7 Great Opportunities To Buy Points

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 the best deals currently available for buying points.

In order of promotion expiration dates:

• Through August 18, 2019, British Airways Executive Club is offering up to a 45% bonus on purchased points / buy Avios for as little as 1.9 cents each / more info here
• Through August 23, 2019, IHG Rewards Club is offering up to a 100% bonus on purchased points / buy points for as little as 0.5 cents each / more info here
• Through August 27, 2019, World of Hyatt is offering up to a 40% bonus on purchased points / buy points for as little as 1.71 cents each / more info here
• Through August 27, 2019, United MileagePlus is offering up to an 85% bonus on purchased points / buy miles for as little as 2.03 cents each / more info here
• Through August 30, 2019, Alaska Mileage Plan is offering up to a 50% bonus on purchased points / buy miles for as little as 1.97 cents each / more info here
• Through August 31, 2019, American AAdvantage is offering up to 85,000 bonus miles plus a 10% discount on purchased miles / buy miles for as little as 1.84 cents each / more info here
• Through August 31, 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.

For points.com purchases I’d recommend using a card on which you’re trying to reach a 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?