Buy bonus points and miles with these September promotions - The Points Guy

Buy bonus points and miles with these September promotions – The Points Guy

Posted by Admin September 12, 2024 Travel

Loyalty programs are a huge moneymaker for airlines and hotel companies because they support many revenue streams. One of these revenue streams is selling airline miles and hotel points directly to travelers.

Programs can get an immediate cash injection by selling points and miles as travelers prepay for future travel. However, as a traveler, keep in mind that it generally only makes sense to purchase points and miles when a discount or bonus offer is available.

This roundup of points and miles sales walks you through some of the best current offers on airline miles and hotel points, including some that may be targeted. But first, let’s discuss when it makes sense to buy points and miles.

Should you buy points and miles?

There are a couple of things to consider before taking advantage of points and miles sales.

First, buying points and miles only makes sense for certain travelers and at certain times. It’s generally a much better deal to earn points and miles for “free” through welcome bonuses tied to travel rewards credit cards.

However, buying points and miles during good promotions can make sense for those who have tapped out their credit card options and can get high value from their rewards. It can also make sense when you need more points to lock in a specific redemption.

We generally only recommend buying points or miles if you have an immediate use in mind. In that case, buying points and miles can save you thousands of dollars. Otherwise, you’re left open to unexpected devaluations.

With that, here are the current promotions for buying points and miles.

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Promotions for buying airline miles

American Airlines AAdvantage

Current promotion: A 10% to 35% discount

Purchase rate: As low as 2.45 cents per mile

TPG September 2024 valuation: 1.6 cents per mile
End date: Unknown
Buy AAdvantage miles

American Airlines AAdvantage is offering up to a 35% discount on miles, depending on how many you buy. You must purchase at least 6,000 miles to get the 10% discount, and the discount increases as you buy more miles. You’ll get the highest discount of 35% when you buy 150,000 miles, dropping the price to 2.45 cents per mile. This is significantly higher than TPG’s current valuation of American miles, but buying American miles for specific high-end awards could still make sense.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Current promotion: Up to 85% bonus points
Purchase rate: As low as 1.4 cents per point
TPG September 2024 valuation: 1.5 cents per point
End date: Oct. 10
Buy Aeroplan points

Air Canada Aeroplan is currently offering 50%, 60% or 85% bonus points, depending on the number of points you purchase. You must buy at least 4,000 points to get the minimum 50% bonus, which gives you a rate of 1.7 cents per point. If you buy 25,000 or more, you’ll get the maximum 85% bonus, which brings the cost down to 1.4 cents each — slightly lower than TPG’s September 2024 valuation of 1.5 cents.

This isn’t the best deal we’ve seen, but it could be worth topping off your Aeroplan account if you have a redemption in mind. Booking a business-class ticket, a stopover for 5,000 points or a round-trip economy ticket within North America are just a few ways to maximize your Aeroplan points.

JetBlue TrueBlue

Current promotion: Up to 125% bonus points (targeted)
Purchase rate: 1.33 cents per point
TPG September 2024 valuation: 1.3 cents per point
End date: Sept. 15
Buy TrueBlue points

JetBlue TrueBlue is offering up to a 125% bonus when you purchase at least 3,000 points. This offer is supposedly targeted, but it seems most TrueBlue members are seeing the same 125% bonus. This bonus brings the cost per point down to a flat rate of 1.33 cents each — almost right on par with TPG’s September valuation of 1.3 cents each. It’s a steal considering TrueBlue points typically cost 3 cents apiece when you purchase them from the airline. If you have a JetBlue redemption in mind and are short a few points, this is a solid option.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

Current promotion: Save up to 50% (targeted)
Purchase rate: As low as 1.5 cents per point
TPG September 2024 valuation: 1.4 cents per point
End date: Sept. 25
Buy Rapid Rewards points

Southwest Rapid Rewards members, check your account: You may be targeted for a “mystery offer” to buy points at a discount. We’ve seen 40% off when you buy 3,000 points or more, as well as 50% off when you buy at least 5,000. The 50% discount cuts the price per point to 1.5 cents, which isn’t great considering TPG only values Rapid Rewards points at 1.4 cents each as of September 2024.

But if you need some extra points for your next redemption, this is a chance to get them for as low as half the normal price. Plus, Southwest now offers a Cash + Points redemption, meaning you can book part of your flight with Rapid Rewards points and part with cash.

United Airlines MileagePlus

Current promotion: Up to 100% bonus miles (targeted)
Purchase rate: As low as 1.75 cents per mile
TPG September 2024 valuation: 1.35 cents per mile
End date: Sept. 20
Buy MileagePlus miles

United Airlines MileagePlus is running a similar offer personalized to each member. Mine is a 30% bonus if I buy at least 5,000 miles, a 65% bonus if I buy at least 20,000 and a 100% bonus if I buy at least 40,000. Your offer may be better or worse. The 100% bonus would reduce the price to 1.75 cents per mile, considerably higher than TPG’s September 2024 valuation of 1.35 cents each for United miles. Therefore, unless you have a specific redemption in mind and want to top off your account balance, we wouldn’t recommend purchasing additional miles.

Promotions for buying hotel points

Choice Privileges

Current promotion: Up to 30% bonus points (targeted)

Purchase rate: As low as 0.8 cents per point

TPG September 2024 valuation: 0.6 cents per point
End date: Sept. 24
Buy Choice Privileges points

Choice’s “September flash sale” on points appears to be targeted, so it may vary from one member to the next. My offer is for a 20% bonus on 6,000 to 11,000 points or a 30% bonus on 12,000 or more. If I were to purchase enough points to get the 30% bonus, they would cost me 0.8 cents each. Since TPG’s September 2024 valuations peg Choice points at 0.6 cents each, it probably isn’t worth purchasing them unless you desperately need a few more for an upcoming redemption. But, although my targeted offer is a bit underwhelming, yours may be better.

Hilton Honors

Current promotion: Up to 100% bonus points (targeted)
Purchase rate: As low as 0.5 cents per point
TPG September 2024 valuation: 0.6 cents per point
End date: Sept. 24
Buy Hilton Honors points

Hilton’s latest points-buying promotion is also targeted. The highest offer we’ve seen is a 100% bonus on the points you buy, meaning you get double the points for the same price. Offers vary, but you generally must purchase at least 5,000 points to get the bonus. The maximum 100% bonus essentially halves the cost per point, which is now only 0.5 cents. This is a great deal considering TPG values Hilton points at 0.6 cents apiece, per our September 2024 valuations.

If you want to stock up on Hilton points or have a dreamy tropical Hilton destination in mind, now is the time to buy. Plus, you can now book nearly 400 Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties using Hilton Honors points.

Marriott Bonvoy

Current promotion: Up to a 45% bonus (targeted)
Purchase rate: As low as 0.86 cents per point
TPG September 2024 valuation: 0.85 cents per point
End date: Sept. 23
Buy Mariott Bonvoy points

Marriott Bonvoy is offering another promotion targeted to individual members. For example, I can get 45% bonus points for free when I purchase 2,000 points or more. If you have access to this 45% bonus, you’ll pay as little as 0.86 cents per Bonvoy point — close to TPG’s September 2024 valuation of 0.85 cents per point. This could be a worthwhile offer if you’re eyeing one of the best Marriott all-inclusive resorts or Homes & Villas vacation rentals to book with points.

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt, one of the most award-friendly hotel programs, is offering 20% off your points purchase, reducing the cost per point to 1.9 cents. This may seem like a good deal considering these points usually cost 2.4 cents each when you purchase them from the hotel, but it’s on the high side compared to TPG’s September 2024 valuation of 1.7 cents per Hyatt point. As a result, we wouldn’t recommend buying points now unless you need to top off your account for a redemption in the near future.

Which credit card should you use to buy points and miles?

Most of these promotions are processed through Points.com rather than directly by the hotel or airline, so you won’t earn bonus rewards with most travel rewards cards. You’ll want to use an everyday spending card that offers a solid return on nonbonus spending.

The main exception to this rule is American Airlines. This airline reportedly codes mileage purchases as airfare, so you may want to use a credit card that earns bonus miles on airfare for the highest return when buying AAdvantage miles.

Or, if you’re working toward a minimum spending requirement to earn a welcome bonus on a new card, using that card may be the way to go.

Remember that you may incur foreign transaction fees on some cards when buying points or miles from a program abroad, so you may want to use one of the following cards:

Bottom line

Buying points and miles isn’t always a good idea, but it can make sense in some situations — especially if you can take advantage of a current promotion. In most cases, it’s best to have a specific redemption in mind before you consider paying for points and miles.