[Marriott] Marriott is running a points sale from May 18 to June 30, with up to a 60% bonus (previously up to 50%). That works out to a cost of 0.78c/p. Compared with other hotel currencies, buying Marriott points is one of the safer plays because its 3:1 airline transfer partners, such as UA, ANA, AC, AA, DL, and JL, are quite strong, covering all three major airline alliances. On top of that, transferring 60,000 points gets you 20,000+5,000 miles. Redeeming through Marriott Hotel + Air Packages can also be a good option.

One thing to note: Marriott point purchases are processed through points.com, so they do not count as hotel spend and will not trigger hotel credits/reimbursements or travel category bonus multipliers.

[IHG] IHG is offering a buy-one-get-one points sale, which works out to 0.5c/p, up to 100,000 purchased + 100,000 bonus. IHG points are generally worth around 0.5-0.6c each on average. If you hold the IHG Premier credit card, award stays get the fourth night free, which is a solid benefit. A 0.5c price point usually shows up about 2-3 times a year, so if you need points, this can be a reasonable time to buy.

[Hilton] From now through May 27, buying Hilton points comes with a 100% bonus, for a cost of 0.5c/p. If you are booking an ultra-luxury property or just need a few more points to make use of the fifth-night-free benefit, topping off with purchased points can make sense. It is best to check the hotel cash rate and award price first and do the math before buying. Hilton also allows points pooling among multiple accounts, so several accounts can combine points for a booking. If you need points for an award stay, or want to top off for a fifth-night-free stay, buying points may be worth considering. Also, if you find award availability at aspirational destinations like Maldives overwater villas or New Year's Eve in New York, buying points for the stay can be much cheaper than paying cash.

Why buy points?

If you already have some basics in place, including some hotel points and airline miles, plus some experience using points to book hotels and flights, buying points can be a quick way to top off your balances enough to book a trip. Points only deliver value when you actually use them. If you are always just short and never redeem, it may be too late once a devaluation hits.

Buying points directly from the official site is usually not a good deal. But when there is a promotion with an extra bonus, it can be a fast way to accumulate a large number of points. This article will be updated periodically with points purchase promotions from major programs, along with commentary for reference.

IHG points

  • The best IHG points sales are buy one get one, which works out to 0.5c/p, up to 100,000 purchased + 100,000 bonus. IHG points are generally worth around 0.5-0.6c each on average, and if you can use them for Points Break, the value can be excellent. If you hold the IHG Premier credit card, award stays get the fourth night free, which is a strong perk. A 0.5c price usually appears about 2-3 times per year, so if you need points, it may be worth buying.
  • New quarter Points Break overview

Hyatt points (Hyatt Points)

  • Each person can buy up to 55,000 points per year (excluding bonus).
  • Hyatt allows both all-points and cash+points bookings. Sometimes the points portion can yield 1.8-2c in value, which can make buying points worth considering. In general, points redemptions are often best at very high-end hotels, very low-category hotels, and hotels in popular destinations. For Hyatt, the floor value of points is usually relatively high, often above 1.4c, so the downside risk is lower. If you have a stay in mind, compare the points cost with the cash price. Also remember that award stays usually do not have taxes and fees, which should be included in the comparison.

Choice Privileges points

Choice Hotel points can be quite valuable for booking hotels in Europe or major US cities. If you have a specific stay in mind, it is worth checking whether the redemption makes sense.

Expired promotions

Club Carlson points (Gold Points)

Hilton Points (Honors Points)

If you want to stay at an ultra-luxury hotel, or if you are just a little short of the points needed to take advantage of the fifth-night-free benefit, buying some points to top off your balance can make sense. It’s best to first check the hotel’s cash price and the number of points required, then do the math to see whether it is a good deal. Hilton also has a points pooling feature, so multiple accounts can share points, and you can buy points in several accounts and use them together. If you happen to need some points for a hotel booking, or need extra points to put together a fifth-night-free stay, it may be worth buying some. Also, if you find award availability at popular destinations such as Maldives overwater villas or New York on New Year’s Eve, buying points for the stay can be much cheaper than paying cash.

  • Buy points link (have your membership number and password ready; after logging in, you can see your buy-points offer)
  • Each member can buy up to 8W Hilton points per year. With the bonus from this promotion, you can receive a total of 16W points. Some members can buy up to 16W points per year; with the bonus from this promotion, they can receive a total of 32W points.
  • This points purchase is processed through Points.com. TCB offers 2.5% cashback, and Giving Assistant offers 1% cashback.
  • For more details on how to use Hilton points, see Hilton Points Guide Part 1 and Hilton Points Guide Part 2.
Expired Promotions

UA Miles (United Airlines MileagePlus Miles)

AA Miles (American Airlines AAdvantage Miles)

Expired Promotions

AS Miles (Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles)

  • Alaska miles are among the most valuable airline miles. Although Alaska is not part of any alliance, these miles can be used for partner awards on AA, Hainan Airlines, and Cathay Pacific, and they are especially useful for flights between China and the U.S. You can also use them for one-way stopovers and for extremely good-value business class award tickets. In addition, Alaska miles are relatively hard to earn, as they can only be transferred from Marriott points, so if you are a little short for an award ticket, buying miles can make sense.
  • AS miles do not have an annual purchase limit per person, so there is no cap under this promotion.
  • This points purchase is processed through Points.com, and Giving Assistant offers 2.5% cashback.
  • Although the cost to buy points is higher than for UA and AA, AS miles are also more valuable than those two programs’ miles. For how to use AS miles, see AS Miles Guide Part 2 and AS Miles Guide Part 3.
Expired Promotions

AV Miles (Avianca LifeMiles)

  • Existing accounts only; newly registered accounts today are not eligible to buy under this promotion. So if you do not have an AV account yet, don’t worry. This promo usually comes around two or three times a year. You can register an account now and use it for the next promotion.
  • AV miles are great for redeeming one-way first class tickets between the US and China. It only takes 9W miles, mixed-cabin bookings are allowed, and there are no fuel surcharges. Redeeming for ANA, Asiana, or even Lufthansa first class can all be good options. A one-way domestic-to-Hawaii business class redemption is only 48,000 miles. There are also occasional redemption promos, where discounted miles can be used on select routes. Short-haul domestic US flights can also be a good use. However, the program can be unreliable and has even made overnight award chart changes before, so we recommend buying only when you have an immediate need and specific award space in mind.
  • Ends on December 20. Each person can buy up to 200,000 miles per year (excluding bonus).
  • AV sells miles directly on its own website, so you can use credit cards that earn bonus points on airfare purchases (CSR, AMEX Platinum, Citi Prestige, etc.).

Daily Gateway

Expired Promotions

Cashback Sites and Credit Cards for Buying Points

To maximize your return when buying points, you should go through a cashback portal or use a credit card with bonus rewards.

  • Most airlines and hotels sell points through points.com. In that case, you can use either TopCashback (TCB) or Giving Assistant, and then pay with a credit card that earns bonus rewards on online shopping (data points welcome). Below are some examples of airline point purchases that have tracked through TopCashback:
  • A small number of airlines sell points directly on their own websites (for example, Avianca LifeMiles). In that case, you can use a card with travel bonus categories to buy points (CSP, CSR, Citi Preimier, Citi Prestige, AMEX Platinum, etc.).
  • Of course, if you are working on a minimum spending requirement for a new card, buying points can also be a good option.

If you do not yet have accounts with TopCashback or Giving Assistant, feel free to use our referral links: TopCashback sign-up link, Giving Assistant sign-up link ($5 bonus after signing up).

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