation on being different from the legacy carriers - the one that still doesn't charge for checked bags - just adopted one of the industry's most hated practices.

But before we get to that disappointing news, there's a silver lining: Chase just dropped what might be the most valuable Marriott card bonus we've ever seen. Let's dive in.

How many free night awards can you earn from the new Chase Marriott Boundless welcome bonus?

The answer is waiting for you near the bottom... keep scrolling.👇

Here's the headline: The Chase Marriott Boundless card is now offering 5 Free Night Awards after spending $3,000 in three months. Each certificate is valid at properties up to 50,000 points per night - and you can top off each one with up to 15,000 points if you want to stretch even higher.

Let me put that in perspective. A typical Category 5 Marriott property costs 35,000 points per night. You're getting five of those nights for a $3,000 spend. That's potentially 175,000 to 250,000 Marriott Bonvoy points worth of value from a single welcome bonus.

The bonus also includes a $100 airline statement credit for 2026, which essentially covers two months of the $95 annual fee. And if you're looking for something with no annual fee, the Marriott Bold card now offers 2 Free Night Awards after $1,000 in spend.

This timing couldn't be better because Marriott is also running a 40% bonus on purchased points through March 26. If you need to top off those free night certificates or fill gaps in your Marriott account, you're looking at 0.89 cents per point - one of the better rates we see from Marriott throughout the year.

For all our Marriott coverage and strategies, check out our dedicated tag page.

Remember when we talked about Southwest's checked bag advantage? Well, it just got a lot less valuable.

Southwest is now forcing passengers to gate-check carry-on bags early in the boarding process - even when plenty of overhead bin space remains available. This is the same controversial practice that American, Delta, and United have been using for years, and passengers universally hate it.

Here's what makes this particularly frustrating: Southwest's entire value proposition was built on being different. Two free checked bags. No change fees. A boarding process that, while quirky, at least felt fair. Now they're adopting the worst practices of the legacy carriers they used to mock.

The timing isn't coincidental. This shift comes right after Southwest introduced assigned seating and started charging for premium seat selection. The airline is clearly moving away from its customer-first roots toward a more traditional - and profitable - airline model.

The practical impact? Passengers who arrive later in the boarding process are being forced to check bags even when they can see empty overhead space. The gate agents claim bins are full when they're not, creating unnecessary delays and frustration.

For more on Southwest's recent changes, including their new premium seating and companion pass updates, check our full Southwest coverage.

World of Hyatt just launched its Bonus Journeys promotion, and it's worth your attention. Through April 15, you'll earn 3,000 bonus points for every three eligible nights, up to 21,000 bonus points. But here's where it gets interesting: book a Hyatt Place or Hyatt House property and you'll earn an additional 1,000 bonus points per three nights, bringing your potential total to 28,000 bonus points.

The math works out to about 1,000 bonus points per night at select service properties if you hit the maximum. That's on top of your base earning rate and any elite status bonuses. For someone planning multiple spring trips, this could easily add up to a free night or two.

This pairs nicely with the current Hyatt credit card bonuses and ongoing transfer partner promotions. World of Hyatt points are consistently rated among the most valuable hotel currencies, typically worth around 1.5 to 2 cents each.

If you need to get between the East Coast and West Coast, Delta has you covered. Right now there's solid award availability for nonstop transcontinental flights starting at just 12,400 SkyMiles each way with no basic economy restrictions.

Whether you're heading to New York, Los Angeles, or anywhere in between, these are some of the best domestic redemption rates we've seen in months. Most routes are showing availability through spring and early summer.

Delta also just launched a three-day flash sale to Europe and Morocco. Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, and Marrakech are all available starting at 26,000 SkyMiles each way from New York-area airports. The best prices apply to Delta One, Main, and Premium Select cabins through the end of this week.

Use Award Travel Finder to search availability across all your points currencies and find the best redemption options for your dates.

For the past few years, summer flights to Europe have been nearly impossible to book with points. Award seats disappeared months in advance, and cash fares stayed stubbornly high. But new data suggests that trend might finally be reversing.

Recent booking data shows softening demand for summer 2026 transatlantic travel. This could mean better award availability and more reasonable cash fares for those planning European trips this year.

The timing makes sense. After three years of revenge travel following the pandemic, American wanderlust for Europe may finally be normalizing. Economic uncertainty and the strong dollar in previous years created pent-up demand that's now working through the system.

What this means for you: Start checking award availability now for summer dates. You might find options that would have been impossible to book at this point in previous years. For Europe deals and award availability, check our European travel coverage.

With JetBlue offering a 125% bonus on purchased TrueBlue points through February 23 (bringing the price down to 1.43 cents per point), it's worth revisiting what Mosaic elite status actually offers.

JetBlue made changes to their elite program this year, and the benefits are now more competitive with other carriers. Mosaic members get free checked bags, priority boarding, free same-day changes, and bonus earning rates on flights. The sweet spot is the Even More Space seats - those extra legroom seats at the front of the cabin that Mosaic members can select for free.

To earn Mosaic status, you need either 15,000 base points or 30 qualifying flights, plus $5,000 in spending. For frequent JetBlue flyers on the East Coast or those using JetBlue for transatlantic flights to London or Paris, the status can pay for itself quickly.

The current points purchase bonus makes it one of the cheaper ways to top off your account if you're planning JetBlue redemptions. At 1.43 cents per point, you're getting reasonable value - especially for JetBlue's Mint business class seats or transatlantic flights where award pricing stays competitive.

The answer: 5 free nights. The new Chase Marriott Boundless bonus offers 5 Free Night Awards after $3,000 in spend within three months. Each certificate is valid at properties up to 50,000 points per night, and you can top off each certificate with up to 15,000 points if needed. This is the largest Marriott card bonus we've ever seen in terms of free night certificates.

That's all for today - see you tomorrow with more deals, strategies, and travel news!

Looking to redeem your points? Here's what's available right now:

Before we wrap up, I wanted to share some timely opportunities I've been tracking (courtesy of our friends at AwardTravelFinder). These deals won't last long, so let's dive in.

Airline programs:

Hotel programs:

Other programs:

Award Travel Finder hunts down the best redemptions so you don't have to.

See all deals at AwardTravelFinder.com →