We frequently see loyalty programs sell points at a discount, and for many this is an opportunity to buy points at a cost that makes sense, especially for aspirational redemptions.
At the moment we’re seeing several loyalty programs offering great deals on purchased points, most of which I’ve written about in the past several weeks. In this post I wanted to provide a consolidated rundown of all the programs currently offering promotions on purchased points.
In no particular order:
- Through February 18, 2019, Choice Privileges is offering up to a 30% discount on purchased points / buy points for as little as 0.77 cents each / more info here
- Through February 22, 2019, Alaska Mileage Plan is offering up to a 40% bonus on purchased points / buy miles for as little as 2.11 cents each / more info here
- Through February 22, 2019, World of Hyatt is offering up to a 30% bonus on purchased points / buy points for as little as 1.85 cents each / more info here
- Through February 24, 2019, British Airways Executive Club is offering up to a 50% bonus on purchased points / buy Avios for as little as 1.84 cents each / more info here
- Through February 26, 2019, Hilton Honors is offering up to a 100% bonus on purchased points / buy points for as little as 0.5 cents each / more info here
- Through February 28, 2019, IHG Rewards Club is offering up to a 75% bonus on purchased points / buy points for as little as 0.5 cents each / more info here
- Through February 28, 2019, American AAdvantage is offering up to a 42.5% bonus on purchased miles / buy miles for as little as 2.25 cents each / more info here
- Through March 5, 2019, Etihad Guest is offering up to a 20% bonus on purchased miles / buy miles for as little as 1.67 cents each / more info here
In each of the above cases I linked to a post that talks about when it does and doesn’t make sense to buy points from those programs, so check that out. Don’t necessarily assume that a 100% bonus in one program is a better deal than a 50% bonus in another program, since different programs have different value propositions to begin with.
With the exception of buying American AAdvantage miles and British Airways Avios, all the other points purchases are facilitated by points.com. Those purchases don’t qualify as airfare or hotel purchases, which should impact the credit card you use.
Anecdotally points.com purchases earn 3x points on the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card, so that would be the card I recommend for these purchases.
If you don’t have that, I’d recommend using a card on which you’re trying to reach minimum spend, or otherwise a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spend, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Citi® Double Cash Card.
In the case of American AAdvantage and British Airways Executive Club, points purchases are processed directly, so would qualify as airfare. Therefore I’d recommend using one of the following cards:
| Card | Points earned on airfare spend |
|---|---|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | 5x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent |
| Citi Prestige Card | 5x ThankYou points per dollar spent |
| American Express® Gold Card | 3x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | 3x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | 2x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent |
Are you taking advantage of any of the opportunities to buy points at the moment?
the BA 50% bonus is by far the best deal if you are based in EU/UK.
Do bought points go towards status and if they do, is it worth buying points to achieve status to increase likelihood of room upgrade? I have Intercontinental stays (so far) coming up this year and am Gold Ambassador so just wondering whether bought points would contribute to Spire.
Aer Lingus have the same promo as BA unsurprisingly
@Paul
Short answer would be no and no.
What I’ve found over the years is that paying for what you want is so much easier & cheaper.
Would AA points count for the airline credits on the AmEx Plat (or the Hilton Aspire)?