Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Wednesday!

Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy are both running point purchase promotions right now, and I want to use this as a chance to explain something important: finding value with hotel points is usually harder than finding value with airline miles. So today, we are switching from airline miles to hotel points.

With flights, the value can be obvious. A business class ticket costs $5,000 in cash, but 70,000 miles plus taxes. Easy math.

Hotels are trickier. Award prices are dynamic, cash rates move constantly, elite benefits change the equation, and not every expensive hotel is a good points redemption.

But if you know what to look for, buying hotel points can absolutely make sense. Let me show you three real examples.

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

Hilton Honors is currently selling points with a 100% bonus, bringing the cost down to $5 USD per 1,000 points, until September 25th. That is usually the best price Hilton offers.

I would not buy Hilton points without a specific stay in mind. But when you have one, the math can be excellent.

Standard room awards here price at around 150,000 Hilton points per night. If you have Hilton Silver status or higher, which is fairly easy to achieve, you get the fifth night free on standard award stays.

So instead of paying for five nights, you pay for four:

150,000 points x 4 nights = 600,000 points. At $5 USD per 1,000 points= $3,000

The same stay in cash was pricing at almost $6,800. (5,215 Euros)

Buying points could save you nearly $4,000 on the room alone. And if you have Hilton Gold status, breakfast benefits can add another $300 to $500 in value depending on the number of guests and how the hotel handles it.

That is how hotel points become interesting. Not because the program is always amazing, but because one specific redemption can be.

This hotel prices at around 130,000 Hilton points per night. With the fifth night free on a five-night stay:

130,000 points x 4 nights = 520,000 points At $5 USD per 1,000 points = $2,600

The same stay in cash costs $4,187.

That is roughly $1,600 in savings. Not as dramatic as Amsterdam, but still a very meaningful difference.

Not every Hilton redemption will look like this. But when cash rates are high and standard award space is available, the numbers can work very well.

Marriott Bonvoy is also selling points right now, with targeted bonuses of up to 50%. Depending on your account, the price works out to 8.9 USD per 1000 points, through September 9.

Marriott is usually harder than Hilton for buying points because the acquisition cost is higher and award pricing can be inconsistent. But there are still situations where it works very well.

For a five-night award stay, Marriott's Stay for 5, Pay for 4 benefit applies on eligible award bookings. The total award cost for five nights in this example is 476,000 Marriott points.

Using the more conservative 8.9 USD per 1000 points:

476,000 points x 8.9 USD per 1000 points = $4,236

The same stay in cash costs $12,529.

That is more than $8,000 in savings.

This is the type of Marriott redemption where buying points can make real sense. Not because Marriott points are always a great deal, but because luxury resort cash rates can be extraordinary. When the gap between cash and points is this large, the math becomes very hard to argue with.

Buying hotel points is not something I recommend blindly.

Most of the time, you should not buy points just because there is a sale. Hotel programs devalue, award pricing changes, and standard award space can disappear quickly.

But if you have already found the hotel, the dates, and the award availability, the process is simple:

Compare the cost of buying the points against the total cash rate.

If points cost $3,000 and cash costs $6,800, that is a good deal. If points cost $4,200 and cash costs $12,500, that is a great deal.

Points are not magic. They are a pricing tool. The best redemptions happen when you stop asking "is this a good program?" and start asking "is this specific booking cheaper with points than with cash?"

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

Catch you in the clouds,

Tomi from Points Master

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