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Buying points and miles is not always a good deal. You typically have to buy them in batches of 1,000 or more, and airlines and hotels charge several cents per point or mile, well above the typical value of points and miles that you can expect to achieve when making a redemption

Airline and hotel loyalty programs often offer significant discounts or bonuses on purchased points that may be worth it to some customers. If you can get the points for half the price and have a specific redemption in mind, this is usually the case. If you only need a few more points, it's a good idea to buy them.

These are the best credit cards to buy points and miles. The purchases that could qualify for bonus points will be highlighted.

When it makes sense to buy points and miles

Buying points and miles is sometimes your last resort.

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You need the points or miles to make the award ticket a reality if you are shy of a redemption. You may have to top off your balance by buying points or miles. It would make sense to purchase airline or hotel currency if you want to earn rewards through credit card spending or sign up bonus. Make sure that this purchase doesn't affect the value of your existing rewards and that it's a poor redemption.

Buy points and miles promotions are related.

Buying points and miles could be cheaper than paying for your travel, so it's worth considering. There is no reason to convert your cash to an unstable loyalty program currency. Most of these purchases cannot be canceled or refunds.

You can use airline miles to book your first award flight.

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If your rewards are about to expire, there are other ways to keep them going. Keep your balances alive by shopping or eating out.

How to earn thousands of miles a month without flying.

If you've looked through our current offers to buy points and miles, you've made a purchase. It's important to know which credit card will give you the best return on your purchases.

Points.com is the preferred method of selling points for most points programs. You won't be able to earn spending category bonuses if you buy hotel points instead of booking travel. There are ways to increase your points purchases.

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Points.com

Points.com is a third party clearance house for loyalty programs. Points.com is used by many people to make purchases.

There are airlines.

  • Aer Lingus AerClub.
  • Aeromexico Club Premier.
  • Air Canada Aeroplan.
  • Air Europa SUMA.
  • Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
  • AirMiles.ca.
  • Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
  • British Airways Executive Club.
  • Caribbean Airlines Caribbean Miles.
  • Copa Airlines ConnectMiles.
  • Emirates Skywards.
  • Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles.
  • Etihad Guest.
  • EVA Air Infinity MileageLands.
  • Finnair Plus.
  • Frontier Miles.
  • Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles.
  • Iberia Plus.
  • Icelandair Saga Club.
  • JetBlue TrueBlue.
  • LATAM Pass.
  • Lufthansa Miles & More.
  • Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards.
  • Spirit Airlines Free Spirit.
  • Turkish Airlines Miles& Smiles.
  • United MileagePlus.
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
  • Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer.
  • Virgin Red.
  • WestJet Rewards.

There are hotels.

  • Choice Privileges.
  • Hilton Honors.
  • IHG One Rewards.
  • Marriott Bonvoy.
  • Melia Rewards.
  • Radisson Rewards.
  • Shangri-La Golden Circle.
  • World of Hyatt.
  • Wyndham Rewards.

Most of the major programs use Points.com. These purchases won't count as airfare, hotel reservations or general travel purchases. If you use an airline credit card, a hotel credit card or a card that earns bonus points on travel, you won't get any bonus miles.

You can use a card that earns a bonus on everyday spending. 2 miles per dollar on every purchase is earned by the Capital One Venture rewards credit card, and the company values these at 1.85 cents apiece, a 4.1% return on spending. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express gives a 4% return on your first $50,000 of purchases each year, and you can earn 2 Membership Reward points on the first $50,000 of purchases.

Some exceptions

Some airlines process their own mileage purchases. It's a good idea to buy miles from the following airlines.

  • American Airlines AAdvantage.
  • Avianca LifeMiles.

If you use the Platinum Card from American Express, you could earn 5 points for every dollar you spend. You could earn 3 points for every dollar you spend with the Chase Reserve.

Purchasing Delta SkyMiles codes as an airfare purchase isn't guaranteed. If you're thinking of buying Delta SkyMiles, make a test purchase first to see how the transaction looks on your bill.

Rapid rewards points can be purchased via points.com. It is possible to pay with a Southwest Airlines credit card.

SOUTHWEST.COM

If you pay with a Southwest Airlines co branded credit card, you'll earn points for Southwest purchases, and you'll earn points for every dollar you spend. It's a good idea to make a small test purchase first before committing to a large purchase in order to be aware of how the purchase codes work.

Is it a good idea to buy airlinemiles?

If your purchase codes as "airfare," use these cards

These are the best credit cards for buying points and miles.

You can maximize your airfare by using the best credit cards.

The value is not provided by the issuer.

The Points Guy collected the information for the Amex Green Card. The card issuer did not review or provide the card details on this page.

Alternatives

Purchasing airline miles or hotel points is often too expensive to be worthwhile. Take your other options into account.

If you apply for a new credit card with a high welcome bonus, you'll get a lot of points in a short time. It's a great choice for people who don't need miles or points in a hurry for a specific redemption, but want to accumulate them for the future.

You can convert points earned on a card into airline miles or hotel points with partner programs. Transfer your Ultimate rewards points to loyalty programs such as Air France-KLM Flying Blue, United MileagePlus, Marriott Bonvoy and more. Rather than paying for points and miles, you can earn them on everyday spending.

Transfer bonuses are offered to specific partners. You can stretch the value of your points by looking at our transfer bonuses page.

Stack with shopping portals

You should look for opportunities to increase your earnings with a few clicks. Many purchases from Points.com won't be tracked through shopping portals, but it's worth checking sites like Cash Back Monitor or your favorite airline portal to see if you can add extra points or miles to your purchase.

The portals should work on purchases made through the loyalty program. Extra points can be earned on purchases of Avianca LifeMiles.

Adding this small step to your online shopping routine will help you earn more rewards.

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Bottom line

Buying points isn't the only way to achieve your travel goals. You should use a credit card that will help you maximize your purchase and rack up more bonus points if you decide to go this route.

Points and miles can be used in certain circumstances. Sometimes-exorbitant prices airlines and hotels charge can be brought down by significant discounts or bonuses. It's worth buying points or miles for an out-of-reach premium award. You can get a decent return on your spending if you add in the bonuses that your credit card offers.

There are cheaper ways to accumulate points and miles. Signing up for a new credit card has a welcome bonus. One way to focus your points strategy is on cards that earn points.

The additional reporting was done by Ryan Smith