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At AwardWallet, we are staunch proponents of gathering miles and points in the most economical ways possible. These typically involve earning miles through credit card sign-up bonuses, taking advantage of transfer bonuses, and earning miles from everyday spending. But there are certainly times when you might be slightly short on points for a sweet redemption and need some quick miles or points — like, right away!
If you are unable to transfer miles or points into your loyalty account, the quickest and surest way to get some miles into your account fast is to just buy points or miles directly from the airline or hotel.
Buying miles and points is not always the best (or most economical) idea. Airlines and hotels typically charge more per mile or point than the value you'll get when using them. That's why the best time to buy miles or points is when the airline or hotel loyalty program is selling them at discounted rates.
Since there are dozens of different programs out there, we wanted to make it easier for you to keep track of which ones are currently running a promotion.
Page Contents
Buy Miles Promotions From Airlines
Avianca LifeMiles
- Current promotion: 160% bonus
- Cost per LifeMile: As little as 1.27¢
- End date: December 31, 2024
- More information about this buy Avianca LifeMiles promotion
- Buy now
EVA Infinity MileageLands
- Current promotion: 40% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 2.86¢
- End date: December 31, 2024
- More information about this buy EVA miles promotion
- Buy now
JetBlue TrueBlue
- Current promotion: 130% bonus
- Cost per point: 1.4¢
- End date: December 31, 2024
- More information about this buy JetBlue points promotion
- Buy now
Southwest Rapid Rewards
- Current promotion: 50% discount
- Cost per point: 1.5¢
- End date: December 31, 2024
- More information about this buy Southwest points promotion
- Buy now
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Current promotion: 30% discount
- Cost per point: As little as 1.72¢
- End date: January 3, 2025
- More information about this buy Aeroplan points promotion
- Buy now
Frontier FrontierMiles
- Current promotion: 150% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.72¢
- End date: January 10, 2025
- More information about this buy Frontier miles promotion
- Buy now
Spirit Free Spirit
- Current promotion: 80% bonus
- Cost per point: 1.49¢
- End date: January 17, 2024
- More information about this buy Spirit points promotion
- Buy now
Finnair Plus
- Current promotion: 20% bonus or discount
- Cost per Avios: As little as 1.78¢
- End date: No published end date
- More information about this buy Finnair Avios promotion
- Buy now
Qatar Privilege Club
- Current promotion: 20% bonus
- Cost per Avios: As little as 1.92¢
- End date: No published end date
- More information about this buy Qatar Avios promotion
- Buy now
American Airlines AAdvantage®
- Current promotion: 35% discount
- Cost per mile: As little as 2.45¢
- End date: No published end date
- More information about this buy American miles promotion
- Buy now
Buy Points Promotions From Hotels
Hilton Honors
- Current promotion: 100% bonus
- Cost per point: 0.5¢
- End date: December 31, 2024
- More information about this buy Hilton points promotion
- Buy now
Wyndham Rewards
- Current promotion: 45% discount
- Cost per point: 0.715¢
- End date: December 31, 2024
- More information about this buy Wyndham points promotion
- Buy now
World of Hyatt
- Current promotion: 25% bonus
- Cost per point: 1.92¢
- End date: January 4, 2025
- More information about this buy Hyatt points promotion
- Buy now
IHG One Rewards
- Current promotion: 30% bonus or discount
- Cost per point: As little as 0.7¢
- End date: No published end date
- More information about this buy IHG points promotion
- Buy now
Buy Points Promotions From Other Transportation
Amtrak Guest Rewards
- Current promotion: 40% bonus
- Cost per point: As little as 2.69¢
- End date: December 31, 2024
- More information about this buy Amtrak points promotion
- Buy now
Is Buying Miles Worth It?
At AwardWallet, we don't generally recommend that you buy miles or points speculatively. Most loyalty programs sell points at a price that's higher than the standard value people get when redeeming their points — a loss for the traveler.
However, there are a few exceptions to the general rule. The first is when you only need a few more points to complete a redemption you're planning. Buying points can make a lot of sense in this scenario since it's one of the fastest (and easiest) ways to top off your account balance.
The second is when buying the points necessary to book a flight or hotel you want is actually cheaper than paying the cash rate. Third, if you're struggling to meet a credit card sign-up bonus spending requirement, buying points can be a quick way to spend now for travel later. And if you're going to pay cash for a trip anyway, why not save money?
How Long Does It Take To Buy Miles or Points?
It's important to ensure you're aware of the time it takes for points and miles to process into your account — which is why we've created a section on AwardWallet that tracks all of this information!
We summarize anonymized data to estimate when the points and miles you purchase will reach your account. So, before investing money in a loyalty currency you plan on using soon, make sure to check our points and miles purchase times page to see when you can expect to receive the points or miles in your account.
Want to know exactly when your points and miles post to your loyalty accounts? AwardWallet Plus users have access to the “Balance Watch” feature. This valuable tool will monitor a specific loyalty account and notify you as soon as your balance changes. So, instead of tirelessly checking your accounts multiple times a day, just use this tool.
Once activated, AwardWallet will check your balance up to twenty-four times per day and send you a desktop, mobile, and email notification as soon as a change is detected! You'll know as soon as the points hit your account, and then you can rush to complete your booking before the seats or hotel rooms disappear.
Related: How Long Does It Take To Buy and Transfer Points?
Why does it matter how long it takes to buy points?
Picture this: You're planning a last-minute trip to meet a friend you haven't seen in years. You have some airline miles — say 18,000 miles. And you found a great redemption for 20,000 miles, leaving you 2,000 miles short.
You go ahead and buy the last 2,000 miles from the airline, expecting to have them in your account immediately, so you can grab the flight you want. But, instead of receiving the miles right away, you find out that they don't land in your account for 72 hours! By then, the availability on the flight you wanted has disappeared. Now, you're left with even more “orphaned” miles than you had before — annoying, right?
It's also a great idea to ask the hotel or airline if you can put an award on hold while waiting for your points to show up. It's not always possible, but this can save your seat or hotel room to ensure other travelers don't snag it in the interim.
What Credit Card Should You Use To Buy Points and Miles?
Most hotel and airline points are not processed by the company whose name is on the currency. Instead, they use Points.com (a third party) to process point purchases. But why does this matter? Though your purchase of points or miles is made through the company's website, it won't qualify for any travel category bonus offered by some credit cards because it reflects on your card as a purchase from Points.com.
Therefore, it makes the most sense to use one of the following cards instead:
- Whatever credit card with a sign-up bonus you're working on right now. Here are the best welcome offers available now.
- Any credit card with perks you can unlock from spending, such as hotel free night awards, hotel elite status, or airline elite status.
- Your best credit card for everyday spending, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
There are exceptions, though. Delta SkyMiles and American Airlines AAdvantage purchases are made directly from the airline. That means you can use a credit card that rewards travel purchases on these purchases.
Related: Which Credit Card Should You Use To Buy Points and Miles?
Bottom Line
There are better ways to acquire points and miles than buying them. Collecting points and miles for free will always be the better route. But when there is no better option, buying points or miles to enable a valuable redemption can be worthwhile.
Being able to buy points and miles at a discounted rate can unlock buying travel for cheaper than paying cash, which is why we track all of the current promotions for buying airline miles and hotel points.
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