Racking up both credit card points and airline miles is a great strategy to get first and business class flights for free. You want to make sure that you’re using your points and miles as well as possible so that you can maximize the value that you get and the number of flights that you can take. We have some great tools that make it easy for you to maximize your airline miles and make planning your next award travel experience stress-free.
Award Hacker
Award Hacker is a great search tool that can ensure your award travel miles go further. You can search for one-way or round-trip journeys and can compare options in various cabin classes to get a feel for how many miles it will cost you. Select your frequent flyer program or points transfer program to see the results. The best part about using Award Hacker is you can easily search on and off-peak travel dates to view the best redemption. If you’re flexible with your schedule and travel dates, off-peak award redemptions will cost a lot fewer miles! Use this information to book with your airline of choice.
Travel Codex Award Maximizer
An additional resource to consider using is the Travel Codex Award Maximizer. You’ll need to input the details of your intended journey, and you will then be presented with the mileage required when booking with various airlines. You can easily compare the economy, business, and first class price points. If you’re new to using points and miles, this resource will also show you how to book your journey with the airline of your choice or transfer your points to the right airline loyalty program.
FlyerMiler
FlyerMiler also helps you find the best redemption for your miles. Just input your trip details, and you will be shown airline options and a range of pricing for how many miles it will cost you. You can compare various seat classes as well. This resource also helps you better understand an airline’s transfer partners so that you can transfer your credit card miles and use them to the best of your ability.
Award Nexus
Another tool we recommend using is Award Nexus. This tool requires individuals to pay a membership fee, but it’s worth it if you’re someone who regularly accumulates miles and flies business class. It’s effortless to use—plug in your preferred trip details, how many tickets you want, the ticket class, and then select the tab for the loyalty program you wish to search. You will then be presented with availability and mileage cost. In addition to award flight searching, Award Nexus also has other features like route explorer, trip calculator, and distance pricer—which also make planning your award travel easier. Membership pricing ranges from $59 to $249.
With the right tools, you can make sure that you’re using your miles and points to the best of your ability. With smarter trip planning, your rewards will go farther and you’ll get to see more of the world!
