Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
The Benefits of Award Search Tools and When They’re Worth Paying For
14 May 2025
Learn how to use award search tools, when it’s worth it to pay for one, and how to use alerts and filters to save time and get better redemptions. What are the best tools to find award flight availability using points or miles? Is it worth paying for premium travel tools to simplify the booking process? Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle discuss the newest features in airline loyalty programs and award redemption platforms to help you save time—and points—on your next trip. Joined by NerdWallet travel writer Craig Joseph, they break down exactly how to use powerful, lesser-known tools that streamline complex points transfers and redemptions. But first, Meghan and Sally break down the latest travel news, including Disney's new Abu Dhabi park, Frontier's new companion pass, and Marriott’s expansion. Then, Craig joins Sally and Meghan to discuss award booking platforms, including Seats.aero, PointsYeah, Point.me, and Points Path. They explore how to compare award availability across programs, when paying for a tool might save you more in the long run, and why alert features are a must-have. If you’ve got points across multiple cards or loyalty programs, this episode could help you make sense of how and where to use them for real value. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: Chase Sapphire Reserve®: https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/chase-sapphire-reserve Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card: http://nerdwallet.com/article/travel/bilt-mastercard Resources discussed in this episode: Top Airline Credit Cards With Companion Tickets https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/airline-credit-cards-companion-tickets The Real ID Alternatives Travelers Might Already Have https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/the-real-id-alternatives-travelers-might-already-have My Favorite Tools for Booking Cheap Travel https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/my-favorite-tools-for-booking-cheap-travel 5 Best Credit Card Points Programs and Who They Partner With https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/heres-how-you-can-transfer-your-points-from-any-major-credit-card-issuer Lounge Review: Inside Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge at SFO https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/air-canada-lounge-sfo In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: award flight search tools, points and miles travel, best award booking tools, how to use points for flights, travel credit card points, seats.aero review, PointsYeah guide, how to find airline award availability, Bilt rewards travel, how to compare flight redemptions, award seat alerts, best travel rewards tools, Points Path Chrome extension, how to use Bilt rewards, transfer credit card points, airline transfer partners, Real ID airport enforcement, how to find hotel award availability, Southwest vs Frontier companion pass, how to avoid phantom award availability, great circle mapper flights, AeroLopa seat maps, how to set award seat alerts, award wallet for tracking miles, how to use Google Flights for points, how to add kids as authorized users, and family airport lounge access tips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
Sally, sometimes it feels like the stars have to align to use your points and miles wisely, don't you think? Oh my gosh, I totally agree. Often I feel like I find this idea of a great redemption and then I actually go to the airline to book it and then nothing is available.
Yep, and it's way more expensive in points if you do find something available. Luckily, there are some search tools that make finding that availability and those lower points prices a lot easier.
Cool, because sometimes finding these things can give me anxiety and figuring out the tools to use them can give me even more anxiety. Luckily, we brought someone on the show who can help us out.
Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools, and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Sally French. And I'm Megan Coyle.
And we are the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip.
And we're always roping in our fellow nerds to help us out. Today, I invited travel writer Craig Joseph to talk about what award search tools you need to know and which ones are actually worth paying for.
I'm so glad he's here today because he does a bunch of cool multi-city trips. So if these tools work for him, they can get you anywhere.
But first, we'll talk about a few credit card companies this episode that are nerd wallet partners, and that doesn't influence how we discuss them. The benefits, terms, and fees mentioned were accurate at the time of posting, but things can always change. Some offers may have expired by the time you're listening. For the latest details, follow the links in the episode description.
Now, the listeners know I'm a huge Disney fan, so this is exciting news. Disney just announced plans to build a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, and it's a big deal because this will be Disney's first ever park in the Middle East and only the seventh Disney resort destination globally.
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