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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
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Current promotion: 60% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.85¢
- End date: May 21, 2025
- More information about this buy Alaska miles promotion
- Buy now
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
- Current promotion: 50% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.87¢
- End date: May 21, 2025
- More information about this buy Hawaiian Airlines miles promotion
- Buy now
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- Current promotion: 50% discount
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.5¢
- End date: May 24, 2025
- More information about this buy Southwest Rapid Rewards promotion
- Buy now
Frontier Airlines Frontier Miles
- Current promotion: 150% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.075¢
- End date: May 30, 2025
- More information about this buy Frontier miles promotion
- Buy now
United Airlines MileagePlus
- Current promotion: 95% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.93¢
- End date: May 30, 2025
- More information about this buy United miles promotion
- Buy now
Lufthansa Miles & More
- Current promotion: 30% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.5¢
- End date: May 31, 2025
- More information about this buy Miles & More miles promotion
- Buy now
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles
- Current promotion: 80% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.67¢
- End date: June 4, 2025
- More information about this buy Copa ConnectMiles promotion
- Buy now
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Current promotion: 90% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.32¢
- End date: June 5, 2025
- More information about this buy Aeroplan points promotion
- Buy now
JetBlue TrueBlue
- Current promotion: 125% bonus
- Cost per mile: As little as 1.43¢
- End date: June 9, 2025
- More information about this buy JetBlue points 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
IHG One Rewards
- Current promotion: 100% bonus
- Cost per point: As little as 0.5¢
- End date: May 22, 2025
- More information about this buy IHG points promotion
- Buy now
Hilton Honors
- Current promotion: 100% bonus
- Cost per point: As little as 0.5¢
- End date: May 29, 2025
- More information about this buy Hilton points promotion
- Buy now
Leading Hotels of the World
- Current promotion: up to 100% bonus
- Cost per point: As little as 6¢
- End date: June 20, 2025
- More information about this buy Leaders Club points promotion
- Buy now
Marriott Bonvoy
- Current promotion: 40% bonus
- Cost per point: As little as 0.89¢
- End date: July 16, 2025
- More information about this buy Marriott points promotion
- Buy now
World of Hyatt
- Current promotion: 20% bonus
- Cost per point: As little as 2.17¢
- End date: July 21, 2025
- More information about this buy Hyatt points promotion
- Buy now
Buy Points Promotions From Other Transportation
Amtrak Guest Rewards
- Current promotion: 30% bonus
- Cost per point: As little as 2.90¢
- End date: May 30, 2025
- More information about this buy Amtrak points promotion
- Buy now
Is Buying Miles Worth It?
At AwardWallet, we don't recommend buying miles or points speculatively. Most loyalty programs sell points at a price 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 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'll 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?
What Credit Card Should You Use To Buy Points and Miles?
Most hotel and airline points are typically not processed by the airline, hotel, or other travel company itself. Instead, almost all brands use Points.com (a third party) to process point purchases. 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
Remember that there are generally better ways to acquire points and miles than buying them. Collecting points and miles for free will always be the better route. However, 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.
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.
