Award Travel Search tools are your best bet for unlocking incredible travel experiences using your hard-earned miles and points. TRAVELS.EDU.VN understands that finding award availability can be challenging, but these tools can save you time and effort. Let us help you discover the perfect award flights for your next adventure, so consider using advanced search options and setting up award alerts.
1. Tool Comparison Table
| Tool | Price | Live Search? | Alerts? | Cached Discovery? | Supported Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AwardLogic | $4.99/day; $19.99/mo.; $199.99/yr | Yes, 3-day range | Yes | No | AA, AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Avianca, BA, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, JetBlue, EVA, Qantas, SAS, Spirit, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| AwardTool Free | Free | Yes, up to 4 dates or airports | Yes | Yes, next 90 days | AA, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Avianca, BA, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, GOL, JetBlue, Qantas, SAS, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| AwardTool Pro | $10.99/mo.; $84.99/yr | Yes, up to 32 dates or airports | Yes | Yes | AA, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Avianca, BA, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, GOL, JetBlue, Qantas, SAS, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| pointhound | Free | Yes, 3-day range | No | Yes | AA, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, JetBlue, Qantas, Singapore, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| point.me | $12/mo.; $129/yr | Yes | No | Yes | AA, Aegean, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, ANA, Asiana, Avianca (limited), BA, Cathay Pacific, Delta, El Al, Emirates, Etihad, EVA, Hawaiian, Iberia, JetBlue, Korean, Lufthansa, Malaysia, Qatar, Qantas, SAS, Singapore (limited), Southwest, TAP Air Portugal, Thai, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| point.me (via Bilt) | Free | Yes | No | No | Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Avianca, BA, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Iberia, Turkish (limited), United, Virgin |
| point.me (via Amex) | Free | Yes | No | No | Aer Lingus, AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, ANA, Avianca, BA, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Hawaiian, Iberia, JetBlue, Qantas, Qatar (limited), Singapore (limited), Virgin Atlantic |
| Points Path Free | Free | Yes | No | No | AA, Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, United |
| Points Path Pro | $7.99/mo.; $79.99/yr | Yes. 7-day calendar view | Yes | No | AA, Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, United, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Qantas |
| PointsYeah Free | Free | Yes, 4-day range | Yes | Yes | AA, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Avianca, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, Iberia, JetBlue, Qantas, SAS, Singapore, Spirit, TAP, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| PointsYeah Premium | $89.99/yr | Yes, 8-day range + 2 origin & destination airports | Yes | Yes | AA, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Avianca, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, Iberia, JetBlue, Qantas, SAS, Singapore, Spirit, TAP, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| Roame Free | Free | Yes, 3-day range | No | Yes, next 60 days | AA, AeroMexico, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Iberia, JetBlue, Qantas, Qatar, SAS, Singapore, Spirit, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| Roame Subscriber | $12.99/mo; $109.99/yr | Yes, 7-day range | Yes | Yes | AA, AeroMexico, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Iberia, JetBlue, Qantas, Qatar, SAS, Singapore, Spirit, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| Seats.aero Free | Free | Yes, unlimited airports, 15-day range, cached results only | Yes | Yes, next 60 days | AA, AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Azul, Copa, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, GOL, jetBlue, Qantas, Qatar, SAS, Singapore, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| Seats.aero Pro | $9.99/mo.; $99.99/yr | Yes, unlimited airports, 361-day range | Yes | Yes | AA, AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alaska, Azul, Copa, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, GOL, jetBlue, Qantas, Qatar, SAS, Singapore, Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
2. Live Search Comparison Table
| Tool | Date Range | Multiple Airports at Once? | Alerts? | Step-by-Step Booking Tips? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AwardLogic | 3 Days | No | Yes | Yes | Alert settings are very limited |
| AwardTool Free | Up to 4 Days | Up to 4 | Yes | Yes | |
| AwardTool Pro | Up to 32 Days | Up to 32 | Yes | Yes | I love the ability to search multiple dates and/or multiple airports up to 32 combinations. |
| pointhound | 3 Days | No | No | Yes | |
| point.me | 1 Day* | No** | No | Yes | * point.me displays a 3-day range but doesn’t search all 3 days at once ** point.me supports multi-airport search only via co-terminals: NYC, Chicago, DC, London, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Beijing |
| point.me (via Bilt) | 1 Day* | No** | No | No | |
| point.me (via Amex) | 1 Day* | No** | No | Yes | |
| Points Path Free | No | No | No | No | This is a great “set and forget” tool that integrates into Google Flights |
| Points Path Pro | 7 Days | No | Yes | No | |
| PointsYeah Free | 4 Days | No | Yes | Yes | |
| PointsYeah Premium | 8 Days | 2 origin; 2 destination | Yes | Yes | The total number of allowed combos exceeds AwardTool Pro, but I prefer how AwardTool lets the user decide. |
| Roame Free | 3 Days | No | No | No | |
| Roame Subscriber | 7 Days | No | Yes | No | Creating an alert requires enabling Sky View. |
| Seats.aero Free | 15 Days (cached results only) | Unlimited | Yes | No | Only searches for single seat. Alerts are canceled after they’re triggered. |
| Seats.aero Pro | 361 Days | Unlimited | Yes | No | Can specify the number of travelers, max fees, max stops, etc. Alerts are canceled after they’re triggered. |
3. Cached Discovery Comparison Table
| Tool | Date Range | Broad Origin and Destination? | Min Seats | Min % Premium? | Easy Refresh? | Discovery Alerts? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AwardTool Free | 30 Days | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Results limited to next 90 days. |
| AwardTool Pro | 90 Days | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| point.me | 12 Months | Broad destination only | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| pointhound | 365 Days | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| PointsYeah | 60 Days | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Allows setting a Deal Alert based on explore criteria. |
| Roame Free | 7 Days | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Results limited to next 60 days |
| Roame Subscriber | 60 Days | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Seats.aero Free | 15 Days via Search; 60 Days via Explore | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Explore results limited to next 60 days |
| Seats.aero Pro | 365 Days | Yes | Yes | Automatic | Yes | Yes |
1. Which Award Travel Search Tool Is Best Overall?
PointsYeah is the best overall tool with the best combination of features. PointsYeah’s Flight Deals capabilities stand out. Its cached-search feature is valuable for finding business-class flights. The live search feature is also commendable, with an eight-day range and the ability to specify up to two departure and arrival airports simultaneously. PointsYeah also offers very good hotel award search capabilities.
Pro Pricing:
- $11.99 per month; or $99.99 per year
2. What Is The Best Overall Award Travel Search Tool Runner-Up?
AwardTool, with its flexibility in allowing users to specify how they want to use up to 32 simultaneous searches, making it exceptionally versatile, is the best runner-up to using PointsYeah. The Pro version allows for a 32-day date range or listing up to 32 airports with a single date. Both free and Pro versions access the “Mega” feature, which allows date ranges of up to 35 days when searching individual programs.
Pro Pricing:
- $10.99 per month; or $84.99 per year
3. Which Award Travel Search Tool Is Best For Beginners?
Point.me is the best tool for beginners because it weeds out “phantom” awards from its results, and it also offers step-by-step booking instructions. This helps beginners who don’t fully understand award travel bookings make fewer mistakes.
Pricing:
- $12 per month; or $129 per year
4. Which Award Travel Search Tool Is Best For Experts?
Seats.aero is the best option for experts that makes it super easy to find some of the toughest-to-find awards, such as Qatar QSuites and Emirates first class, by quickly finding award availability for a specific airline across the whole year.
Advanced Functions:
- Award search functions: ANA First Class Finder, Delta One Finder, JAL First Class Finder, Lufthansa First Class Finder, Qatar QSuites Finder
- Miscellaneous functions: Fare Class Viewer, Seat Map Viewer, Air Canada eUpgrade Finder, United PlusPoints Finder
Pro Pricing:
- $9.99/month or $99.99 per year
5. What Is The Best Add-On Award Travel Search Tool?
Points Path is the best add-on because it is a Chrome plug-in that works automatically with Google Flights and adds point prices next to cash prices in Google Flight search results.
Pro Pricing:
- $7.99/month or $79.99 per year
6. Why Should I Consider Pointhound As An Award Travel Search Tool?
Pointhound is an excellent choice for beginners because it is fast, easy to use, and offers good step-by-step booking instructions. In addition, you don’t have to sign up to use this free tool.
7. How Good Is Roame As An Award Travel Search Tool?
Roame is a capable award search tool, but it doesn’t offer much that isn’t also available through PointsYeah or AwardTool. The free version offers a three-day date range, and the paid version offers seven. SkyView is well integrated with its search capability, such that you can easily switch back and forth while looking for awards.
Standout features include filtering by aircraft type, SkyView “super alerts” refreshed every two to eight hours, the ability for users to add to SkyView routes, and good support for Singapore Krisflyer awards.
Pro Pricing:
- $12.99 per month; or $109.99 per year
8. Why Is AwardLogic Not Recommended As An Award Travel Search Tool?
AwardLogic is less capable and more expensive than other tools, so it’s not one of the best award travel search tools available.
Pro Pricing:
- $4.99/day; $19.99/mo.; $199.99/yr
9. Which Tool Has The Best Loyalty Program Support?
All the tools support searching a lot of programs. At any given time, some tools may be better due to support for specific programs. For example, only Roame and point.me directly support Qatar Privilege Club. It’s worth noting that support for various programs changes regularly with each tool.
10. How Can TRAVELS.EDU.VN Help Me With Award Travel Search?
At TRAVELS.EDU.VN, we understand the allure of award travel and the challenges of finding the perfect flights using your miles and points. Nestled in the heart of Napa Valley, we specialize in curating exceptional travel experiences. We offer personalized consultations to help you navigate the complexities of award travel and craft unforgettable journeys tailored to your preferences.
We invite you to contact us to explore the possibilities and let us assist you in turning your travel dreams into reality.
- Address: 123 Main St, Napa, CA 94559, United States
- WhatsApp: +1 (707) 257-5400
- Website: TRAVELS.EDU.VN
FAQ About Award Travel Search
1. What is award travel?
Award travel is a way to travel using airline miles or credit card points to pay for flights, rather than paying with cash.
2. Why use award travel search tools?
These tools help you find available award flights, compare options, and discover hidden deals that you might miss with manual searches.
3. Are award travel search tools free?
Some award travel search tools offer free basic versions, while others require a subscription for full access to features like advanced search filters and alerts.
4. How do award travel search tools work?
They search across multiple airline loyalty programs to find available award seats based on your origin, destination, and travel dates.
5. What are the key features to look for in an award travel search tool?
Essential features include live search, alerts for award availability, cached discovery for broad searches, and support for multiple loyalty programs.
6. How accurate are award travel search tools?
While they strive for accuracy, award availability can change rapidly. Always confirm the availability directly with the airline before transferring points or booking.
7. Can I search for hotel awards with these tools?
Some tools, like PointsYeah, also offer hotel award search capabilities. For a dedicated hotel award search, consider using a specialized tool.
8. What is “phantom” award availability?
“Phantom” award availability refers to seats that appear to be available in the search results but are not actually bookable when you try to confirm with the airline.
9. How do I set up alerts for award availability?
Most tools with an alert feature allow you to specify your desired route, dates, and number of passengers, and will notify you via email when matching award space becomes available.
10. Which loyalty programs should I focus on for award travel?
This depends on your travel preferences and the regions you want to visit. Popular programs include American Airlines AAdvantage, United MileagePlus, Delta SkyMiles, and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Planning a trip to Napa Valley? Let travels.edu.vn handle the details. From flights and accommodations to exclusive wine tours and dining experiences, we’ll curate a personalized itinerary that exceeds your expectations. Contact us today and let the journey begin.
