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This buy miles promotion has ended; see current buy miles promotions.
TAP Air Portugal is celebrating the 6th anniversary of its new Miles & Go program by letting members to grab miles with a 100% bonus. This deal runs through December 5, 2024, providing the chance to buy miles for as little as 1.83¢ each.
It's important to note that members might have their account reflect EUR or USD, so make sure to know which one shows for you. This promotion usually allows Miles & Go members to grab miles at a cheaper rate when buying in Euros — so for the sake of this post, we will take a look at the lowest rate between the two.
But is it worth grabbing TAP Miles & Go miles at this price? Let's take a look at some examples to see if it makes sense.
Page Contents
A Note on Buying TAP Miles & Go Miles
Buying points and miles is typically not the best way to accumulate any award currency. The same holds true with Miles & Go. We always advise earning points and miles through everyday purchases, credit card welcome bonuses, and travel purchases. As always, there are certain situations where buying points and miles can make sense.
First, if your balance is just short of booking that next great redemption, buying miles can be the fastest means of getting over the hump. Since award availability can change at any moment, waiting for miles to post to your account may mean the difference between snagging an award and missing out.
Second, the cost of buying miles can be cheaper than paying the cash rate for a flight. Below, we'll look at some examples of this.
Related: Check out all the promotions for buying points and miles
Buy TAP Miles & Go Miles Promotion — Key Terms
- Buy or gift Miles & Go miles and receive a 100% bonus.
- This promotion expires on December 5, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. mainland Portugal time (6:59 p.m. Eastern Time in the U.S.).
- You can buy TAP Portugal Miles & Go miles in increments of 2,000.
- Purchase at least 2,000 miles to receive the 100% bonus.
- The maximum number of miles a member can purchase (before the bonus) is 20,000 miles per transaction (up to 200,000 annually).
- Purchases of Miles & Go miles are not refundable.
- Bonus miles will be credited at the time of purchase and are valid for a 12-month qualification period (three years with a valid extension).
- Valid extensions are only applicable to bonus miles (not base miles).
While the terms and conditions state bonus miles will be credited at the time of purchase, data points from AwardWallet users show that purchases are processed within 24 hours.
This promotion offers just one bonus tier at 100%. When you maximize this deal, you'll get a total of 40,000 miles for $870 — which comes out to 2.175¢ apiece:
But hold the phone, because you can get a cheaper rate if you can buy miles in euros. You'll be able to grab a total of 40,000 miles for 700€ (~$733) — which comes out to 1.83¢ apiece. That's a huge difference!
As you can see, it's important to note that if given the chance, you should try buying Miles & Go miles in euros. The exchange rate TAP uses isn't favorable, and your final cost could be lower when paying in euros. But make sure to use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees if you go this route — since purchasing miles in euros could potentially trigger this fee.
Related: Do TAP Portugal Miles & Go Miles Expire?
Redeem Miles & Go Miles for Flights
The TAP Miles & Go program isn't the strongest loyalty program out there. As a result, quality award redemption options are few and far between. If you plan far enough out in advance you might get lucky and find some niche redemptions on TAP flights.
However, there are some good redemption options with TAP's Star Alliance partners, and it might be worth comparing award rates with Air Canada's Aeroplan program — which has an 80% bonus promotion of its own. You can use both currencies to book Star Alliance award flights, but chances are that Aeroplan will likely be the cheaper option.
San Francisco–Lisbon in TAP economy class
TAP Miles & Go has much better redemption rates on its own flights than with partners. It's not luxury, but this is a good example of when buying miles can be cheaper than buying a one-way international flight.
- Mileage rate: 29,000 miles + $32 one-way
- Typical cash price: $1,116 one-way
- Redemption rate: 3.73¢ per mile
- Cost to buy 32,000 miles (after a 100% bonus): $587
- Cost to buy exactly 29,000 miles (at 1.83¢ each): $531
This award is also available for 40,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points per way or 44,000 United MileagePlus miles per way. You may find better value by booking this award through a partner program and/or by taking advantage of other ongoing buy miles sales.
Miami–Lisbon in TAP business class
Flights across the Atlantic in TAP's “executive class” start at 100,000 miles each way — although 145k seems to be more common nowadays. Still, buying miles can be cheaper than a one-way flight in cash.
- Mileage rate: 100,000 miles + $32 one-way
- Typical cash price: $2,880 one-way
- Redemption rate: 2.85¢ per mile
- Cost to buy 100,000 miles (with 100% bonus): $1,833
- Cost to buy exactly 100,000 miles (at 1.83¢ each): $1,830
This award is also available for 70,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points per way or 88,000 United MileagePlus miles per way.
Newark–Addis Ababa (via Istanbul) in Turkish and Ethiopian business class
Love nature and coffee? You'll be hard-pressed to find a better place to visit than Ethiopia. Turkish and Ethiopian Airlines offer a great flying experience for travelers in business class on its newer planes.
- Mileage rate: 115,000 miles + $260 one-way
- Typical cash price: $7,258 round-trip
- Redemption rate: 2.93¢ per mile (based on half a round-trip)
- Cost to buy 120,000 miles (after a 100% bonus): $2,199
- Cost to buy exactly 115,000 miles (at 1.83¢ each): $2,105
This award is also available for 90,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points per way or 88,000 United MileagePlus miles per way.
San Francisco–Auckland in United business class
Trying to catch a glimpse of Mordor or the Shire? The flight might be long (13 hours) — but in United's business class, you'll be able to watch some movies with your feet up, get caught up on some work, or grab some sleep before the fun begins in New Zealand!
- Mileage rate: 130,000 miles + $86 one-way
- Typical cash price: $7,190 round-trip
- Redemption rate: 2.7¢ per mile (based on half of a round-trip)
- Cost to buy 132,000 miles (after a 100% bonus): $2,419
- Cost to buy exactly 130,000 miles (at 1.83¢ each): $2,379
This award is also available for 75,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points per way or 100,000 United MileagePlus miles per way.
TAP Buy Miles History
This promotion's cost-per-mile value of 1.83¢ apiece is the second best we've seen from the flagship carrier of Portugal. While not a bad deal, the lack of award options through the TAP portal will make you think twice before reaching for your wallet.
Also note that Air Canada's Aeroplan program can also be used to book tickets on TAP and other Star Alliance members, so you might want to consider grabbing miles with them instead while they're on sale for just 1.39¢ apiece:
| Promotion Ended | Max Bonus/Discount | Min Cents per Mile | Max Purchase Amount (w/ Bonus) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-12-05 | 100% Bonus | 1.83 | 400,000 |
| 2024-09-29 | 100% Bonus | 2.175 | 400,000 |
| 2024-03-18 | 50% Bonus | 2.9 | 300,000 |
| 2023-11-30 | 100% Bonus | 1.9 | 400,000 |
| 2023-06-22 | 150% Bonus | 1.52 | 500,000 |
| 2023-05-18 | 100% Bonus | 2.18 | 400,000 |
Maximize Your Purchase
As with most other programs, if you buy TAP miles, you'll make your purchase through Points.com. This means your purchase won't code as airfare or travel. You should pay with one of these cards:
- The credit card for which 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 card for everyday spending, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Related: Which Credit Card Should You Use to Buy Points and Miles?
Other Ways to Earn Miles & Go Miles
If time is on your side, there are less expensive ways you can add to your Miles & Go account. You can transfer points from the following to Miles & Go:
Any card earning Capital One miles or Marriott points can effectively earn TAP Miles & Go miles, meaning you wouldn't need to buy them.
- 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
Bottom Line
TAP Air Portugal members have the chance to buy Miles & Go miles with up to a 100% bonus using this link.
Purchasing miles for 1.83¢ apiece is a vast improvement on the last promotion from TAP — but still not a great rate by any stretch of the imagination. That's not to say you can't find good value when comparing the cost of buying miles to the cash fare.
For certain redemptions, this deal might make sense — especially when the cost to buy Miles & Go miles ends up being cheaper than the cash price of the same ticket. But it's worth checking other mileage programs for better award pricing, lower fees, and a better purchase rate.
If you are considering grabbing TAP miles for just 1.83¢ apiece during this promotion, you have until December 5, 2024, to do so.
Will you be purchasing TAP Miles & Go miles during this promotion while they cost 1.83¢ each?
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