Factors and miles are simple to earn, however in case you’ve been struggling to redeem them, notably for premium-cabin flights, it’s good to find out about this software that would prevent a whole lot — if not 1000’s — of minutes, miles and {dollars}.
Over the previous few years, many third-party redemption availability platforms have sprung up, promising that will help you discover real-time award seats sooner with out visiting completely different airline loyalty web sites.
I’ve tried virtually all of them, and whereas none are excellent, I’ve discovered Seats.aero is by far probably the most helpful. It is now my go-to useful resource when searching for award seats throughout greater than a dozen of my favourite airline loyalty applications, which is a big time-saver when deciding the place to switch my bank card factors.
Seats.aero provides each a free and a paid “Professional” model and isn’t affiliated with any airline. The free model reveals seats for the following 60 days, whereas the Professional model reveals a full 12 months of availability and superior filters and alerts for $9.99 month-to-month or $99.99 for a 12-month subscription. I’ve a Professional model that has paid for itself many occasions over.
This is why Seats.aero has revolutionized how I redeem my factors and miles.
Associated: Finest frequent flyer applications for US vacationers
Search 19 airline loyalty applications on all dates and routes
Seats.aero at the moment helps outcomes from 19 completely different airline loyalty applications, and this quantity is steadily rising. On the time of publication, you should utilize this software to test availability by the next applications:
- Aeromexico Rewards
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Alaska Airways Mileage Plan
- American Airways AAdvantage
- Azul Brazilian Airways Fidelidade
- Copa Airways ConnectMiles
- Delta Air Traces SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Airways Visitor
- Gol Airways Smiles
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Lufthansa Miles & Extra
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
- Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles
- United Airways MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
- Virgin Australia Velocity
For instance of the ability of this software, Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is my favourite Star Alliance loyalty program because of its wonderful companion redemption charges and lengthy checklist of airline companions each inside and outdoors of Star Alliance. It is also a switch companion of a number of bank card applications.
Day by day E-newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Day by day e-newsletter
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
So, say I wish to redeem Aeroplan factors to fly enterprise class to Europe this summer time. I choose Aeroplan from the “Discover” tab in my Professional account after which set the outcomes to indicate a full 12 months of flights from North America to Europe.
This returns a whopping 88,468 ends in seconds, far too many to comb by.
However utilizing the software’s helpful and highly effective filter choices, I can slim down the outcomes by solely exhibiting flights leaving in July 2025, coming into “2025-07” within the date column, and solely leaving from New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK), coming into the three-letter airport code within the “Departs” discipline, and setting a worth of 70,000 factors within the column for enterprise class.
This reduces the outcomes to a extra manageable 187 choices. Which means that for the month of July 2025, there are 187 flights obtainable to e book in enterprise class to Europe from JFK for simply 70,000 Aeroplan factors.
That is doubtlessly as much as six completely different flights per day with not less than one seat obtainable within the peak summer time season, which is a really beneficiant quantity for anybody who has struggled to attain a lie-flat seat to Europe for such an affordable worth.
Associated: The perfect methods to journey to Europe utilizing factors and miles
However for example you want 4 seats to take the entire household to Europe and nonetheless need lie-flat seats. Adjusting the “Seats” filter from one to 4 reveals 60 completely different flights in July with not less than 4 seats.
Right here is only a choice.
Nonstop flights are proven in inexperienced whereas connecting choices are proven in blue. You may click on the data button on the suitable to see particulars of the flight time, provider(s) and any connections. Let’s have a look at what the choice to Vienna Airport (VIE) on July 30 says.
Because the “Final Seen” column reveals that this seat end result was final seen 18 hours in the past, there’s an opportunity the seats have been already booked and are now not obtainable, as stay availability modifications continually. To not concern: While you click on on the data button, Seats.aero will run a stay test for Professional members of that route on that date to verify what continues to be obtainable.
There are a number of choices obtainable from New York to Vienna on that day which might be nonetheless obtainable — the primary three are a mix of Lufthansa and Austrian Airways flights, whereas LOT Polish Airways operates the final two, and you may see the codes for the connecting airports.
The numbers in parentheses signify the variety of seats obtainable. The primary two choices solely have one seat at that worth, whereas the third possibility, which conveniently solely has one connection, has a powerful six seats obtainable to e book with Aeroplan factors (plus the charges, taxes and surcharges listed).
For Aeroplan search outcomes, the money fee required is listed in Canadian {dollars} as it is a Canada-based loyalty program, however you should utilize Google for a fast foreign money conversion. Typically, this software shouldn’t be 100% correct with the charges and taxes, so double-check on the airline’s web site to verify.
Associated: A overview of Air Canada enterprise class on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Montreal to London
If you’d like extra particulars about connection occasions, distance flown and plane varieties, click on on the 2 downward blue arrows in your most well-liked itinerary.
The software additionally has a (beta) seat map perform, which reveals the plane’s format for every flight. This perform is nice for securing an airline’s finest product, like Qatar Airways’ Qsuite or British Airways’ Membership Suite.
You too can see what number of seats are occupied and determine which seat you may like to pick earlier than you decide to redeeming your factors for the flight.
You may nonetheless want to pick your seats on the working airline’s web site earlier than or after you e book, however it is a helpful software for checking the seat configuration and which seats are occupied earlier than reserving.
Associated: The place is the very best seat on an airplane? This is how to decide on the place to sit down everytime you fly
Search all 19 applications throughout a number of routes and dates without delay
Say you may have transferable bank card factors, like American Specific Membership Rewards factors, and also you wish to e book a business-class flight to Europe in July from New York.
Nonetheless, you are not tied to at least one switch companion, alliance or airline, however you wish to journey on a selected day (for example the primary Friday in July). You may have flexibility round which European airport you fly into, supplied you’ll be able to fly from New York on July 4 for an affordable variety of factors or miles.
Utilizing the “Search” tab relatively than the “Discover” tab, you’ll be able to search all 19 applications concurrently in your most well-liked date or date vary. You may set a selected origin and vacation spot or seek for a spread of airports by coming into the three-letter codes individually or utilizing the helpful “EUR” airport code, which captures all main European airports.
The identical shortcut can be utilized to go looking to or from all U.S. airports: Use the airport code “USA.”
The search outcomes present all flights from JFK to European airports July 4. The flights are listed once more as nonstop in inexperienced and connecting in blue.
When you’ve got Amex factors to redeem, you’ll be able to filter the outcomes by airline loyalty applications to which you’ll switch Membership Rewards factors. You may choose whichever applications you want to use if in case you have transferable rewards in a number of bank card applications, with Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Final Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards additionally supported.
The airline loyalty applications are additionally listed within the search outcomes. For instance, you might fly nonstop from JFK to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) on July 4 in enterprise class for 61,200 Qantas factors or 80,000 Etihad Visitor miles — each are American Specific Membership Rewards switch companions.
Whereas the Qantas possibility looks like a greater worth as a result of fewer Amex factors are required, all the time click on the data button to test carriers, flight occasions and charges, taxes and surcharges.
On this case, the Etihad Visitor redemption possibility flying JetBlue can be a greater deal than the American Airways AAdvantage possibility flying British Airways as a result of JetBlue (and Etihad Visitor) don’t cost giant carrier-imposed surcharges.
The search perform can be helpful if you wish to fly on a selected route however have versatile dates. Let’s take a look at one other area.
Flying to Australia in enterprise class utilizing factors and miles is notoriously troublesome.
If you happen to stay close to San Francisco and wish to use your Chase Final Rewards factors to fly to Sydney Airport (SYD) subsequent winter, you might use the search perform to go looking a month on both facet of Jan. 1, 2026, solely on that route and solely in enterprise class, and set the “Switch Companions” filter to indicate solely Chase switch companions.
The search outcomes present that you might fly this route on many dates in December and January for 115,000 Air Canada Aeroplan factors.
You may select which date works finest for you, switch your Chase factors to Aeroplan and e book the flights.
Associated: Reader success story: How this reader visited 8 nations in 3 years utilizing factors and miles
Create alerts when your most well-liked flight turns into obtainable
If the flight you need is unavailable when looking, you’ll be able to set alerts to be notified if it does change into obtainable. And you are not restricted to at least one route or date if you set an alert — you’ll be able to choose which factors and miles you wish to use, in addition to a number of departing and connecting airports, date ranges and courses.
Associated: The holy grail of award tickets: Flying Lufthansa firstclass on the Boeing 747-8
When you’ve got a Professional membership, you’ll be able to set extra filters to refine your journey decisions even additional, together with:
- What number of seats on the flight you want to see obtainable
- The utmost variety of factors or miles you want to use
- The utmost quantity of charges, taxes and surcharges you want to pay
- What number of connections you’ll be prepared to take (or in case you solely wish to see nonstop flights)
- Particular flight numbers you wish to give attention to
You too can disable dynamic pricing outcomes in case you solely wish to pay the bottom saver-level costs.
If the product I hope for is not obtainable once I’m looking, I typically redeem my factors or miles for one thing “acceptable” that’s obtainable on the time. I then set alerts in case one thing higher comes up, and I will be notified by e-mail (without cost accounts) or SMS (for Professional accounts) in order that I can improve my journey and e book a greater flight as rapidly as attainable.
Helpful instruments in your most well-liked program and product
Seats.aero has a rising variety of helpful instruments. Listed below are a number of the most helpful:
- ANA firstclass finder: With one click on, each first-class award seat operated by Japanese provider All Nippon Airways obtainable to e book with companion program miles is proven. That is particularly helpful in case you are searching for seats to e book with Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership factors, as these don’t present on Virgin Atlantic’s personal web site. You need to use Seats.aero to seek out the obtainable seats, then name Virgin Atlantic to e book them at a lot decrease charges than United MileagePlus or Velocity fees.
- Lufthansa firstclass finder: Lufthansa releases some unsold first-class seats to companion loyalty applications as much as 14 days earlier than journey, although most seats are added only a few days earlier than journey. This software reveals all obtainable seats by route and date and the charges the supported applications cost. Aeroplan is often your best choice to e book Lufthansa firstclass following the Avianca LifeMiles devaluation.
- Qatar Qsuite finder: I charge Qatar Airways Qsuite as the very best business-class product I’ve flown, but it surely’s not put in on all planes and routes. Relatively than combing by seat maps or searching for seat descriptions on Google Flights, this Seats.aero software will present you which of them flights characteristic the product and have availability to e book together with your most well-liked mileage foreign money in addition to the costs and dates. You may filter to solely present flights to and out of your most well-liked areas, equivalent to from the US to Hamad Worldwide Airport (DOH).
- United improve/PlusPoints finder: If you happen to maintain Premier Platinum, Premier 1K or World Companies elite standing in United’s MileagePlus program and wish to use your PlusPoints to improve a United flight, this software will present you all flight routes and dates with PZ and PN area, which is important for redeeming these PlusPoints. You may then use the search perform to filter in your most well-liked airport, date or flight quantity.
How does Seats.aero examine to different third-party instruments?
A number of unbiased instruments have been created to assist vacationers discover award seats extra simply, particularly once they have transferable factors and are overwhelmed by the switch choices obtainable.
I’ve tried out varied different instruments and every has it personal strengths and weaknesses, particularly:
- ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s father or mother firm, Crimson Ventures): Many airways are now not supported, and you may solely search one route at a time and over seven days.
- Level.me: Whereas this platform searches much more applications than the 19 supported by Seats.aero, the search outcomes take a very long time to load, and you may solely search one route at a time and just one date (after which the day earlier than and after).
- Factors Path: Solely works throughout the limitations of Google Flights.
- Roame: The free model solely helps 11 airline loyalty applications and you may solely search one route at a time.
Backside line
Seats.aero shouldn’t be excellent. I want it have been somewhat higher about remembering my preferences, equivalent to all the time eager to see the utmost variety of flights listed within the search outcomes (relatively than solely 25 per web page). It is also lacking some high-profile airline loyalty applications, notably an Avios possibility. Nonetheless, given the pace at which the platform has added instruments and extra airline applications, I am hopeful it would proceed to evolve and add further options and advantages.
It has revolutionized how I discover award availability each day due to its unimaginable potential to go looking throughout a whole 12 months in seconds — no extra clicking daily, week by week, or month by month. In contrast with the opposite (additionally revolutionary) third-party instruments created to help vacationers, I’ve discovered Seats.aero is by far probably the most helpful and best to make use of.
When you’ve got transferable bank card factors and wish to get the very best worth, whether or not your dates and routes are fastened or extensive open, Seats.aero can immediately present you the way to finest redeem your factors and miles and e book probably the most comfy seat on the lowest worth.
