Frequent travellers know the challenge: the more accounts you have with different frequent flyer programs, the harder it becomes to keep track of them. A tool called AwardWallet aims to help with this and prevent your miles from expiring. However, the site isn’t entirely altruistic. While the free version is already quite useful, some benefits are only available with the Plus version, which costs $30 per year.
This price will soon increase significantly. According to the company, the annual fee will rise to $50 per year starting December 18, 2024, a 66% increase. For those who subscribed before 2017 and have never cancelled, the current fee is just $10 per year, making the price hike even more drastic—despite an earlier promise of lifetime renewals at the old price.
If you want to extend your Plus membership, you can still do so at the old rate until December 17, 2024. Using the following link, you can purchase up to 5 years at once.
Benefits of the Plus Membership
AwardWallet advertises several benefits of its Plus membership on its website. However, one stands out as the most important: it shows the exact expiration dates for all programs. In the free version, this feature is limited to just three programs, which you must select manually.
Even without a paid subscription, you’ll receive an email notification 90 days before your miles expire for all programs. However, having the expiration dates displayed directly in your account keeps things more organized.
Other benefits that are offered but less practical in everyday use include:
- A graph showing the point history
- Export options in PDF or spreadsheet format
- The ability to update multiple programs simultaneously
You can read more about AwardWallet in the following article:
Does AwardWallet Plus Have a Future?
Before committing to a 5-year extension for $150, it’s worth considering the future of AwardWallet. While the company promises future improvements and new features, these claims are so far lacking substance.
On the downside, the tool’s usefulness has diminished over the years. Many programs have recently introduced mandatory two-factor authentication (or at least captchas), making AwardWallet’s work more difficult. Automatic tracking is no longer possible in such cases, and the programs must instead be updated manually. This process can be done relatively easily via a browser extension but requires periodic attention every few months.
Some programs, such as United MileagePlus and Delta SkyMiles, are no longer supported at all. Additionally, SAS EuroBonus is currently giving me only error messages. For these reasons, I would assume that AwardWallet will lose more functionality over the next 5 years—but I’d be happy to be proven wrong.
Translated by Ditmar
Cover Picture: Frequent flyer cards | Ditmar Lange
Comment (1)
I think tripit pro also has a mile tracker service…but since I get it free because of my job I dont know if the price of USD50/year is worth it…if it still costs that much.