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It could sound bonkers to purchase airline miles and lodge factors to fund your adventures. In any case, the explanation many people acquired into this interest within the first place was to journey for (almost) free just by swiping rewards bank cards. So, isn’t paying for journey rewards to guide award redemptions irrational?
Really, with some technique, it might prevent a ton of cash.
I just lately bought lodge 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 lodge that seems on the bucket checklist 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 possibility), paying 40,000 Hyatt factors — an excellent deal for a room that prices about $1,100 per evening.
However there was a serious drawback: This room couldn’t accommodate me, my husband and my tiny daughter.
After messaging the lodge, I used to be given the choice to pay $255 for an incremental improve to a “Premium King” class. Just about the identical room, however barely larger to permit for a crib. My free keep at a elaborate five-star lodge all of the sudden turned, for my price range, 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 guide us in a Park Junior Suite — an enormous improve from a Premium King room with nicely over 25% extra actual property. This room usually 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 situation, it made sense.
Briefly, I spent $140 greater than the improve charge to safe a room that was price over $600 extra per evening.
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Associated: Greatest Park Hyatt inns, in response to Globalists
Buy 2: Shopping for Qantas Frequent Flyer factors to guide American Airways flights
I have a tendency to not finalize my journey plans till the final minute (my proposed itineraries principally change day by day). Due to this, I discovered myself observing an enormous 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 usually value lower than $160 have been now an eye-watering $350 per individual. And my household of three wasn’t about to pay over $1,000 for a two-hour flight.
After searching for affordable 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 accomplice American Airways have 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 purchase factors 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 provides, bank card spending and changing transferable factors into the airline miles and lodge factors you want.
I solely resorted to purchasing factors as a result of I had emptied my factors reserves on different flights and lodge stays throughout my journey. Usually, I’d have transferred:
- Chase Final Rewards factors or Bilt Rewards Factors to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio
- American Categorical 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 proper bank card technique. Learn our information to maximizing bank cards to earn factors with out excessive spending. And to be sure to don’t miss an ideal supply: Bookmark our publish on bank cards with 100,000-point bonuses or larger.
Associated: 10 best bank card welcome bonuses to earn
Backside line
Shopping for journey rewards could appear counterintuitive, nevertheless it’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 lodge factors.
Simply do not forget that incomes factors is usually not troublesome with the proper bank card pairings that profit your way of life, in addition to quite a few invaluable welcome bonuses which might be repeatedly provided.
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