Holiday flight prices have a special talent for wrecking a travel budget. When everyone tries to fly home at the same time, cash fares jump, award prices follow, and decent deals are suddenly hard to find. If you rely on points and miles to save money, the holidays can feel even more frustrating, with fewer award seats and unpredictable pricing.
On a recent holiday trip, we needed three one way tickets and the initial price was painful. By using one straightforward points and miles strategy, we brought the total down to around $500 and kept close to $900 in our pocket. In this guide, we walk you step by step through what we did so you can copy the same approach the next time peak season airfare looks out of control.
Using Purchased Points And Miles To Lower Your Flight Costs
Most big airlines now use some version of dynamic pricing for both cash and award tickets. Prices move constantly based on demand, travel dates, route popularity, and even time of day. During holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, demand is so strong that prices often sit near the top of the range instead of the bottom.
Peak dates make that even worse. Classic busy days such as the Sunday after Thanksgiving or the main weekends around Christmas and New Year are prime examples. On those days, it is common to see big jumps in cash fares, very limited saver award space, and partner awards that seem to vanish.
Example: Sticker Shock On A Holiday Route
We ran into exactly this situation when we tried to book three nonstop tickets from Palm Beach International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport on a busy post holiday Sunday, Nov. 30. The search results were not friendly. The best nonstop option was quoted at more than $400 per person.
The specific itinerary we wanted showed a price of about $447 per traveler for a one way economy ticket. For three people, that put the total around $1,341 for a single one way flight. For anyone trying to keep travel costs reasonable, that kind of number is hard to accept.
Why We Looked Beyond The Cash Fare
Instead of paying the full amount without thinking, we paused and started running the numbers. Before committing to a paid ticket, we wanted to see whether award flights, partner loyalty programs, or purchased miles could bring the price down.
When Buying Points Or Miles Can Actually Make Sense
Why Buying Points Is Not Always A Good Deal
If you do not currently hold miles or points with a specific airline or hotel loyalty program, it is easy to assume that program is off the table. That is not always true. Many loyalty systems allow you to buy miles or points directly, and they frequently run promotions that add bonus points or discounts that can shift the math in your favor.
Normally, buying points or miles at full price is not a smart move. The cost per point is often higher than the value you get back on a typical trip. During a strong promotion, especially in a period of high cash fares, things change. The right sale can turn an overpriced cash ticket into a solid points deal.
The Math Behind This Specific Itinerary
For this itinerary, the airline that operated the nonstop route we wanted showed an internal award price of 8,500 miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees per person. Even though we did not have that airline’s miles on hand, we wanted to understand what an award booking would cost.
Next, we checked the price to buy miles through that airline’s loyalty program. At the time, the program was offering a promotion that let you save up to 40% on purchased miles, with the exact discount depending on how many miles you bought.
Using the built in calculator, we saw that buying 26,000 miles would unlock a 15% discount and cost roughly $831.52 out of pocket. That mileage balance would be enough to cover the award tickets for the three travelers, plus the small government taxes on each ticket.
Put in simple terms, buying miles and then booking award tickets would come to about $831.52 plus three sets of $5.60 in taxes, instead of paying around $1,341 in cash. That is roughly $500 in savings for the same nonstop flight and the same seats.
Why We Still Looked For An Even Better Deal
Even though that already looked like a win, we kept going. We wanted to see whether partner airline loyalty programs or transferable points from our cards could unlock an even better option, possibly with lower award prices or separate promotions on buying points.
Checking Partner Award Options Through Airline Alliances
One of the most powerful parts of a points and miles strategy is that you are not always stuck booking through the airline that operates your flight. Many large carriers belong to global airline alliances and maintain strong partnerships. In those setups, partner loyalty programs can often book the same seats using their own award pricing.
For this trip, we started by exploring partner award options. The airline we wanted to fly belongs to a major alliance, so its partners can often see at least some of the same award space. Our first step was to check if a partner frequent flyer program would show this specific nonstop flight as an award we could book.
Because we hold cards that earn flexible points in a couple of different points systems, we had the ability to move those transferable points into several airline loyalty programs at a 1 to 1 ratio. That opened the door to booking the exact same flight through a partner program instead of directly through the operating airline.
Our first search did not deliver good news. The partner program we checked did not show any award seats on this flight at all, which is very common around major holidays. During peak demand dates, airlines sometimes keep more seats for their own members and release fewer to partners, even when they still sell awards internally. We checked a couple more airline programs within the same alliance and saw similar results.
Then we turned to another partner frequent flyer program. This second partner loyalty system did show the Nov. 30 nonstop flight we were targeting. Better still, it priced each award ticket at 7,500 points plus $18.10 in taxes and fees.
At that moment, we already had 2,500 points in that partner account, so we were not starting from zero. We still needed enough points to cover three tickets, so we checked what it would cost to buy additional points directly through that program.
The partner loyalty program was running a generous promotion that offered up to a 90% bonus when you bought points, with the bonus size depending on the number of points you purchased. (Always verify the latest promotion details before relying on a similar offer, since these deals are time limited.)
We found a sweet spot in the promotion chart. By buying 12,000 points for about $451.50, we would receive an extra 9,600 bonus points, an 80% boost. That purchase would give us 21,600 new points. When we added those to the 2,500 points already in our account, we ended up with a total of 24,100 points.
That balance was more than enough to book three award tickets at 7,500 points each, with a small cushion left over. We would still owe the $18.10 in taxes and fees per person, but our total out of pocket cost would be the price of the purchased points plus those modest taxes.
Key Rules To Follow Before You Buy Points Or Miles
Buying points or miles is a useful tool, not a shortcut that always works. If you use it without doing the math, you can easily pay more than you would with a simple cash ticket. Used thoughtfully, especially when cash fares spike, it can unlock real savings. Here are important checks to make before you commit.
Run The Numbers Carefully Every Time
The fact that you can buy miles or points does not mean you should. Always compare three core figures:
- The total cash price of the ticket you want to book.
- The total award price in miles or points, including taxes and fees.
- The full cost of buying enough miles or points, including taxes, fees, and any currency conversion charges.
Only move ahead if the cost of purchased miles or points plus award taxes is clearly lower than the paid fare. When loyalty programs are not running strong bonuses or discounts, buying rewards is usually more expensive than simply paying for the ticket.
Pay Attention To Promotion Strength And Timing
Not every sale is worth jumping on. A small 10% or 20% bonus on purchased miles rarely flips a bad deal into a good one. Larger bonuses, such as 60%, 80%, or higher, can make a big difference, especially when combined with favorable award pricing.
You also need to consider timing. Promotional offers usually end on a set date. Before you buy, confirm the deadline, read the terms carefully, and make sure you know how quickly the new miles or points will post to your account.
Search Partner Loyalty Programs And Alliances
Airline alliances and partner relationships are often where advanced points and miles strategies shine. If you earn transferable rewards with your cards, you can send those points into multiple airline or hotel loyalty programs and pick whichever one offers the best balance of price and availability.
Even without transferable rewards, you might still be able to buy points directly in a partner program that has better award pricing on the route you want. Before you decide to buy from one airline,
Availability changes quickly, especially near major holidays, so a wide search often reveals options that do not appear in your first search.
Consider Your Longer Term Travel Plans
When we think about buying a large block of miles or points, we always ask whether we will realistically use any leftover balance within the next year or two. Rewards that sit unused in one program face risks like rule changes, devaluations, or new fees.
If your plan would leave you with a small leftover balance that you can use on a future short trip, that might be fine. If it would leave you with a large stash of points in a program you rarely touch, it may not be worth the risk, even if you save money on the immediate trip.
Protect Yourself From Changes To Loyalty Programs
Airline and hotel loyalty systems can adjust award charts, fees, and rules with very little notice. When you buy points or miles without a clear plan, you take on the risk that the value will drop before you use them. To reduce that risk:
- Try to buy miles or points only when you are ready to book a specific trip.
- Recheck award prices and taxes right before you purchase.
- Book the award as soon as the new points post to your account.
Keep Learning With Our Free Travel Community
If this kind of strategy gets you excited about what is possible with points and miles, you are exactly the kind of traveler we love having inside our free TheMilesAcademy community. We break down real world examples like this, share new ways to use loyalty programs, and help you avoid expensive mistakes when cash fares and award prices are both moving around.
Inside the community, you can learn from other travelers, ask questions about your own trips, and see how different people use rewards to lower the cost of family visits, holiday flights, and big once in a lifetime journeys. Our goal is to help you feel confident every time you book, whether you are buying points, using miles, or paying cash.
You will also get access to our free card finder tool, which helps you match your travel goals with the types of cards that can support them. Instead of guessing, you can use the tool to narrow down options based on your habits, then combine those cards with the strategies in this guide to unlock even more value from your flights and hotel stays.
If you want to keep improving your results, join our free TheMilesAcademy community and try our free card finder tool. Together, we can help you turn smart points decisions into more trips, better seats, and less money coming out of your pocket.
