Do you love to travel but hate to pay high prices for flights? Do you want to make the most of your credit card points and frequent flyer miles? If you answered yes to these questions, then you need to check out Award Hacker, the ultimate tool for finding the best award flights for your travel goals.
In this article, we will explain what Award Hacker is, how it works, and how you can use it to maximize your travel rewards. We will also give you some tips and tricks to make your award travel experience easier and more enjoyable.
What is Award Hacker?
Award Hacker is a website that allows you to search for award flights across different airlines and alliances. It is not a booking site, but rather a search engine that helps you find the best award flights for your travel needs.
Award Hacker covers over 60 airlines and 6 major alliances, including Star Alliance, Oneworld, SkyTeam, Etihad Airways Partners, Alaska Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic. It also supports over 20 transferable points programs, such as American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, Marriott Bonvoy, and more.
Award Hacker is designed to be simple and user-friendly. You can easily filter your search results by airline, alliance, cabin class, stopovers, layovers, and more. You can also sort your results by miles, fees, duration, or rating. Award Hacker also provides you with detailed information on how to book your award flights, such as which programs you can transfer your points to, how long the transfer takes, and what the availability and booking rules are.
Understanding Travel Rewards
Before you use Award Hacker, you need to have a basic understanding of travel rewards. Travel rewards are points or miles that you earn from various sources, such as credit cards, airlines, hotels, and other partners. You can use these travel rewards to book flights, hotels, car rentals, and other travel-related expenses.
What are Travel Rewards?
Travel rewards are a form of currency that you can use to pay for your travel. There are two main types of travel rewards: fixed-value points and airline miles.
- Fixed-value points are points that have a set value, usually 1 cent per point, when you redeem them for travel. For example, if you have 10,000 points from a credit card program, you can use them to book a $100 flight. Some examples of fixed-value points are Capital One Venture Miles, Bank of America Travel Rewards, and Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards.
- Airline miles are points that you earn from flying with a specific airline or its partners. You can use these miles to book award flights with the same airline or its partners. The value of airline miles varies depending on the flight, the cabin class, the availability, and the fees. Some examples of airline miles are United MileagePlus, Delta SkyMiles, and British Airways Avios.
How Do They Work?
Travel rewards work differently depending on the type of reward and the program that you use. Here are some general steps on how to use travel rewards:
- Earn travel rewards from various sources, such as credit cards, airlines, hotels, and other partners. You can earn travel rewards by spending money, flying, staying, or doing other activities with these sources.
- Transfer your travel rewards to the program that you want to use. Some travel rewards are transferable, meaning that you can move them from one program to another. For example, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Delta SkyMiles, or Chase Ultimate Rewards to United MileagePlus. Some travel rewards are not transferable, meaning that you can only use them with the program that you earned them. For example, you can only use Southwest Rapid Rewards with Southwest Airlines, or Hilton Honors with Hilton Hotels.
- Search for award flights or other travel options with the program that you want to use. You can use the program’s website, app, or phone number to search for award flights or other travel options. You can also use third-party tools, such as Award Hacker, to search for award flights across different programs and airlines.
- Book your award flights or other travel options with the program that you want to use. You can use the program’s website, app, or phone number to book your award flights or other travel options. You will need to pay the required amount of travel rewards, plus any taxes, fees, or surcharges.
How to Use Award Hacker?
Now that you have a basic understanding of travel rewards, you are ready to use Award Hacker to find the best award flights for your travel goals. Here are the steps on how to use Award Hacker:
- Go to the Award Hacker website: https://www.awardhacker.com/
- Enter your origin and destination: In the search bar, type in your departure city or airport code and your arrival city or airport code.
- Select your trip type: Choose between round-trip or one-way.
- Choose your cabin class: Select economy, premium economy, business, or first class.
- Choose the maximum number of stops you’re willing to make: You can choose nonstop, up to 1 stop, or up to 2 stops.
- Filter by frequent flyer programs (optional): If you have points or miles with a specific program, you can filter the results to show only award options for that program.
Once you’ve entered your search criteria, click “Search.” Award Hacker will display a list of results, showing the following for each option:
- The mileage program required
- The number of miles needed
- The route of the flight (e.g., MIA-LHR-SIN)
- The airlines that operate the flight
- The number of stops
Award Hacker Search Results
Clicking on the blue arrow next to an option will show you more detailed information, such as the specific fees and taxes associated with the award redemption.
