Buying points from websites
In travel hacking, one common option to earn miles is buy buying them from the frequent flyer programs of airlines. I just came across a third party company that sells miles.
I was looking at some of the proposition: Asia miles, 49k miles, for 888USD. I feel this is a steal. Not only does it sell for a fraction of what the actual Asia miles website is selling for, but 49k miles is like the equivalent of taking three Hong Kong to Toronto (roundtrips)!
One question though: are they legit? Has anyone had an experience with this sort of thing?
Best Answer
This is most likely a violation of terms&conditions, to which you agreed when joining the frequent flyer program. For example, Delta SkyMiles conditions say Mileage Upgrade Awards may not be sold or bartered.
If you're caught (and I don't know what are the chances) your account is likely to be deleted, along with all your miles - not only those you bought.
BTW, your valuation of the deal seems incorrect to me. 49K miles for 880$ means you're paying 1.8 cents per mile. The travel blog OMAAT evaluates Asia Miles as worth 1.2 cents each, so you may be making a bad deal. You may need to travel HKG-YYZ three times to accumulate this number of miles, but you certainly can't buy 3 such flights for 49K miles.
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Can I buy points online?
Many loyalty programs will sell you their program's points or miles currency with no strings attached. You can jump online, log in to your account and buy points or miles with a credit card and a few clicks.Is it cheaper to buy points?
When you buy one discount point, you'll pay a fee of 1% of the mortgage amount. As a result, the lender typically cuts the interest rate by 0.25%. But one point can reduce the rate more or less than that. There's no set amount for how much a discount point will reduce the rate.Is it legal to sell points?
How does the IRS look at the sale of points?\u201d The short answer is \u2013 you can't sell them. There are plenty of miles brokers on the internet, but it is against the terms and conditions of all frequent flyer programs to sell your miles, and airlines are very active in trying to hunt out people who are selling miles.How do you get points for shopping?
Best Apps That Reward You for ShoppingHow to Buy an Undervalued Website on Flippa
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