Many rewards programs allow you to buy points and miles to top off your account. This will (usually) instantly add rewards to your account so that you can redeem them for flights, hotels, and other rewards.
When buying points and miles, it will usually cost you 2 to 4 times the average value of the rewards you're buying. BUT there are instances in which buying points and miles can save you money if done right.
This page goes over buying points and miles with several popular rewards programs and provides when it may be worth buying rewards.
Cost to buy points and miles
| Rewards | Cost per point/mile in cents | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Choice Privilege Points | 0.99 - 1.21 | Buy |
| Hilton Honors Points | 1 | Buy |
| Hyatt Points | 2.4 | Buy |
| IHG Points | 0.8 - 1.35 | Buy |
| Marriott Bonvoy Points | 1.25 | Buy |
| Wyndham Points | 1.3 | Buy |
| Alaska Airline Miles | 2.75 | Buy |
| American Airlines AAdvantage Miles | 3.7625 | Buy |
| Delta SkyMiles | 3.5 | Buy |
| JetBlue Points | 2.75 - 3.51 | Buy |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Points | 2.75 - 3 | Buy |
| United Miles | 3.5 | Buy |
Buying Choice Privileges points
Choice Privileges Points will cost you between 0.99 and 1.21 cents at the standard rate. The more points you buy in a single transaction, the cheaper the price and better the deal.
You can buy as little as 1,000 Choice Points for $12.10 and as many as 180,000 Choice Points for $1,782 in a single transaction. You can buy up to 180,000 Points per calendar year.
| Choice points purchased | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 4,000 points | 1.21 |
| 5,000 - 9,000 points | 1.1 |
| 10,000 - 120,000 points | 0.99 |
Buying Hilton Honors points
Hilton Honors Points will cost you 1 cent per point at the standard rate. This will be the cost no matter how many points you buy in a single transaction.
You can buy as little as 1,000 Hilton Honors Points for $10 or as many as 80,000 Hilton Honors Points for $800 in a single transaction. You can buy up to a total of 80,000 Hilton Honors Points per calendar year.
Hilton Honors points are on sale several times per year with their most popular sale being the 100% More Promo which allows you to buy points for 0.5 cents each.
| Hilton points purchased | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 80,000 points | 1 Cent |
Buying Hyatt Points
Hyatt Points will cost you 2.4 cent per point at the standard rate. This will be the cost no matter how many points you buy in a single transaction.
You can buy as little as 1,000 Hyatt Points for $24 or as many as 55,000 Hyatt Points for $1,320. You can buy a total of 55,000 Hyatt Points per calendar year.
Hyatt Points are on sale several times per year. When they are on sale, you can easily get signficant value by buying them on sale and redeeming them for 2+ cents or more.
If you frequently stay at Hyatt hotels and Hyatt points are on sale, I highly suggest buying them.
| Hyatt points purchased | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 55,000 points | 2.4 |
Buying IHG Points
IHG Points will cost you between 1 and 1.35 cents at the standard rate depending on how many you buy. You'll get the best value of 1 cent each when you buy at least 26,000 IHG Points.
You can buy as little as 1,000 IHG Points for $13.50 or as many as 150,000 Points for $1,500 in a single transaction. You can buy up to a total of 150,000 IHG Points per calendar year and receive as a gift a maximum of 150,000 points per calendar year.
| IHG points purchased | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 10,000 points | 1.35 |
| 11,000 - 25,000 points | 1.15 |
| 26,000 - 150,000 points | 1 |
If you have the IHG Premier Card or the IHG Traveler Card, you'll receive a 20% discount when buying points. This is an automatic discount that will be applied when points are not already on sale.
| IHG points purchased as an IHG credit cardholder | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 10,000 points | 1.08 |
| 11,000 - 25,000 points | 0.92 |
| 26,000 - 150,000 points | 0.8 |
Buying Marriott Bonvoy points
Marriott Bonvoy Points will cost you 1.25 cents per point at the standard price. This will be the case no matter how many points you buy in a single transaction.
You can buy as little as 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points for $12.50 or as many as 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points for $1,250. You can buy up or receive as a gift a combined maximum of 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points per calendar year.
| Marriott points purchased | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 100,000 points | 1.25 |
Buying Wyndham points
Wyndham Points can be purchased for 1.3 cents per point. This is the flat rate no matter how many points you purchase.
You can buy as little as 1,000 Wyndham Rewards Points for $13 and as many as 45,000 Wyndham Rewards Points for $585 in a single transaction. You can purchase up to a limit of 45,000 Wyndham Rewards Points per calendar year.
| Wyndham points purchased | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 45,000 points | 1.3 |
Buying Alaska miles
Alaska Miles can be purchases for 2.75 cents per mile. This is the cost no matter how many you purchase at once.
You can buy as little as 1,000 Alaska Miles for $27.50 or as many as 60,000 for $1,650 in a single transaction. You can buy up to a max of 60,000 miles per calendar year if you don't have Alaska MVP status.
If you have status with Alaska Airlines, there's no cap on how many you can buy per year.
| Alaska miles purchased | Cost per mile in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 60,000 miles | 2.75 |
Buying AA AAdvantage miles
American Airlines miles will cost you 3.7625 cents per mile to purchase, no matter how many miles you purchase.
Buying the minimum of 2,000 AAdvantage Miles will cost you $64.50 and buying the maximium of 150,000 AAdvantage Miles will cost you $4,837.50.
| American Airlines miles purchased | Cost per mile in cents |
|---|---|
| 2,000 - 150,000 miles | 3.7625 |
Buying Delta SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles will cost you 3.5 cents per mile no matter how many miles you purchase. On top of that, you will also pay taxes which make the real purchase price come out to 3.76 cents per mile.
You can buy as little as 2,000 SkyMiles for $70 (plus tax) and as many as 60,000 SkyMiles for $2,100 (plus tax) in a single transaction. You can purchase a total of 60,000 Delta SkyMiles per calendar year.
| Delta SkyMiles purchased | Cost per mile in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 60,000 SkyMiles | 3.5 |
Buying JetBlue points
JetBlue Points will cost you between 2.75 cents and 3.51 cents per point based on how many you buy. The more you buy, the better the price.
You can buy as little as 1,000 JetBlue Points for $35.10 and as many as 30,000 JetBlue Points for $825 in a single transaction. You cannot buy or receive as a gift more than a total of 120,000 TrueBlue Points in a calendar year.
| JetBlue points purchased | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 2,000 points | 3.51 |
| 3,000 - 4,000 points | 3.38 |
| 5,000 - 9,000 points | 3.21 |
| 10,000 - 14,000 points | 2.98 |
| 15,000 - 30,000 points | 2.75 |
Buying Southwest points
The standard cost of Southwest Points will range from 2.75 to 3 cents. In order to get the best price, you'll need to buy at least 6,000 Southwest Points.
You can buy as little as 2,000 Southwest Points for $60 and as many as 60,000 Southwest Points for $1,650 per transaction. You cannot buy or receive as a gift more than a total of 60,000 Southwest Points in a calendar year.
| Southwest points purchased | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 2,000 - 5,000 points | 3 |
| 6,000 - 60,000 points | 2.75 |
Buying United miles
At the standard rate, United Miles costs 3.5 cents per mile. This is a flat rate cost and it doesn't matter how many miles you buy.
You can buy as little as 2,000 miles for $70 and as many as 87,000 miles for $3,045 in a single transaction. You can buy up to a total of 175,000 United Miles per calendar year which would cost a grand total of $6,125 at the standard rate.
| United miles purchased | Cost per miles in cents |
|---|---|
| 2,000 - 120,000 miles | 3.5 |
Buying Miles FAQ
Is it a good idea to buy points or miles?
It's a good idea when you need to top off your account or when you can buy them and redeem them for a higher value than what you paid for them.
How much does it cost to buy points and miles?
No point or mile is created equal. Buying points and miles can range from as low as 0.5 cents up to 3+ cents. It will heavily depend on the program.
Should I top off my account buy buying rewards or transfer rewards to my account?
This will depend on how much you value the rewards you're transferring versus how much buying rewards will cost you. For example, if I can redeem Membership Rewards Points for 2+ cents each, I wouldn't transfer them to Hilton in which points average 0.6 cents each. I would just buy Hilton Points if I needed a few (especially if they were on sale).
