Using points.com JUST to track your account balances - dangerous?
 

I've read many threads about the dangers about conducting transactions through points.com, and I have no intention to do so. However, I do find it useful simply as a tool in which I can aggregate my point information in my various accounts on one screen.

Any negative experiences with using points.com for just this very simple functionality? Should I be concerned about registering all my FF/hotel accounts with them?

But why, especially since trying to reach customer service there is a royal PITA?
awardwallet is far more customer friendly with FT presence, excellent program coverage and weekly updates.

Their engine is used by several airlines for miles purchasing one might assume they have an appropriate level of security. Verify their security if it is a concern. I use them exactly for the purpose you have indicated.

+1 on Awardwallet!

Have you tried GoMiles.com yet? I really like it (despite a few bugs, but it's still beta).

+2

I totally agree. After having problems with points.com and being unable to get any sort of a resolution from their customer support, I switched to awardwallet and have been incredibly pleased.

I agree with the other posters. Switch to Award Wallet and you will not regret it. Very responsive customer service and they support every program you can think of. If not, they would probably add it if you ask. You can also track balances for friends and family and they have a nice site layout.

Like the AwardWallet Facebook page for opportunities to receive free upgrades to AW Plus!

http://www.facebook.com/AwardWalletDotCom

just did and I noticed a post from saturday: Use the promo code "AWfacebook" for a FREE six month upgrade to AwardWallet Plus for the first 5 users to take advantage!
amazingly it worked for me even though it said first 5 users and its been 2 days.

edit: I think I got the last one, its no longer available

Sure. How about some listed programs never working? How about not all programs available?

I don't find it useful for aggregating programs. I do find it useful once every few years when someone runs a promo where doing a little bit on points.com counts for something. (Latest was priorityclub.com, where I moved only a few miles to get a few points but got thousands of bonus points over at Priority Club out of it.) For those to work, I find it simpler to stay registered and just occasionally visit (to see if any of the bugs are fixed yet!).

But for actual monitoring of program balances, I find it pretty poor. OTOH, I don't find I really need an aggregator.

Tripit (Pro) is another option. It is free for Amex Plat (or greater) users.

Using points.com for ANYTHING is JUST plain dangerous.

It can be done--tracking bals, etc, but I would rather take extra time to do it on each site than to risk using that site for anything that could somehow someday come back to bite me!

Not only are there other sites, listed here, but also, as said, the cs at points.com is useless. Should something go wrong, you have no recourse. As well, I bet at least one person who JUST uses them to track balances eventually attempts to use the service and finds out its pitfalls the hard way. Other than the fact the airlines happen to use them when you transfer points between accounts (and I have done it for 1-3k here or there on rare occasions), I would steer clear. It is one of the only times I have more trust in the airlines than in other entities :D

I wasn't aware of any "dangers" of using points.com. I've used their program since it's inception, mostly to track balances. I've also taken advantage of a few promos, and made tiny point transfers to keep some accounts alive (1 Phonehog point for 3 Hawaiian Air miles) and event won a promotion of 100k AS miles about 8 yrs ago. The exchange rates are ridiculous, and I've not had a Customer Service issue in nearly 10 years of use. I'm wondering what some of the "night mares" are people mention. I guess it goes to say....YMMV.