There are many different strategies for earning airline points or miles, and this applies whether you’re a frequent flyer or not. You can earn airline rewards by using an airline credit card or flexible travel credit card for all your payments, by shopping through an airline rewards portal, or by joining an airline dining club.
If you want to earn airline points or miles quickly or need to top up your account balance, you can also buy airline points or miles directly. can Just because you have to buy airline rewards doesn’t necessarily mean you should. There are very few situations where buying airline rewards makes sense, and in most cases you’re better off earning rewards in other ways.
When to buy airline points or miles
So when does it make sense to buy airline points or miles? Here are the main situations in which you should consider doing so, and the steps you can take to see if it makes sense in your situation.
1. You can use your miles immediately for flights with higher cash prices
First, consider buying miles if you plan to book a higher fare with cash and the cost of buying miles will be less than what you would actually pay. This scenario usually makes the most sense when you are looking to purchase a higher international fare in a premium cabin. However, because award availability can change from day to day (and even hour to hour), you should buy miles to secure your award before it runs out.
For example, American Airlines AAdvantage miles can typically be purchased for 3.76 cents per mile. Sure, that seems expensive, but it could be well worth it if you need to book a pricey flight. Let’s say you need to fly from Indianapolis, Indiana to Rome, Italy this fall and you want to fly lie-flat business class. You might be able to find a business class fare for as low as 57,500 miles plus $23 in airline taxes and fees.
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Meanwhile, the cash price for this one-way ticket would be $4,585.
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So how do we know this is a good deal? In this scenario, the cash price minus the $23 in airline taxes and fees comes to $4,562. At that point, we divide the remaining cash amount by 57,500 miles to get the price per mile.
This works out to a price of 7.9 cents per mile ($4,562 / 57,500 miles = 0.079). Because miles can be purchased for less than 4 cents per mile, this strategy works out as better value than paying for the flight with cash.
2. If you are a few thousand miles short of the prize you want
Another scenario in which buying miles might make sense is if you’re just a few thousand miles short of the award you want. In this situation, the miles you buy can get you a bargain, regardless of whether they’re expensive or not. After all, not buying miles could mean you miss out on the award ticket you want altogether.
Luckily, most frequent flyer programs that allow you to purchase miles allow you to buy them in fairly small increments, making it easy to add miles to your account. For example, American AAdvantage, Air France / KLM Flying Blue, and Delta SkyMiles allow you to purchase miles in as little as 2,000 miles at a time.
3. Airlines offer bonuses for buying miles
Many frequent flyer programs offer a “bonus” for purchasing miles, which is usually a discount off the regular fare. Purchasing during these promotional periods is obviously a better deal than purchasing when no bonus is being offered, but that doesn’t mean you should buy miles just for fun.
Unless you have a specific redemption in mind, you should only buy miles if you have a specific purpose for using them, otherwise, you should only buy miles if they are being offered at a price lower than their regular value.
The Air France (Flying Blue) program is currently offering up to 40 percent off when purchasing miles (as of this writing), meaning that 20,000 miles that would normally cost $610 are currently on sale for $396.50.
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If you need to book with Air France anyway and don’t have enough miles, the discounts they offer make this option a pretty good deal.
That said, it’s not worth buying them unless you have a specific reason to do so: For example, according to our internal points and miles valuation, Flying Blue miles are typically worth an average of 1.5 cents, but the program asks members to pay $1,830 for 100,000 miles, which works out to more than 1.8 cents per mile and exceeds the value of this type of points.
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4. You need to “reset the clock” to keep your award miles from expiring
Buying miles is also a strategy you can use to “reset the clock” when an airline reward expires. This method works well if you only have a few days or weeks to show some activity on your account before the expiration date and you need to do something right away.
However, there are several other ways to earn more miles for free, such as using co-branded credit cards, airline shopping portals, and frequent flyer dining clubs, so you should only use this option as a last resort.
When not to buy airline points or miles
In most cases, there are two main scenarios in which you shouldn’t buy airline points or miles.
- Not needed now
- Points/miles are more expensive than their actual value
In either case, you’re better off focusing your efforts on ways to earn airline points or miles for free. For example, you could consider earning a credit card sign-up bonus from one of the best airline credit cards, or look for the best flexible credit card rewards programs that let you transfer rewards to your favorite airlines and hotels. You could also look into airline shopping portals and dining clubs that let you earn points or miles when you shop online or dine out.
What credit card should I use to buy airline points or miles?
The best credit card for buying airline points or miles will depend on how you purchase them.
Some frequent flyer programs don’t sell points/miles directly, but they can be purchased through a third-party site called Points.com, which has over 60 airline, travel company, and financial partners. In this scenario, the points/miles purchased with a credit card are not coded as a travel purchase, so you won’t have the opportunity to earn bonus points/miles on travel to get the most out of your purchase.
That said, several frequent flyer programs allow you to purchase points or miles directly on their websites. These programs include Air France/KLM Flying Blue, American AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Delta SkyMiles, Southwest Rapid Rewards, and United MileagePlus.
In this scenario, you can choose a flexible travel credit card that allows you to earn bonus rewards on all purchases made directly with the airline. Some reliable flexible travel credit cards to consider include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and the American Express® Gold Card.
However, if you want frequent flyer perks like free checked bags or priority boarding, you can choose an airline credit card that offers bonus rewards on airline purchases. Make sure you choose a card that aligns with the program you use most and want to purchase points/miles for.
For example, if you’re interested in American Airlines’ AAdvantage program, consider signing up for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* or the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, while frequent Delta flyers might consider cards like the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card.
Conclusion
At this point, you may have some questions. For example, is it a good deal to buy airline miles? Or is it even worth buying airline miles in the first place? Unfortunately, the answer to these questions is usually no. Buying airline miles only makes sense in a few situations, and you’ll probably need to do some quick math before deciding. In most cases, doing the math will show that buying points or miles is not a good idea.
Finally, remember all the ways you can earn airline rewards without paying a fee, such as applying for an airline co-branded credit card (which can earn you sign-up bonuses and ongoing rewards for spending in bonus categories). With a little research and planning, you can earn all the miles you need (plus some) without paying for rewards.
*Information about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® was collected independently by Bankrate.com. Card details have not been verified or endorsed by the card issuer.
