“Pulling teeth” is the phrase that comes to mind when I think of searching for upgrade or award (free flight) availability. Who has the time? I am an “expert” yet I waste hours and days finding something that works, even with my essential tips for booking awards. Let me be the first to tell you that they make it hard for a reason. There are amazingly valuable ways to spend miles if you know what to look for, how, when and where. One of the best proactive, time saving resources for finding the perfect flight of luxury is ExpertFlyer.com.
ExpertFlyer truly does things that no other site can. Rather than search endlessly, you can get notified when (and if) the seats or upgrades you are looking for become available, get notified if the airline changes planes and know how many seats in each fare are left. Airlines very commonly add award or upgrade availability as flight dates close in. If you are looking for a seat on a flight departing in 21 days it may not be there when you search (sigh), yet it may be loaded as available (by the airline) closer to departure. ExpertFlyer will email you, letting you know in time to secure it before anyone else does.
Even if you are mileage poor, I find the site useful on every trip. You are able to instantly see how many seats in each fare class are available on almost every flight around the world, allowing you to know if it’s time to buy or you can afford to hold off. In addition, once you book your ticket, you can receive free alerts when a window, aisle, premium or business seat becomes available. If you are stuck in the middle seat of a long flight, ExpertFlyer is your chance to get notified as soon as a free window seat opens. Hello world outside, goodbye smelly neighbors.
Like all truly great services (except mine ;)) ExpertFlyer does charge a monthly fee for every premium service other than being notified of available window, aisle or seat changes. If you are planning a trip, you can try premium out for free for five days allowing you to get a feel for what’s out there. This is a truly great opportunity to get as much searching done as possible without paying. If you are a frequent traveler the subscription could well be worth the fee.
As Always, Get In Touch: GodSaveThePoints@gmail.com
