Travel October 1, 2025 0 Comments

How I Uncovered a Secret Flight Hack That Saved Me Nearly $1,000—and Could Change Your Travel Game Forever

‘Tis the season when flight prices seem to sprout wings and take off into the stratosphere—leaving budget travelers like me clutching our wallets a little tighter . Ever wonder why snagging a decent fare during the holiday crush feels like chasing a myth? Well, buckle up. Amidst the usual sticker shock of sky-high costs, I stumbled upon a savvy hack that slashed nearly a grand off my travel tab for not one, but three one-way trips during peak travel madness. Curious how buying points or miles—often overlooked or misunderstood—turned the tables on holiday airfare inflation? Hang on; this little secret might just be your ticket to a smarter, cheaper journey. LEARN MORE

‘Tis the season … for flight prices to skyrocket!

As a budget-conscious traveler, booking a decent cash or points and miles fare can be difficult. However, finding a good deal during the holiday season can seem almost impossible.

But one easy trick helped me snag three one-way flights during the peak holiday season for about $500. Keep reading to find out how I saved almost $1,000 out of pocket with this one points and miles hack.

Travel hack: Buying points or miles can save you a ton of money

Since most airlines operate using dynamic pricing, fares are constantly in flux. However, during the holiday season, rates typically lean toward the higher end, with airlines cashing in on what are typically the busiest days to travel: the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the Christmas and New Year’s rush.

christmas tree in airport — EVGENIA PARAJANIAN/GETTY IMAGES

Therefore, it’s not uncommon to find flight prices up, award availability limited and partner award fares almost nonexistent.

So, when trying to book three nonstop flights from Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) on Sunday, Nov. 30, I can safely say I was sticker-shocked by the $447-per-person price.

But before I purchased these American Airlines tickets — which cost a total of $1,341 — I considered my options.

Why buying points and miles can sometimes work in your favor

Just because you don’t have points or miles with a particular airline or hotel loyalty program, you shouldn’t automatically write it off. While purchasing rewards isn’t always a great deal, when a program is running a promotion on buying points, you can potentially snag a low award fare and save a few hundred dollars.

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Airport Terminal: Mother and Daughter Wait for their Vacation Flight, Looking out of Window for Arriving and Departing Airplanes — OZGURCANKAYA/GETTY IMAGES

Though I didn’t have American Airlines AAdvantage miles in my account to book these flights, I still wanted to get an idea of the award cost. For this particular flight, American was charging 8,500 AAdvantage miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees per person.

I decided to check how much it would cost to purchase American miles. The airline is currently running a promotion to save up to 40% when buying miles (note that the discount depends on how many miles you purchase). Calculating the cost on American’s website, I found out I could purchase 26,000 miles (which would then give me a 15% discount) for $831.52.

Buying American miles to purchase the November award flight would save me about $500; however, I still wanted to look at other alternatives in hopes of finding an even better deal.

Look at partner award flights

Did you know that you can book American award flights on partner airlines? American is part of the Oneworld alliance, which means partner airlines, such as Alaska Airlines and British Airways, sometimes offer customers the opportunity to book award flights via their loyalty programs.

american airlines plane — ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

In this situation, I checked to see if this specific American Airlines flight was available to book through British Airways Club. Since I have both Chase Ultimate Rewards points and American Express Membership Rewards points, I could transfer my points directly to British Airways Club at a 1:1 ratio.

Unfortunately, this American flight was not available, probably because of the holiday. As I mentioned, award availability on partner airlines is limited during peak travel times. (Note: I also checked other Oneworld alliance programs for American Airlines award availability.)

woman coffee computer — THOMAS BARWICK/GETTY IMAGES

But as luck would have it, Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards was offering the Nov. 30 American Airlines flight for 7,500 points and $18.10 per person. At the time, I had 2,500 Atmos Rewards points in my account, so I checked to see how much it would cost to buy 20,000 points.

Atmos Rewards is offering up to a 90% points bonus (depending on how many points you purchase).

By purchasing 12,000 points for $451.50, I’d receive an additional 9,600 points (an 80% bonus), bringing my total to 21,600 Atmos Rewards points. When adding the 2,500 points already in my account, I’d have a grand total of 24,100 points.

Breaking down the math:

$451.50 (cost of purchasing Atmos Rewards points with a promotional bonus) + $54.30 (total cost of taxes and fees for three American award flights) = $505.80 (or $168.60 per person)

Booking method (for three AA flights)	Total out-of-pocket cost (for three AA flights)	Out-of-pocket cash savings (for three AA flights)
Booking the cash fares directly with American Airlines	$1,341	—
Buying American miles to book the award fares	$848.32 (includes taxes and fees for award flight)	$492.68
Buying Atmos Rewards points to book the award fares	$505.80 (includes taxes and fees for award flight)	$835.20

Even if I didn’t have 2,500 Atmos Rewards points in my account, I could have purchased 23,400 points for $489.13 — which still would have been the best deal.

Therefore, by simply buying Atmos Rewards points, I saved almost $1,000 on flights.

Things to keep in mind

Buying points or miles doesn’t always work in your favor: Just because you can buy points or miles doesn’t mean you should. Always crunch the numbers and compare the cash fare versus the award flight, and how much it will cost you out of pocket to purchase the points or miles needed to book this flight. For instance, when loyalty programs aren’t running great promotions, it’s usually more expensive to purchase rewards than to pay the cash ticket rate.

Check partner programs: Airline alliances can be a points and miles enthusiast’s best friend. If you earn transferable rewards with your credit card, see what transfer partners are available and the flights you can book using that loyalty program. For example, I can book select American Airlines flights through British Airways Club. Even if you don’t earn transferable points or miles, it’s still worth checking out partner programs, as you never know which loyalty program may be running a promotion on buying points.

Bottom line

Whether it’s for a holiday trip or your next spring break getaway, buying points and miles can save you a lot of money — in my specific case, almost $1,000.

Be sure to crunch the numbers, compare fares, and check partner award availability and airline promotions frequently. You never know when the airline stars will align — or a loyalty program promotion will hit at the right time — and an amazing flight deal will be just a few clicks away.

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