Once you’ve been paying attention to points and miles for a while, it becomes inevitable that you’ll end up with a stack of membership cards from various programs. Airline programs. Hotel programs. Rental car programs. Credit card programs. Dining programs. You name it, and I probably have a card for it.
It’s worth noting that nowadays, many loyalty programs have moved away from sending physical membership cards, opting instead for digital versions that can be accessed through a mobile app or website. Some programs, like Delta SkyMiles and Marriott Bonvoy, even let you add your digital card directly to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, so you rarely need to carry a plastic card anymore.
AwardWallet offers two types of accounts: a free version and the Plus version, which now costs $49.99 per year. Here are the current differences between the two:
I pay for the Plus version mainly because it shows all my account expiration dates on the home page, allows multiple account updates at once, and keeps a full transaction history. When you’re checking over 50 accounts, that saves a bunch of time and is well worth the annual fee. If you want to sign up for an account, we have a signup link for referrals (full disclosure: we get a small kickback if you use our referral link).
Whether it’s a physical card or a digital one, AwardWallet is an invaluable service that can help you keep your accounts organized. Here are five things that AwardWallet can do to make your life easier:
1) Keep Track Of Your Accounts
This is the main function of the AwardWallet website and app. You need to enter your account information and password, and after that, the website will constantly update your account balances. If you’re worried about your information, you can store the passwords on your computer instead of AwardWallet’s servers. They also offer two-factor authentication and biometric login for account privacy.
You can track your accounts using the free functions of the website. Having a single place where you can store your account numbers and passwords makes it so much easier when you want to log in to check or make a reservation.
2) Know When Your Points Will Expire
Programs love to tell you that your points will NEVER EXPIRE, but they actually don’t expire only as long as you have qualifying account activity (here are some easy ways to keep your account active). While some programs—like Delta, United, and Southwest—now truly have points that never expire, most hotel and smaller airline programs still require activity to stay valid.
AwardWallet keeps track (the best it can) of when you need to have some account activity to keep your points alive. Leading up to the date, you can set up email reminders (and/or push notifications to your phone) to notify you when your points are approaching the expiration date. There’s also a feature that gives you tips on keeping your miles active. The last thing you want is to have points expire, and if you only notice a few days before, you may already be too late to save them.
3) Remember to Use Your Free Stuff
You may be earning free nights, companion fares, or other perks from your credit cards or loyalty programs. It’s surprisingly easy to forget about these benefits or lose track of when they expire. AwardWallet helps by listing all your rewards in one place and reminding you before they lapse. Whether it’s a hotel free night certificate, an airline companion ticket, or a dining credit, having an alert before the expiration date can save you from letting valuable rewards go to waste.
4) Track Reservations (and Reservation Changes)
If you travel frequently, you may already use a program like TripIt to keep track of your plans. However, AwardWallet can also keep track of your travel plans. Any reservation linked to your loyalty program accounts should automatically be imported to the website. You can also link your email accounts to have them scanned for new reservations or forward reservation emails directly to AwardWallet.
Airlines like to change flight numbers, flight times or seat assignments without letting you know. Of course, they claim that they notified you, but you might not have been paying attention to a one-hour time change six months before your trip. When AwardWallet notices these changes, they’ll email you. You can also keep track of your reservations on the website, and reservations with changes will be highlighted in red until you click that you’ve seen the message.
5) Notice If Your Points Are Stolen
Despite your best efforts, your loyalty accounts may get hacked, and it could be a while before you find out your points were stolen. If you’re not paying attention, you might not notice this until you try to make an award reservation and find there aren’t any points in your account. AwardWallet can send you a weekly recap of your accounts, showing any changes. If you notice points missing, it’s best to notify the program immediately so they can investigate what happened, and the sooner, the better.
Drawbacks
AwardWallet isn’t perfect. Some companies—like United, Southwest, and American Airlines—have long restricted automatic updates, claiming that third-party logins violate their website terms of use.
AwardWallet has created partial workarounds for some of these, such as forwarding monthly emails or uploading screenshots. However, American Airlines only allows you to manually track your AAdvantage miles; it still doesn’t permit AwardWallet to log in or update balances automatically.
Final Thoughts & How To Sign Up For An Account
I’ve been using AwardWallet for years, and I’m happy with its service. They’ve branched out and now write a blog, offer credit card sign-up links, sponsor a Facebook group and provide a transaction analyzer. While I’m sure these are helpful to some people, I want a place to keep all my stuff in order, and their website is where I choose to do just that.
Even after all these years, AwardWallet remains one of the most useful tools for points and miles enthusiasts. With so many loyalty programs continuing to evolve—from dynamic pricing to digital-only memberships—having a single dashboard that keeps everything straight is more helpful than ever.
If you want to sign up for an account, we have a signup link for referrals. (full disclosure – if you use our referral, we may get a small commission)
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