A couple of years again, I used to be gearing up for a long-awaited trip. I had tons of miles scattered throughout varied applications however discovered myself caught within the messy maze of award searches. I used to be juggling a number of web sites, coming into dates time and again, and nonetheless developing empty. It was irritating, and I began to really feel like award journey was extra bother than it was value.
That’s after I stumbled upon PointsYeah. It was like discovering a flashlight in a darkish room. All of the sudden, all the things felt clearer and extra manageable. I might search a number of airways and lodges in a single go, set alerts for offers, and even discover journeys with out a particular vacation spot in thoughts. It was the device I didn’t know I wanted, however one I’m now glad to have in my journey arsenal.
PointsYeah has develop into my trusted sidekick for locating award flights and lodges utilizing factors. It’s quick, user-friendly, and takes the guesswork out of factors redemptions. On this evaluate, I’ll stroll you thru what makes it particular, the way it works, and whether or not it’s the precise match for you.
What Makes PointsYeah So Useful?
Consider PointsYeah as your private journey assistant, however one which’s completely obsessive about factors and miles. It’s a search engine particularly constructed for redeeming airline miles and resort factors. Whether or not you have obtained miles stacked up with Delta or factors stashed with Hilton, PointsYeah brings all the things collectively—no extra infinite looking out throughout totally different websites.
The consumer interface is tremendous intuitive. It’s rather a lot like reserving on Kayak or Priceline, however with the added bonus of filtering outcomes by one of the best factors redemptions. You’ll be able to enter your journey dates, choose which miles or factors you wish to use, and PointsYeah does all of the heavy lifting. You’ll be able to even set filters for issues like cabin sort, variety of stops, or what number of factors you’re prepared to half with.
And right here’s the enjoyable half: in the event you’re within the temper for a spontaneous journey, the Daydream Explorer function is your greatest good friend. You don’t even must know the place you wish to go—simply let it recommend locations based mostly on accessible factors. I as soon as tried it with “anyplace” as my vacation spot, and it got here again with choices for Italy, Mexico, and Morocco.
Use PointsYeah Like a Professional
Utilizing PointsYeah is so simple as reserving a visit on any common journey web site. The primary distinction? You’re looking out with factors and miles as a substitute of money. You simply enter your journey dates, choose the kind of factors you wish to use (like airline miles or resort rewards), and PointsYeah finds one of the best choices for you.
The interface is simple and simple to know. You’ll be able to filter outcomes by class of service, variety of stops, and even the utmost factors you’re prepared to spend. And in the event you’re feeling spontaneous, you should use the Daydream Explorer function. Simply enter your house airport, set a finances of factors, and let it recommend doable journeys.
Free vs. Premium – Which One’s for You?
Earlier than leaping in, let’s see what every model affords:
The free model covers lots of floor, providing limitless searches inside a 4-day window for one-way, round-trip, and multi-city choices. You’ll be able to set as much as 4 flight and resort alerts. The premium model, however, doubles the search window to eight days and expands the variety of alerts you’ll be able to set. It’s best for these searching for extra flexibility and sooner outcomes
Why I Picked Premium
I opted for the premium model primarily due to the expanded search choices and better alert limits. As somebody who ceaselessly makes use of factors for longer journeys, the additional options have been extremely helpful. With the 8-day search window and extra alerts, I don’t miss out on restricted award seats, particularly for enterprise class tickets.
What I Actually Love About PointsYeah
Daydream Explorer = Journey Magic
Daydream Explorer is a game-changer for spontaneous vacationers. Simply enter as much as three departure airports, choose the kind of journey (like seashores or metropolis breaks), and PointsYeah will present all of the doable locations you’ll be able to attain utilizing your factors.
Alerts That Save My Sanity
Let’s be sincere—checking award availability repeatedly can drive anybody nuts. However with PointsYeah’s alert system, I can arrange notifications to let me know when award seats or rooms develop into accessible. The free model affords 4 alerts every for flights and lodges, whereas the premium model bumps that as much as 32 flight alerts and 15 resort alerts.
Evaluating Money vs. Factors
That is considered one of my favourite options. It exhibits each the money value and the factors wanted aspect by aspect. Think about reserving a flight and seeing each choices clearly laid out. For instance, I’ve discovered journeys the place utilizing factors saved me a whole bunch of {dollars}. Seeing these comparisons makes it straightforward to determine the way to maximize my rewards.
Multi-Metropolis Searches Made Simple
PointsYeah helps you to seek for multi-city journeys, making it simpler to ebook longer, extra advanced itineraries. The fundamental model affords limitless 4-day searches, whereas the premium model extends this to eight days.
Fast and Versatile Searches
Trying to find flights, lodges, and even financial institution rewards on PointsYeah feels fast and easy. The positioning hundreds leads to about 20 seconds, and you’ll filter by cabin sort, variety of stops, or the utmost factors you wish to spend. It additionally helps you to add financial institution rewards applications, resembling Chase Final Rewards or AmEx Membership Rewards.
Are There Higher Choices? Let’s Discuss Options
I’ve tried fairly a number of award search instruments in my quest for locating one of the simplest ways to ebook flights with factors. Right here’s how PointsYeah stacks up in opposition to its opponents:
AwardTool
It is a highly effective device that gives each free and professional variations. What units it aside is its Panorama and Mega search sorts, which permit searches by areas or a number of airports. It’s designed for critical award vacationers, providing as much as 16 simultaneous searches within the professional model. It’s a strong selection, particularly for many who need extra management over real-time outcomes and region-wide searches. Nonetheless, the interface feels a bit clunky in comparison with PointsYeah.
Level.me
One of many oldest award instruments, Level.me combines a search engine with a concierge service. The free model, known as Discover, primarily makes use of cached information, making it extra of a discovery device. I discovered it a bit restricted as a result of it’s actually designed to upsell customers to the professional model, which is extra highly effective but additionally the priciest of the bunch. Its bias in the direction of AmEx switch companions will be annoying in the event you depend on different bank card applications.
Roame
Roame’s SkyView function affords a chicken’s-eye view of offers discovered up to now 48 hours, which is beneficial for vacationers who wish to see broader choices. It’s visually extra polished than different instruments, with a clear interface that makes it straightforward to navigate. Nonetheless, it’s extra of a discovery device and doesn’t carry out real-time searches like PointsYeah.
Seats.aero
This device stands out for its quick searches, although the interface is fairly primary. It’s nice for skilled customers who know precisely what they need, because it focuses on discovering particular award seats like ANA First Class or Qatar QSuites. Nonetheless, its outcomes are based mostly on cached information, so availability may change by the point you ebook. The shortage of real-time outcomes and polished visuals makes it much less beginner-friendly in comparison with PointsYeah.
Why PointsYeah Nonetheless Wins for Me
Regardless of making an attempt all these instruments, I preserve coming again to PointsYeah. It affords one of the best mixture of real-time outcomes, easy-to-use interface, and options which might be really useful for each newcomers and frequent vacationers. The Daydream Explorer function alone makes it value utilizing—it’s the proper device for after I wish to discover award choices with out a set plan.
Not like some instruments that prioritize paid customers, PointsYeah provides lots of worth to free customers, making it accessible for everybody. With extra flexibility in searches and higher alerts, it retains me within the loop on new openings, which has helped me snag nice offers most of the time.
The place PointsYeah Might Do Higher
Not Every part’s Good
Like several device, PointsYeah has its quirks. For example, the multi-city search is proscribed to 2 flight segments, which will be irritating when planning extra advanced itineraries. I’ve needed to break down longer journeys into separate searches to make it work, which isn’t best.
Additionally, PointsYeah would not permit searches for airline-specific advantages, like United’s Excursionist perk, which is a draw back in the event you’re a fan of maximizing free one-way flights.
Then there’s the subscription mannequin: PointsYeah solely affords an annual membership for its premium plan. Whereas the value is decrease than some opponents, it nonetheless means committing to a full 12 months upfront. When you solely want the device a few occasions a 12 months, it is likely to be robust to justify the fee.
Phantom Award House: A Humorous (and Irritating) Story
Award vacationers know the ache of phantom award house, and PointsYeah isn’t proof against this problem. I as soon as obtained all enthusiastic about reserving a enterprise class seat to Tokyo, solely to search out out the provision wasn’t actual. It’s the journey equal of a mirage—seeing one thing nice from afar, just for it to vanish while you get nearer.
I discovered to double-check availability with the airline earlier than transferring any factors. It’s an additional step, nevertheless it saves you from that sinking feeling of wasted time
Who Ought to (and Shouldn’t) Use PointsYeah
When you’re somebody with two or extra bank cards that earn transferable factors and you like discovering good offers, then PointsYeah is likely to be your new greatest good friend. It’s a strong match for vacationers who use a number of airline and resort loyalty applications or those that take a few journeys per 12 months on miles and factors. The device is very useful in the event you like seeing your choices throughout totally different applications with out hopping between web sites.
For newcomers, PointsYeah’s interface is user-friendly, with quick searches and the Daydream Explorer providing contemporary concepts for the way to use your miles and factors. When you’re new to award journey, it’s an excellent place to begin since you don’t have to know the deeper nuances of reserving flights with miles.
Begin Small
My recommendation? Begin with the free model to get a really feel for the way it works. The free plan affords about 80% of what the premium model does, so that you’ll get a very good sense of whether or not it fits your wants. If you end up wanting extra search flexibility or further alerts, that’s when it’s time to contemplate the improve.
So, Is PointsYeah Price It? Right here’s My Verdict
After utilizing PointsYeah extensively, I can say it’s a strong selection for anybody critical about maximizing their factors and miles. It’s intuitive, affords a spread of searches, and even has enjoyable options just like the Daydream Explorer for spontaneous journeys.
The side-by-side comparability of money and factors makes it straightforward to search out one of the best worth for redemptions. Plus, the alerts are extremely helpful for catching these hard-to-find award seats earlier than they’re gone.
Nevertheless it’s not with out its downsides. The restricted multi-city search, phantom award house, and annual subscription mannequin could be a bummer, particularly for much less frequent vacationers. When you solely redeem factors often, it is likely to be robust to justify the fee. Nonetheless, for factors lovers like me, the device’s advantages outweigh the drawbacks.
When you’re curious, why not give it a attempt? Once more, begin with the free model to see if it matches your wants. You by no means know—it’d simply allow you to discover that dream journey you’ve been saving factors for!
