Should you purchase points and miles?

Usually, you’d be better off redeeming points and miles that you already have, rather than purchasing more. That said, if your point balances are dwindling and you have a redemption in mind where you know you’d get more value than the cash price you pay for the points, then, yes, it can make a lot of sense to purchase the points. You might always find it worthwhile to purchase points if you just need a small amount to make a certain redemption or if you’re trying to keep miles from expiring.

How much does it cost to purchase points?

That depends on the program, but generally, it costs anywhere from 1 to 3 cents per point. However, we recommend timing your point purchases alongside promotions that offer a discount or bonus when you buy — both of which bring down the per-point cost you’d pay.

Are there limits to the number of points you can purchase?

Yes, most programs implement a maximum number of points you are allowed to purchase each calendar year, though the amount varies drastically by the program.

How often are there point purchase promotions?

This varies by program, but usually in any given month, there are multiple current purchase promotions. We update this page each month to help you stay up to date on all of the latest point promotions you can take advantage of.

Do purchased points count toward elite status?

No airline or hotel programs count purchased points or miles toward elite status qualification.

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November 2026 Buy Points Promotions and Bonuses

Updated: November 12, 2026, 11:18am CST

Edited by:

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Table of Contents

Latest Buy Points Promotions
When Should You Purchase Points?
Final Thoughts

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There’s no shortage of ways to earn points and miles. From credit card welcome offers to bonus categories and shopping portals to dining programs, the list goes on and on.

Given the numerous options, travelers are often conflicted about purchasing points for their trips. After all, why purchase points when you can amass points with your everyday purchases?

This is a fair point and a solution that works for many. However, there are instances where purchasing points and miles can make sense. We will explore each of those options later in the post, but first, let’s dive into all of the current promotions that allow you to receive a discount or bonus on your points and miles purchases.

Latest Buy Points Promotions

Air Canada Aeroplan

Promotion:
- Buy 1,000 to 14,000 points without a discount.
- Buy 15,000 to 24,000 points with a 15% discount.
- Buy 25,000 to 80,000 points with a 20% discount.
- Buy 85,000 to 10,000 points with a 25% discount.
- Buy 110,000+ points with a 30% discount (1.90 cents per point).
Deadline: November 18, 2026
Programs that transfer to Aeroplan: Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and Rove Miles
Purchase link

We value Air Canada Aeroplan points at 1.5 cents apiece, so you’ll want to have a good redemption lined up in order for it to make sense to purchase points at the 1.90 cents rate.

Alaska Atmos Rewards

American Airlines AAdvantage

Promotion:
- Purchase 3,000 to 9,000 miles and get a 10% discount.
- Purchase 10,000 to 29,000 miles and get a 15% discount.
- Purchase 30,000 to 89,000 miles and get a 20% discount.
- Purchase 90,000 to 150,000 miles and get a 30% discount.
- Purchase 151,000 to 300,000 miles and get a 40% discount (2.26 cents per mile).
Deadline: None specified
Programs that transfer to AAdvantage: Citi ThankYou Points and Marriott Bonvoy
Purchase link

AAdvantage miles have numerous uses, but that doesn’t mean buying at 2.26 makes sense for most people. We value these miles at 1.4 cents apiece, so buying is only worthwhile if you’re making a high-value redemption or need just a few more miles for an award ticket.

Amtrak Guest Rewards

Promotion:
- Buy 500 points without a bonus.
- Buy 1,000+ points with a 10% discount (3.39 cents each).
Deadline: None specified
Programs that transfer to Amtrak Guest Rewards: None
Purchase link

While buying points at 3.39 cents each doesn’t sound like a good deal, it’s possible to redeem Amtrak Guest Rewards points at a value higher than this — though that’s not always the case. If you find a ticket that’s expensive with cash but not too expensive with points, buying here and making a redemption could lead to savings.

Choice Privileges

Promotion:
- Buy 1,000 to 5,000 points without a bonus.
- Buy 6,000 to 9,000 points with a 30% bonus.
- Buy 10,000 to 13,000 points with a 35% bonus.
- Buy 14,000+ points with a 40% bonus (0.74 cents each).
Deadline: None specified
Programs that transfer to Choice: Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Wells Fargo Rewards
Purchase link

Choice Privileges offers numerous sales on points throughout the year, rotating between discounts and bonuses. This offer isn’t among the better promotions, selling points at 0.74 cents each when we regularly see offers closer to our valuation of these points, which is 0.6 cents.

Etihad Guest

Promotion:
- Buy 1,000 to 9,000 miles with a 30% bonus.
- Buy 10,000 to 49,000 miles with a 40% bonus.
- Buy 50,000+ miles with a 60% bonus (2 cents per mile).
Deadline: November 22, 2026
Programs that transfer to Etihad: Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Points, Rove Miles, and Marriott Bonvoy
Purchase link

We value Etihad Guest miles at 1.4 cents each, so buying at 2 cents only makes sense if you’re redeeming at a high value. Etihad’s program has stiff fees for changing or canceling award tickets, and it offers fewer high-quality redemptions than it did a few years ago. Ensure you know what you’re doing before pulling out your wallet.

Finnair Plus

Promotion:
- Buy 0 to 4,000 Avios without a bonus
- Buy 5,000 to 19,000 Avios with a 30% bonus
- Buy 20,000 to 49,000 Avios with a 35% bonus
- Buy 50,000 to 84,000 Avios with a 40% bonus
- Buy 85,000 to 200,000 Avios with a 50% bonus (1.45 cents each)
Deadline: None specified
Programs that transfer to Finnair: Capital One, Rove, and other Avios programs
Purchase link

We value Finnair Plus Avios at 1.25 cents each, which is lower than the sale price currently available. That said, the program offers great availability for booking Finnair business class. This is also a way to purchase Avios from other programs at a discount, given that you can move Avios between multiple programs freely and instantly.

Garuda Indonesia GuardaMiles

Promotion:
- Buy 1,000 to 9,000 miles without a discount
- Buy 10,000 to 15,000 miles with a 50% discount (1.075 cents each)
Deadline: November 13, 2026
Programs that transfer to Garuda: None
Purchase link

GarudaMiles are among the hardest miles to earn. The program hasn’t had any U.S. transfer partners since losing Citi in 2019. GarudaMiles offers some good redemption pricing on SkyTeam airlines, but the best use case is booking Garuda Indonesia’s highly praised first class.

Waldorf Astoria Bangkok suite bed — Waldorf Astoria Bangkok, which is a Hilton Honors property. Image Credit: Eshan Haque

Hilton Honors

Promotion:
- Buy 1,000 to 4,000 points without a bonus.
- Buy 5,000+ points with a 120% bonus (0.45 cents each).
Deadline: November 21, 2026
Programs that transfer to Hilton Honors: Amex Membership Rewards and Bilt Rewards
Purchase link

While Hilton Honors runs points sales regularly, this is the best price we’ve ever seen: 0.45 cents. That’s below our average valuation of Hilton points (0.5 cents), and this price can unlock some high-quality redemptions.

IHG One Rewards

Promotion:
- Buy 1,000 to 4,000 points without a bonus.
- Buy 5,000 to 10,000 points with an 80% bonus.
- Buy 11,000 to 39,000 points with an 90% bonus.
- Buy 40,000 or more points with a 100% bonus (0.5 cents each).
Deadline: November 15, 2026
Programs that transfer to IHG: Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards
Purchase link

IHG One Rewards uses dynamic pricing, so you’ll only know how many points you need for a hotel when you start booking. That said, buying points for 0.5 cents each is right on par with our valuation of these points, so this sale makes sense for a lot of people.

Marriott Bonvoy

Promotion:
- Purchase 1,000 points without a bonus.
- Purchase 2,000 to 200,000 points with a 55% bonus (0.81 cents each).
Deadline: November 23, 2026
Programs that transfer to Bonvoy: Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, and Chase Ultimate Rewards
Purchase link

Marriott Bonvoy members can find up to a 55% bonus in the current offer, though buying points at that tier still costs 0.81 cents per point, above our valuation of these points at 0.7 cents each. Under the right circumstances, buying can make sense, but this sale isn’t ideal for everyone.

World of Hyatt

Promotion:
- Buy 2,000 to 4,000 points without a discount
- Buy 5,000+ points with a 20% discount (2.08 cents each)
Deadline: December 21, 2026
Programs that transfer to Hyatt: Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards
Purchase link

We value World of Hyatt points at 1.4 cents apiece, though it’s often possible to get more value than that. That said, the price of points during this sale is higher than our valuation, meaning buying points won’t make sense for everyone. However, this new purchase promotion allows you to buy Hyatt points at a fairly reasonable rate.

Wyndham Rewards

Promotion:
- Buy 1,000 to 2,000 points without a discount
- Buy 3,000+ points with a 100% bonus (0.65 cents each)
Deadline: December 31, 2026
Programs that transfer to Wyndham: Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Wells Fargo Rewards
Purchase link

We value Wyndham Rewards points at 0.9 cents each, so buying at 0.65 cents can make sense for any traveler redeeming Wyndham points at fair value. This can also be a great opportunity to save money on hotel stays by purchasing points instead of paying cash for a room.

When Should You Purchase Points?

As promised, let’s look at examples of when it might be wise to purchase points and miles.

American Airlines B737 8 MAX at SNA — Sometimes it can make sense to purchase airline miles. Image Credit: Ryan Smith

Topping Off Your Account

It can be frustrating to have a redemption you’d like to make, with available award space to boot, but not have quite enough points or miles to make the booking. Of course, you could wait until you do, but business class and first class award space can vanish quickly.

In cases like these, it can make sense to purchase a small number of points to acquire the number of points or miles you need to book the award.

Price Arbitrage

We frequently discuss the opportunity to take advantage of price arbitrage when talking about purchasing points or miles.

For instance, say you’d like to fly from the U.S. to Europe in business class. You pull up Google Flights, pop in your desired destination and travel date, and the results reveal that the best nonstop is an American Airlines flight that costs a whopping $2,500 — yikes.

While the best award redemptions require locating award space at the saver level, assuming it is available on the date you’d like to travel, you could purchase the points needed for this ticket for far less. For example, you could purchase 58,000 American Airlines miles for just over $1,400 — more than $1,000 less than the retail price.

Bottom Line:

Simply put, purchasing points and miles can be a great way to get a substantial discount on flights you were planning to purchase anyway.

Preventing Points From Expiring

One of the annoyances of some loyalty programs is that their points or miles expire after a set period, usually 1 to 3 years. Depending on your travel habits, you may be at risk of your points expiring if you go long periods without earning or redeeming points within the program.

Fortunately, most programs count purchasing points as a qualifying earning activity, allowing you to extend the life of your miles simply by purchasing a small number of them.

Final Thoughts

In most cases, your primary points strategy should be earning them through new credit card welcome offer bonuses, everyday card spending, and other point-earning activities, like shopping portals, as these activities shouldn’t require a significant expense beyond your everyday spending habits.

That said, there is a time and a place when it can make sense to purchase points and miles. In those cases, promotions that allow you to receive a discount or bonus miles on your purchase can offer you even more value.

Of course, you should always run the numbers when deciding which path makes the most sense for your next redemption, but it is always great to have options.