You’re flush with miles and have decided it’s time to take that dream trip, but you have no idea how to find an award ticket that won’t cost you a million miles to get to Orlando. That’s where award booking services come in. Instead of earning a doctorate in obscure airline loyalty programs, it’s possible to pay an expert to find an award for you.
Before you get started, it’s important to fully understand what an award booking company is and what they can do for you. Read these supporting articles to make sure you know what to expect from your award booking service.
- What Is An Award Booking Service?
- Is An Award Booking Service Right For You? Here’s When It’s Worth The Money
- How To Choose The Right Award Booking Service
- 4 Tools To Help Book Your Own Award Tickets
- Free Flights In Real Life: 3 Award Booking Services Put To The Test
Award tickets are generally easier to change and cancel compared to cash tickets—many airlines have completely eliminated change and cancellation fees, but where they still exist, they are usually nominal. That said, you’ll still want to protect the other parts of your trip. Here are Forbes Advisor’s picks for the best travel insurance policies.
But which award booking service should you consider? Helpfully, Forbes Advisor’s miles and points pros have created a list of the best award booking services.
Best Award Booking Services of 2024
Methodology
As a team, Forbes Advisor staff have booked over 100 million miles worth of awards and are carefully tuned into the intricacies and challenges of working with professional services. We looked for responsive companies with clear terms and pricing who are also able to deliver realistic booking options based on customer needs.
Find the Best Travel Credit Cards for 2024
Find the best travel credit card for your travel needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can an award booking service make more award seats available?
No, award booking services don’t have the ability to open additional award availability. Award inventory is set directly by the airline. However, an award booking service may have tools to search for airline partners or routes that are otherwise hard to find. Because of this, they may find award options you were unaware of.
Can you buy miles through an award booking service?
It’s against the terms and conditions of frequent flyer programs to sell airline miles from one person to another. Award booking services are careful to abide by the rules so they can stay in business. Instead, award booking services can advise you how to get the remaining miles you need by transferring credit card points, converting hotel points or buying the remaining miles directly from the airline (which airlines allow and encourage).
Do award booking services help with upgrading flights?
If you’ve already booked a flight, you will most likely need to work directly with the airline to upgrade your ticket with miles or certificates. However, award booking services can help you redeem miles directly for business- or first-class flights without having to buy an economy-flight first.
Do award booking services have access to discounted flights?
Award booking services advertise that they can save you tens of thousands of airline miles when booking tickets on your behalf, which might sound too good to be true. They do this by comparing prices across multiple programs to find the best deal. Often, many airlines in the same alliance all have access to the exact same flights but at different prices.
By studying award charts from lesser-known programs, award booking services know which frequent flyer program “currency” requires the fewest miles (or fewest taxes) possible. They also know which credit card programs have access to these lower award prices. At the end of the day, you’ll end up on the same flights at a lower overall cost.