Buying hotel points on sale: how to tell when it pays

Hotel programs sell their points, and several times a year they put them on sale. A sale can halve the price of a night, but only for a night you were going to book. Here is what IHG One Rewards, World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy charge, how their sales work, and the one sum that tells you whether buying beats paying cash.

What points cost, and what a sale changes

Each program sells points through Points.com, at a price per point, up to a yearly limit per member. A sale works in one of two ways: a bonus (extra points on top of what you buy; 100% means buy one, get one) or a discount (a lower price). Most sales apply only above a minimum purchase, and some are targeted, so the offer in your account can differ from the one in the news.

The figures below are the programs' terms as quoted by the sources at the end of this guide, in early October 2026. The programs' own pages show them only after you sign in, so check your account before you buy.

IHG One Rewards

IHG's price is "as little as one cent each (the pricing isn't linear)," so small purchases cost more per point. In this sale, IHG's terms read: "Members will receive a bonus of 100% of the points purchased when they purchase a minimum 5,000 points purchase threshold on a per transaction basis." The usual limit is 200,000 points a calendar year; "during the Offer Period, members may purchase a maximum of up to 300,000 points," counting what you bought earlier in the year. (One Mile at a Time gives the usual limit as 150,000.) The offer is targeted: "The percentage bonus amount will show for eligible members when they log into their IHG One Rewards account."

Sales are frequent. LoyaltyLobby: "IHG has these buy points offers almost monthly." One Mile at a Time: "the bonus is typically in the range of 80-100%."

On October 4, 2026, I bought 300,000 IHG One Rewards points in this sale and received 600,000 with the bonus.

If you hold an IHG credit card, Chase gives a discount instead: "Save at least 30% on points purchases when you pay for those points with your IHG One Rewards, Premier, Premier Select, or Business Credit Cards." But "the 30% discount cannot be combined with any other points purchase offer." At IHG's lowest rate, 30% off is 0.7¢ a point; a 100% bonus is 0.5¢. During a big sale, the sale wins; between sales, the card discount does. Our guide to the IHG One Rewards Premier card covers its other benefits, including the fourth award night free.

World of Hyatt

Hyatt sells at 2.6¢ a point. Its sale was a discount, not a bonus. AwardWallet: "a 20% discount on points purchases when you buy at least 3,000 points. This discount brings the cost per point down to 2.08¢ apiece." Upgraded Points puts the threshold at 5,000.

The sources also disagree on the yearly limit: AwardWallet says "You can purchase up to 55,000 Hyatt points per calendar year"; Upgraded Points says 110,000. Check yours on Hyatt's buy page. You must have been a member "for at least 60 days."

Hyatt points cost more than the others because a Hyatt night costs fewer of them: the award chart prices nights by category, from 3,000 points at Category 1 on its lowest dates.

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott's terms: "Purchase rate is $12.50 USD per 1,000 points," with "a minimum purchase of 1,000 points." The usual limit is 150,000 a year. This sale raises it: "the annual purchase limit of 150,000 Points has been increased to a maximum annual purchase limit of 200,000 Points," and the bonus applies "with a minimum purchase of 2,000 Points" through November 23, 2026. Upgraded Points: "This offer is targeted and will vary based on your account." At the full 55% bonus, a point costs about 0.81¢.

Marriott also lets members buy "up to an additional 100,000 Points annually while booking a hotel stay through the reservation path on Marriott.com."

For couples: two limits, two accounts

The limits are per member. If you both have accounts, you can each buy up to the limit, so a couple can buy twice what one person can. Each of you buys in your own account. A sale's minimum applies to each purchase, and a targeted offer may differ between your two accounts, so both of you should sign in and check.

The one sum that matters

A sale price only matters against a real stay. Take the points a night costs, multiply by the price per point, and compare that with the cash rate for the same room on the same dates.

For example, an IHG night at 40,000 points, bought at 0.5¢ a point, costs $200 in points. If the hotel charges $260 cash, buying saves $60 a night. If it charges $180, paying cash is cheaper, however good the sale looks. Free nights change the sum: with the IHG Premier card's fourth night free, four nights cost three nights' points, so that 40,000-point night averages 30,000, or $150.

Two more things to know:

• Card rewards: Points.com processes the purchase, so your card may not treat it as a hotel purchase. For IHG, Upgraded Points: "this won't count as a hotel expense on your credit card." Marriott's terms say purchases with its own cards "will earn Points as an everyday purchase." Pay with a card that earns well on everyday spending.
• No refunds: Marriott's terms: "Once Points have been purchased or gifted, no refunds will be permitted." IHG's, as quoted by LoyaltyLobby: "Purchased points are not refundable."