October 28, 2026

How to Buy Points and Miles to Save on Flights

Michael Dixon

Michael Dixon

October 28, 2026

Michael Dixon

How To Buy Points And Miles To Save On Flights

Quick Summary

You don't need to earn every point or mile yourself to enjoy cheaper flights. Buying airline points and miles during promotional bonuses or discounts can sometimes cost significantly less than paying cash for a ticket. This guide explains how to buy points, when to look for promotions, how to compare loyalty programmes to find the best value, and how Pointrs can help you identify the cheapest points or miles to use for your flight. You can even use this strategy for Business Class, with the potential to save up to 53% on a Sydney–Paris one-way flight in the example featured in this article. Taxes, fees and surcharges may still apply.


NO POINTS AND MILES – NO WORRIES!
BUY POINTS AND MILES TO SAVE BIG ON FLIGHTS!

Don’t earn enough points and miles and hence think you can’t use points and miles to save big on flights? Think again! You can buy points and miles and use these points and miles to book flights for a fraction of the normal price. You just need to know how.

Here’s an example.

Aeroplan is Air Canada’s loyalty program. In August 2026 you could have bought Air Canada Aeroplan points with 110% bonus points. Before any special bonuses/discounts you can buy Air Canada Aeroplan points for CAD 37.50 per 1,000. With 110% bonus points, you can buy 1,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points for CAD 37.50 and receive 1,100 points for free. This means you receive 2,100 Air Canada Aeroplan points for CAD 37.50, which equates to CAD 17.86 per 1,000.

If you bought Air Canada Aeroplan points in August 2026 for CAD 17.86 per 1,000, you could have booked the following flight today using those points and in the process you could have saved big compared to using cash:

 

Sydney to Paris Business Class on Singapore Airlines using 130,000 Aeroplan points, costing around $2,360 versus a cash fare of up to $5,000.
Example: Sydney to Paris Business Class on Singapore Airlines using 130,000 Aeroplan points, costing around $2,360 versus a cash fare of up to $5,000.

 

To book this flight you need 130,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points*. The cost to buy 130,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points with 110% bonus points is CAD 2,320.50, which equates to $2,360. If you paid cash for this flight it would cost you up to $5,000!

BOTTOM LINE

FLY SYDNEY TO PARIS BUSINESS ONE-WAY ON SINGAPORE AIRLINES FOR ONLY $2,360* INSTEAD OF UP TO $5,000 - SAVE UP TO 53%! BOOK RETURN AND SAVE DOUBLE!

*pay also any taxes, fees and surcharges

 


Where Can I Find More Examples Like This

Spend Less Pointrs has tens of thousands of examples just like this, such as:

New York to London — First Class Return — All Airlines (via All Routes)

✈
New York (JFK)
→
London (LHR)
All Airline
 (non-stop)
For only
$1,899
via Airline points
Don’t pay up to
$8,500
via Airline Points
 SAVE UP TO
$6,601
That’s 78% off

Pay also any taxes, fees and surcharges

See how to book this →

Los Angeles → Tokyo Business Class Return for only $1,599

Save up to $5,501!

Fly Los Angeles to Tokyo Business Return with All Airlines (via All Routes) for only $1,599 - Save up to $5,501!


SEE HOW TO BOOK THIS

Chicago → Sydney Business Class Return from only $4,299

Save up to $5,701!

Fly Chicago to Sydney Business Return with All Airlines (via All Routes) for only $4,299 - Save up to $5,701!


SEE HOW TO BOOK THIS

The savings are incredible when you know how, which is where Pointrs steps in.

How to Buy Points and Miles?

Points and miles are bought directly from the airlines, eg: Air Canada Aeroplan points are bought directly from Air Canada. To assist, Pointrs has Earn More Pointrs for buying points/miles for each supported loyalty program, such as:

 

Buy Points And Miles To Earn Delta SkyMiles Miles
Pointr #1032: Buy Points And Miles To Earn Delta SkyMiles Miles
Buy Points And Miles To Earn United Airlines MileagePlus Miles
Pointr #1011: Buy Points And Miles To Earn United Airlines MileagePlus Miles

 

The Pointrs provide instructions and guidance when buying points and miles, such as eligibility requirements, the maximum number that can be bought each time and the cost.

Note that while most airlines allow the buying of points/miles, some don’t. The Earn More Pointrs will tell you which ones.


When to Buy Points and Miles?

Airlines often sell points and miles with special bonuses/discounts. Although you can buy points and miles at their full price anytime and save versus the cash price, you will save much more if you buy points/miles with special bonuses/discounts, as these allow you buy points and miles for up to 64% less.

These promotions occur often and Pointrs will notify you each time. Simply check your dashboard regularly to view current promotions and to also see previous promotions, to give you a sense of how often promotions are run. If you have signed up for our newsletter,  we’ll also tell you about new promotions there.

 

View current and past points and miles promotions anytime from your Pointrs Dashboard
View current and past points and miles promotions anytime from your Pointrs Dashboard. Sign up to stay on top of the latest offers!

 


What Does it Cost to Buy Points and Miles?

The table below shows you the cost to buy each supported airline’s points/miles at both full price and with their maximum bonus/discount when on promotion.

Airline Loyalty Program

Curr-ency

Cost To Buy 1,000 Airline Points / Miles At Full Price

Maximum Bonus / Discount When On Promotion

Bonus Or Discount

Cost To Buy 1,000 Airline Points / Miles With Maximum Bonus / Discount

Cost To Buy 1,000 Airline Points / Miles At Full Price (USD)

Cost To Buy 1,000 Airline Points / Miles With Maximum Bonus / Discount (USD)

Air Canada Aeroplan

CAD

37.50

115%

Bonus

17.45

27.18

12.65

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

USD

30.50

120%

Bonus

13.87

30.50

13.87

Alaska Airlines-Hawaiian Airlines Atmos Rewards

USD

29.56

60%

Bonus

18.48

29.56

18.48

American Airlines Aadvantage

USD

37.63

50%

Discount

18.82

37.63

18.82

ANA Mileage Club

N/A

N/A

 

 

 

 

 

Avianca Airlines LifeMiles

USD

33.00

175%

Bonus

12.00

33.00

12.00

British Airways Club

GBP

17.70

44%

Discount

9.92

23.00

12.88

Cathay Pacific Cathay

N/A

N/A

 

 

 

 

 

Delta SkyMiles

USD

37.63

75%

Bonus

21.51

37.63

21.51

Emirates Skywards

USD

30.00

50%

Bonus

20.00

30.00

20.00

Etihad Airways Etihad Guest

USD

20.00

50%

Bonus

13.34

20.00

13.34

Malaysia Airlines Enrich

MYR

85.00

35.30%

Discount

55.00

20.84

13.49

Qantas Frequent Flyer

AUD

26.66

50%

Bonus

17.78

19.05

12.70

Qatar Airways Privilege Club

USD

23.00

70.0%

Bonus

13.53

23.00

13.53

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

N/A

N/A

 

 

 

 

 

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

USD

30.00

75%

Bonus

17.15

30.00

17.15

United Airlines MileagePlus

USD

37.63

100%

Bonus

18.82

37.63

18.82

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

GBP

15.00

70%

Bonus

8.83

25.00

14.71

Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer

AUD

23.40

40%

Discount

14.04

16.72

10.03

As you can see, the bonuses/discounts can be very generous with very large differences between full prices and discounted prices, making it essential to buy points/miles when on promotion.

Which Airline's Points and Miles Should I Buy?

The cheapest points and miles to use for each flight varies. What can be the cheapest for one flight can be the dearest for another. This is because the points and miles required for a flight vary between airline loyalty programs along with the cost to buy these points and miles. To ensure you buy points and miles for the lowest price possible for a particular flight, you need to know the points and miles charged by each airline loyalty program and the cost to buy these points and miles when on promotion. This is a complicated and time-consuming task.

Fortunately, Pointrs has done these calculations for you, and will tell you the cheapest airline loyalty program to use for each flight.

Use the filters to find a Spend Less Pointr for cash via airline points/miles, then read the instructions for the Pointr to be told the cheapest airline loyalty program to use along with the cost to buy their points/miles when on promotion.

 

View current and past points and miles promotions anytime from your Pointrs Dashboard
View current and past points and miles promotions anytime from your Pointrs Dashboard. Sign up to stay on top of the latest offers!

 

Pointrs will also tell you the cost to buy points and miles for each airline loyalty program you can use for a flight so you can take advantage of any current promotions to buy points and miles, rather than waiting for the promotion with the cheapest points/miles. This may cost you more than the cheapest way but you can still save big and can book now rather than waiting.

 

See what it costs to buy points across loyalty programmes and take advantage of current promotions.

 


What About Hotels?

You can also buy hotel points and miles. Although the savings are generally not as significant as for flights, you can still save, with the added advantage of booking using points and miles being much easier with hotel loyalty programs.

The table below shows you the cost to buy each supported hotel’s points/miles at both full price and with their maximum bonus/discount when on promotion.

Hotel Loyalty Program

Curr-ency

Cost To Buy 1,000 Airline Points / Miles At Full Price

Maximum Bonus / Discount When On Promotion

Bonus Or Discount

Cost To Buy 1,000 Airline Points / Miles With Maximum Bonus / Discount

Cost To Buy 1,000 Airline Points / Miles At Full Price

Cost To Buy 1,000 Airline Points / Miles With Maximum Bonus / Discount

Accor ALL

N/A

N/A

 

 

 

 

 

Hilton Honors

USD

10.00

100%

Bonus

5.00

10.00

5.00

IHG One Rewards

USD

10.00

100%

Bonus

5.00

10.00

5.00

Marriott Bonvoy

USD

12.50

50%

Bonus

8.34

12.50

8.34

World Of Hyatt

USD

24.00

25%

Discount

18.01

24.00

18.01

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