Marriott Raised Award Prices 16%, Delta Unbundled Business Class, and the Delta Amex Just Hit 125K

A lot moved this week - and not all of it in your favor.

Marriott quietly raised award prices, Delta restructured how business class works, and two of the best credit card bonuses we've seen all year landed on the same day. Here's what actually matters.

The Delta Amex just hit its highest-ever public bonus - 125K SkyMiles - and it won't stay there long. If you've been sitting on the fence about this card, this is the moment. That bonus alone is enough for a round-trip in Delta One to Europe, and it showed up alongside a buy points deal that ends tonight - so there's a real reason to click now, not Monday.

Marriott didn't send an email. They didn't post an announcement. They just quietly bumped award prices across the program - an average increase of 16% - and let you figure it out.

The real sting is what this does to free night certificates. If you're carrying certs from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless or the Brilliant, the properties those certs can reach just got smaller. That Category 5 hotel you were saving a cert for? It may have crept into Category 6 territory.

The Flying Blue 80% buy bonus in the same post is a genuine silver lining - at 1.69 cents per mile with that bonus applied, it's one of the better buy-miles deals we've seen this year. But the Marriott news is what you need to audit first. Check your certs, check your saved searches, and read the full breakdown.

Delta restructured how business class fares work - and the way you search and book award space is changing with it. The Chase Ink Preferred is also back at 100K points this week, which is worth a look if you run any business spend.

Bilt quietly expanded its card lineup this week, and the $95 annual fee option is the one to pay attention to. The same post also has 9 Paris redemption sweet spots that are genuinely underused - worth a read if Europe is anywhere on your 2026 radar.

There's an unpublished Marriott status challenge floating around that most members don't know exists. Pair that with a Chase Sapphire points-boost quirk that's quietly eating into redemption value, and this one has two concrete fixes you can apply this weekend.

See you Monday.

- Jack