FlyerTalk Forums Thread Wiki: Award booking services - a list and some reviews
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This list is not an endorsement of any particular award booking service.
Please do your research and read this thread.
See the FT Disclaimers for disclaimer of responsibility for use of these services, etc.
Please add other services and options you know about to this wiki.
Also, please post any personal experiences you may have with any of these services in this thread.
Award booking services (alphabetical):
Award Advocate - Domestic $75 p/p International $100 p/p, no additional charge for last minute. Also 10% discount for families traveling with children
AwardBird - Economy: $39 for the 1st passenger and $19 for each additional; Business/First: $69 for the 1st passenger and $39 for each additional
AwardButler - Award Search: $79 for up to two passengers. Booking starting at $129 for first two passengers.
AwardChaser - Searches availability starting at $99, free to search, you only have to pay once they find availability
Awarding Canada - Specializing in awards for Canadians, especially with Aeroplan, but with expertise available for anyone, worldwide. $150CAD for first passenger, $100CAD per passenger thereafter. Infants charged $25 instead. 2% discount if paid by Interac e-Transfer.
Award Planners - One way $99, additional person $49; Round trip $149, additional person $99; Multi City $199 additional person $99
Award Travel Consulting - Award Search: $150/person | Booking ticket: $75/itinerary; changes: new trip
Awardmagic - $139 per person or $249 per person for RTW trips
Awards & Travel - (iqbalt from FT) $100 for the first person; $50 for additional personnel. Explorer and RTW awards will be $200/ per person.
Book Your Award - (Gary Leff/View From The Wing): Booking: $150 per person; changes: $75 per one-way
BoundlessMiles - (Dominik Żmuda/Travelling the World): Booking: $50 USD per passenger, $25 change/cancellation fee per passenger
First Class and Beyond - "Concierge-style" bookings for $250/person (and up). Fee is based on the value of the retail ticket. Phone calls encouraged.
Flightfox - Consultative flight searching; fees start at $100 (requires credit card authorization up front)
iflywithmiles.com - (Mike/Melissa): 150 USD first person, 85 for additional person on same itin. Change fees vary.
Luxury Travel Consulting - (Jasper2009 on Flyertalk): $150 per person per ticket (discounted fee for additional pax and itineraries wholly within NA)
Juicy Miles - (Adam/Point Me to the Plane): $125 per person for the first two travelers and then $100 per person for each additional traveler. For Round-the-World (RTW) awards, pricing will vary.
Loophole Travel - Award Travel Coaching $150 for first passenger and $100 for each additional passenger. Points Earning and MS Coaching also available.
MilesConcierge - (callmedtop on FT) "High-touch" award bookings, emphasizing personalized engagement for every customer. $125 for first passenger, $100 for each additional.
MilesElite - $99 for award search and $149 for award search and booking.
Miles Momma Booking Services - Airline Booking: $150 up to 2 passengers. $25 additional passengers. Hotel Booking: $100 for up to 3 hotels.
PMM Travel Consulting - (Miguel R. Quinones/AwardWallet Blog): Booking: $125 per passenger for the first two, $99 for each additional. Credit card advice and travel planning services.
Point Me to the Plane - (Adam) Booking: $125 per person; changes: included within reason
PointsPros - (Ben Schlappig/One Mile At A Time): Booking: $200 first passenger, $100 each additional passenger; changes: "a nominal fee"
Reward Flyer - Free service as long as you apply for credit cards through their site.
Shrewd Travel - (skyvanman on FT) Booking: $250 per person; changes: varies; Available via phone or e-mail or even FT PM.
SFO777.com - (SFO777 on FT) Booking: $200 first passenger, $100 each additional passenger; change fees vary
The Flying Mustache - $100 per passenger, no rush fee for last minute bookings
The Points Jet Setter - $150 for the first passenger and $75 per each additional passenger
Upgrd Awards - (MatthewLAX on FT, Live and Let's Fly blog) $150 first passenger, $100 each additional passenger; changes $75 but can vary
zainman - FT member since 2009, offers his consultant services for $ as well
I tried about 5-6 different search combinations before I posted this and couldn't come up with any threads more recent than 2005-2007.
Is there a service that I can hire to make award bookings for me? I am a frequent reader of TPGs blog and would have hired him to keep income coming into a product that I use regularly but his blog states that he is no longer taking new award booking clients.
I am probably wasting my time posting this but please do reply that it is something I can do myself for free. I work 60-70 hours a week and have neither the time nor the patience to search the various airlines websites that I have mileage balances with hoping to find some combinations of days that would work. For me, it is money well spent to hire someone to do that for me.
Programs: US Air Platinum,Delta Platinum,Starwood Platinum,Hilton Diamond,Marriott Silver,Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 2,295
go to www.viewfromthewing.com. Gary Leff is a well known and very savvy blogger who is possibly the best known of the award bookers. Full info on his site.
I believe he charges $250 for two tickets and doesn't charge if he can't deliver. He's a good guy and you would do well to contact him.
Actually, TPG has posted on his site that he is still doing award bookings for Premium members, at quoted from his blog:
"Price: Generally $125 per person. Due to capacity I am not taking new award booking requests for new clients at this time. I will still book awards for new and existing Premium and VIP program members."
Per his site, for Premium membership, you get:
- Daily email of posts, ad-free, generally before they post to everyone else
- Email blasts of breaking deals, like mistake fares and limited time offers (these emails will be rare, but when they are sent, they will be valuable)
- Choose either 1) Award booking benefit: 2 award tickets at 50% off ($50 per ticket fee instead of $100+) or 2) 30 minute phone consultation and evaluation of your current points and miles strategy
Annual fee of $125
"Having trouble using your miles for that dream trip? Consider using my award travel booking service, Points Pros. You can find more details, including what we do, how to contact us, our pricing, testimonials, and more, at PointsPros.com."
Never used it myself, but I've read Lucky for years and the man is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He also serves on the board here at flyertalk.
Programs: AA Plat, SPG Plat, AS MVP75k, Nat'l Executive, and oh yea..Can't forget my UA, MR and UR collections
Posts: 878
I realize I may be a bit late for the OP here, but for future reference - I too run an award-booking service. You can check it out here, or in my signature
I have done plenty of award bookings- but at times its quicker to pay for the help as Im on travel etc. Or the multiple friends & family "bugging" me for help.
I would like to divert them to competent and reasonably priced consultants.
Could you please post links to relevant services here, and possibly add your experiences. Feel free to add basic pricing etc.
I will update this post with all links provided.
The search function revealed very scattered info over the years. This might become a master list.
THERE IS NO NEED FOR DISCUSSION ABOUT THE NEED FOR SUCH SERVICES OR BASHING OP OR OTHERS FOR NOT DOING IT FOR FREE
Edit:
Some of the veterans dont take new clients. Will add info posted on thread.
Out of service as of time of writing (OP date);
thepointsguy http://thepointsguy.com/about-me/ "If you are writing to ask about booking travel using points, I do not currently offer that service, but hope to add it again soon."
Last edited by travelkid; Feb 9, 14 at 4:17 am
Reason: updated to feb 2014
I have done plenty of award bookings- but at times its quicker to pay for the help as Im on travel etc. Or the multiple friends & family "bugging" me for help.
I would like to divert them to competent and reasonably priced consultants.
You really think your friends & family will pay for this service when they know that you will help them if they bug you enough?
