Editor’s note: This is a periodic article, regularly updated with the latest promotions.
Loyalty programs are a huge source of money for airlines and hotel companies – in large part because they have so many revenue streams. One of these revenue streams is selling miles and hotel points Discount or bonus.
Points of sale or miles give sellers an instant cash boost, as travelers are essentially prepaying for future travel at a potentially discounted rate.
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This guide will guide you through some of the best current sales in airline miles and hotel points. But first, let’s discuss when is a good time to buy points and miles.
Should I buy points and miles now?
There are a few things to consider before taking advantage of these sales.
First is buying points and miles only makes sense for certain travelers. Overall, earning points and “free” miles is a much better deal through the welcome bonus at the top travel rewards credit card.
However, buying points and miles in good deals can make sense for those who tap their credit card options and can get high value from their points and mileage. That said, we only recommend purchasing points or miles when you plan to use them immediately. If not, you are leaving the door open sudden devaluation.
In addition, here are the points and miles promotions that are currently available.
Promotion to buy airline miles
America’s advantage
- Current promotion: Up to 35% off.
- Purchase rate: As low as 2.4 cents per mile.
- TPG . Valuation: 1.77 cents per mile.
- End date: TBD.
- Link to buy miles.
American Airlines A Pros Up to 35% off mileage. You’ll get the top discount when you buy 150,000 miles, down to 2.4 cents per mile. This is significantly higher than TPG’s valuation but can be a good deal for specific premium prizes.
Identify: Can be a decent deal if you want to exchange your miles for another expensive, premium ticket.
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Current promotion: Bonus up to 85%.
- Purchase rate: As low as 1.39 cents per mile.
- TPG . Valuation: 1.5 cents per mile.
- End date: October 9th.
- Link to buy flight miles.
Air Canada is on sale Aeroplan points with an 85% bonus when you buy at least 45,000 points by October 9. This brings the price down to about 1.39 cents per point, lower than our 1.5 cent per point valuation. This offers a great opportunity to purchase premium award tickets at a discounted rate if seats are available.
Identify: Good deals on booking Star Alliance award tickets at a discounted rate.
Promotion when buying hotel points
Choice privileges
You can buy Choice privileges points with 35% bonus when you buy more than 20,000 points. This reduces the bid to 0.76 cents per point, still above our 0.6 cent per point valuation. However, it may be worth it if booking expensive hotel nights.
Identify: Might be worth it for a discount on an expensive stay.
Honorable Hilton
- Current promotion: Up to 100% bonus.
- Purchase rate: Only 0.5 cents/point.
- TPG . Valuation: 0.6 cents per point.
- End date: November 22.
- Link to buy points.
Honorable Hilton will offer our members a bonus of up to 100% when they purchase more than 5,000 Hilton Honors points before November 22, which results in purchase rates lower than our valuation of Hilton Honors points. . For 120,000 points (can be purchased for $600) you can stay in a king-sized apartment overlooking the lagoon at Conrad Bora Bora Nui usually sells for $1,456.99.
Identify: Value compares cash and bonus rates on your next Hilton stay.
Which credit card should you use to buy miles?
Most of these promotions are handled through Points.com rather than directly by the hotel or airline. Unfortunately, that means you usually won’t receive rewards with a travel category rewards card.
Instead, choose a card that offers a solid return on non-bonus spending. Keep in mind that certain airlines, like Air Canada, sell their miles in currencies other than the US dollar. In these cases, make sure your card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee.
Some of the best cards that fit this bill include:
If you are working towards a credit card spending request, using that tag might be the way to go. You can check out our guide on best card for daily spending for more suggestions.
The main exception to this rule is Americans. Airlines have reported mileage codes purchased as airline tickets, so you may want to use credit card accumulating bonus miles when buying airline tickets to get the most profit when buying your mileage.
Additional reporting by Kyle Olsen, Benji Stawski and Katie Genter.
