Although the travel industry is gradually recovering from its nadir from the Covid era, there is still a long way to go. In order to interest potential customers and raise some cash in the meantime, airlines and hotels have turned to their loyalty programs. Some sell points and miles to their credit card companies, which in turn have put historically high sign-up bonuses on popular cards to attract new customers. However, airlines and hotels also go straight to consumers with a variety of discounts and bonuses on their points and miles. If you prepay now for a supply of points or miles in advance, you may need to book travel at discounted prices in the future.
With ongoing promotions and bonuses, now may be the right time to replenish airline miles. … [+]
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In fact, there are so many points and miles promotions out there right now that it can be difficult to keep track of them. Here are seven of the most interesting ones to keep an eye out for, and why or why not you might want to take advantage of them.
Air miles awards and discounts
Airlines such as Air Canada, Air France-KLM, Alaska and American Airlines are currently selling their miles at a discount.
Air Canada Aeroplan 100% bonus
Air Canada has just completely revamped its frequent flyer program. So before you dive into buying miles, it is important to know what you are getting yourself into. However, if you need to earn miles quickly, this promotion might be for you.
Aeroplan is now until April 2, 2021 sale Miles with a bonus of up to 100%, although there is a tiered structure.
· Buy 3,000 to 19,000 miles: 60% bonus
· Buy 20,000-55,000 miles: 80% bonus
· Buy 60,000-350,000 miles: 100% bonus
Basically, you can double your miles at the upper end of the spectrum and lower the purchase price to around 1.2 cents each. This is one of the most generous bonuses Aeroplan has offered lately (although there was a more lucrative one last May).
If you already have Aeroplan miles and just need a boost to get to your next award flight, this could be just the thing. However, keep in mind that both American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One miles carry over to Aeroplan. So you have a few other options when it comes down to it.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue 80% bonus
Until April 11, 2021, members of Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program Buy miles with a bonus of up to 80%. However, there are a few conditions to be aware of. Here’s how it breaks down by animal.
· Buy 4,000-10,000 miles: 60% bonus
Occupied 12,000-28,000 miles, 70% bonus
· Buy 30,000-100,000 miles, 80% bonus
Assuming you make a purchase within the 80% tier, those miles cost about 1.8 cents each. This is probably not a price you’d want to earn the Flying Blue miles for, considering that you’re getting much less value out of them on award tickets (usually around a dime each). However, if you regularly take advantage of Flying Blue’s special rate promo rewards with up to 50% miles tickets, you may be ahead of the game.
Don’t forget, however, that Flying Blue is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One, and Citi ThankYou Rewards. So if you have any number of credit cards you can top up your Flying Blue account much cheaper and easier than buying miles. This is especially true now that Citi is offering a 25% bonus (1,000 Thank You Points become 1,250 Flying Blue miles) if points are transferred to Flying Blue by April 16, 2021.
American Airlines AAdvantage 40% discount
American Airlines AAdvantage members can now through April 30, 2021 purchase 10,000-150,000 miles with a 40% discount. This lowers the price from around three cents per mile to just under two cents. This isn’t the best deal, and we’ve seen more generous deals from American Airlines recently. You might want to hold back.
Etihad guest 40% bonus
This Abu Dhabi based airline is sale his miles with a bonus between 10-40%, depending on how many you buy.
· Buy 6,000 to 20,000 miles: 10% bonus
· Buy 21,000-60,000 miles: 20% bonus
Buy 61,000-100,000 miles: 40% bonus
You can earn up to 100,000 miles per calendar year unless you are a high-ranking, elite frequent flyer with the airline. If you use the highest bonus level, you will earn miles at a price of 1.43 cents each. It could certainly be worth it … if you are familiar with the Etihad Guest program and have specific and upcoming award redemption in mind, including at its partner American Airlines. If you are only thinking speculatively, it is best to avoid this option.
Especially when you consider that you can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points as well as Citi ThankYou Rewards and Capital One miles to the program if you have a credit card with which you can earn one of these three point currencies.
Southwest Airlines Quick Rewards
People who redeem their Southwest Rapid Rewards for flights on the airline will receive a 20% discount when they book by March 25 for travel by April 30, 2021. All you have to do is enter the promotion code “SAVENOW” when booking.
If you already have plans to fly southwest anytime soon, this action will be a breeze. Especially because the airline does not charge any change or cancellation fees, it is really a risk-free booking.
Typically, when you redeem a ticket, you will receive a value of around 1.3 cents per Rapid Rewards point. If you take advantage of this special offer, however, your value increases to around 1.6 cents each.
Hotel points bonuses and discounts
Some hotel loyalty programs also sell points at prices lower than usual, which could be the right opportunity to cheaply book some upcoming stays.
Selection privileges 40% bonus
While this hotel loyalty program doesn’t get the same amount of attention as bigger competitors like Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy, don’t overlook it as you can redeem the points at thousands of hotels around the world.
Until April 27, 2021, it offers a 40% bonus on purchases of 3,000 points or more in a single transaction. Taking this into account, points cost around 0.7 cents each. So if you plan to buy, make sure you are getting more than that for them based on the room rates of all the hotels you want to book.
Hilton 40% transfer bonus from American Express
It is not in itself a buy points promotion. Nevertheless, it is worth checking whether you would like to benefit from the current transfer bonus offered by American Express cardholders who wish to convert their Membership Rewards points into Hilton Honors points.
Normally, each Amex point converts to two Hilton Honors, but with this special, each Amex point can become 2.8 Hilton points. This is the standard Amex-Hilton transfer bonus. However, if you want to add to your Honors account, you may want to apply for one of the American Express Hilton co-branded cards instead, as they all have higher than usual introductory terms.
Marriott 40% transfer bonus from American Express
Like Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy is offering a 40% bonus on point transfers from American Express Membership Rewards through June 15, 2021. This means that instead of a one-to-one conversion ratio, you can get 1.4 Marriott Points per Amex transferred point.
Again, it’s probably better to apply for one of the Amex card offers from Marriott Bonvoy as these extend bonuses by up to 125,000 points. However, if you only need a few thousand to overdo your next award booking, this may be the best way to get there.
Special offers for points and miles with discounts or bonuses can be mixed. While purchase prices can be much lower than usual, they may still be too high to get any real value for the withdrawals you want. Before buying, make sure you do some math and calculate the value you will get for your points from the flight or hotel you plan to book while using it. If the purchase price is way above that, then you should consider other storage options, including transferring partner credit card points. If you’re missing out on some of these (or others starting up), don’t be too hard on yourself. There will definitely be another point sale soon that you can take advantage of when airlines and hotels are looking for a more secure financial base.
