Travel rewards programs stopped being about loyalty a long time ago. Today, they are profit centers that manage a currency of points and miles and you can earn them not only at hotels and airlines, but by using a credit card, earning them for shopping or dining – and even buy them. Check out current promotions to purchase hotel rewards points at a discount to top up your account and spend less on your next trip!
While I don’t recommend buying airline and hotel points speculatively, they can be a great way to make your next trip cheaper. I reported How I saved more than 50% at Wyndham Hotels by purchasing Wyndham Rewards points during the Daily Getaway! While many programs allow you to purchase points to get to your next award, they are usually outrageously expensive. Fortunately, there are a few promotions with up to 100% bonus points, making them a good deal:
Hilton HHonors is currently offering a 100% bonus on purchasing reward points. You can buy up to 80,000 points per year for $800. Add 80,000 bonus points and you get 160,000 points at a price of 0.5 US cents/point. I value Hilton HHonors points at 0.5 c/p, so this is not really a great value. I have purchased the maximum amount of points earlier this year at the same price and was able to get good value at the Doubletree Kuala Lumpur and the Hilton Garden Inn Bali. This promotion goes through Octover 31, 2016 and this bonus is offered frequently, so there is no need to rush, unless you have an opportunity to use them at great value in the near future. Keep in mind that Hilton is managing the award prices very closely, so it is pretty difficult to get great value from points! You can purchase points as a member here!
Hyatt Gold Passport is offering a bonus of up to 40% on purchasing points. You can buy 5,000-9,000 points with a 30% bonus and 10,000-55,000 points at a 40% bonus. 55,000 points will cost you $1,320 with 22,000 bonus points for a total of 77,000 points at 1.7 US cents/point. I value Hyatt points at 1.5 ct/p, so it’s not a great deal and I’d only purchase them if you have a high-value redemption in mind! You can purchase points here! The promotion ends today, so if you need Hyatt Gold Passport points, be quick. If you miss it, Hyatt frequently runs promotions offering a 30-40% bonus.
Club Carlson just released an offer to buy points with a 75% bonus. You can buy up to 40,000 points a year with a 75% bonus, so 70,000 points will cost you $280 – or 0,4 US US cents/point. I value Club Carlson points at that price, so no discount. It can get you a free night at any of their hotels, including very expensive properties in London or Paris – where I got some of the best value from Club Carlson points. Given that Club Carlson has devalued their program without notice before, I’d recommend to buy only with a redemption in mind. You can buy the points here.
If you don’t have any plans for Hilton or Hyatt stays, stay tuned. Similar promotions are frequently available from these companies, as well as IHG Rewards and others.
If you’d like to get more deals like this or missed the time window, please follow me on Twitter – I’m posting great deals daily and many will sell out quickly, so stay ahead with my Twitter updates! Or sign up for Sunday Summary, my weekly newsletter!