Welcome to the Miles and Points Daily Podcast — your daily dose of loyalty program news, credit card deals, and award travel strategy. I'm Lucas, and today's episode is packed — we've got Marriott quietly picking your pockets, Delta making business class feel suspiciously like basic economy, a British Airways crew that took 'all-inclusive' a little too literally, and some genuinely exciting award travel opportunities. Let's get into it.

Before we dive in, a quick word about some tools that can seriously level up your travel game. If you're hunting for award space, head over to AwardTravelFinder.com — it lets you search flight and hotel award availability across programs like Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, and more. You can also find high-value hotel redemptions and status match opportunities all in one place. And if you want to be notified the moment a points deal drops on flights or hotels, set up alerts at alerts.AwardTravelFinder.com. Oh, and before you get to the airport, check FlightQueue.com for estimated security and passport control wait times — because nobody wants to sprint to their gate. All six of our travel tools are linked in the show notes, so check those out.

Alright, let's start with some genuinely bad news for Marriott Bonvoy members. Marriott has quietly raised award prices — again. Over the past weekend, redemption costs across a large percentage of properties went up an average of five to ten percent. But zoom out a little further, and it gets worse: when you compare highest award prices year over year, we're seeing an average increase of nearly thirteen percent across popular properties. The Mystique Santorini, a Luxury Collection hotel, jumped a whopping thirty-six percent — from one hundred and twenty-six thousand points per night to one hundred and seventy-two thousand. The St. Regis Maldives went from one hundred and ninety-eight thousand to two hundred and twenty thousand points per night. The Ritz-Carlton New York NoMad climbed from one hundred and forty-two thousand to one hundred and sixty thousand points per night. And because Marriott uses dynamic pricing with no published award chart, most members won't even notice until they go to book. The tip here is simple: if you have Marriott points and a redemption in mind, stop waiting. These prices are only trending one direction. And if you're holding free night certificates, be aware that several properties that used to fall within the thirty-five thousand, fifty thousand, and eighty-five thousand point certificate levels are now just above those thresholds.

Next up — Delta has officially joined the 'let's make premium cabins worse' club. As of bookings made on the 8th of July, two thousand and twenty-six, Delta has introduced Basic Business, Basic First, and Basic Premium Economy fares. Here's what you give up with a basic business class fare: no advance seat assignment without paying extra, fewer SkyMiles earned, reduced baggage allowance, no access to Delta One Lounges or automatic Sky Club entry, and no free changes. Oh, and it's not even marketed as Delta One — because, you know, it doesn't include the Delta One ground experience. The real kicker? Don't expect these fares to be significantly cheaper than what standard business class fares used to be. Delta is essentially repackaging existing cheap fares as 'basic' and nudging you to buy up. United did this recently too, so it's becoming an industry trend. The tip: always read the fine print on premium fares now. Before booking any Delta business or first class ticket, check which fare bucket you're actually buying. If you want lounge access and flexibility, you need to make sure you're not accidentally in a basic tier. Delta is giving basic business class passengers access to Delta One Lounges until January 18th, two thousand and twenty-seven, while people get used to the new system — so at least there's a grace period.

Now for a story that sounds like it came from a comedy script — except for the passengers who were stranded. A British Airways flight from Bridgetown, Barbados to London Heathrow on the 5th of July, two thousand and twenty-six, was canceled after several flight attendants got so drunk during their layover that they couldn't legally work the flight. British Airways had put the crew up at an all-inclusive resort, and apparently some crew members took full advantage of that. Reports indicate one flight attendant was physically ill, another had to be carried back to her room, and when fellow guests complained, the crew reportedly said — and I quote — 'we're British Airways crew, what of it?' The airline ended up having to fly the plane back to London empty, leaving hundreds of passengers behind. Now, under UK261 regulations, passengers who arrived at their final destination four or more hours late are each entitled to five hundred and twenty pounds — roughly six hundred and ninety-six dollars — in compensation, plus hotels and meals. With around two hundred and forty seats on the Boeing 777, total liability could hit two hundred thousand dollars or more. Four crew members have been suspended. The tip here for travelers: know your rights under UK261 if you're flying routes covered by UK regulations. If your flight is significantly delayed or canceled due to airline fault, you are entitled to compensation — document everything and file your claim promptly.

Here's a much more pleasant story — one about squeezing incredible value out of Emirates Skywards points. Did you know you can combine two Emirates first class products on a single award ticket? Specifically, you can book the new seven-seven-seven 'Game Changer' suite on one leg and the A380 shower suite on another, all on one award. Even better, you can add a second long-haul segment for fewer extra miles than you might expect — and Emirates will even throw in a free Dubai hotel overnight if you have a long layover there. If you're sitting on Emirates Skywards miles or transferable points, this is one of the most premium redemptions available anywhere in the world. The tip: use AwardTravelFinder.com to search Emirates award availability and find that sweet spot where you can chain multiple premium cabin products together. Availability can be tight, so search early and be flexible with your routing.

Let's talk credit cards. The Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card currently has a welcome offer of one hundred thousand Ultimate Rewards points after spending eight thousand dollars in the first three months. With points valued at roughly one point seven cents each, that's about seventeen hundred dollars in travel value. The card has a ninety-five dollar annual fee and earns three times points on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone services, and social media advertising — up to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in combined purchases per year. It also comes with cell phone protection, primary rental car coverage, and strong travel protections. If you have other no-annual-fee Chase cards like the Ink Cash or Ink Unlimited, having the Preferred lets you transfer all those points to airline and hotel partners. You can apply by clicking the link in the show notes.

Also worth a quick mention — if you're a World of Hyatt loyalist who loves using suite upgrade awards, heads up: two more properties have stopped accepting them. Alila Napa Valley in California and the soon-to-open Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman have both been added to the exclusion list. Both are Category 8 properties where suites run close to three thousand dollars a night, so this is a meaningful loss. Always check the full exclusion list before planning a redemption around suite upgrades.

And one more loyalty program note — if you have Bilt Cash sitting in your account, remember it expires above one hundred dollars at year-end. Don't let it go to waste. You can convert it into more Bilt points through mortgage payments and Points Accelerators, boost your Rent Day transfer bonuses, stack hotel credits, or use it toward everyday expenses like Lyft and Grubhub. Bilt Cash is one of those things that's easy to forget about until it's too late.

That's a wrap for today's episode of Miles and Points Daily. Thanks so much for tuning in — if you found this helpful, please subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, and visit us at milesandpointsdaily.com for more tips, deals, and breakdowns every single day. Safe travels, everyone — and remember, every mile counts.