No matter whether you’re a frequent flier or not, there are several ways to increase your airline’s points or miles. For example, you can earn airline rewards using an airline credit card or a flexible travel credit card for all your expenditures by shopping through airline rewards portals or joining an airline’s dining club.
You can quickly amass many points or miles on top of an existing account by purchasing them from the airline. But you shouldn’t just Buy Aeroplan Points because you can. You’d be better off collecting points in other ways the great majority of the time, as there are only a handful of instances in which purchasing airline rewards makes no sense at all.
Buying Airline Points/Miles When
When, then, should you spend your hard-earned cash on airline miles or points? Here’s an overview of the most common scenarios in which you should think about it, along with the procedures you should take to determine if it makes sense for you.
You can immediately redeem your points for a flight that would cost a lot of cash
Firstly, if you’re planning to book an expensive flight with cash and the cost of purchased miles is less than what you would spend, consider buying Air Canada Miles. This is a reasonable assumption to make before purchasing a first-class international ticket. Award availability can change daily (sometimes even hourly), so you’ll want to ensure you acquire the miles and secure the award before it vanishes.
When a few thousand kilometres are all that stand between you and the prize you want
When you need a few thousand more miles to reach your reward redemption threshold, buying miles may be the best option. Whether or not the miles you buy are pricey, you can still find a decent value in this case. After all, you might not be able to get on the reward flight you want if you don’t buy miles.
You may top out your frequent flyer account because most programs that sell more miles do so in relatively tiny quantities.
A bonus is available for purchased miles on this airline
Frequent flyer programmes occasionally advertise a “bonus” for purchasing miles, usually a discount off the standard prices. Buying during a bonus period is preferable to buying at other times, but that doesn’t mean you should buy miles just because you can.
You should only Buy Airline Miles if you have a clear plan for how you’ll use them. Only when the price of the miles is lower than their typical value should you consider purchasing them?
When you need to “reset the clock” so your award miles don’t expire
When your airline rewards are ready to expire, you can “reset the clock” by purchasing miles. When time is of the essence, and you need to show activity in your account before the expiration date, this strategy can be effective.
However, since there are other free ways to earn extra miles — including co-branded credit card spending, airline shopping portals and frequent flyer dining clubs — you should only use this option as a last resort.
When you shouldn’t buy airline points or miles
There are two main cases in which it is not a good idea to Buy Aeroplan Points:
- The points and the miles are overpriced for their worth,
- You don’t need them now.
In either scenario, you should concentrate on the many free opportunities to accumulate airline miles and points. One option is to apply for the best airline credit card and receive a sign-up bonus. The other is researching the best flexible credit card rewards programmes to transfer earnings to your preferred airlines and hotels. Consider airline dining clubs and shopping portals to rack up points and miles while regularly shopping and eating out.
How to spend your airline miles
Using your points to get free flights and other perks is where things start to get interesting. Logging in to your airline account is the simplest way to learn how to redeem your points for the airline of your choice.
You can use your miles for airfare
Most frequent flyers cash in their miles for (almost) free flights. You may use airline miles to travel anywhere, from a short tour across the country to see relatives to a round-the-world adventure.
Redemption with one airline is not identical to rescue with another airline because each airline has its award scheme or rules. It’s a good habit to get into to do the maths regularly:
Award flights can be calculated by dividing the cash price by the required points.
Add a hundred to that number. Then, you can calculate the dollar worth of a point.
Before making a reservation, please compare the price to our estimates to ensure you’re getting a fair price.
Spend your miles on vacations, vehicles, and cruises
You can redeem your Air Canada Miles for hotel stays with several loyalty programs. Members of some airlines’ loyalty programmes can even cash in their miles for car rentals and cruises. Some programmes allow you to redeem your miles for hotel stays, airline lounge access, concert tickets, and even contributions to charity.
In some loyalty programs, you can exchange your accumulated airline miles for products, gift cards, and magazine subscriptions. You should only consider these options as a last resort when redeeming your airline miles, as they typically offer the lowest value per point.
Remember that these are just estimates, not hard and fast numbers. The value in cents per mile depends on the class of service you select for your flight. Booking first or business class on an international journey may provide significant savings.
Conclusion
Check award availability and do the maths to see if buying Air Canada Miles during a sale is a good financial move. There’s nothing better than scoring a cheap business-class ticket using miles and enjoying a lie-flat bed, premium champagne, and gourmet meals at a fraction of the cost. However, purchasing a ticket using miles rather than hard currency is fine.