Recommended tools for the astute travel hacker
- Travel Freely - If you are going to pursue this hobby, you need to be able to track your credit card sign up bonuses and renewals. With 30+ active credit cards at any given time, I depend on this free tool. Web and mobile.
- PointsYeah - Very nice search engine for award availability including both flights and hotels. The free level is very powerful and fulfills my needs. Web.
- Seats.Aero - This is my "go to" app for finding award flights. Free version is OK, but I sprang for the paid version after the first week (and I am cheap so that says something). This is one of the most powerful search engines for award space. Subscription price is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. The ability to look for award space up to a year out and set notifications for award availability makes this app more than pay for itself. Highly, highly recommended. Web.
- AwardTool - I find this tool works almost the same for me as PointsYeah. A more in depth review will be made in the future. For now, I would use it in the free mode and focus on Seats.Aero for the majority of my searches. Web.
- Seatmaps - Are you flying first class on a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A350? Find out what the seats are like (recliner, lay flat, milk crate) to help select what you should book. I am still new to this tool as I was using SeatGuru (recently decommissioned). Seems pretty nice, though and it is free. Web.
- Aerolopa - Another free tool for seat information. Nice graphics and a lot of information, but not as powerful as Seatmaps. Web.
- Air Miles Calculator - Free. When award points calculations are based on distance, this comes in handy. Web.
- TripIt - Polished, free application for organizing your itinerary. The paid version has some incredible additions, but the free version does a lot, too. If you have an upcoming itinerary that is complex or travel a lot, I would investigate the paid version. In the paid version, one of the features is their proprietary algorithm that can predict flight delays before the airlines notify you. This can mean the difference between you easily booking another flight or competing with everyone else once the delay is public. Web and mobile.
