When Does It Make Sense to Buy Points?<\/span><\/h2>\nBefore you reach for your wallet, it\u2019s important to remember that buying points doesn't always provide good value. Your first step should always be to see how much it would cost to buy your flight or hotel with money. Then, compare that with the cost to buy the points or miles you\u2019d need.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re starting from scratch, it will only make sense to buy points or miles when it\u2019s cheaper to do so than paying the cash rate. But if you already have accumulated some points, there are many situations where it can make sense to \u201ctop-up\u201d your account and book your next adventure.<\/p>\n![\"Looking](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\")
Credit: Virgin Atlantic<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nBook your next trip sooner<\/span><\/h3>\nAccumulating points through paid travel or everyday purchases<\/a> can be a slow way to build your points balances. And it's not every day that you can earn a welcome bonus on a new credit card<\/a>. All are key to growing your rewards over the long term. But if you aren\u2019t a road warrior or big spender, it can be easy to get discouraged.<\/p>\nBuying miles \u2014 ideally during a discount or a bonus \u2014 is a great way to quickly put your next trip within reach.<\/p>\n
Score incredible deals on last-minute travel<\/span><\/h3>\nThe travel industry has gotten very good at maximizing revenue through clever pricing. The majority of last-minute bookings are for business travel \u2014 and businesses are willing to pay a lot more than the average leisure traveler.<\/p>\n
That can make those spontaneous, last-minute trips outrageously expensive when you pay for your flights or hotels with cash. But reservations booked with points or miles can actually get cheaper and offer more flexible options as your travel date approaches.<\/p>\n
After all, airline and hotel programs don\u2019t like half-empty flights and unoccupied rooms. So, while they mark up cash prices to eye-watering levels to capture more revenue from last-minute business travelers, airlines and hotels are also trying to fill those empty seats and rooms any way they can \u2014 including opening them up to points and miles travelers.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t have enough points in your account, buying them can be a great way to save on last-minute travel.<\/p>\nCredit: Miguel Angel Sanz\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nTop up your account to unlock stranded rewards<\/span><\/h3>\nBuying points can also be a great strategy to unlock the value of the points you\u2019ve already accumulated.<\/p>\n
One of the challenges of booking travel with points is that you typically need enough in your account to cover the full cost of the flight or hotel night. Some loyalty programs allow you to pay with a mix of cash and points. However, points and cash rates don\u2019t always provide a good deal.<\/p>\n
Say you\u2019re planning a romantic trip to Europe and you\u2019re 10,000 points away from being able to book round-trip flights for two. Compared to buying your flights with money, redeeming points or miles could save you thousands of dollars<\/a>.<\/p>\nIf the flights you want are available for a reasonable amount of points, don\u2019t wait. Award availability<\/a> changes constantly, and it\u2019s easy to miss a great deal. Fortunately, many points purchases are processed quickly<\/a>, making it possible to top up your balance and lock in your trip before that availability is snapped up.<\/p>\nSave your points for higher-value redemptions<\/span><\/h3>\nBuying points and miles can also help you save your transferable points for higher-value redemptions.<\/p>\n
For instance, Chase Ultimate Rewards<\/a> points transfer to IHG One Rewards<\/a> at a 1:1 transfer ratio. However, AwardWallet users only average 1.44\u00a2 in value from IHG point redemptions. So, it rarely makes sense to transfer Chase points<\/a> to IHG rather than more valuable Chase transfer partners like World of Hyatt or United MileagePlus.<\/p>\nInstead of transferring Chase points to IHG, consider buying IHG points<\/a> outright. You can even use your Chase points to cover the cost \u2014 just in a roundabout way. Chase Ultimate Rewards cardholders can redeem points for a statement credit at 1 cent per point. If you take advantage of a promotion to buy IHG points for 0.5 cents each, you can essentially get 2 IHG points for every Chase point redeemed \u2014 double what you\u2019d get from transferring points.<\/p>\nAlternatively, you can use the opportunity to save your Chase points for a more valuable redemption later on.<\/p>\nSix Senses Laamu<\/a>. Credit: IHG<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nBest Deals on Points and Miles Right Now<\/span><\/h2>\nAt any given time, there are several deals on points and miles<\/a>, but some are better than others. Here are some of our favorite deals you can take advantage of right now.<\/p>\nAirlines<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- Lufthansa (Miles & More)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy miles with up to a 60% bonus through May 31, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Miles are as cheap as 1.28\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Premium cabin redemptions on Lufthansa, SWISS, and more.<\/li>\n
- Buy Lufthansa miles now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- JetBlue (TrueBlue)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy miles with up to a 125% bonus through June 10, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Miles are as cheap as 1.43\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account for JetBlue redemptions, partner redemptions on Qatar Airways, and more.<\/li>\n
- Buy JetBlue points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hotels<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- Hilton (<\/strong>Honors<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy points with up to a 100% bonus through May 29, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Points are as cheap as 0.5\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account to make a redemption, hotel stays where the points cost is cheaper than the outright cash cost<\/li>\n
- Buy Hilton points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Marriott (Bonvoy<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy points with up to a 40% bonus through June 23, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Points are as cheap as 0.89\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account to make a redemption, hotel stays where the points cost is cheaper than the outright cash cost<\/li>\n
- Buy Marriott points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Which Credit Card Should I Use to Buy Points?<\/span><\/h2>\nTo maximize your rewards, you\u2019ll want to use the right credit card to buy points or miles<\/a>. In most cases, points purchases aren\u2019t processed directly by the airline or hotel program selling you those points. That means you won\u2019t earn a bonus when using a card that earns bonus points on travel<\/a>. Instead, the best strategy is to use a card that offers 1.5 to 2x points on all purchases.<\/p>\nFinal Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\nIf you\u2019re relatively new to earning and burning points and miles, we don\u2019t recommend making a speculative purchase of points or miles without a clear game plan.<\/p>\n
That said, airline and hotel programs occasionally sell points with a huge bonus or discount. If you are familiar with the programs\u2019 rules and pricing, there are many times when it makes sense to take advantage of a big sale without a specific use in mind.<\/p>\n
Ready to learn more about booking award travel? Check out our guides to award pricing and availability.<\/em><\/p>\n\n- How many miles do I need for a flight?<\/a><\/li>\n
- What flights can I book with miles?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Page Contents<\/p>
- When Does It Make Sense to Buy Points?<\/a>
- Book your next trip sooner<\/a><\/li>
- Score incredible deals on last-minute travel<\/a><\/li>
- Top up your account to unlock stranded rewards<\/a><\/li>
- Save your points for higher-value redemptions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Best Deals on Points and Miles Right Now<\/a>
- Airlines<\/a><\/li>
- Hotels<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Which Credit Card Should I Use to Buy Points?<\/a><\/li>
- Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Does it make sense to buy miles or points for your upcoming trip? Buying points can be intimidating if you’re still learning about award travel. But if you do it wisely, you can save money and book your next adventure even sooner than you might think.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":169393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12067],"tags":[14204],"coauthors":[36388,36432],"class_list":["post-170374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-booking-travel","tag-buy-transfer-bonus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170374"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":261342,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions\/261342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=170374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Looking](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Virgin-Atlantic-Upper-Class-seats-featured.png\")
Book your next trip sooner<\/span><\/h3>\nAccumulating points through paid travel or everyday purchases<\/a> can be a slow way to build your points balances. And it's not every day that you can earn a welcome bonus on a new credit card<\/a>. All are key to growing your rewards over the long term. But if you aren\u2019t a road warrior or big spender, it can be easy to get discouraged.<\/p>\nBuying miles \u2014 ideally during a discount or a bonus \u2014 is a great way to quickly put your next trip within reach.<\/p>\n
Score incredible deals on last-minute travel<\/span><\/h3>\nThe travel industry has gotten very good at maximizing revenue through clever pricing. The majority of last-minute bookings are for business travel \u2014 and businesses are willing to pay a lot more than the average leisure traveler.<\/p>\n
That can make those spontaneous, last-minute trips outrageously expensive when you pay for your flights or hotels with cash. But reservations booked with points or miles can actually get cheaper and offer more flexible options as your travel date approaches.<\/p>\n
After all, airline and hotel programs don\u2019t like half-empty flights and unoccupied rooms. So, while they mark up cash prices to eye-watering levels to capture more revenue from last-minute business travelers, airlines and hotels are also trying to fill those empty seats and rooms any way they can \u2014 including opening them up to points and miles travelers.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t have enough points in your account, buying them can be a great way to save on last-minute travel.<\/p>\nCredit: Miguel Angel Sanz\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nTop up your account to unlock stranded rewards<\/span><\/h3>\nBuying points can also be a great strategy to unlock the value of the points you\u2019ve already accumulated.<\/p>\n
One of the challenges of booking travel with points is that you typically need enough in your account to cover the full cost of the flight or hotel night. Some loyalty programs allow you to pay with a mix of cash and points. However, points and cash rates don\u2019t always provide a good deal.<\/p>\n
Say you\u2019re planning a romantic trip to Europe and you\u2019re 10,000 points away from being able to book round-trip flights for two. Compared to buying your flights with money, redeeming points or miles could save you thousands of dollars<\/a>.<\/p>\nIf the flights you want are available for a reasonable amount of points, don\u2019t wait. Award availability<\/a> changes constantly, and it\u2019s easy to miss a great deal. Fortunately, many points purchases are processed quickly<\/a>, making it possible to top up your balance and lock in your trip before that availability is snapped up.<\/p>\nSave your points for higher-value redemptions<\/span><\/h3>\nBuying points and miles can also help you save your transferable points for higher-value redemptions.<\/p>\n
For instance, Chase Ultimate Rewards<\/a> points transfer to IHG One Rewards<\/a> at a 1:1 transfer ratio. However, AwardWallet users only average 1.44\u00a2 in value from IHG point redemptions. So, it rarely makes sense to transfer Chase points<\/a> to IHG rather than more valuable Chase transfer partners like World of Hyatt or United MileagePlus.<\/p>\nInstead of transferring Chase points to IHG, consider buying IHG points<\/a> outright. You can even use your Chase points to cover the cost \u2014 just in a roundabout way. Chase Ultimate Rewards cardholders can redeem points for a statement credit at 1 cent per point. If you take advantage of a promotion to buy IHG points for 0.5 cents each, you can essentially get 2 IHG points for every Chase point redeemed \u2014 double what you\u2019d get from transferring points.<\/p>\nAlternatively, you can use the opportunity to save your Chase points for a more valuable redemption later on.<\/p>\nSix Senses Laamu<\/a>. Credit: IHG<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nBest Deals on Points and Miles Right Now<\/span><\/h2>\nAt any given time, there are several deals on points and miles<\/a>, but some are better than others. Here are some of our favorite deals you can take advantage of right now.<\/p>\nAirlines<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- Lufthansa (Miles & More)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy miles with up to a 60% bonus through May 31, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Miles are as cheap as 1.28\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Premium cabin redemptions on Lufthansa, SWISS, and more.<\/li>\n
- Buy Lufthansa miles now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- JetBlue (TrueBlue)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy miles with up to a 125% bonus through June 10, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Miles are as cheap as 1.43\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account for JetBlue redemptions, partner redemptions on Qatar Airways, and more.<\/li>\n
- Buy JetBlue points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hotels<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- Hilton (<\/strong>Honors<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy points with up to a 100% bonus through May 29, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Points are as cheap as 0.5\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account to make a redemption, hotel stays where the points cost is cheaper than the outright cash cost<\/li>\n
- Buy Hilton points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Marriott (Bonvoy<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy points with up to a 40% bonus through June 23, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Points are as cheap as 0.89\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account to make a redemption, hotel stays where the points cost is cheaper than the outright cash cost<\/li>\n
- Buy Marriott points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Which Credit Card Should I Use to Buy Points?<\/span><\/h2>\nTo maximize your rewards, you\u2019ll want to use the right credit card to buy points or miles<\/a>. In most cases, points purchases aren\u2019t processed directly by the airline or hotel program selling you those points. That means you won\u2019t earn a bonus when using a card that earns bonus points on travel<\/a>. Instead, the best strategy is to use a card that offers 1.5 to 2x points on all purchases.<\/p>\nFinal Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\nIf you\u2019re relatively new to earning and burning points and miles, we don\u2019t recommend making a speculative purchase of points or miles without a clear game plan.<\/p>\n
That said, airline and hotel programs occasionally sell points with a huge bonus or discount. If you are familiar with the programs\u2019 rules and pricing, there are many times when it makes sense to take advantage of a big sale without a specific use in mind.<\/p>\n
Ready to learn more about booking award travel? Check out our guides to award pricing and availability.<\/em><\/p>\n\n- How many miles do I need for a flight?<\/a><\/li>\n
- What flights can I book with miles?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Page Contents<\/p>
- When Does It Make Sense to Buy Points?<\/a>
- Book your next trip sooner<\/a><\/li>
- Score incredible deals on last-minute travel<\/a><\/li>
- Top up your account to unlock stranded rewards<\/a><\/li>
- Save your points for higher-value redemptions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Best Deals on Points and Miles Right Now<\/a>
- Airlines<\/a><\/li>
- Hotels<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Which Credit Card Should I Use to Buy Points?<\/a><\/li>
- Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Does it make sense to buy miles or points for your upcoming trip? Buying points can be intimidating if you’re still learning about award travel. But if you do it wisely, you can save money and book your next adventure even sooner than you might think.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":169393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12067],"tags":[14204],"coauthors":[36388,36432],"class_list":["post-170374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-booking-travel","tag-buy-transfer-bonus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170374"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":261342,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions\/261342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=170374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Buying miles \u2014 ideally during a discount or a bonus \u2014 is a great way to quickly put your next trip within reach.<\/p>\n
Score incredible deals on last-minute travel<\/span><\/h3>\nThe travel industry has gotten very good at maximizing revenue through clever pricing. The majority of last-minute bookings are for business travel \u2014 and businesses are willing to pay a lot more than the average leisure traveler.<\/p>\n
That can make those spontaneous, last-minute trips outrageously expensive when you pay for your flights or hotels with cash. But reservations booked with points or miles can actually get cheaper and offer more flexible options as your travel date approaches.<\/p>\n
After all, airline and hotel programs don\u2019t like half-empty flights and unoccupied rooms. So, while they mark up cash prices to eye-watering levels to capture more revenue from last-minute business travelers, airlines and hotels are also trying to fill those empty seats and rooms any way they can \u2014 including opening them up to points and miles travelers.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t have enough points in your account, buying them can be a great way to save on last-minute travel.<\/p>\nCredit: Miguel Angel Sanz\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nTop up your account to unlock stranded rewards<\/span><\/h3>\nBuying points can also be a great strategy to unlock the value of the points you\u2019ve already accumulated.<\/p>\n
One of the challenges of booking travel with points is that you typically need enough in your account to cover the full cost of the flight or hotel night. Some loyalty programs allow you to pay with a mix of cash and points. However, points and cash rates don\u2019t always provide a good deal.<\/p>\n
Say you\u2019re planning a romantic trip to Europe and you\u2019re 10,000 points away from being able to book round-trip flights for two. Compared to buying your flights with money, redeeming points or miles could save you thousands of dollars<\/a>.<\/p>\nIf the flights you want are available for a reasonable amount of points, don\u2019t wait. Award availability<\/a> changes constantly, and it\u2019s easy to miss a great deal. Fortunately, many points purchases are processed quickly<\/a>, making it possible to top up your balance and lock in your trip before that availability is snapped up.<\/p>\nSave your points for higher-value redemptions<\/span><\/h3>\nBuying points and miles can also help you save your transferable points for higher-value redemptions.<\/p>\n
For instance, Chase Ultimate Rewards<\/a> points transfer to IHG One Rewards<\/a> at a 1:1 transfer ratio. However, AwardWallet users only average 1.44\u00a2 in value from IHG point redemptions. So, it rarely makes sense to transfer Chase points<\/a> to IHG rather than more valuable Chase transfer partners like World of Hyatt or United MileagePlus.<\/p>\nInstead of transferring Chase points to IHG, consider buying IHG points<\/a> outright. You can even use your Chase points to cover the cost \u2014 just in a roundabout way. Chase Ultimate Rewards cardholders can redeem points for a statement credit at 1 cent per point. If you take advantage of a promotion to buy IHG points for 0.5 cents each, you can essentially get 2 IHG points for every Chase point redeemed \u2014 double what you\u2019d get from transferring points.<\/p>\nAlternatively, you can use the opportunity to save your Chase points for a more valuable redemption later on.<\/p>\nSix Senses Laamu<\/a>. Credit: IHG<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nBest Deals on Points and Miles Right Now<\/span><\/h2>\nAt any given time, there are several deals on points and miles<\/a>, but some are better than others. Here are some of our favorite deals you can take advantage of right now.<\/p>\nAirlines<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- Lufthansa (Miles & More)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy miles with up to a 60% bonus through May 31, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Miles are as cheap as 1.28\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Premium cabin redemptions on Lufthansa, SWISS, and more.<\/li>\n
- Buy Lufthansa miles now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- JetBlue (TrueBlue)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy miles with up to a 125% bonus through June 10, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Miles are as cheap as 1.43\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account for JetBlue redemptions, partner redemptions on Qatar Airways, and more.<\/li>\n
- Buy JetBlue points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hotels<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- Hilton (<\/strong>Honors<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy points with up to a 100% bonus through May 29, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Points are as cheap as 0.5\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account to make a redemption, hotel stays where the points cost is cheaper than the outright cash cost<\/li>\n
- Buy Hilton points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Marriott (Bonvoy<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy points with up to a 40% bonus through June 23, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Points are as cheap as 0.89\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account to make a redemption, hotel stays where the points cost is cheaper than the outright cash cost<\/li>\n
- Buy Marriott points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Which Credit Card Should I Use to Buy Points?<\/span><\/h2>\nTo maximize your rewards, you\u2019ll want to use the right credit card to buy points or miles<\/a>. In most cases, points purchases aren\u2019t processed directly by the airline or hotel program selling you those points. That means you won\u2019t earn a bonus when using a card that earns bonus points on travel<\/a>. Instead, the best strategy is to use a card that offers 1.5 to 2x points on all purchases.<\/p>\nFinal Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\nIf you\u2019re relatively new to earning and burning points and miles, we don\u2019t recommend making a speculative purchase of points or miles without a clear game plan.<\/p>\n
That said, airline and hotel programs occasionally sell points with a huge bonus or discount. If you are familiar with the programs\u2019 rules and pricing, there are many times when it makes sense to take advantage of a big sale without a specific use in mind.<\/p>\n
Ready to learn more about booking award travel? Check out our guides to award pricing and availability.<\/em><\/p>\n\n- How many miles do I need for a flight?<\/a><\/li>\n
- What flights can I book with miles?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Page Contents<\/p>
- When Does It Make Sense to Buy Points?<\/a>
- Book your next trip sooner<\/a><\/li>
- Score incredible deals on last-minute travel<\/a><\/li>
- Top up your account to unlock stranded rewards<\/a><\/li>
- Save your points for higher-value redemptions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Best Deals on Points and Miles Right Now<\/a>
- Airlines<\/a><\/li>
- Hotels<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Which Credit Card Should I Use to Buy Points?<\/a><\/li>
- Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Does it make sense to buy miles or points for your upcoming trip? Buying points can be intimidating if you’re still learning about award travel. But if you do it wisely, you can save money and book your next adventure even sooner than you might think.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":169393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12067],"tags":[14204],"coauthors":[36388,36432],"class_list":["post-170374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-booking-travel","tag-buy-transfer-bonus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170374"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":261342,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions\/261342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=170374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"View](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/JFK-Airport-Featured-Miguel-Angel-Sanz-Unsplash.jpg\")
Top up your account to unlock stranded rewards<\/span><\/h3>\nBuying points can also be a great strategy to unlock the value of the points you\u2019ve already accumulated.<\/p>\n
One of the challenges of booking travel with points is that you typically need enough in your account to cover the full cost of the flight or hotel night. Some loyalty programs allow you to pay with a mix of cash and points. However, points and cash rates don\u2019t always provide a good deal.<\/p>\n
Say you\u2019re planning a romantic trip to Europe and you\u2019re 10,000 points away from being able to book round-trip flights for two. Compared to buying your flights with money, redeeming points or miles could save you thousands of dollars<\/a>.<\/p>\nIf the flights you want are available for a reasonable amount of points, don\u2019t wait. Award availability<\/a> changes constantly, and it\u2019s easy to miss a great deal. Fortunately, many points purchases are processed quickly<\/a>, making it possible to top up your balance and lock in your trip before that availability is snapped up.<\/p>\nSave your points for higher-value redemptions<\/span><\/h3>\nBuying points and miles can also help you save your transferable points for higher-value redemptions.<\/p>\n
For instance, Chase Ultimate Rewards<\/a> points transfer to IHG One Rewards<\/a> at a 1:1 transfer ratio. However, AwardWallet users only average 1.44\u00a2 in value from IHG point redemptions. So, it rarely makes sense to transfer Chase points<\/a> to IHG rather than more valuable Chase transfer partners like World of Hyatt or United MileagePlus.<\/p>\nInstead of transferring Chase points to IHG, consider buying IHG points<\/a> outright. You can even use your Chase points to cover the cost \u2014 just in a roundabout way. Chase Ultimate Rewards cardholders can redeem points for a statement credit at 1 cent per point. If you take advantage of a promotion to buy IHG points for 0.5 cents each, you can essentially get 2 IHG points for every Chase point redeemed \u2014 double what you\u2019d get from transferring points.<\/p>\nAlternatively, you can use the opportunity to save your Chase points for a more valuable redemption later on.<\/p>\nSix Senses Laamu<\/a>. Credit: IHG<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nBest Deals on Points and Miles Right Now<\/span><\/h2>\nAt any given time, there are several deals on points and miles<\/a>, but some are better than others. Here are some of our favorite deals you can take advantage of right now.<\/p>\nAirlines<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- Lufthansa (Miles & More)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy miles with up to a 60% bonus through May 31, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Miles are as cheap as 1.28\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Premium cabin redemptions on Lufthansa, SWISS, and more.<\/li>\n
- Buy Lufthansa miles now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- JetBlue (TrueBlue)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy miles with up to a 125% bonus through June 10, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Miles are as cheap as 1.43\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account for JetBlue redemptions, partner redemptions on Qatar Airways, and more.<\/li>\n
- Buy JetBlue points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hotels<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- Hilton (<\/strong>Honors<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy points with up to a 100% bonus through May 29, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Points are as cheap as 0.5\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account to make a redemption, hotel stays where the points cost is cheaper than the outright cash cost<\/li>\n
- Buy Hilton points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Marriott (Bonvoy<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/a>\n
\n- Deal:<\/strong> Buy points with up to a 40% bonus through June 23, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cost:<\/strong> Points are as cheap as 0.89\u00a2<\/li>\n
- Best uses:<\/strong> Topping off your account to make a redemption, hotel stays where the points cost is cheaper than the outright cash cost<\/li>\n
- Buy Marriott points now<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Which Credit Card Should I Use to Buy Points?<\/span><\/h2>\nTo maximize your rewards, you\u2019ll want to use the right credit card to buy points or miles<\/a>. In most cases, points purchases aren\u2019t processed directly by the airline or hotel program selling you those points. That means you won\u2019t earn a bonus when using a card that earns bonus points on travel<\/a>. Instead, the best strategy is to use a card that offers 1.5 to 2x points on all purchases.<\/p>\nFinal Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\nIf you\u2019re relatively new to earning and burning points and miles, we don\u2019t recommend making a speculative purchase of points or miles without a clear game plan.<\/p>\n
That said, airline and hotel programs occasionally sell points with a huge bonus or discount. If you are familiar with the programs\u2019 rules and pricing, there are many times when it makes sense to take advantage of a big sale without a specific use in mind.<\/p>\n
Ready to learn more about booking award travel? Check out our guides to award pricing and availability.<\/em><\/p>\n\n- How many miles do I need for a flight?<\/a><\/li>\n
- What flights can I book with miles?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Page Contents<\/p>
- When Does It Make Sense to Buy Points?<\/a>
- Book your next trip sooner<\/a><\/li>
- Score incredible deals on last-minute travel<\/a><\/li>
- Top up your account to unlock stranded rewards<\/a><\/li>
- Save your points for higher-value redemptions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Best Deals on Points and Miles Right Now<\/a>
- Airlines<\/a><\/li>
- Hotels<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Which Credit Card Should I Use to Buy Points?<\/a><\/li>
- Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Does it make sense to buy miles or points for your upcoming trip? Buying points can be intimidating if you’re still learning about award travel. But if you do it wisely, you can save money and book your next adventure even sooner than you might think.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":169393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12067],"tags":[14204],"coauthors":[36388,36432],"class_list":["post-170374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-booking-travel","tag-buy-transfer-bonus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170374"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":261342,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions\/261342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=170374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
If the flights you want are available for a reasonable amount of points, don\u2019t wait. Award availability<\/a> changes constantly, and it\u2019s easy to miss a great deal. Fortunately, many points purchases are processed quickly<\/a>, making it possible to top up your balance and lock in your trip before that availability is snapped up.<\/p>\n Buying points and miles can also help you save your transferable points for higher-value redemptions.<\/p>\n For instance, Chase Ultimate Rewards<\/a> points transfer to IHG One Rewards<\/a> at a 1:1 transfer ratio. However, AwardWallet users only average 1.44\u00a2 in value from IHG point redemptions. So, it rarely makes sense to transfer Chase points<\/a> to IHG rather than more valuable Chase transfer partners like World of Hyatt or United MileagePlus.<\/p>\n Instead of transferring Chase points to IHG, consider buying IHG points<\/a> outright. You can even use your Chase points to cover the cost \u2014 just in a roundabout way. Chase Ultimate Rewards cardholders can redeem points for a statement credit at 1 cent per point. If you take advantage of a promotion to buy IHG points for 0.5 cents each, you can essentially get 2 IHG points for every Chase point redeemed \u2014 double what you\u2019d get from transferring points.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you can use the opportunity to save your Chase points for a more valuable redemption later on.<\/p>\n At any given time, there are several deals on points and miles<\/a>, but some are better than others. Here are some of our favorite deals you can take advantage of right now.<\/p>\n To maximize your rewards, you\u2019ll want to use the right credit card to buy points or miles<\/a>. In most cases, points purchases aren\u2019t processed directly by the airline or hotel program selling you those points. That means you won\u2019t earn a bonus when using a card that earns bonus points on travel<\/a>. Instead, the best strategy is to use a card that offers 1.5 to 2x points on all purchases.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re relatively new to earning and burning points and miles, we don\u2019t recommend making a speculative purchase of points or miles without a clear game plan.<\/p>\n That said, airline and hotel programs occasionally sell points with a huge bonus or discount. If you are familiar with the programs\u2019 rules and pricing, there are many times when it makes sense to take advantage of a big sale without a specific use in mind.<\/p>\n Ready to learn more about booking award travel? Check out our guides to award pricing and availability.<\/em><\/p>\n Page Contents<\/p> Does it make sense to buy miles or points for your upcoming trip? Buying points can be intimidating if you’re still learning about award travel. But if you do it wisely, you can save money and book your next adventure even sooner than you might think.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":169393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12067],"tags":[14204],"coauthors":[36388,36432],"class_list":["post-170374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-booking-travel","tag-buy-transfer-bonus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170374"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":261342,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170374\/revisions\/261342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170374"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=170374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Save your points for higher-value redemptions<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Six-Senses-Laamu-Featured-IHG.png\")
Best Deals on Points and Miles Right Now<\/span><\/h2>\n
Airlines<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
Hotels<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
Which Credit Card Should I Use to Buy Points?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Final Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n