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We regularly publish deals on buying points and miles at a discount. While it isn't usually your best bet for earning a lot of points and miles (you should focus on earning credit card sign-up bonuses instead), buying points can make sense in some situations. If you've decided to buy points or miles for an upcoming redemption, which credit card should you use?
That answer depends on which website you're using to buy points and miles. The way the purchase codes on your credit card varies, and you'll want to know how the purchase codes to maximize your earnings.
Here's a closer look at the best credit cards for buying points and miles.
Page Contents
Understanding Purchases and Merchant Category Codes (MCCs)
When making a purchase, it matters less exactly who you buy from and more how the purchase codes on your credit card statement. You can use AwardWallet's Merchant Category Code lookup tool to check purchases in advance. For example, you can see if a particular merchant will code as a “restaurant,” so you can use one of the best cards for dining purchases.
But back to the situation on hand, we want to know how it will appear on your credit card if you buy points and miles. Read on for what we've found for each program we track.
The Best Credit Cards for Buying Points and Miles
Here's a look at what credit card you should use to buy points or miles for your redemption based on what you're buying.
Buying from Points.com
Many rewards programs don't sell points directly. Instead, they use Points.com to process mileage sales. For example, when buying Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles, your credit card won't see this as a purchase from Alaska Airlines. That means your purchase won't code as “airfare” or “travel” on credit cards that have travel as a bonus category.
The following programs use Points.com to sell their points and miles. If there is a link on the program name, clicking on it will take you our guide to the program's latest deal to buy those points and miles with a discount or bonus.
Airlines
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air Europa SUMA
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- AirMiles.ca
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Caribbean Airlines Caribbean Miles
- Copa Airlines ConnectMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Finnair Plus
- Frontier Miles
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- Icelandair Saga Club
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- LATAM Pass
- Lufthansa Miles & More
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Radisson Rewards
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Rapid Rewards
- Spirit Airlines Free Spirit
- Turkish Airlines Miles& Smiles
- United Airlines MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer
- Virgin Red
- WestJet Rewards
Hotels
- Choice Privileges
- Hilton Honors
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Melia Rewards
- Radisson Rewards
- Shangri-La Golden Circle
- World of Hyatt
- Wyndham Rewards
In case it's not clear, that's most programs you might buy points or miles from. Only a few airlines sell miles directly.
Buying from the reward program directly
While most programs sell their points and miles via Points.com, a couple let you buy directly from the mileage program. These include:
Which credit card to use to buy points and miles
If you're buying from Points.com, these purchases won't code as travel. You should use one of these credit cards:
- Any credit card where you're working on a sign-up bonus. These are the best welcome offers available right 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.
- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles on all other purchase
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $120)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Related: The Best Rewards Credit Cards for Each Spending Category
If your purchase will code as airfare purchased directly from the airline, use these credit cards for their bonus earnings:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5X earnings on up to $500,000 of flights purchased from airlines or Amex Travel annually (then 1X)
- Citi Prestige® Card: 5X without limits (card isn't open to new applicants)
- Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (Rates & Fees): 4X without limits
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: 4X without limits
- U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card: 3X without limits
- American Express® Gold Card: 3X without limits
- American Express® Green Card: 3X without limits
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card: 3X without limits
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 3X without limits once you've used the annual $300 travel credit
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: 3X on the first $150,000 spent in bonus categories annually (then 1X)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 2X without limits
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- With American Express Global Lounge Collection® eligible Card Members can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
- A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Use the dedicated CLEAR Lane to confirm your identity without taking out your passport or ID - this can mean shorter lines, less waiting. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card®.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
- $695 annual fee.¤
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
Related: The Best Rewards Cards for Travel Purchases
Exceptions where you might still earn a bonus
Although Points.com processes many points and miles sales, you might still be able to earn bonus miles on a mileage purchase.
One example is Southwest Rapid Rewards purchases. If you pay with a Southwest Airlines credit card and choose that option in the drop-down menu, you can earn the bonus multiplier your card provides for Southwest purchases.
Other Options to Consider Before Buying Miles
Before you pull out your credit card to buy points, consider your other options. You might be surprised to find that you don't really need to buy points or miles. Perhaps that program has transfer partners you could use to move points and miles into your account. Check out the AwardWallet Transfer Partners Tool for all of your options.
Alternatively, could you earn a credit card sign-up bonus with that program or one of its transfer partners and then make your redemption? Obviously, this requires some time, and award space could disappear while you wait. But, if time isn't an issue, earning points for no additional cost is the better option.
Earn More on Your Purchase With Shopping Portals
Whenever you shop online, you should use shopping portals. By adding just a few clicks before paying, you could add hundreds or thousands of extra points and miles to your purchase — on top of the points you're buying and what you earn from your credit card.
Generally speaking, Points.com purchases typically aren't eligible for shopping portal bonuses. However, you can occasionally click through programs like Rakuten to earn bonus cash back or American Express Membership Rewards points on your purchases. While this isn't always the case, it's worth checking before you complete your points and miles purchase.
At the time of writing, you could earn 1.25% cash back (or 1.25X Amex points) per dollar spent on currencies such as Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles, Hyatt points, Hilton points, and more.
Final Thoughts
If you've decided to buy points or miles, using the right credit card makes a difference and can lead to big returns on your purchase. Adding a shopping portal can multiply those earnings further. However, you need to know who is selling you the points and miles. Is it the rewards program itself or Points.com? That will dictate which card to use at checkout.
Before making a large purchase, it's always a good idea to make a small purchase first. See how that codes on your credit card to ensure you earn as expected and adjust if needed.
How often do you buy points and miles? What strategies do you use to maximize your earnings on these purchases?
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.