Should I Buy Points?
Card issuers & loyalty programs love to sell you points directly. You'll see emails like "Buy 50,000 points for $1,000!" or "Get 30% bonus on purchased miles!" pretty regularly.
In my Ohana Program, the answer is almost always no.
The Math Doesn't Usually Work
When you buy points directly from an issuer, you're typically paying somewhere between 1.5 and 3 cents per point. That sounds reasonable until you compare it to what those same points cost when earned through a welcome bonus.
A welcome bonus on a typical rewards card might pay 75,000-100,000 points for hitting a spending requirement on charges you'd be making anyway. The "cost" to you is just the time to apply & the discipline to hit the spend window. The effective cost per point: essentially zero.
So you've got two paths to the same 75,000 points:
Buy them: ~$1,500-$2,000 out of pocket
Earn them through a welcome bonus: ~$0 in additional spending; just the time to apply
It's a one-sided comparison.
When Buying Points CAN Make Sense
There's a narrow set of situations where buying points becomes worth considering:
1. Topping off for a specific award you're about to book. You've got 70,000 points & you need 75,000 for a flight. The flight is bookable now. You're not earning a welcome bonus in the next month. Buying the 5,000 points to bridge the gap can make sense.
2. Big promotional sales (40%+ bonuses). A few times a year, programs run aggressive promotions - "Buy points & get 100% bonus" type deals. At those rates, the effective cost-per-point can drop into "good redemption" territory. Worth evaluating against a specific known redemption you'd actually book.
3. The award you want is locked in cash terms higher than the points cost. A flight that costs $2,000 cash but only 50,000 points becomes a candidate for buying points if the per-point cost is favorable. Rare but it happens.
In all three cases, the question to answer first: "Am I about to book a specific award where buying points beats paying cash?" If yes, run the math. If no, skip the offer.
What I Generally Recommend
For members in my Ohana Program: don't buy points. The strategy is built around capturing welcome bonuses, which is where the real value comes from. If you've got the time & focus to apply for cards on the schedule we've planned, you'll earn far more points than you could ever buy.
If a buying opportunity does come up & you're wondering whether it's worth it, the question to answer first is whether the math makes sense against a specific award you're actively considering booking. If it does, the offer is worth a closer look. If it doesn't, skip it.
Related Questions
Important Disclosures
Educational guidance only - not financial, credit, or tax advice. Individual results vary based on card approval, spending habits, redemption choices, & timing. Approval for any credit card is subject to issuer criteria.
Hawaii Reward Travel may receive compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This is how this free program is funded. Compensation does not influence guidance. Opinions are the author's alone & have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any bank, card issuer, or other entity.
