I used them recently to get two different itineraries. Both times they delivered. The particular person I used both times did some minor fumbling and had some minor human interaction issues, but clearly they delivered as advertised, and in a timely way. Get their help, then check it out. And if you don't like it, ask for changes - they'll change it for you.

She also found partner flights I had NO IDEA existed. Basically, they have a broader range of knowledge than most of us have for a very narrow subset of flying. Since you don't book award travel very often, and if you don't have time to keep track of all the program changes and all the partner changes, it just seems smart to try them out.

In one case, I just didn't have enough experience booking award travel on my favorite airline for me to get it right the first time on an important flight for me. The other case was international, and they found helpful paths I didn't know about.

They probably are not much better - and certainly no worse - than any travel agent relationship, except that they specialize in award tickets, not money tickets. A very narrow niche, and I am very glad they are there.

I will continue to use them.