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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.
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 a discounted rate.
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
Virgin Australia Velocity
- Current promotion: 20% discount
- Cost per point: As low as 1.2¢
- End date: December 4, 2023
- More information about this buy Virgin Australia points promotion
- Buy now
Avianca LifeMiles
- Current promotion: 165% bonus
- Cost per mile: As low as 1.25¢
- End date: December 5, 2023
- More information about this buy Avianca miles promotion
- Buy now
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- Current promotion: 100% bonus
- Cost per mile: As low as 1.53¢
- End date: December 21, 2023
- More information about this buy Flying Blue miles promotion
- Buy now
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Current promotion: 50% bonus
- Cost per mile: As low as 1.97¢
- End date: December 23, 2023
- More information about this buy Alaska miles promotion
- Buy now
Southwest Rapid Rewards
- Current promotion: 50% discount
- Cost per point: As low as 1.5¢
- End date: December 24, 2023
- More information about this buy Southwest points promotion
- Buy now
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Current promotion: 20% discount
- Cost per point: As low as 2.1¢
- End date: December 30, 2023
- More information about this buy Air Canada points promotion
- Buy now
American Airlines AAdvantage
- Current promotion: 35% discount
- Cost per mile: As low as 2.45¢
- End date: No expiration date
- More information about this buy American miles promotion
- Buy now
Buy Points Promotions From Hotels
World of Hyatt
- Current promotion: 20% bonus
- Cost per point: 2¢
- End date: December 4, 2023
- More information about this buy Hyatt points promotion
- Buy now
Marriott Bonvoy
- Current promotion: 30% bonus
- Cost per point: 0.96¢
- End date: December 20, 2023
- More information about this buy Marriott points promotion
- Buy now
LHW Leaders Club
- Current promotion: 100% bonus
- Cost per point: As low as 6¢
- End date: December 26, 2023
- More information about this buy LHW points promotion
- Buy now
IHG One Rewards
- Current promotion: 100% bonus
- Cost per point: As low as 0.5¢
- End date: December 30, 2023
- More information about this buy IHG points promotion
- Buy now
Should I Buy Points or Buy Miles?
At AwardWallet, we don't generally recommend buying points and miles speculatively. Most loyalty programs sell points at a price that's 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 in this scenario 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're going to pay cash for a trip anyway, why not save money?
How Long Does It Take to Buy Miles or Points?
It's important to always make sure 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 that you purchase will reach your account. So before investing money in a loyalty currency you plan on using sometime 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 to 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?
Why does it matter how long it takes to buy points?
Picture this: You're planning a last-minute trip to meet a friend you haven't seen in years. You have some airline miles — say 18,000 miles. And you found a great redemption for 20,000 miles, leaving you 2,000 miles short.
You go ahead and buy the last 2,000 miles from the airline, expecting to have them in your account immediately, so you can grab the flight you want. But, instead of receiving the miles right away, you find out that they don't land in your account for 72 hours! By then, the availability on the flight you wanted has disappeared. Now, you're left with even more “orphaned” miles than you had before — annoying, right?
That's why we at AwardWallet help our members know exactly when they can expect the points and miles they purchase to land in their account. That way, they can plan accordingly and not get hung out to dry.
It's also a great idea to ask the hotel or airline if you can put an award on hold while waiting for your points to show up. It's not always possible, but this can save your seat or hotel room to ensure other travelers don't snag it in the interim.
What Credit Card You Should Use To Buy Points and Miles?
Many hotel and airline points are not processed by the company themselves. Instead, they use Points.com (a third party) to process point purchases. But 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:
- A credit card where you're working on a sign-up bonus 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. Aegean Miles + Bonus, American Airlines AAdvantage, and Avianca LifeMiles purchases are made directly from the airline.
Related: Which credit card should you use to buy points and miles?
Bottom Line
There are better ways to acquire points and miles than buying them. Collecting points and miles for free is always going to be the better route. But when there is simply no other option, buying points or miles in order to enable a valuable redemption can be worthwhile.
Being able to buy points and miles at a discounted rate sweetens the pot even more, which is why we track all of the current promotions for buying airline miles and hotel points.
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