Time to Buy Hotel Points?

It can be a great deal with good timing

September 14, 2025

It’s been a while since we’ve talked about buying hotel points, but Choice just launched a promo so good it’s worth a fresh look. 👀 

It’s generally not a good idea to buy points unless you can buy them on sale and have a plan to use them soon. But in the right spot, it can absolutely make sense and save money. And Choice’s current promotion just might be the right spot. That promotion will let you buy points for just 0.57¢ apiece if you buy 18,000 or more. Nerdwallet values these points at 0.8¢ each, so it might seem like a decent deal, as you can buy them below their market value.

But if you are cheap or obsessed with Japan (🙋‍♂️), this deal is not just good, but potentially pretty special. Choice redemption rates are stable, starting at 8,000 points. During our spring Japan trip, we took full advantage of these deals. With this Choice sale, you can get the points you need to book these properties for around $45 per night. And it’s not just Japan–there are properties available across the US for only 8,000 points, even in major metro areas. 

I bought 24,000 points for $135—three nights in Japan. That’s a palatable cost for an outstanding deal that will likely still be solid even if redemption rates go up. I still wouldn’t recommend buying points if you didn’t have a firm plan in place to use them, but if you have upcoming travel, this offer might be an interesting option to consider to save some money on lodging. And even if you don’t take advantage of this offer, remember that bonuses on purchased hotel points come around fairly often—it might be worth checking out next time you’re looking to book a hotel stay. 

(For a deeper dive, read the blog version of this newsletter.)

This Week in the Blog 📝

Which rewards (Atmos, Bilt, or Hilton) should you choose when taking a Lyft? We broke it down. 

Quick Points of the Week ⚡

Major news 🚨

Refreshed Platinum Card coming this week (probably). American Express has essentially confirmed that its flagship premium card is being launched on Thursday the 18th. Rumors include a $895(!) annual fee and an increased statement credit for Amex’s fancy hotel collection, but we’re yet to see what Amex’s “largest investment ever in a Card refresh” means in detail. You might want to apply now to lock in the lower fee for a year… but it’s difficult to say without knowing if the welcome offer at launch will blow the current offer (targeted, up to 175k points) out of the water and offer more value. (ThriftyTraveler)

Special offers ✨ 

Earn $50 by joining Rakuten, or referring a friend. 🔥🔥🔥 Rakuten is an awesome shopping portal that allows you to earn cash back (or Amex points!) when shopping from eligible merchants online. Currently, you can receive $50 cash back when signing up with an eligible referral link and spending $50 or more. Or–if you already have an account–if you refer someone and they complete qualifying activity. 

For as long as I can remember, you could earn $30 by signing up with a referral, and $40 offers are reasonably common, but $50 is new. This is a fantastic deal, meaning you could get a $50 online purchase essentially for free—plus the points. And the deals are currently really good. 

If you haven’t signed up for Rakuten yet, now is a great time. And you can help your friendly neighborhood points sloth by using our referral link. 🦥

Bonus points on the Mesa Homeowner’s Card. You can still get 5,000 bonus points when signing up for this excellent card via referral link (though it has offered up to 50,000 in the past). If you then refer two people, you can earn 50,000 points after spending $10,000—that’s in addition to 10,000 points for the referrals themselves. (FrequentMiler)

Extra points 🪙 

Feeling charitable? Earn up to 5,000 bonus Delta Skymiles for donations to United Way. (I have written about this promotion before.) 

Giveaways 🎟️ 

What’s your dream Japan destination? Tell ANA for a chance to win a trip to Japan.

New products and features 🆕

OnePay launches a credit card with a Walmart bonus. Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases, 3% at Walmart or 5% with a Walmart+ membership. Snap judgment: rotation card at best. (TPG)

Avios are getting easier to move. It’s always been possible to transfer Avios between the many airlines (like British Airways and Aer Lingus) that use them as their loyalty currency, but it hasn’t always been easy. A new online tool will make it easier to move Avios between various participating programs—making your transferable rewards easier to redeem in the process (every major bank currency can be transferred to at least one Avios airline).  (TPG)

Devaluation 📉

Hilton prices are rising. Again. Hilton abruptly raised the minimum redemption rates for points bookings on many of its top properties last week, the second time it did so without any warning in 2025. This appears mostly concentrated at the top of their hotel range, but it’s still concerning if you’re a Hilton fan. (MilesTalk)

Fun 👻

To Nice, or Tunis? A little miscommunication led to quite the detour. (OMAAT)

Sign-up bonus of the Week 🎯

The biggest new offer this week is 100,000 Avios on British Airways, Aer Lingus, or Iberia cards. Avios aren’t the most valuable or easiest to use, and these cards don’t shine long-term—but a 100k bonus can still be worth several hundred dollars once you’ve collected the keeper cards you really want.

Read more about these cards in the blog. 

Other great current bonuses

100k + 25k companion certificate on the Alaska Atmos Summit (our take)

125k on the Chase Sapphire Reserve (our take)

100k on the Citi Strata Elite (maybe in-branch) (our take)

165k on the IHG Premier (our take)

75k miles on the Chase Sapphire Preferred (our hot take 🔥)

Enjoy the weekend! 🦥

Add “look for points sales” to your pre-booking checklist.

Some links in this newsletter are referral links—if you use them, I may receive a bonus or commission. I only include them when I believe they’re the best current offer and a genuinely good deal. Still, always double-check for the best offer and consider a card’s history. Thanks for supporting LazyPoints 🦥.