Can I buy MR points?
Sep 5, 2022, 7:59 am
#2
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
Points can be purchased, but only if you do not have enough for a redemption. For example, if you try to transfer 50,000 points to an airline, but have only 20,000, you would be able to purchase and transfer the additional 30,000. It's explained here:
https://www.americanexpress.com/cont...ns-06.2022.pdf
See page 3,
https://www.americanexpress.com/cont...ns-06.2022.pdf
See page 3,
Sep 5, 2022, 12:22 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: ANC, NYC
Posts: 327
There are occasionally opportunities to acquire points at decent prices through the Amex/Rakuten partnership. A recent example was 90 MR/$ from rakuten + 5 MR/$ from Amex offers for a norton lifelock subscription. Rakuten points are only transferred to amex quarterly so it may not be helpful for a time sensitive redemption.
Sep 5, 2022, 12:24 pm
#4
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Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 853
There are occasionally opportunities to acquire points at decent prices through the Amex/Rakuten partnership. A recent example was 90 MR/$ from rakuten + 5 MR/$ from Amex offers for a norton lifelock subscription. Rakuten points are only transferred to amex quarterly so it may not be helpful for a time sensitive redemption.
The purchase price doesn't make sense for the large chunk of Hilton points I require but it certainly does for some flights to Asia.
Sep 6, 2022, 10:33 am
#6
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Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 853
I wonder if you can start with zero, and buy the necessary points.
It seems you're paying what is effectively the highest rate swipe percentage they would get anyway so not a loss to AMEX, in fact, I would think the only reason to limit them at all is to maintain integrity of the program to keep their redemption partners on board.
It seems you're paying what is effectively the highest rate swipe percentage they would get anyway so not a loss to AMEX, in fact, I would think the only reason to limit them at all is to maintain integrity of the program to keep their redemption partners on board.
Last edited by Ghoulish; Sep 6, 2022 at 11:01 am
