Award booking service?

[BarbWire]

I am sitting on a tidy stockpile of miles in AA, UA and BA, as well as UR points. My "plan" for the points (a term I use advisedly) is to use for Biz Class flights of duration 6 hours or more.

In 2017 I used an award service: $100 fee yielded a fabulous biz class routing on Korean to Chiang Mai that I would never have found on my own. Money well spent. Alas, that service is no longer in business.

1) Does anyone have an award booking service to recommend? for 2023 I have some "simple" trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic journeys penciled in; someone who is clever with awards and can find hidden gems with stopovers would be wonderful!

2) Has anyone tried the new point.me self-serve service? (One of the founders is Tiffany Funk, who has been a player in the miles and points space for years; in 2016 I heard her give an amazing talk about finding and booking great redemptions.) The subscription service is $129/year, though currently you can get a trial month for $1



Thanks.

[SecondCor521]

I haven't used them personally, but you might join a Facebook group called "Travel Miles 101" and search recent posts. The question comes up there every so often and there are a couple of people who do that sort of thing who seem well recommended.

[braumeister]

You can also look at the SPAM forum on FlyerTalk.
(Sites with Points and Alternative Miles)

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Also check out Prince of Travel: https://princeoftravel.com/consulting/

I have NOT used them for consulting services but utilized information on the site to help research booking a 13 leg Aeroplan award in business class in 2019. The site is more focused on Canadian points earning but they're knowledgeable on redemptions on many rewards programs, particularly their sweet spots to get the best bang for your points.

[BarbWire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister You can also look at the SPAM forum on FlyerTalk. (Sites with Points and Alternative Miles)

Ah, yes. Much like Bogleheads, FlyerTalk makes my head spin! But thank you!

[BarbWire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YVRRocketSurgery Also check out Prince of Travel: https://princeoftravel.com/consulting/ I have NOT used them for consulting services but utilized information on the site to help research booking a 13 leg Aeroplan award in business class in 2019. The site is more focused on Canadian points earning but they're knowledgeable on redemptions on many rewards programs, particularly their sweet spots to get the best bang for your points.

Yes, I heard Randy Zhang give a talk last month and he is really good. Thanks for pointing to their website!