It might sound bonkers to buy airline miles and resort factors to fund your adventures. In spite of everything, the explanation many people obtained into this passion within the first place was to journey for (practically) free just by swiping rewards credit cards. So, isn’t paying for journey rewards to e book award redemptions irrational?
Really, with some technique, it may possibly prevent a ton of cash.
I lately bought resort factors and airline miles, which helped me save greater than $1,000. Right here’s how.
Buy 1: Shopping for World of Hyatt factors
A luxurious resort that seems on the bucket record of many factors collectors (together with me) is the Park Hyatt Milan. I zeroed out my Hyatt account for one evening in a Park Queen Room (the bottom choice), paying 40,000 Hyatt factors — a superb deal for a room that prices about $1,100 per evening.
However there was a significant drawback: This room couldn’t accommodate me, my husband and my tiny daughter.
After messaging the resort, I used to be given the choice to pay $255 for an incremental improve to a “Premium King” class. Nearly the identical room, however barely larger to permit for a crib. My free keep at a elaborate five-star resort immediately grew to become, for my finances, expensive.
As an alternative of “losing” cash on a small room improve, I made a decision to spend a bit extra to reinforce our total expertise. By including 19,000 Hyatt factors to my present Hyatt steadiness, I might e book us in a Park Junior Suite — an enormous improve from a Premium King room with effectively over 25% extra actual property. This room sometimes sells for a whopping $1,900 per evening.
I bought the 19,000 factors I wanted throughout a 20% Hyatt sale and spent $395. That’s a price of two.07 cents per level — exorbitant, I do know (considerably greater than TPG’s January 2026 valuation of 1.7 cents per Hyatt level), however on this state of affairs, it made sense.
Briefly, I spent $140 greater than the improve charge to safe a room that was value over $600 extra per evening.
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Associated: Best Park Hyatt hotels, according to Globalists
Buy 2: Shopping for Qantas Frequent Flyer factors to e book American Airways flights
I have a tendency to not finalize my journey plans till the final minute (my proposed itineraries principally change every day). Due to this, I discovered myself gazing a large invoice for a fast hop between New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) and John Glenn Columbus Worldwide Airport (CMH). One-way flights that always value lower than $160 had been now an eye-watering $350 per particular person. And my household of three wasn’t about to pay over $1,000 for a two-hour flight.
After on the lookout for cheap award costs with American Airways, United, Delta, Virgin Atlantic and the opposite ordinary suspects, I remembered that I had some orphaned Qantas Frequent Flyer factors from a earlier redemption — simply round 7,000 factors, so not sufficient to do a lot with. Nevertheless, miraculously, Qantas awards on companion American Airways had been comparatively low cost at 9,200 factors every.
By buying 21,000 Qantas factors, I might successfully pay a complete of simply $439 for my household of three to fly from JFK to CMH. That’s lower than $150 per seat, saving me over $600.
Associated: When does it make sense to buy points and miles?
Shopping for factors ought to nonetheless be a final resort
Whereas shopping for factors can prevent critical cash for paid journey, it shouldn’t be your first intuition. Ideally, you’ll earn the rewards you want by means of beneficiant limited-time card presents, bank card spending and changing transferable points into the airline miles and resort factors you want.
I solely resorted to purchasing factors as a result of I had emptied my factors reserves on different flights and resort stays throughout my journey. Usually, I might have transferred:
- Chase Final Rewards factors or Bilt Rewards Factors to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio
- American Specific Membership Rewards factors, Citi ThankYou Rewards factors or Capital One miles to Qantas at a 1:1 ratio.
Racking up rewards is comparatively simple with the fitting credit card strategy. Learn our information to maximizing credit cards to earn points without high spending. And to be sure to don’t miss an excellent supply: Bookmark our put up on credit cards with 100,000-point bonuses or increased.
Associated: 10 easiest credit card welcome bonuses to earn
Backside line
Shopping for journey rewards could seem counterintuitive, but it surely’s a good way to probably decrease the price of paid journey. Simply ask your self if you may get extra worth from the factors or miles than you pay for them. If the reply is sure, shopping for rewards is a no brainer. I used to be in a position to save greater than $1,000 by buying airline miles and resort factors.
Simply keep in mind that incomes factors is usually not tough with the fitting credit card pairings that profit your life-style, in addition to quite a few valuable welcome bonuses which are recurrently supplied.