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.
Here's a simple table of how much it will cost you to buy points and miles with popular programs:
| Rewards | Cost per point/mile in cents |
|---|---|
| Alaska Airline Miles | 2.75 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage Miles | 3.7625 |
| Choice Privilege Points | 0.99 - 1.21 |
| Delta SkyMiles | 3.5 |
| Hilton Honors Points | 1 |
| Hyatt Points | 2.4 |
| IHG Points | 0.8 - 1.35 |
| JetBlue Points | 2.75 - 3.51 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Points | 1.25 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Points | 2.75 - 3 |
| United Miles | 3.5 |
| Wyndham Points | 1.3 |
Buy Choice Hotels points: 1.03 to 1.28 cents per point.
Choice Privileges Points will cost you between 1.03 and 1.28 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 $12.80 and as many as 180,000 Choice Points for $1,854 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 | 1.28 |
| 5,000 - 9,000 points | 1.14 |
| 10,000 - 120,000 points | 1.03 |
Buy Hilton Honors points: 0.1 cent per point.
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 |
Buy Hyatt points: 2.4 cents per point.
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 |
Buy IHG points: 0.8 to 1.35 cents per point.
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 One Rewards Premier Credit Card or the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit 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 |
Buy Marriott Bonvoy points: 1.25 cents per point.
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 |
Buy Wyndham points: 1.3 cents per point.
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 60,000 Wyndham Rewards Points for $780 in a single transaction. You can purchase up to a limit of 60,000 Wyndham Rewards Points per calendar year.
| Wyndham points purchased | Cost per point in cents |
|---|---|
| 1,000 - 45,000 points | 1.3 |
Buy Alaska miles: 2.75 cents per point.
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 |
Buy AAdvantage miles: 3.76 cents per point.
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 |
Buy Delta SkyMiles: 3.5 cents per point.
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 |
Buy JetBlue points: 2.75 to 3.51 cents per point.
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 |
Buy Southwest points: 2.75 to 3 cents per point.
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 |
Buy United miles: 3.5 cents per mile.
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 |
FAQs
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).
