My tool kit
Booking business class with points comes down to earning enough points and finding the seat before someone else does. These are the tools I use every week, grouped by the job each one does best.
Every trip starts with points. These make sure you use the right card and the right shopping portal so you earn as much as possible on what you already buy.
Tells you which of your cards earns the most at any store and can add your Amex and Chase card offers for you, so you don't miss statement credits.
Use it when you carry more than a couple of cards and can't remember which one to use where.
Visit CardPointersCompares shopping portals that pay cash back, airline miles or credit card points, and shows the best payout for the store you're shopping at.
Use it when you shop online and want to stack portal miles on top of your card's points.
Visit SavewiseA shopping portal that pays you back at thousands of stores. Link an Amex card that earns Membership Rewards and you can get Amex points instead of cash back.
Use it when you shop online. Start at Rakuten before checkout and earn on top of your card.
Join with my link and pick your welcome bonus: 5,000 Amex points or $50 cash back.
Join RakutenA free miles program, no credit card needed. Earn miles when you shop, dine and book hotels through Rove, then transfer them to Aeroplan, Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic, Qatar, Turkish and more. It's also the only transfer partner for Lufthansa Miles & More (expect high taxes in business and first).
Use it when you're just starting out or want miles on top of your card's points. Signing up with my link gets you 1,500 miles right away. You need a US phone number to sign up.
Get 1,500 free milesSearch engines for award seats. Use these when you know roughly where you want to go and want to see every date and program with space.
Shows cached award availability across dozens of airline programs, with a calendar view of every date that has space.
Use it when you have a route in mind and flexible dates, or want an alert when business class opens up.
Try seats.aero ProSearches a specific date and tells you which of your credit card points can book it, with step-by-step transfer and booking instructions.
Use it when your dates are set and you want to know the cheapest way to pay with the points you already have.
Visit point.meAward search with a wide view of programs and a fast mobile app. Good for comparing several programs side by side on one trip.
Use it when you want a second opinion on a route or are searching on your phone.
Code MIGUEL takes 10% off your first Friends of Roame payment.
Try RoameTeams that watch fares and award space all day and email or text you when something great shows up. Use these when you're open to going wherever the deal is.
A newsletter focused on business class deals, both cash sales and points redemptions, with the routes, programs and transfer partners spelled out.
Use it when you want lie-flat seats and like the booking details done for you.
Cheap cash fare alerts filtered to the airports you fly from, plus some points deals.
Use it when you mostly pay cash for flights and want sales from your home airport.
Cash fare sales and points and miles deals, with clear notes on when to travel and how to book.
Use it when you want both cash and points deals from one service.
Award flight alerts by text and email, with the programs to book with, transfer partners and seat details for each deal.
Use it when you want to hear about award space the moment it opens, by text.
Get Straight to the PointsOnce you've picked a flight, these watch it for you.
Alerts when award or upgrade space opens on a specific flight, plus seat maps and seat alerts so you can grab a better seat when one frees up.
Use it when the flight you want has no award space yet, or you're booked and want a better seat.
Visit ExpertFlyerFor most people, seats.aero. It covers the most programs and shows every date with space at once. point.me is better when your dates are fixed and you want booking instructions for your specific points.
Award search tools are for when you know where you want to go. Deal alerts come to you and work best when you're flexible about where you travel.
No. One search tool and one deal alert service cover most trips. Add ExpertFlyer when you start watching specific flights.
Most have a free version with limits and a paid plan that unlocks full searches or every alert. Try the free version first and upgrade the one you use most.