Best AwardHacker alternatives in 2026
AwardHacker shut down in March 2026. The tools that fill its gap fall into two distinct categories — and knowing which type you need changes which tool you should use.
Illustrative CPP baselines where shown — not financial or investment advice.
What AwardHacker did
AwardHacker was an award routing aggregator. You entered a route — say, New York to Tokyo — and it searched across frequent-flyer programs to surface which ones had award availability, how many points each routing required, and a quality score for the routing options.
Its value was breadth: checking 20 programs manually is slow; AwardHacker did it in one search. What it did not do was tell you whether the award was a good use of your points relative to the cash price. That was a separate judgment.
Two types of tools — and why the distinction matters
Award booking involves two separate problems:
- Finding award availability — which programs have seats on your route, on your dates, at what point costs? This is a search problem.
- Deciding whether to use points — given a specific cash price and award cost, is the redemption worth it? This is a comparison problem.
AwardHacker solved problem #1. The tools that have emerged since its shutdown mostly specialize in one or the other — so a complete workflow typically involves two tools in sequence.
Award search tools (AwardHacker's core function)
These tools tell you whether award seats exist and what they cost in points. They are the most direct replacement for what AwardHacker did.
Point.me
SubscriptionSearches for award availability across multiple frequent-flyer programs simultaneously. Strong coverage of major airline alliances and transfer partners.
Good for: Finding which programs have saver-level award seats on a given route and date.
Roame
$5.99/monthFocuses on speed and flexible-date award search. Calendar view surfaces availability across a wide date window. Hotel award search added in beta.
Good for: Travelers who know where they want to go but have flexible dates; regional sweeps to find any available routing.
PointsYeah
SubscriptionAward availability search with emphasis on business and first-class space across alliance partner airlines.
Good for: Premium cabin research across partner airlines.
Cash vs. points comparison (the question after you find availability)
Award search tools find the seat. A separate question is whether the award represents a better use of your resources than the cash alternative. That comparison requires a common unit — cents per point (CPP) — and a reference baseline for the program.
LiveSimpli
FreeCompares the cash price of a flight or hotel against the implied points value using published CPP baselines. Shows the math at the quote level — not a monthly average. Methodology published openly.
Good for: Evaluating whether a specific award redemption is worth it relative to paying cash, once you have a quote in hand.
Account linking: Not required
Comparison at a glance
| Tool | Function | Price | Methodology published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point.me | Award availability search | Subscription | — |
| Roame | Award availability search | $5.99/month | — |
| PointsYeah | Award availability search | Subscription | — |
| LiveSimpli | Cash vs. points comparison | Free | Yes → |
How to use these tools together
A typical workflow for a traveler who used AwardHacker:
- Search award availability with Point.me, Roame, or PointsYeah to find which programs have saver-level award seats on your route and dates.
- Note the specific award cost in points for the programs you're considering — along with any carrier-imposed fees on the award.
- Compare against cash in LiveSimpli. Search the same route and dates, and see the cash fare, the implied points cost, and the CPP for the programs in our coverage — all at the same quote.
- Decide. LiveSimpli gives you the comparison; the redemption decision is yours.
Run the cash vs. points comparison on LiveSimpli
Free, no account linking, with published CPP baselines so you can see how the math works — not just a number from a black box.
CPP baselines are illustrative — for planning purposes only. Not financial or investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
- What did AwardHacker do?
- AwardHacker was an award routing and availability search tool. You entered an origin and destination, and it surfaced which frequent-flyer programs had award availability on that route, how many points each required, and a quality score for each routing. It was primarily a search tool — it helped you find which programs had seats available, not whether the redemption was a good use of your points.
- What are the best alternatives to AwardHacker?
- For award availability search (AwardHacker's core function), Point.me and Roame are the most widely used replacements in 2026. PointsYeah focuses on premium cabin availability. For the adjacent question — whether a specific redemption is worth using versus paying cash — LiveSimpli provides a free comparison tool with published CPP baselines and no account linking required.
- Is there a free AwardHacker alternative?
- LiveSimpli is free with no subscription required for cash-vs-points comparison. For award availability search, Point.me and Roame offer subscription plans; pricing changes frequently, so check their sites for current rates.
- Do I need to link my loyalty accounts to use these tools?
- LiveSimpli does not require account linking — you bring your balance and enter it when you run a comparison. Award search tools like Point.me and Roame vary; check their account requirements on their respective sites.
- Can one tool do everything AwardHacker did?
- AwardHacker's two functions — finding award availability and suggesting which program to use — are now split across different tools. Award search tools (Point.me, Roame) handle availability; LiveSimpli handles the cash-vs-points comparison once you have a specific quote. Using both in sequence covers the full workflow.