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- It's rarely worth it to buy frequent flyer miles — especially without a bonus or discount. Airline and hotel programs generally price points and miles at such a high rate that it's hard to get more value than what you paid for them.
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Sep 4, 2024 · If you buy airline miles, you'll usually pay more for them than they're worth once you redeem them. But there are a few times it makes sense to buy miles.
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Should you buy airline miles?
Apr 30, 2024 · We created a calculator that pairs our airline mile and hotel point valuations with your own booking options to help you decide when to book cash or points.
- Sam Kemmis
- The Principles of Buying Points & Miles
- Skip Mileage Multipliers
- Top Off Your Account
- Capitalize on Big Sales on Miles & Points
- Think Big: Fly Business Or First For Cheaper
- Pay with The Best Card
- Bottom Line
At face value, buying miles or hotel points is almost always a bad choice. Why? Well, because you might be able to get all the points you need with the right travel credit cards in your wallet – earning points and miles on the spending you'd be doing anyhow. For example, it'd be much better to earn 60,000 points on the after spending $4,000 in thre...
When you're booking a flight, you might see an option like this to earn some additional miles on top of what you'd normally earn for taking the flight. Take our advice: Skip it. Ninety-nine times out of 100, these offers are junk. In some cases, airlines hope you'll jump at the chance to quickly earn 5,000 to 10,000 more miles without realizing tha...
If there's one situation in which it can be a slam dunk to buy some miles, it's when you're just a few thousand miles short of booking a trip you've been chasing. Here's an example. I found myself in just this scenario last year, as my wife and I were plotting how to fly back to the states from Southeast Asia. After racking up a few thousand Americ...
Some of the biggest and best airlines for booking award flights seem to constantly sell miles with big promotional discounts or bonuses. That means it's typically worth holding out for a bonus unless if you're under the wire to book a flight, or just need a few thousand miles. These bonuses vary widely by carrier, ranging from 20% to 140% or more o...
You have to do the math to figure out whether it's worth it to buy miles. But if there's one nearly surefire way to come out ahead when buying miles, it's when you're booking an otherwise pricey first or business class flight. If you don’t have the miles and you’re going to fork over the cash for an expensive ticket anyway, it can be much cheaper t...
Just as with any purchase, you should use the credit card that gets you the best bonus on your spend if you’re buying miles. A handful of airlines process the purchase of points as if they were straight airfare, including both LifeMiles and American. That means your obvious choice is the , as that gets you 5x points on any purchase made directly wi...
Buying airline miles is a tricky piece of the points and miles world. While it should never be your go-to for booking travel, buying miles can be the most cost-effective way to make it happen. Just be sure to think through your situation before buying a boatload of points. We can’t stress this enough: Don’t buy miles unless you have a specific rede...
Sep 11, 2024 · It's rarely worth it to buy frequent flyer miles — especially without a bonus or discount. Airline and hotel programs generally price points and miles at such a high rate that...
May 15, 2024 · This is what it all boils down to. When flights are cheap, you should consider using your cash instead of tapping into your reserve of points and miles. When flights are expensive – a huge trip, first or business class, a last-minute flight – your miles can help you out.
Apr 14, 2021 · Guide. Here's how to use airline miles for a first class upgrade. Andrew Kunesh. April 14, 2021. •. 15 min read. Jump to section. The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear.
Jul 17, 2024 · Is it ever a good idea to buy airline miles? Our in-depth analysis will help you decide if you should spend more to get miles without stepping on a plane.
