When to buy miles for your loyalty program

It’s typically not a great idea to buy miles from the airline for a simple reason: purchased miles cost more than they’re worth when redeemed. Most airlines charge around three cents per mile on average. Considering you can transfer miles to an airline at a 1:1 ratio with an eligible credit card, or earn miles at better rates directly with cobranded cards, buying miles directly usually isn’t worth it.

But on some rare occasions, it can make sense to buy miles. Here are the most common reasons you might choose to purchase miles.

Best times to buy airline miles

There are three instances where it could make sense to purchase airline miles.

Discounts and promos

Occasionally, some loyalty programs will run promotions or sales for buying miles. Depending on the loyalty program, you could find miles selling at a price closer to what they’re worth when redeemed.

It might make sense to buy miles using Avianca LifeMiles, for example, as this program is known for offering frequent sales.

Topping off your miles

It could be worth buying extra miles if you’re just short the few miles needed for a redemption. Of course, you will won’t get a great value for those last few miles, but your eventual redemption of accrued miles could make the trade-off worth it.

To keep your account from expiring

Many loyalty programs require you to earn or spend miles within a certain time period in order to keep your account open and avoid forfeiting your accrued miles.

Consider purchasing miles if you have a cache of miles on a loyalty program account you don’t use very often, and you don’t have an eligible credit card that can earn miles to that account. Buying miles will count toward mile accrual requirements and keep your account open.

Other considerations when buying miles

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re purchasing miles:

• Minimum purchase requirements.
  Most loyalty programs only sell miles in certain quantities, such as 500 or 2,000 miles.
• Values change all the time.
  The value of miles on a loyalty program change fairly frequently — often for the worse. While the 10,000 additional miles you purchased might have given you enough for a reward flight at the time of purchase, waiting even just a few months can put that reward flight out of reach. Check out our latest miles valuations for more information.
• Miles are best earned with credit cards.
  Just about every loyalty program out there allows you to earn miles with an eligible credit card or to transfer credit card points into loyalty miles.

Compare airline credit cards

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Name	Product	Foreign transaction fee	Welcome offer	Rewards	Filter values
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card		None	60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months	5x points on Lyft, 2x points on travel and dining and 1x points on all other purchases		This popular travel card's signup bonus is worth up to $750. Get even more value out of your travel, dining, and Lyft rewards by transferring them to miles.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
United℠ Explorer Card		None	40,000 miles after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months	2x miles at restaurants, hotels and United and 1x miles on all other purchases		40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
United Club℠ Infinite Card		None	N/A	4x miles on United purchases, 2x miles on travel and dining and 1x miles on all other purchases		Get United Club membership with access for you and two guests at any United Club or Star Alliance lounge -- a value of up to $650 annually.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card		None	40,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months.	2x points on Southwest Airlines and 1x points on all other purchases		Earn 40,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card		None	40,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months	2x points on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rentals and 1x points on all other purchases		Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
British Airways Visa Signature® Card		None	100,000 Avios after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months, plus 50,000 Avios after spending $20,000 in the first year	3x Avios on British Airways, 2x on hotels and 1x on all other purchases		50,000 Avios after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months, plus 50,000 Avios after spending $20,000 in the first year	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CardMatch™ from creditcards.com			See terms	See terms		Use the CardMatch tool to find cards you're likely to qualify for with your credit score, without a hard pull on your credit.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Bottom line

Provided it’s part of a larger strategy, buying airline miles can help you inch toward your next big redemption. Just make sure it’s not your primary method of earning miles — the cost of purchasing miles will far outweigh your ultimate redemption value.

Compare rewards cards to find a card that lets you best earn points or miles on your favorite loyalty brand.

Frequently asked questions

• How much are airline miles worth?

  Airline miles are worth a variable amount depending on the airline, type of flight and other similar factors.

• How many miles does it take to get a free flight?

  The miles you need for a flight depend on the airline and the cost of the flight.

• What airline miles are most valuable?

  Alaska Airlines has one of the most valuable miles on average at 1.8 cents per mile according to our latest calculations. Compare our mileage valuations for more information.