THE AWARDTOOL LEARNING CENTER
How to use AwardTool
for flights & hotels.
Learn to find award flights and hotels with points and miles. Choose the right search for your dates, destination, and travelers, compare your options, then book with the loyalty program.
Start with the basics Explore all 8 guidesWhat is AwardTool?
AwardTool is an award-travel search and planning tool for flights and hotel stays bookable with loyalty points and miles. It brings together searches across supported programs, flexible travel discovery, award alerts, and tools for understanding transfer partners and points balances.
Use AwardTool to compare ways to use your points, find dates or destinations with award availability, or monitor a trip you want to book. The airline or hotel loyalty program confirms the final price and availability and completes your booking. Features, supported programs, and search limits depend on your account; see the current plans for details.
START WITH YOUR TRIP
Which AwardTool feature should you use?
| Your travel plans | Feature guide | Availability data & next step |
|---|---|---|
| My route and dates are fixed | Real-Time Search & Mega Search | Live searches for the supported routes, dates, and programs you select. Compare the full itinerary, seats, points, and taxes with the booking program. |
| I can change my destination or travel window | Panorama | Stored award availability across flexible locations and dates. Check the last-seen time, open a promising flight, and refresh where supported. |
| I know the route and want to compare dates | All Routes & route calendars | Stored award dates and cabin prices for a supported route and program. Review Last Refresh and inspect the actual flights behind a calendar price. |
| I am waiting for seats or hotel nights | Award alerts | Real-time flight alerts actively check routes; Panorama alerts scan stored data. Hotel alerts watch a property. Save the dates, travelers, cabin, and budget you can accept. Verify a match before booking. |
| I want ideas or a particular premium cabin | Deals & First Class Explorer | Award discovery results with itinerary and freshness details where available. Check the operating airline, each segment’s cabin, and current availability. |
| I want to book a hotel with points | Hotels & hotel calendars | Property results and individual award nights with points and cash prices. Confirm the complete stay, room type, occupancy, and final terms with the hotel program. |
Planning for a group, a business-class trip, or a limited points balance? Follow the family travel, premium cabin, or points budget workflow.
KNOW YOUR TOOLS
AwardTool feature guides, step by step.
Practical steps. Clear examples. Better decisions.
Getting started
Learn how AwardTool helps you find award flights and hotels, choose the right search, compare points and fees, and continue to the loyalty program to book.
5 min read Read guideReal-Time & Mega Search
Search award flights for your route and dates with AwardTool Real-Time and Mega Search, filter useful itineraries, compare cabins, and review how to book.
5 min read Read guidePanorama & route calendars
Use AwardTool Panorama to explore flexible award destinations, then compare programs and dates with route calendars and check availability before booking.
5 min read Read guideAward alerts
Learn how AwardTool real-time, Panorama, and hotel alerts differ, choose useful filters, set a points budget, and respond when matching availability appears.
5 min read Read guideDeals & First Class Explorer
Browse AwardTool Deals and First Class Explorer for award-trip ideas, refine routes and cabins, inspect flights, and verify the program's booking price.
5 min read Read guideAward hotels
Search AwardTool Hotels by location and dates, compare points and cash rates, explore award-night calendars, and set alerts for a property you want to book.
5 min read Read guidePoints & travel tools
Use AwardTool's transfer-partner, card, wallet, preferred-program, and seat-map tools to connect your points to a trip and understand the booking details.
5 min read Read guideChoose your travel scenario
Choose an AwardTool workflow for fixed dates, flexible destinations, family travel, business class, limited points, award hotels, or searches with no results.
7 min read Read guideLEARN BY DOING
Take the next step inside AwardTool.
Follow an interactive walkthrough, or explore the illustrated feature guides.