Buy Rewards Points and Miles with this September Promotion

Loyalty program are huge sources of income for airlines and hotel companies as they support multiple revenue streams. One of these revenue streams is the sale of air miles and hotel points directly to guests.

Programs can get instant cash back by selling points and miles to travelers when they prepay for future travel. However, as a traveler, remember that it’s generally a good idea to only buy points and miles when there’s a discount or bonus.

This roundup of points and miles sales will guide you through some of the best current deals on airline miles and hotel points, including some that can be targeted. But first, let’s discuss When to buy points and miles.

Should you buy points and miles?

There are a few things to consider before taking advantage of points and miles promotions.

First, buying points and miles only makes sense for certain travelers and at certain times. In general, earning “free” points and miles through welcome bonuses is tied to travel rewards credit cards.

However, buying points and miles during good promotions can make sense for people who have exhausted their credit card options and can get a lot of value from their rewards. It can also make sense when you need more points to lock in a particular redemption.

We generally only recommend buying points or miles if you have an immediate need for them. In that case, buying points and miles can save you thousands of dollars. Otherwise, you’ll have to surprise devaluation.

Here are the current promotions for purchasing points and miles.

Related: What are points and miles worth? TPG’s current monthly valuation

Promotion when buying air miles

American Airlines AAdvantage

• Current Promotions: Discount from 10% to 35%
• 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 discounts of up to 35% on miles, depending on how many you buy. You have to buy 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, bringing the price down to 2.45 cents per mile. That’s significantly higher than TPG’s current valuation of American miles, but Buy US Air Miles for specific high-end awards may still make sense.

Air Canada Aeroplan

• Current Promotions: 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: October 10
• Buy Aeroplan points

Air Canada Aeroplan currently offers 50%, 60%, or 85% bonus points, depending on how many points you buy. You must buy at least 4,000 points to get the minimum 50% bonus, which will cost you 1.7 cents per point. If you buy 25,000 or more points, you’ll get the maximum 85% bonus, which will bring the cost down to 1.4 cents per point—slightly below TPG’s September 2024 valuation of 1.5 cents.

This isn’t the best deal we’ve seen, but it might be worth adding some money to your Aeroplan account if you’re thinking about redeeming rewards. Book a business class ticket, a stop for 5,000 points or round-trip economy class tickets within North America are just a few ways to Maximize your Aeroplan points.

JetBlue TrueBlue

• Current Promotion: Up to 125% bonus points (target)
• Purchase rate: 1.33 cents per point
• TPG September 2024 valuation: 1.3 cents per point
• End date: September 15
• Buy TrueBlue Points

JetBlue TrueBlue is offering a bonus of up to 125% when you purchase at least 3,000 points. This offer is said to be targeted, but it seems that most TrueBlue members are seeing the same 125% bonus. This bonus brings the cost per point down to a flat 1.33 cents each — which is about the same as TPG’s September valuation of 1.3 cents each. That’s a bargain considering TrueBlue points typically cost 3 cents each when you buy them from the airline. If you’re thinking about redeeming JetBlue points and are short on a few, this is a solid option.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

• Current Promotion: Save up to 50% (target)
• Purchase rate: Only 1.5 cents per point
• TPG September 2024 valuation: 1.4 cents per point
• End date: September 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 points. 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 more points for your next redemption, here’s your chance to get them for half the regular price. Plus, Southwest now offers a cash + points redemption programThis means you can book part of your flight with Rapid Rewards points and pay in cash.

United Airlines MileagePlus Program

• Current Promotion: Up to 100% bonus miles (with target)
• Purchase rate: Only 1.75 cents per mile
• TPG September 2024 valuation: 1.35 cents a mile
• End date: September 20
• Buy MileagePlus Miles

United Airlines MileagePlus Program is running a similar offer that is personalized to each member. My offer 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. A 100% bonus would bring the price down to 1.75 cents per mile, which is significantly higher than TPG’s September 2024 valuation of 1.35 cents per United mile. So unless you specifically intend to redeem miles and want to top up your account balance, we don’t recommend buying additional miles.

Promotion when buying hotel points

Choice

• Current Promotion: Up to 30% bonus points (with target)
• Purchase rate: As low as 0.8 cents per point
• TPG September 2024 valuation: 0.6 cents per point
• End date: September 24
• Buy Choice Privileges points

Choice’s “September Flash Sale” for points appears to be targeted, so it may vary by member. My offer is a 20% bonus for 6,000 to 11,000 points or a 30% bonus for 12,000 or more points. If I bought enough points to get the 30% bonus, I’d pay 0.8 cents per point. Since TPG’s September 2024 valuations value Choice points at 0.6 cents per point, it’s probably not worth buying them unless you really need a few more points for an upcoming redemption. Still, while my targeted offer is a little less appealing, yours may be better.

Hilton Honors

• Current Promotions: Up to 100% bonus points (with target)
• Purchase Rate: As low as 0.5 cents per point
• TPG September 2024 valuation: 0.6 cents per point
• End date: September 24
• Buy Hilton Honors Points

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

If you’ve been wanting to earn Hilton points or have a dream tropical Hilton destination in mind, now’s the time to buy. Plus, you can now book nearly 400 Boutique luxury hotels around the world that use Hilton Honors points.

Marriott Bonvoy Hotel

• Current Promotion: Bonus up to 45% (with target)
• Purchase rate: As low as 0.86 cents per point
• TPG September 2024 valuation: 0.85 cents per point
• End date: September 23
• Buy Mariott Bonvoy points

Marriott Bonvoy Hotel is offering another promotion aimed at individual members. For example, I can get 45% bonus points for free when I buy 2,000 or more points. If you have access to this 45% bonus, you’ll pay just 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 Marriott’s best all-inclusive resorts or Vacation Homes & Villas for Rent to book with points.

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt, one of the The most eco-friendly hotel programHyatt is offering a 20% discount on your points purchase, bringing the cost per point down to 1.9 cents. This may seem like a good deal considering that these points typically cost 2.4 cents each when you buy them from hotels, but it’s high compared to TPG’s September 2024 valuation of 1.7 cents per Hyatt point. As such, we don’t recommend buying points now unless you need to fund your account for 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 get bonus rewards with most travel rewards cards. You’ll want to use daily spending card delivers solid returns on non-bonus spending.

The main exception to this rule is American Airlines. This airline is supposed to code its miles purchases as airfare, so you may want to use an earned credit card. bonus miles on airline tickets to get the highest return on AAdvantage miles.

Or, if you are working towards a Minimum spending requirement To earn a welcome bonus on a new card, using that card may be the best solution.

Remember that you may be subject to foreign transaction fee on some cards when purchasing points or miles from an overseas program, so you may want to use one of the following cards:

The last line

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