11 Promotions For Buying Airline & Hotel Points

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Strategically buying airline & hotel points can be a great value, especially for aspirational redemptions. This can save you a huge amount off the retail cost of a first & business class flight, or a five star hotel stay.

We frequently see loyalty programs offer promotions on purchased points, so in this post I wanted to recap the best offers that are currently available. I buy points all the time, so I think it’s always worth being aware of what’s available.

Here are 11 deals on buying points right now from major airline & hotel programs, ranked by promotion expiration date:

Through December 19, 2021, British Airways Executive Club is offering up to a 50% bonus on purchased Avios / buy points for as little as 1.36 cents each / more info here
Through December 21, 2021, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is offering up to a 60% bonus on purchased points / buy points for as little as 1.24 cents each / more info here
Through December 21, 2021, Southwest Rapid Rewards is offering up to a 40% discount on purchased points / buy points for as little as 1.65 cents each / more info here
Through December 23, 2021, Alaska Mileage Plan is offering up to a 50% bonus on purchased miles / buy miles for as little as 1.97 cents each / more info here
Through December 23, 2021, Air France-KLM Flying Blue is offering up to a 100% bonus on purchased miles / buy miles for as little as 1.38 cents each / more info here
Through December 23, 2021, United MileagePlus is offering up to a 100% bonus on purchased miles / buy miles for as little as 1.88 cents each / more info here
Through December 30, 2021, World of Hyatt is offering up to a 30% discount on purchased points / buy points for as little as 1.68 cents each / more info here
Through December 31, 2021, Wyndham Rewards is offering up to a 40% bonus on purchased points / buy points as little as 0.93 cents each / more info here
Through December 31, 2021, American AAdvantage is offering up to a 50% bonus on purchased miles / buy miles for as little as 2.15 cents each / more info here
Through December 31, 2021, Hilton Honors is offering up to a 100% bonus on purchased points / buy points for as little as 0.5 cents each / more info here
Through January 4, 2022, IHG Rewards is offering up to an 80% bonus on purchased points / buy points for as little as 0.56 cents each / more info here

In each of the above cases, I linked to a post that talks about when it does and doesn’t make sense to buy points from those programs, so check that out. Don’t necessarily assume that a 100% bonus in one program is a better deal than a 50% bonus in another program, since different programs have different value propositions to begin with.

Of the above offers, I tend to think the best offers are those from Alaska Mileage Plan, Hilton Honors, and World of Hyatt.

Redeem Hilton Honors points at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos

Which credit card should you buy points with?

The best credit card for buying points depends on the program you’re making a purchase from.

Some loyalty programs process points purchases directly (including American AAdvantage). In those cases, points purchases qualify as airfare spending, in which case you’d want to use one of the following cards:

5x Membership Rewards points
per dollar spent directly with airlines or through Amex Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and then 1x

The Platinum Card® from American Express

3x Membership Rewards points
per dollar spent directly with airlines

American Express® Gold Card

3x Ultimate Rewards points
per dollar spent on airfare

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

3x ThankYou points
per dollar spent on airfare

Citi Premier® Card

2x Ultimate Rewards points
per dollar spent on airfare

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Points purchases from other programs are facilitated by points.com. For points.com purchases I’d recommend using a card on which you’re trying to reach minimum spending, or otherwise a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spending, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review), Citi® Double Cash Card (review), or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review).

If you are purchasing from a foreign program, I’d recommend using the Capital One Venture X, since the other two cards have foreign transaction fees.

Redeem American AAdvantage miles for Qatar Airways business class

Bottom line

Buying airline & hotel points can represent a great deal, especially when there’s a lucrative promotion. We’re seeing several programs offering year-end promotions, so if you’d benefit from one of these, it’s at least worth being aware of what’s available. I buy points several times per year, though usually only if I have a short-term use in mind for a travel experience, and know the math checks out.

Are you taking advantage of any of the opportunities to buy points at the moment?

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