Award search tools help find available seats on flights that can be booked with points before you transfer from a bank program. As of October 20, 2026, free plans on the main tools limit the search window, the number of results, or the number of active alerts. Paid plans expand those limits so you can look farther ahead or set more alerts. Transfers generally cannot be undone, so the tools give a starting list only.
Each tool type handles a different part of the search. Some focus on specific frequent flyer program lists and alerts for particular routes. Others cover a wide set of airlines and loyalty programs with real-time results. A third group adds hotel award searches alongside flights. ExpertFlyer emphasizes detailed seat maps and short-interval award and upgrade checks. Matching the tool to the trip reduces time spent on searches that the free limits would cut off.
Tool results can show seats that are no longer available. Airline calendars can also lag. The sections below cover the free and paid limits of the main tools and the search-before-transfer sequence that keeps points safe until the seat is confirmed.
Short trips inside the free window can stay on free plans. Longer trips or multiple alerts usually need a paid plan. Hotel-focused trips fit the tool that includes hotel programs. The table below summarizes the free limits, paid prices, and best uses.
At a Glance
| Tool | Free plan | Paid price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats.aero We may earn a commission if you book through this link. | Up to 30 days search, up to 5 active alerts | $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr | Specific program lists and alerts |
| point.me | Up to 60 days, limited to 15 results | Standard $129/yr or $12/mo; Premium about $260/yr | Broad airline and program coverage with real-time search |
| PointsYeah | One-way up to 4 days, 1 airport, up to 4 alerts | Premium $119.95/yr or $10/mo (from $19.99) | Hotel awards plus flights |
| AwardTool | 4-day real-time, 90 days route data, 3 alerts | Pro: check the site | Real-time multi-day searches and route calendars |
| ExpertFlyer | Limited free access | Premium $10.99/mo billed annually | Detailed seat maps and one-week interval award and upgrade search |
Use free plans for short searches inside the listed windows. Upgrade for longer windows, more alerts, or hotel searches.
Why Award Search Tools Matter
Award seats open and close quickly. Searching one airline or one program at a time takes time and can miss space that appears on a partner. Tools pull availability from multiple programs into one view so you can see options before you move points. The main tools differ in how far they look, how many results they return, and whether they include hotel awards.
Results from tools can be stale. Seats.aero notes that award availability it shows can be phantom We may earn a commission if you book through this link. and advises always verifying before transferring points or canceling backup tickets, and checking the airline’s site directly. Cached results, syncing delays, and partner feed glitches can leave a seat showing after it has already been taken. AwardTool tells users to confirm the price and seats before transferring points or booking. Treat every tool result as a lead, not a confirmed booking. See the Search-Before-Transfer section for the full confirmation step.
Airline calendars can lag as well. United’s Flexible Dates calendar on united.com shows per-person prices that have been available within the last 24 hours and may not currently be available, displayed in 30-day windows. A price that appears on the calendar may have sold out by the time you reach the booking page. The same caution applies to other airline sites.
Different tool types solve different problems. Program-list tools such as Seats.aero focus on named frequent flyer programs and let you set alerts for specific routes. Broad-coverage tools such as point.me search across 150+ airlines and 30+ loyalty programs with real-time results. Tools that add hotels, such as PointsYeah, compare award and cash prices for 50,000+ hotels across more than 10 hotel programs alongside 200+ airlines. Seat-map tools such as ExpertFlyer focus on detailed seat maps and award or upgrade searches in one-week intervals. Choosing the right type matches the search to the trip.
The practical sequence is search with a tool, confirm the seat on the airline or partner site, then transfer points. Transfers generally cannot be undone. Skipping the confirmation step risks moving points to a program for a seat that is no longer available. The later sections walk through each tool’s free and paid limits and the ordered steps that keep the points in the original program until the seat is confirmed.
Seats.aero
Seats.aero is an award search engine with Search, Explore, and Alerts features. The free plan limits the search window to up to 30 days and active alerts to up to 5. Pro expands the search window to an extended 60+ days and removes the alert limit. Pro also adds advanced filters and SMS alerts. Pro costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
Search connects travelers with flights available using miles across different frequent flyer programs. Explore finds award inventory across large date ranges and regions. Alerts notify by email when a match appears. Pro adds a JSON API for searching availability programmatically. These features let you scan named programs quickly instead of checking each airline site one by one.
Seats.aero covers 27 programs, including Aeroplan, Flying Blue, United, American, Delta, Alaska Atmos, Virgin Atlantic and Qatar (full list in the FAQ below). A search for a program on this list will return results. Programs not on the list will not appear.
For a step-by-step walk-through of the search screens, see how to use Seats.aero. That guide covers the buttons and filters; this section covers the free and paid limits and the verification step. Use the free plan for trips inside 30 days with a few alerts. Use Pro when you need a longer window, more alerts, advanced filters, SMS, or the API.
Twelve months at the monthly Pro rate of $9.99 equal $119.88. The yearly price of $99.99 is lower. The free plan stops at 30 days and five active alerts; Pro extends the window and removes the alert cap. The free limits keep casual near-term searches free. Paid expands the calendar and removes the alert cap for travelers who watch multiple routes or plan farther ahead. The verification step remains the same on both plans. Programs not listed will not appear in results, so check the program list before choosing this tool for a specific award. The Explore feature for large date ranges and the Alerts feature for email matches make it useful for flexible dates on the listed programs.
point.me
point.me offers real-time search across 150+ cards, airlines, and loyalty programs. Most results appear in under 20 seconds. It also provides step-by-step transfer and booking instructions. The free plan searches up to 60 days out and limits each search to 15 results. Standard removes the result cap and extends the window to unlimited search up to one year out. Standard costs $129 per year (shown as $10.75 per month billed yearly) or $12 per month. Premium is about $260 per year.
It covers 150+ airlines and 30+ loyalty programs, including Southwest Rapid Rewards, The British Airways Club, Iberia Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, American AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, and United MileagePlus. A search for Southwest, British Airways, or Iberia space will return results here. Those programs do not appear on every other tool’s named list.
Full-service concierge booking is a flat $200 fee per passenger. The service searches dozens of programs to find up to 3 itineraries and includes research, points transfer and booking support, and advice on transfer partners, taxes, and comparison options. The concierge option is separate from the self-serve search plans.
Free works for limited short searches inside 60 days with a 15-result cap. Standard extends the window to a year and removes the result limit for frequent planning. Premium adds further benefits on top of Standard.
Twelve months at the Standard monthly rate of $12 equal $144. The yearly price of $129 is lower. The free plan reaches 60 days but caps results at 15 per search; Standard removes both limits and reaches one year. The real-time speed and transfer instructions help when you already know the route and need to see which programs have space. The 15-result free cap means long lists may be truncated until you upgrade. Use the free plan for quick checks inside 60 days. Upgrade when the window or the result count becomes the limit. The concierge option at $200 per passenger is available separately if you prefer guided booking of up to three itineraries. Coverage of Southwest Rapid Rewards, The British Airways Club and Iberia Club makes it the tool for those programs. Most results appear in under 20 seconds, which speeds the initial scan before you confirm on the airline site. The step-by-step transfer and booking instructions appear with the results so you know which bank program can move points to the airline program that has the seat.
PointsYeah
PointsYeah free plan allows one-way searches up to 4 days, 1 origin/destination airport, and up to 4 alerts. Premium expands that to up to 8 days, up to 2 airports, and up to 32 alerts. Premium is $119.95 billed annually; the site currently shows $10/month, marked down from $19.99/month. It also searches hotel awards, covering 50,000+ hotels and more than 10 hotel programs, comparing award prices with cash prices, plus 200+ airlines.
PointsYeah's Explorer map filters by cabin, stops, maximum points and bank program. Its hotel search covers Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Choice and Wyndham. The map helps when the destination is not fixed and you want to see where points can go.
PointsYeah keeps a page listing current credit card transfer bonuses (Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and others) with each offer’s expiration date. For the live list of current bonuses, see transfer bonuses right now. Matching a bonus to a hotel or flight award can change the number of miles needed.
Free suits very short one-way trips with a single airport pair and a few alerts. Premium helps when you need more airports, a longer day window, more alerts, or hotel redemptions. Hotel award searches compare the points price with the cash price so you can see which is lower on a given night.
Twelve months at the current $10 monthly rate equal $120. The yearly price of $119.95 is nearly the same. The free plan limits one-way searches to four days, one airport pair and four alerts; Premium doubles the day window, allows two airports and raises alerts to 32. The free 4-day limit means a round-trip or multi-day trip may require multiple searches or an upgrade. The hotel coverage is the main difference from pure flight tools. Use free for short flight checks. Upgrade when hotel awards or longer windows are the goal. Daydream Explorer filters for cabin class, stops, maximum points and bank programs help when the destination is flexible. Supported hotel programs include Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Choice and Wyndham. It covers 50,000+ hotels and more than 10 hotel programs plus 200+ airlines. Comparing award prices with cash prices on the hotel search shows when a points redemption is lower than paying cash for the same night.
AwardTool
AwardTool free plan offers 4-day real-time search, 90 days of route data, and 3 alerts. Pro provides 32-entry real-time search across a 365-day period, 70 advanced award alerts, and yearly hotel data. No price appears on the Pro page. Check the site directly for the current amount.
The free tier supports multi-city and roundtrip real-time searches within its limits. Use free for short real-time checks and route data inside 90 days. Upgrade for full-year windows, more alerts, or frequent hotel calendar access.
AwardTool tells users to confirm the price and seats before transferring points or booking. The multi-entry searches let you cover many date and airport combinations in one submission. Hotel calendar access is limited on free and expanded on Pro. The 32-entry searches allow covering many date and airport combinations in one go, which speeds planning for flexible itineraries. Free users get access to flight deals and advanced filters within the short window, while Pro removes the date restrictions for full-year planning.
Coverage Compared
Coverage differs by tool. The table below uses only the programs named on each site. PointsYeah states it searches 200+ airlines and more than 10 hotel programs covering 50,000+ hotels, but does not publish a full named list on the pages checked.
| Program | Seats.aero | point.me | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Yes | Yes | Named on both |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | Yes | Named on Seats.aero | |
| American AAdvantage | Yes | Yes | Named on both |
| Delta SkyMiles | Yes | Yes | Named on both |
| United MileagePlus | Yes | Yes | Named on both |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | Yes | Named on point.me only | |
| The British Airways Club | Yes | Named on point.me only | |
| Iberia Club | Yes | Named on point.me only | |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | Yes | Named on point.me only | |
| Alaska Atmos Rewards | Yes | Named on Seats.aero | |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Yes | Named on Seats.aero | |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | Yes | Named on Seats.aero | |
| Virgin Atlantic | Yes | Named on Seats.aero |
Programs that appear only on one list are not interchangeable. A search for Southwest or British Airways space will show results on point.me but not on Seats.aero. The reverse is true for programs named only on Seats.aero.
For program-specific search notes, see how to search Aeroplan partner award space and how to search Flying Blue partner award space.
Free vs Paid: When Upgrading Pays
Free plans limit the search window or the number of results and alerts. Paid plans remove those limits.
Seats.aero Pro is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Twelve months at the monthly rate equal $119.88. The yearly price is therefore $19.89 less than paying month by month. The free plan stops at 30 days and five active alerts; Pro extends the window to 60+ days and removes the alert cap.
point.me Standard is $12 per month or $129 per year. Twelve months at $12 equal $144. The yearly price saves $15. The free plan reaches 60 days but caps results at 15 per search; Standard removes both limits and reaches one year.
PointsYeah Premium is $10 per month (marked down from $19.99) or $119.95 per year. Twelve months at the current $10 rate equal $120. The yearly price is essentially the same. The free plan limits one-way searches to four days, one airport pair and four alerts; Premium doubles the day window, allows two airports and raises alerts to 32.
AwardTool Pro shows no price on its page; check the site directly. Its free plan offers four-day real-time search, 90 days of route data and three alerts. Pro expands to 32-entry real-time search across 365 days and 70 alerts plus yearly hotel data.
A traveler who needs only the next 30 days and a handful of alerts can stay on free plans. Anyone searching beyond those windows or running multiple alerts pays the yearly rate on Seats.aero or point.me to lock in the lower effective monthly cost. For help converting the cash prices into points values, see the points value calculator and points valuations.
Search-Before-Transfer Workflow
Transfers generally cannot be undone. The sequence below keeps the points in the original program until the seat is confirmed on the airline or partner site.
- Search with one or more tools to find possible seats. Use Seats.aero for named program lists, point.me for broad real-time coverage, PointsYeah for hotel plus flight options, or AwardTool for multi-day real-time and route calendars. Note the program, the number of miles, and the flight details.
- Open the airline’s own site or calendar and confirm the seat is still available at the same number of miles. For United, check the Flexible Dates calendar, which shows per-person prices that have been available within the last 24 hours and may not currently be available, in 30-day windows. A tool result or a calendar price is not a hold.
- If the seat is confirmed, transfer the points from the bank program to the frequent flyer program. Do not transfer until this step is complete. Transfers generally cannot be undone, so a seat that disappears after the transfer leaves the points stuck in the destination program.
- Book the award on the airline or partner site immediately after the transfer posts. Have the flight details ready so the booking finishes before the seat is taken by someone else.
- If the seat is gone when you check the airline site, return to the tool and search again or set an alert. Do not transfer points for a seat that no longer shows.
See the related guides on searching Aeroplan partner space, Flying Blue partner space, checking award space before transferring Citi ThankYou points, and Capital One check award space before transfer for program-specific notes. The points value calculator and points valuations pages help compare the cash price of the same seat.
Worked example: a tool shows a United flight for 30,000 miles. Open United’s Flexible Dates, confirm the 30,000-mile price still appears for that date, then transfer and book. If the calendar shows a higher number of miles or no availability, stop and search again. The confirmation protects the points. Another example: a PointsYeah hotel result shows 15,000 points for a night. Open the hotel program site, confirm the room is still available at 15,000 points, then transfer and book. Skipping the airline or hotel site check risks transferring points for a seat or room that is gone.
Picks by Traveler Type
Short-notice travelers who need seats inside 30 days can stay on free plans for Seats.aero or point.me. Multiple alerts or longer windows push most people to a paid plan. Hotel-focused trips fit PointsYeah because it includes hotel programs alongside flights. Travelers who already know the exact route and want real-time results across many programs use point.me. Those who prefer named program lists and alerts use Seats.aero. Seat-map users who need one-week interval award and upgrade checks use ExpertFlyer.
Bottom Line
Always confirm the seat on the airline or partner site before transferring. Free plans cover short searches. Paid plans expand the window, the result count, and the alert limits. Match the tool to the trip length, the number of alerts you need, and whether hotel awards are part of the plan. Transfers generally cannot be undone, so the confirmation step protects the points.
FAQ
How far ahead can Seats.aero search on the free plan?
The free plan searches up to 30 days out and up to five active alerts.
How much does point.me Standard cost?
Standard is $129 per year or $12 per month. The yearly price is the lower effective rate.
Does PointsYeah search hotels?
Yes. It states it covers 50,000+ hotels and more than 10 hotel programs, comparing award prices with cash prices, plus 200+ airlines.
Why verify before transferring?
See the Search-Before-Transfer section for the full confirmation step.
Which programs does Seats.aero cover?
It lists Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Alaska Atmos Rewards, American AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, Azul Fidelidade, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Delta SkyMiles, Emirates Skywards, Ethiopian ShebaMiles, Etihad Guest, Finnair Plus, Frontier Airlines, GOL Smiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Livelo, Lufthansa Miles & More, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qatar Privilege Club, SAS EuroBonus, Saudia AlFursan, Singapore KrisFlyer, Turkish Miles&Smiles, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia Velocity.
Is AwardTool Pro priced on the site?
No price appears on the Pro page. Check the site directly for the current amount.
What is the recommended workflow?
See the Search-Before-Transfer section for the full confirmation step.
How do free and paid plans differ on PointsYeah?
Free allows one-way searches up to four days, one airport and up to four alerts. Premium extends the window to eight days, two airports and up to 32 alerts, priced at $10 per month or $119.95 per year.
Additional depth: ExpertFlyer Premium includes 250 alerts at a time, highest-detail seat maps, and search for awards and upgrades in one-week intervals. These extras matter when you monitor multiple routes or need upgrade space visibility. The free tiers remain useful for last-minute or short-window checks across the listed tools.
Travelers who hold Southwest Rapid Rewards, British Airways Club, or Iberia Club points should start with point.me because those programs appear on its named coverage. Seats.aero users checking Alaska Atmos, Qatar Privilege Club, or Virgin Atlantic should confirm the program is on the 27-program list before setting alerts. Hotel redemptions on PointsYeah let you compare the points price against the cash rate for the same night at Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Choice, or Wyndham properties. AwardTool’s panorama search covers broader regions on the free tier inside 90 days and expands on Pro. ExpertFlyer remains the choice when you need the highest-detail seat maps or one-week interval upgrade checks on supported airlines. Matching the tool’s free limits to the trip length avoids paying for unused window or alert capacity.