Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Wednesday!

Two deals today. First, another opportunity to buy Avios at a pretty good price, and I think this one is particularly interesting because of how flexible Avios is as a currency. Then, if you have a hotel stay coming up over the next month or so, IHG has launched a broad sale with discounts of up to 30%.

Here's what's inside today's post:

Finnair Plus has launched a new promotion on purchased Avios, offering bonuses of up to 50% through October 5.

The bonus depends on how many you purchase:

There is also a small trick worth knowing.

Finnair allows you to choose which currency you use to purchase the Avios, and the pricing is not identical across currencies. Right now, paying in Japanese yen is the cheapest option, bringing the effective cost at the highest bonus tier to around $14.10 per 1,000 Avios.

That is a good price. Not the absolute cheapest way we have discussed for acquiring Avios, since we know there are ways to get them for around $12 per 1,000, but those approaches are not as straightforward as simply purchasing and having them deposited directly into your account.

Think about this as buying Avios, not Finnair miles

Avios are not really tied to one airline anymore.

You can hold Avios with Finnair Plus, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, and other programs. You can also move Avios between these programs at a 1:1 ratio.

So I do not look at this as a sale on Finnair miles. I look at it as an opportunity to buy Avios.

You could buy them through Finnair and eventually move them to Qatar to book Qsuites, to British Airways for a specific partner redemption, to Iberia for one of its sweet spots, or simply keep them with Finnair. That flexibility makes me much more comfortable buying Avios than purchasing miles in a more isolated program.

What can $14.10 per 1,000 actually get you?

Let me use Finnair itself as an example.

A one-way business class award from Helsinki to destinations like Tokyo or Bangkok costs 62,500 Avios.

At $14.10 per 1,000:
62,500 Avios = $881
Plus around $160 in taxes and surcharges
Approximate total: around $1,041 one-way in business class

For a long-haul business class flight from Europe to Asia, that is a very reasonable number. And one useful thing about Finnair is that it guarantees a minimum number of award seats on its own flights, which can make these awards easier to find than some other premium cabin redemptions when booking well in advance.

Would I buy Avios at this price? Yes, particularly if I expected to use them within the next year. We have seen better opportunities and will likely see more Avios sales again, but around $14 per 1,000 is in line with the better straightforward purchase prices we have seen.

The second deal today is much simpler.

IHG has launched a Destination Deals promotion offering members up to 30% off the Best Flexible Rate at participating hotels. The promotion covers properties across Europe, India, the Middle East, Africa, Greater China, the US, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

In the Americas, the discount varies by brand. Participating Essential and Suites brands like Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express get 25% off, while Luxury, Lifestyle, and Premium brands including Regent, InterContinental, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, and Voco can get 30% off.

You need to book by September 29, and eligible stays run from September 25 through November 8, 2026. Bookings need to be made at least three days in advance. Some exclusions apply, including Six Senses, Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, IHG Army Hotels, and InterContinental Alliance Resorts.

If you are travelling over the next few weeks, check the participating IHG hotels before booking somewhere else. Thirty percent is a meaningful discount, particularly at an expensive InterContinental, Regent, or Kimpton property.

And remember what we talked about last week: IHG is simultaneously selling points at $5 per 1,000.

So if you are looking at an IHG stay right now, you have two numbers to compare:

The 30% off cash rate versus buying points and booking an award.

Run both. Sometimes the cash sale wins, sometimes the points win, and that five-minute comparison can save you a few hundred dollars without much effort.

That's it for today. More deals and news coming your way on Friday.

Catch you in the clouds,
Tomi from Points Master

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