Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with the latest promotions.
Loyalty programs are a huge moneymaker for airlines and hotel companies — in large part because they have so many revenue streams. One of these revenue streams is selling airline miles and hotel points at a discount or with a bonus.
Selling points or miles gives the seller an immediate cash injection, as travelers are essentially prepaying for future travel at a potential discount.
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This guide walks you through some of the best current sales on airline miles and hotel points. But first, let’s discuss when it makes sense to buy points and miles.
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Should I buy points and miles now?
There are a couple of things to consider before taking advantage of these sales.
The first is that buying points and miles only makes sense for certain travelers. It’s generally a much better deal to earn points and miles for “free” through welcome bonuses on top 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 points and miles. That said, we only recommend buying points or miles when you have an immediate plan to use them. Otherwise, you’re left open to unexpected devaluations.
With that out of the way, here are the promotions for buying points and miles that are currently available.
Promotions for buying airline miles
American AAdvantage
- Current promotion: Up to a 35% discount.
- Purchase rate: As low as 2.4 cents per mile.
- TPG valuation: 1.77 cents per mile.
- Ending date: TBD.
- Link to buy miles.
American Airlines 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 2.4 cents per mile. This is significantly higher than TPG’s valuation but can be a good deal for specific high-end awards.
Verdict: Can be a decent deal if you expect to redeem your miles for otherwise expensive, premium tickets.
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Current promotion: Up to an 85% bonus.
- Purchase rate: As low as 1.39 cents per mile.
- TPG valuation: 1.5 cents per mile.
- Ending date: Oct. 9.
- Link to buy miles.
Air Canada is selling Aeroplan points with an 85% bonus when you purchase at least 45,000 points by Oct. 9. This drops the price to roughly 1.39 cents per point, which is less than our 1.5 cents per point valuation. This presents a great opportunity for buying high-end award tickets at a discount if award space is available.
Verdict: Good deal for booking Star Alliance award tickets at a discount.
Promotions for buying hotel points
Choice Privileges
- Current promotion: 25% bonus.
- Purchase rate: 0.76 cents per point.
- TPG valuation: 0.6 cents per point.
- Ending date: Oct. 9.
- Link to buy points.
You can buy Choice Privileges points with a 35% bonus when you purchase 20,000+ points. This drops the purchase price to 0.76 cents apiece, which is still higher than our valuation of 0.6 cents per point. However, it might be worthwhile for booking expensive hotel nights.
Verdict: Could be worthwhile for scoring a discount on expensive stays.
Hilton Honors
- Current promotion: Up to a 100% bonus.
- Purchase rate: As low as 0.5 cents per point.
- TPG valuation: 0.6 cents per point.
- Ending date: Nov. 22.
- Link to buy points.
Hilton Honors is giving its members up to a 100% bonus when they purchase more than 5,000 Hilton Honors points by Nov. 22. This brings the purchase rate below our valuation of Hilton Honors points. For 120,000 points (purchasable for $600), you can stay in a king lagoon-view suite at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui that usually sells for $1,456.99.
Verdict: Worth comparing cash and award prices on your next Hilton stay.
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. Unfortunately, that means that you won’t usually get bonus rewards with a card that has a travel category bonus.
Instead, go for a card that offers a solid return on non-bonus spending. Remember that certain airlines, like Air Canada, sell their miles in currencies other than U.S. dollars. In these cases, ensure that your card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.
Some of the best cards that fit this bill include:
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 2 Capital One miles per dollar spent — no foreign transaction fee.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: 2 Capital One miles per dollar spent — no foreign transaction fee.
If you’re working toward a credit card spending requirement, using that card may be the way to go. You can check out our guide to the best cards for everyday spending for additional suggestions.
The main exception to this rule is American. 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 returns on your mileage purchases.
Additional reporting by Kyle Olsen, Benji Stawski and Katie Genter.
