Top credit cards for purchasing points and miles

Honestly, buying points and miles is generally not a smart investment. You usually have to buy them in increments of 1,000 or more, and airlines and hotels charge a few cents for each point or mile — often far exceeding the value you can typically expect when redeeming them.

However, occasionally, loyalty programs from airlines and hotels provide substantial discounts or bonuses on purchased points, which could be quite appealing to certain customers. This tends to be advantageous if you can acquire the points for roughly half the usual cost and have a specific award redemption in mind. Sometimes, it’s also worth buying points when you just need a few more to complete a redemption for your upcoming getaway.

If you're planning to make a purchase, here are the best credit cards for acquiring points and miles. We’ll also point out which purchases may qualify for extra bonus points.

When it’s beneficial to buy points and miles

Although we typically discourage buying points and miles, there are situations where it might be your only option.

For instance, if you're close to achieving a dream redemption and urgently need those points or miles to secure your award ticket. When award availability is scarce, topping off your balance by purchasing points or miles may be necessary. If accumulating rewards through credit card purchases or sign-up bonuses will take too long — risking the loss of that hotel room or award seat — it makes sense to buy the necessary airline or hotel currency. Just be cautious that this purchase doesn’t diminish the value of your existing rewards, resulting in a poor redemption overall.

Think about whether acquiring points and miles could help you finalize a redemption or be more economical than paying outright for your travel. However, points and miles continuously lose value, so there's no justification for converting your hard-earned cash into an unreliable loyalty program currency. This is particularly important since most of these purchases are non-refundable and cannot be canceled.

Additionally, if your airline or hotel rewards are on the verge of expiring, there are alternative methods to prevent them from lapsing besides buying points and miles. Consider using shopping or dining portals or engaging in other simple activities to maintain your balances.

Top credit cards for purchasing points and miles

Imagine you’ve explored our latest offers for buying points and miles and have chosen to make a purchase. If you plan to buy points or miles, it's advantageous to know which credit card will provide you the best rewards.

Most points programs offer points through Points.com instead of directly through the loyalty program. This means that purchasing hotel points might not be categorized as "hotel" or "travel," which could prevent you from earning category bonuses on spending like you would when booking travel. However, there are still strategies to enhance your points purchases.

Points.com

Points.com serves as a third-party clearinghouse for many prominent hotel and airline loyalty programs. Among the programs that utilize Points.com for their purchases 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
• Avianca LifeMiles
• 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

Hotels

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

As you can see, the majority of major programs utilize Points.com as their mileage retailer. Unfortunately, these transactions won't be categorized as airfare, hotel bookings, or general travel purchases. This means you won’t earn any bonus miles for using an airline credit card, a hotel credit card, or a card that provides bonus points on travel, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Your best option is to use a card that offers bonuses on everyday purchases. For example, The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 2 miles per dollar on all transactions, and TPG's July 2024 valuations estimate these at 1.85 cents each — translating to a 3.7% return on spending. Additionally, The Blue Business®️ Plus Credit Card from American Express earns 2 Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter), yielding a 4% return on your first $50,000 of annual purchases according to TPG's valuations.

Some exceptions

The good news is that certain airlines still manage their own mileage purchases. If you buy miles from the following airlines, it should be categorized as an "airfare" transaction:

• American Airlines AAdvantage

This means that using The Platinum Card® from American Express could earn you 5 points for every dollar spent (on up to $500,000 in airfare purchases annually, then 1 point per dollar). You could earn 3 points per dollar with the Chase Sapphire Reserve or even offset the cost with your annual $300 in travel credits.

Moreover, there are times when purchasing Delta SkyMiles is categorized as an airfare transaction, but this isn't always certain. If you're thinking about buying Delta SkyMiles, it’s wise to make a small test purchase first to see how it appears on your billing statement.

Southwest Airlines also offers Rapid Rewards points through points.com. However, if you use a Southwest Airlines credit card, there is an exception to this rule.

When selecting the "Rapid Rewards credit card" option and paying with a Southwest Airlines cobranded card, you'll usually earn the points multiplier for Southwest purchases linked to your credit card. It's advisable to make a small test purchase before committing to a larger one; this way, you'll know how the transaction will be coded before facing any surprises with your bigger purchase.

If your purchase is categorized as "airfare," consider using these cards

When your purchase qualifies as airfare, these are the top credit cards for buying points and miles.

* Value is derived from TPG's July 2024 valuations and is not supplied by the credit card issuer.

The details for the American Express Green and Citi Prestige cards have been independently gathered by Dinogo. The information presented on this page has not been verified or endorsed by the card issuer.

Other Options

Even with special promotional bonuses, buying airline miles or hotel points is often too costly to justify. Instead, explore alternative options.

These alternatives include applying for a new credit card that offers a generous welcome bonus, which can quickly boost your loyalty account with thousands of points. This option is ideal for those who don’t need immediate miles or points for a specific redemption but are interested in accumulating them for the future.

Consider obtaining a card that earns transferable points, allowing you to convert them into airline miles or hotel points with partner programs. For example, Ultimate Rewards points earned through the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred can be transferred to loyalty programs such as Air France-KLM Flying Blue, United MileagePlus, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, and more. This way, instead of purchasing points and miles, you can accumulate them through everyday spending and transfer them as needed.

Additionally, both Amex Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards frequently provide transfer bonuses to specific partners. Monitor our transfer bonuses page to take advantage of these opportunities and maximize your points' value.

Combine with shopping portals

Like any online purchase, it's beneficial to seek out ways to enhance your earnings with just a few additional clicks. Many transactions through Points.com may not register via shopping portals, but it's still worthwhile to check platforms like Rakuten, Cash Back Monitor, or your preferred airline portal to potentially earn extra points or miles with your purchase.

These portals typically function effectively for transactions made directly through the loyalty program. This means you could earn additional cash back or points on purchases like Avianca LifeMiles, for instance.

Conclusion

In summary, purchasing points is just one of many effective strategies to make certain rewards attainable and help you reach your travel aspirations. If you choose this path, be sure to use a credit card that maximizes your purchase and accumulates more bonus points along the way. However, there are simpler and more cost-effective methods to gather the points and miles you may need. One option is to apply for a new credit card that offers a welcome bonus. Another strategy is to focus on cards that earn transferable points for greater flexibility.

Discover more: Top credit cards for 2024