The best credit cards to buy points and miles

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated with new information.

Truth be told, buy points and miles Usually not a big deal. You usually have to buy them in batches of 1,000 or more, and airlines and hotels charge a few cents for every point or mile you buy — often much higher than usual. value of points and miles that you can expect to achieve when making the redemption.

But often, airline and hotel loyalty programs offer significant discounts or bonuses for purchased points that may be worth it for some customers. This usually happens if you can get points for half the price and intend to redeem specific and impending rewards. Other times, you can buy points when you just need a few more points before redeeming them for your next stay.

If you’re about to make a purchase, these are the best credit cards for buying points and miles. We’ll also highlight which purchases may be eligible for bonus points.

When it makes sense to buy points and miles

While we generally recommend against buying points and miles, sometimes it’s your last resort.

For example, you’re just afraid to redeem your dream prize and need quick points or miles to make your award ticket a reality. If available prizes are limited, you may need to replenish your balance by purchasing points or miles. If earning rewards through credit card spending or sign-up rewards can take too long — meaning hotel rooms or bonus seats could disappear — then you should buy airline currency or hotel. Just make sure that this purchase doesn’t negate the value of your existing bonus, making it outright a poor redemption.

Related: Current point of sale and mileage promotions

Consider whether purchasing points and miles can help you complete your redemption, or it could be cheaper than paying for your trip outright. However, points and miles always depreciate, so there’s no reason to convert your hard earned money into a volatile loyalty program currency. That’s especially true as most of these purchases cannot be canceled or refunded.

Related: How to book your first reward flight using miles

Also, if your airline or hotel rewards are about to expire, there are other ways to keep them from expiring besides buying points and miles. As shopping or dining gate or other Simple operations to keep your balance alive.

Related: How to earn thousands of miles per month without taking a single flight

Assuming you’ve seen it Our current offer to buy points and miles and purchase decision. If you are going to buy points or miles, you should know which credit card will give you the best return.

Most loyalty programs sell points through Points.com rather than directly through the loyalty program. This means that purchasing hotel points may not be encoded as “hotel” or “travel”, making it impossible for you to earn. spending portfolio bonus as you usually do if booking a trip. However, there are still ways to maximize your purchase score.

Score.com

Points.com is a third-party clearance agency for many major airline and hotel loyalty programs. Among those running their purchases through Score.com to be:

Airlines

• Aer Lingus AerClub.
• Premier Club Aeromexico.
• Air Canada plane.
• Europa Suma atmosphere.
• Air France-KLM flying green.
• AirMiles.ca.
• Alaska Airlines mileage plan.
• British Airways Executive Club.
• Caribbean Airlines Caribbean Miles.
• Copa Airlines ConnectMiles.
• Emirates Skywards.
• Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles.
• Etihad guests.
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands.
• Finnair Plus.
• Miles of the border.
• Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles.
• Iberia Plus.
• Icelandair Saga Club.
• JetBlueTrueBlue.
• LATAM Pass.
• Lufthansa Miles and more.
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
• Southwest Quick Reward.
• Spirit Airlines Free spirit.
• Turkish Airlines miles and smiles.
• United MileagePlus.
• Virgin Atlantic Flight Club.
• Virgin Australia’s frequent velocity passengers.
• Virgin red.
• WestJet Rewards.

Many hotels

• Choice.
• Hilton title.
• IHG One Rewards.
• Marriott Bonvoy.
• Melia Rewards.
• The Radisson Reward.
• Shangri-La Golden Circle.
• Hyatt’s World.
• Wyndham Rewards.

As you can see, most of the major programs use Points.com as their mileage retailer. Unfortunately, these purchases will not be encrypted as airline tickets, hotel reservations, or general travel purchases. That means you won’t get any bonus miles for using it airline credit cardone hotel credit card or reward card on the journeysuch as Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Your best bet is to use a card that earns a bonus for daily spending. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Cardfor example, earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, and TPG . value these at 1.85 cents per person – 3.7% return on spend. Blue Business®️ Plus credit card from American Express also earn 2 Membership Rewards points for your first $50,000 purchase each calendar year (then 1 point for every dollar thereafter), yielding 4% interest on your first $50,000 purchase each year for Valuation of TPG.

Some exceptions

The good news is that some airlines still handle their own mileage purchases. If you purchase miles from the following airlines, it will be coded as a “flight ticket” purchase:

• American Airlines AAdvantage.
• Avianca LifeMiles.

That means making these purchases with Platinum Card® from American Express can earn 5 points per dollar (on up to $500,000 in airfare per year). You can earn 3 points for every dollar with Chase Sapphire Reserve or even offset the purchase with $300 annual travel credit.

In addition, there are cases of buying Delta SkyMiles code in the form of buying a plane ticket, but this is not a guarantee. If you’re considering purchasing Delta SkyMiles, make a trial purchase first to see how it appears on your billing statement.

Southwest Airlines also sells Quick bonus points through points.com. However, there is an exception for those who pay with Southwest Airlines Credit Card.

When you select the option for the “Fast Rewards Credit Card” and pay with a Southwest Airlines co-branded credit card, you’ll typically earn a point multiplier on Southwest purchases associated with the credit card. your use. Making a small test purchase before committing to a bulk purchase is a good idea here; This way, you’ll know what your purchase code is like before you get the surprise of a larger purchase.

Related: Should I buy miles?

If your purchase code is “airfare”, use these cards

If your purchases are encrypted into airline tickets, these are the best credit cards for buying points and miles.

Related: Maximize Your Airfare: The Best Credit Cards to Book Flights

* Value based on TPG . latest valuation and not provided by the credit card issuer.

Information on the Amex Green Card and Citi Prestige has been obtained independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

alternative choice

Even with promotional bonuses, buying miles or hotel points is often too expensive to deserve. Instead, consider your other options.

These include register new credit card with high welcome bonus can quickly add thousands of points to your loyalty account. This is a great option for those who don’t need to fold miles or points for any particular redemption but are looking to hoard them for the future.

Also, consider getting a card earn transfer points which you can convert into miles or hotel points with partner programs. Final bonus points that you earn with Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, for example, switch to loyalty programs including Air France-KLM Flying Blue, United MileagePlus, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, etc. So instead of actually paying for points and miles, you can Earn them on daily spending and then transfer them when needed.

Besides, Amex Membership Rewards and Citi Thank You Bonus regularly offer transfer bonuses to specific partners. Keep your eyes on ours bonus page switch and take advantage of these to extend your points value.

As with any purchase you make online, you should look for opportunities to increase your earnings with a few extra clicks. Many purchases from Points.com will not be tracked shopping portalbut you should check out sites like rakutenCash Back Monitor or your favorites aviation portal to see if you can add points or miles with your purchase.

However, these portals will work fine when purchases run directly through a loyalty program. That means you can earn extra cashback or extra points on purchases Avianca Life MilesEg.

Related: Earn even more rewards by adding this little step to your online shopping routine

However, there are easier and cheaper ways to accumulate the points and mileage you may need. Signing up for a new credit card with a welcome bonus is one way. Focus your points strategy on earned cards Points are transferable for maximum flexibility is another.

Additional reporting by Stella Shon and Ryan Smith.