It could sound bonkers to purchase airline miles and resort factors to fund your adventures. In spite of everything, the explanation many people bought into this pastime within the first place was to journey for (practically) free just by swiping rewards bank cards. So, isn’t paying for journey rewards to guide award redemptions irrational?
Truly, with some technique, it will probably 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 night time 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 night time.
However there was a significant downside: 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. Just about the identical room, however barely larger to permit for a crib. My free keep at a elaborate five-star resort out of the blue turned, for my funds, expensive.
As an alternative of “losing” cash on a small room improve, I made a decision to spend a bit extra to boost our total expertise. By including 19,000 Hyatt factors to my present Hyatt stability, I might guide 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 night time.
I bought the 19,000 factors I wanted throughout a 20% Hyatt sale and spent $395. That’s a worth 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 payment to safe a room that was price over $600 extra per night time.
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Associated: Greatest Park Hyatt resorts, based on 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 looking at 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 had 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 in search of affordable award costs with American Airways, United, Delta, Virgin Atlantic and the opposite regular 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. Nonetheless, miraculously, Qantas awards on associate 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 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 gives, bank card spending and changing transferable factors 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 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 appropriate 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 important provide: Bookmark our publish on bank cards with 100,000-point bonuses or increased.
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 doubtlessly 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 capable of save greater than $1,000 by buying airline miles and resort factors.
Simply do not forget that incomes factors is often not troublesome with the appropriate bank card pairings that profit your life-style, in addition to quite a few invaluable welcome bonuses which are usually supplied.
