what it is, how it works and how to use it to manage your points

As we travel, we start to accumulate points in different loyalty programs. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, so it is impossible to use just one. But how to monitor the movement and balance of all accounts?

If you are the “administrator” of the family’s miles and points, as is my case, the number of accounts multiplies! Luckily for us, there are specialized websites that can greatly help you manage so many logins and passwords, such as AwardWalletwhich allows you to concentrate all the information in a single website.

In this post we will talk about AwardWallet, how it works, what are the advantages of the platform, how much it costs and how to use it so as not to lose any more points or miles.

AwardWallet

AwardWallet was created in 2004 with the aim of helping travelers monitor the movements of their loyalty programs. In a short time, the site became popular not only among frequent flyers but also among casual travelers. It added new functions, launched an application for mobile devices (App Store It is Play Store), browser extensions and a tool for tracking travel itineraries.

During the writing of this post, AwardWallet was compatible with 651 different loyalty programs around the world and managed 219 billion points and miles, and these numbers are only growing – check out details at site.

How to use AwardWallet?

AwardWallet is easy to use and super intuitive. Just register, create a password and that’s it – click here to create your account! Once logged in, the site will now show a list of the most popular loyalty programs.

There is a search field where you can search for the desired program. To register for the loyalty program, you must provide your login (email, member number or CPF) and password. The program will validate the data and will present information about the balance and expiration date of the points. There is no limit to how many accounts can be added.

An interesting function is being able to include other people's program accounts, such as family members and close friends who have difficulty keeping track of their balances. You can create a profile for each user within your registration or you can link your AwardWallet account with someone else's.

What are the advantages of AwardWallet?

In addition to organizing all loyalty and rewards programs in one place, AwardWallet stores the password for your programs (which can be viewed if you forget), notifies you of all transactions in your account (accumulations and redemptions), informs you about the your progress to achieve status in programs that have elite qualifications and, most importantly, Notifies you when your points and miles are about to expire.

Another feature offered is the monitoring of the user's ticket reservations, car rentals and accommodations. If the reservation was made through one of the programs registered on AwardWallet, synchronization is automatic.

If it doesn't happen, simply forward the booking confirmation email to (your login)@awardwallet.com. O site will notify you if there are any changes to your reservation, such as changes to seat assignments or flight times, no matter how small, see some examples:

What loyalty programs can I add to AwardWallet?

AwardWallet currently supports 651 loyalty programs around the world. These are airline programs, credit cards, car rental companies, hotels, stores, cashback sites and many others.

In Brazil, the main programs accepted are: Latam Pass, Azul Fidelidade, Smiles, Livelo, Esfera, Dotz, Petrobras Premmia, Km de Vantagens, Hoteis.com Rewards, ALL AccorHotels and Localiza Fidelidade.

Among international programs, the list is almost endless. Some examples are: TAP Miles&GO, Iberia Plus, British Airways Executive Club, Hilton Honors and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. Check out the full list in the website.

The programs that cannot be tracked by AwardWallet are few and this happens, in most cases, due to an imposition of the loyalty program itself. Prime examples are SkyMiles from Delta Air Lines, AAdvantage from American Airlines, and MileagePlus from United Airlines. In these cases, you can manually enter program data such as balance and expiration date and be alerted when the miles are close to expiring, which may not be practical.

Additionally, if you wish to add a program that is not yet available on the platform, you can suggest its inclusion through the website itself. I suggested including the Mastercard Surpreenda program.

How much does it cost to use AwardWallet?

The program offers its versions: a free one, with fewer functions and another paid one with more features and functionalities (Plus). The paid version costs US$30 per year (approximately R$150), but they have already promoted campaigns for US$20.

Payment can be made via credit card or PayPal. The big difference with the Plus version is that sending notifications of expiring points is unlimited, while the free version notifies expiring points for only three programs. See all the differences between the two versions in the table below:

A tip for subscribing to AwardWallet Plus at a cheaper price is by upgrading through the app. The amount charged is around R$100 and there is no IOF charge. Another option is to invite friends to register on the portal. For every 5 friends who sign up using your link or referral code, you receive 6 months of the Plus version free.

I use the Plus version and I think it's worth it, mainly because I manage everyone's accounts here at home. It is a great help to be notified of all account movements and also of the proximity of expiration dates. But if you have few accounts, the free version may meet your needs.

Is AwardWallet safe?

I know many people who do not use AwardWallet or other similar managers because they are afraid of providing their access data to the platform, a fear that I do not condemn. After all, problems with data leaks have become increasingly common. In fact, AwardWallet suffered a hacker attack in 2015 and the login and password data of at least 250 accounts were vulnerable.

When contacted by Melhores Destinos, AwardWallet said that the case was not a hacker attack or a vulnerability in its systems and that the users who had their accounts hacked used weak passwords such as numerical sequences and birthdays. To prevent problems like this from happening again, the site has tightened the criteria for creating passwords and now offers two-factor authentication through the Authenticator app. So, even if someone has your login and password, they will not be able to access your account.

My experience with AwardWallet

I discovered and started using AwardWallet in 2016. At the time, I was still only registered with Smiles and TAM Fidelidade. I used the free version for a long time until, as I added more programs, both mine and my family's, I started to miss receiving notifications from all accounts, not just three of them.

Then I received an email offer to upgrade to the Plus plan for $20 for a year and I didn't want to hear anything else. I no longer needed to have spreadsheets with logins and passwords and I was always alerted of all movements. I understand that there are inherent risks in the platform, but I believe that the task of managing all accounts manually would be very exhausting. To date, I have never had any problems with AwardWallet.

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And you, have you used AwardWallet? Are you satisfied with the platform?