26 July 2023
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
Loyalty programs are a huge moneymaker for airlines and hotel companies because they have many revenue streams. One of these revenue streams is selling airline miles and hotel points directly to travelers.
This gives the program an immediate cash injection as travelers prepay for future travel. However, it generally only makes sense to do so when there’s a discount or bonus offer available.
This roundup of points and miles sales walks you through some of the best current offers on airline miles and hotel points, including some that may be targeted. But first, let’s discuss when it makes sense to buy points and miles.
Should I buy points and miles now?
Buying miles for high-end travel can be a good deal. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
There are a couple of things to consider before taking advantage of points and miles sales.
First, buying points and miles only makes sense for certain travelers and at certain times. It’s generally a much better deal to earn points and miles for “free” through welcome bonuses tied to travel rewards credit cards. However, buying points and miles during good promotions can make sense for those who have tapped out their credit card options and can get high value from their rewards. It can also make sense when you need more points to lock in a specific award now.
We generally only recommend buying points or miles if you have an immediate use in mind. Otherwise, you’re left open to unexpected devaluations.
With that, here are seven current promotions for buying points and miles.
Related: What are points and miles worth? TPG’s current monthly valuations
Promotions for buying airline miles
Alaska Mileage Plan is offering one of the best promotions for purchasing miles now. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
United MileagePlus
Current promotion: Up to a 95% bonus
Purchase rate: As low as 1.93 cents per point
TPG valuation: 1.1 cents per point
End date: July 28
Link to buy points
Through July 28, United MileagePlus is offering a promotion when you buy at least 5,000 miles. In our tests, most accounts are targeted for a 95% bonus when you purchase at least 40,000 miles, with smaller bonuses when you buy fewer miles. Unfortunately, even with the 95% bonus, the purchase rate for United miles is much higher than our recently reduced valuation after United raised the price of some award flights by over 100%.
Alaska Mileage Plan
Current promotion: Up to a 60% bonus
Purchase rate: As low as 1.85 cents per point
TPG valuation: 1.8 cents per point
End date: Aug. 20
Link to buy points
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members can take advantage of a bonus offer when purchasing miles. Depending on the number of miles you buy, you can receive a 40% bonus for buying between 3,000 and 19,000 miles, a 50% bonus for purchasing between 20,000 and 39,000 miles or a full 60% bonus for buying between 40,000 and 100,000 miles until Aug. 20. With the full 60% bonus, the cost of buying Alaska miles is close to our valuation.
You can check out our guide on maximizing Alaska miles to see if this sale would benefit you.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
Current promotion: Up to 50% off
Purchase rate: As low as 1.5 cents per point
TPG valuation: 1.5 cents per point
End date: Aug. 20
Link to buy points
Southwest Rapid Rewards members are targeted for a 40%, 45% or 50% discount when buying at least 3,000 points through Aug. 20. Southwest award rates vary with paid rates, so getting more than 1.5 cents per point is often hard. So we generally only recommend buying Southwest points to top off your account for a specific redemption.
American Airlines AAdvantage
Current promotion: Up to a 35% discount
Purchase rate: As low as 2.45 cents per mile
TPG valuation: 1.77 cents per mile
End date: Unknown
Link to buy miles
American AAdvantage is offering up to a 35% discount on miles. You’ll get the highest discount when you buy 150,000 miles, dropping the price to 2.45 cents per mile. This is significantly higher than TPG’s valuation of American miles, but buying American miles for specific high-end awards could still make sense.
Promotions for buying hotel points
Hyatt is offering a promotion when you buy at least 5,000 points. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
IHG One Rewards
Current promotion: Up to a 100% bonus
Purchase rate: As low as 0.5 cents per point
TPG valuation: 0.5 cents per point
End date: July 28
Link to buy points
When you buy at least 5,000 IHG One Rewards points through July 28, you’ll receive a 100% bonus. That brings the purchase rate in line with our valuation of IHG points, so it’s worth comparing award prices for your upcoming stay to see if you can save by purchasing IHG points.
World of Hyatt
Current promotion: Up to a 25% bonus
Purchase rate: As low as 1.92 cents per point
TPG valuation: 1.7 cents per point
End date: Aug. 11
Link to buy points
World of Hyatt is offering a 25% bonus when you buy at least 5,000 points through Aug. 11. While the purchase rate is higher than our valuation, there are lots of ways to maximize Hyatt points. Additionally, Hyatt award stays are exempt from resort and destination fees at most properties, and if you’re a Globalist member, Hyatt covers your parking charge on award stays at most properties.
Choice Privileges
Current promotion: Up to a 25% discount
Purchase rate: As low as 0.77 cents per point
TPG valuation: 0.6 cents per point
End date: Aug. 27
Link to buy points
Choice Privileges is offering targeted offers for buying points by Aug. 27. In our sampled account, Choice offered a 25% discount for buying 14,000 or more points, with smaller bonuses for buying fewer points. Although this isn’t the best Choice promotion for buying points we’ve seen, you may be targeted for a better offer.
Which credit card should you use to buy miles?
Most of these promotions are processed through Points.com rather than directly by the hotel or airline. So, you won’t earn bonus rewards with most travel rewards cards.
As such, you’ll want to use an everyday spending card that offers a solid return on non-bonus spending. Or, if you’re working toward a minimum spending requirement to earn a welcome bonus, using that card may be the way to go. Remember that you may incur foreign transaction fees on some cards when buying points or miles from a program abroad. As such, you may want to use one of the following cards:
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees): 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases and no foreign transaction fees
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees): 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases and no foreign transaction fees
The main exception to this rule is American Airlines. The airline reportedly codes mileage purchases as airfare, so you may want to use a credit card that earns bonus miles on airfare for the highest return when buying AAdvantage miles.
Additional reporting by Caroline Tanner, Clint Henderson, Andrew Kunesh, Benji Stawski, Summer Hull and Katie Genter.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply