When Is Buying Airline Miles And Points A Good Idea?

Buying Air miles is only a particularly clever idea if you have a specific use for it in mind. Buying airline points to stack up for future unspecified travel comes with some risks since airline loyalty programs and hotel rewards schemes can change the value of points, and sometimes there may be expiry dates you are unaware of.

But buying Air miles can be a valuable and effective travel hack in some situations. Below we will take you through everything you need to know about buying airline miles, including:

• When Is Buying Airline Points a Good Idea?
• When Is Buying Airline Points a Bad idea?
• How to Buy Airline Miles to Get the Most Value
• What Should You Do if You Need to Buy Airline Miles to Top Off the Points You have Already Earned?
• Does It Make More Sense To Keep Your Airmiles For Future Travel?

When is Buying Airline Points a Good Idea?

For most people, the best time to buy airline points will be when they need to top up the rewards points they have already built up for their flights and hotel stays.

But you can also buy points if you have an immediate booking in mind where purchasing miles will be cheaper than the cost of your flight and hotel bookings when paying cash.

To determine whether it makes sense to buy bonus miles, you must research and plan ahead of time.

When is Buying Airline Points a Bad Idea?

The value of airline points can change and may devalue from the time of purchase. So, although stockpiling miles through purchasing them for future airlines and hotel bookings can seem like a clever idea, it may cost you more than if you were to book it outright.

If you do not need a specific flight in mind that is coming up soon, you should concentrate on deciding how to earn miles with your everyday spending with rewards credit cards and partner reward programs. This will allow you to collect points on money you would be spending anyway.

How to Buy Airline Miles to Get The Most Value?

But what if you spot an excellent flight opportunity where buying miles is cheaper than a flight outright?

Below we will guide you through the situations where you may find that it makes more sense to buy frequent flyer miles when booking your travel and accommodation.

Make Sure That The Opportunity is Still Available

If you spot a flight where buying Airmiles makes financial sense, you should do everything you can to double-check availability before rushing to start buying Airline points.

Some travel aggregate sites can show old flights which are no longer available, so follow the booking process as far as you can get without making payment. This will help you make sure that the flight opportunity is there before you take the step of purchasing points.

Calculate Exactly How Many Points You Will Need

You will need to determine how many miles you will need to buy and how much those will cost you. You may need only to top up the miles you have already or be planning to buy enough to get to the total number required if this works out cheaper than paying directly for the flight.

Make sure to check if there are any sales or bonuses available which could help to cut down on the cost. Do not finalize a payment until you have your final checks.