When your airline miles fall short, buying hotel points during a promo can be a cheaper workaround—then transfer to your airline program.
You don’t always need to scrap a perfect flight redemption just because your miles are a few thousand short.
That’s the situation Misryoum readers often find themselves in: an airline award space you can actually use. but a balance that doesn’t quite reach the required points and miles—especially after transferring credit card rewards.. In a recent real-world booking, the fix wasn’t another credit card transfer or a last-minute cash purchase.. It was a detour through hotel points.
The core problem was simple and frustrating.. Misryoum reports the traveler had an award redemption in sight with Emirates Skywards. and the cash value advantage was clear—over $1. 000 versus paying cash for the same flights.. The issue showed up only at the final step: even after moving points into Emirates Skywards at a 5:4 transfer rate. the account still fell short by about 6. 000 Skywards miles.
The next instinct—checking other transferable programs—hit a wall.. With Chase Ultimate Rewards no longer transferring directly to Emirates Skywards. there was no way to top up that specific gap using that pool of points.. At that moment, many travelers would either buy miles outright from the airline or abandon the booking.. Misryoum says the approach that unlocked the ticket was to “think in currencies,” not in single-program loyalty.
Buying miles directly from Emirates was straightforward but not ideal.. Emirates sells Skywards miles at $30 per 1,000 miles, so covering a 6,000-mile shortfall would mean roughly $180.. Misryoum notes this would still be a meaningful savings compared with paying cash for the redemption—yet the traveler wanted the out-of-pocket cost to be lower.
The turning point came from hotel loyalty.. Marriott Bonvoy was running a promotion offering a 40% bonus when purchasing points.. Using that deal, the traveler paid $162.50 for 13,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, which became 18,200 points after the bonus.. Then the points did what hotel points are best at when used strategically: they were transferred into the airline program needed for the redemption.. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Emirates Skywards at a 3:1 ratio. turning about 18. 000 Bonvoy points into exactly 6. 000 Skywards miles—enough to complete the booking.
The timeline detail mattered too. Misryoum readers know that speed can be the difference between securing award inventory and watching it disappear, so the fact that the transfer happened instantly helped lock in travel plans without losing the timing advantage.
Even with this workaround. it’s not “free money.” Misryoum emphasizes the traveler ultimately saved about $17.50 compared with buying the miles directly from Emirates.. That may sound small. but the bigger lesson is about flexibility: when a redemption is already delivering a large value swing versus cash. a small improvement on top-up cost can still keep the whole trip within a budget you feel good about.
There’s also a wider payoff for travelers who plan beyond one airline.. Misryoum points out that the strategy isn’t limited to flights operated by the airline whose program you’re topping up.. It can extend to partner airlines as well, depending on the redemption rules and how the award is ticketed.. In practical terms. that means hotel-point top-ups can help you reach the threshold for a wider set of routings than you might assume.
If you’re wondering whether this is a one-off trick or something repeatable. the answer is “repeatable. but only if you get the math and transfer pathways right.” Marriott Bonvoy points generally have strong reach: they can be transferred into many airline loyalty programs at a typical 3:1 rate.. Misryoum adds that there are also transfer opportunities through other hotel programs. such as Hilton Honors. IHG One Rewards. Accor Live Limitless. Radisson Rewards. and World of Hyatt—but the transfer rates are often less favorable. which can erase the benefit you’re trying to capture.
Why it matters now is that travel planning has become more point-driven and more time-sensitive.. Award redemptions can tighten quickly, and many travelers are also juggling fewer “simple” transfer options across credit card ecosystems.. Misryoum sees hotel promos as one of the few levers left that can still move the needle—especially when you only need a small top-up rather than a total rebuild of your points balance.
Bottom line: if you’re short by a few thousand miles for a redemption you truly want. Misryoum suggests checking whether a hotel points purchase promotion could close the gap cheaper than buying directly from the airline program.. The best move isn’t blindly buying points—it’s timing the purchase when bonuses are available and then transferring with precision to the specific loyalty currency that matches the ticket you’re trying to secure.