Category: PointsYeah Guides

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How I Saved $866 in One Week by Tracking my Reservations
By Sarah Cash

Key Takeaways
- Track and rebook regularly: Monitoring your existing hotel reservations using tools like PointsYeah Hotel Collection Calendar view can lead to significant savings through better rates or award availability.
- Optimize free night certificates: Use hotel loyalty program benefits and credit card perks at higher-value properties for maximum return.
- Consider unique accommodations: Alternative lodging like capsule hotels can offer local experiences while saving money. Search for this with PointsYeah Hotel Collection.
- Leverage flexible cancellation policies: Airlines like United offer free award flight cancellations, making rebooking risk-free.
- Set price alerts: Use tools like PointsYeah Points Price Alerts, Explorer Alerts, and Hotel Alerts to automatically monitor award flight prices.
- Strategic point usage: Reserve cash for expensive award periods and use points when rates are favorable.
The Digital Nomad Advantage

As a digital nomad with no home base, I book flights and accommodation almost every week of my life. That might sound exhausting to some, but it also means I have booked, canceled, and rebooked hundreds of reservations to maximize savings and discover new experiences. Here’s how I strategically manage my reservations and saved $866 in just one week.

Capsule Hotel Stay: Saving $196 on Tokyo Accommodation

The Opportunity

A fellow nomad recently reminded me about Tokyo’s famous capsule hotels – known for being clean, comfortable, and offering premium amenities like hot tubs, and complimentary breakfast. I discovered a capsule hotel featuring free champagne and a traditional sauna for approximately $50 per night. You can do this by searching for Unique Hotels when searching PointsYeah’s Hotel Collection.

The Decision

I had already booked a two-night stay at an Intercontinental Hotel, leveraging my Ambassador status to receive one free weekend night. However, I decided to cancel this reservation for two reasons:
1. The cost was relatively high compared to other Intercontinental properties worldwide.
2. I genuinely wanted to experience Japan’s capsule hotel culture.
The Savings
- Original IHG cost: $452 for two nights
- Capsule hotel cost: $256 for five nights
- Total savings: $196
The Intercontinental would certainly have been more luxurious, but the capsule hotel provided a cultural experience while allowing me to save my Ambassador Weekend Free Night certificate for a higher-value property.

Searching by Hotel Type
1. Navigate to PointsYeah Hotel Collection, which you can select from the left sidebar on the main page.
2. Search for the desired category of hotels on PointsYeah by clicking the relevant circle underneath the search bar.
3. Click “Unique Hotels” for local accommodations that you won’t find elsewhere.
Key Lesson: Always evaluate whether unique local accommodations might offer better value than luxury hotels, and reserve your loyalty program benefits for maximum impact. To do this, search for “Unique Hotels” in PointsYeah’s Hotel Collection.

United Award Flight Optimization: $670 in TravelBank Savings

The Situation

I had originally booked two United business class flights in the South Pacific using United TravelBank funds. While monitoring award availability using Points Price Alerts, I discovered these flights were available in economy for just 15,000 miles plus $13 in taxes.

The Analysis

Both flights were overnight routes under two hours – short enough that business class wouldn’t significantly enhance comfort compared to longer routes where lie-flat seats provide real value.

The Rebooking Strategy

Thanks to United MileagePlus’s free cancellation policy, I was able to:
1. Cancel the original TravelBank bookings (refunding $833).
2. Rebook using 15,000 miles + $13 in taxes for both flights, a value of over 5 cents per point!
3. Preserve TravelBank funds for future premium cabin flights on longer routes.
Key Lesson: Regularly monitor award availability using PointsYeah Points Price Alerts for existing bookings, especially with airlines offering free cancellations. Short flights may not justify premium cabin costs that could be better used on long-haul routes.

Hyatt Taipei Strategy: Mixed Bookings for Optimal Value

The Challenge

While attempting to optimize a Hyatt reservation in Taipei, I discovered that three of my eight planned nights were only bookable with cash, not points. I had originally planned on booking my stay solely with points.

The Current Booking
- Total cost: $448 cash + 25,000 Hyatt points for 8 nights
- Expected earnings: 16,000 points through a Hyatt promotion
- Net point usage: 9,000 points (25,000 redeemed – 16,000 earned)
Searching by Hotel Collection Calendar
1. Navigate to PointsYeah Hotel Collection, which you can select from the left sidebar on the main page.
2. Search for desired hotels on PointsYeah.
3. Click “Award Calendar” on the tile for the hotel you want to stay at.
Key Lesson: Even when you can’t immediately optimize an award booking, continue monitoring for improvements in award space using the Hotel Collection Calendar view. Mixed cash-and-points bookings can still provide excellent value.

Future Planning: New Zealand Award Alerts

The Strategy

Looking ahead to my trip to New Zealand next year, premium cabin award flights are currently expensive. Rather than booking immediately, I’m using PointsYeah Points Price Alerts and Explorer Alerts to monitor fare changes.

Setting Up Points Price Alerts for my exact route
1. Search for desired flights on PointsYeah.
2. Click “Create Alerts” in the top right corner.
3. Receive notifications when award prices drop or availability improves.
Setting Up Explorer Alerts for a broader search
1. Navigate to PointsYeah Daydream Explorer, which you can select at the top or from the left sidebar on the main page.
2. Search for flights from anywhere in the US to New Zealand over your desired period of time to find more flights for your trip.
3. Click the “Create Explorer Alerts” toggle at the top of the search.
4. Receive notifications when award prices drop or availability improves.
Key Lesson: For future travel, especially to expensive destinations, set up automated price monitoring with PointsYeah Points Price and Explorer Alerts rather than settling for current high rates.

Essential Strategies for Travel Savings
- Maximize Credit Card Benefits
- Embrace Unique Experiences
- Master Flexible Booking Policies
- Implement Systematic Monitoring
Conclusion: The Power of Strategic Rebooking

This single week of tracking my reservations underscores how significant savings are possible through strategic rebooking. The $866 I saved is money that I can spend on travel experiences or invest elsewhere.

I’m so grateful to live my life on the road. While this digital nomad lifestyle can be expensive, points and miles save me tens of thousands annually on flights and accommodations. The key is developing a routine for consistent monitoring and optimization.

Your action items:
1. Review your existing reservations this week.
2. Set up price alerts for future travel with PointsYeah Points Price Alerts, Explorer Alerts, and Hotel Alerts.
3. Understand the cancellation policies of your preferred airlines and hotels.
4. Consider local accommodations by using PointsYeah’s Hotel Collection for your next destination.
What could strategic rebooking save you on your upcoming travels?
August 5, 2025
How Repositioning Flights Can Unlock More Award Travel
By Manny Estrada | Published on July 23rd, 2025

You’ve run the search. You picked your home airport, adjusted the filters, checked a few dates, and the results are disappointing. Maybe nothing matches your travel window. Maybe the flights that do show up cost way more points than expected. You refresh, tweak the inputs, try again… and still come up short.

At this point, most travelers assume they’re out of luck. They either settle for something mediocre or give up entirely.

But experienced points travelers know there is another move to make. It doesn’t require changing your destination, switching programs, or altering your travel dates. It starts with one question:

What if the problem isn’t the destination… but where you’re starting from?

This is where repositioning flights come into play. By flying from a different departure city, often just a short domestic hop away, you can unlock far more award space, better itineraries, and lower points pricing. With PointsYeah, spotting these opportunities is easier than ever.

Why Your Home Airport Isn’t Always the Best Starting Point

Award availability is affected by dozens of factors, including partner networks, route demand, time of year, and airline-specific patterns. Even at major hubs like Los Angeles, Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago, or New york, the flight you want might not show up in your search or it may cost significantly more points.

Meanwhile, another major city like Seattle or Washington D.C. might offer the exact same flight, on the same airline, at a far better redemption rate.

This is what makes repositioning so powerful. Instead of waiting for the perfect award to appear from your home airport, you take a proactive step to fly out of a city with better availability. It only takes a bit of flexibility and the right search tools.

How to Find These Opportunities with PointsYeah

PointsYeah makes this strategy easy with a tool called Daydream Explorer.

Instead of running one airport at a time, you can search by entire departure regions like United States West, United States Northeast, or United States Midwest, all in a single click. It is the fastest way to scan dozens of departure points without opening dozens of tabs or repeating the same search over and over.

Let’s say you’re based in Los Angeles. You run a standard search from LAX and find limited options. But when you search using the United States West region, you suddenly see better availability from cities like San Francisco or Seattle. You add a quick positioning flight, and now the award trip becomes possible.

This approach works across all types of travel. Whether you are flying internationally, booking domestic redemptions, or trying to match a partner program’s sweet spot, starting in the right region can make all the difference.

Washington D.C. to Madrid, Repositioning to New York

Let’s say you’re based in the Washington D.C. area and planning a Thanksgiving trip to Europe. You’re hoping to find a lie-flat business class seat using points, but every flight from D.C. is pricing well above 60,000 points each way. Nothing lines up with your dates, and none of the results feel like a good deal.

So you open Daydream Explorer and switch your departure region to United States Northeast.

That’s when it appears:

New York (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) – 43,000 points + $33

This matches your ideal departure window, and the price is better than anything you saw from D.C.

All it takes to make this trip happen is a short repositioning flight from DCA to JFK. That flight costs just $65 one-way, as shown in Google Flights, and gets you to New York in under 90 minutes.

By adjusting your starting region and adding a quick hop, you’ve gone from overpriced or unavailable options to a perfectly timed, lie-flat seat to Europe, right in time for the holidays.

San Francisco to Tokyo, Repositioning to Seattle

A traveler in San Francisco is planning a trip to Japan in early August. They want to fly in comfort, ideally in business class, but searches from SFO are either too expensive or unavailable on the dates they need.

So they open Daydream Explorer, switch the departure region to United States West, and the picture changes completely.

There it is:

Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) – 60,000 points + $18

Not only does the pricing beat anything found from San Francisco, but it’s on Japan Airlines, known for its exceptional business class experience, with lie-flat seating, elegant service, and a refined in-flight meal program.

To catch the flight, all they need is a quick positioning hop from San Francisco to Seattle. That flight costs just $69, takes just over two hours, and runs frequently.

With one small change to their departure city, they’ve gone from stuck to soaring, landing a high-end seat to Tokyo at a fraction of the points.

How to Use This Strategy the Smart Way
- Use Daydream Explorer’s region filters
  Don’t waste time guessing which airport might have better pricing. Use the regional filters to scan a wide range of departure cities at once. You can search any of the following:
  - United States West
  - United States Northeast
  - United States Midwest
  - United States Southeast
  - United States South
- Set alerts for multiple cities
  You can set up to four free alerts with PointsYeah, and even more if you’re a Premium member. These will notify you when award prices drop or new seats open up, even if it’s not from your home airport.
- Keep positioning simple
  Focus on nonstop or single-hop routes when booking your domestic flight. Use cash or miles, and leave enough time between flights to protect yourself from delays.
- Be flexible on direction
  Sometimes it makes sense to reposition only on the outbound or return leg. You might fly out of Seattle and return directly to your home city, or vice versa.
The Takeaway

Repositioning flights are one of the easiest ways to stretch your points and find better availability. All it takes is a shift in strategy.

Instead of asking, “Where can I go from here?”

Ask, “Where else could I start this trip?”

With tools like Daydream Explorer and flight alerts, PointsYeah makes this kind of flexible searching faster and smarter. You don’t need to live near the perfect airport. You just need to be willing to take one extra step, and the rewards can be huge.

Start exploring more departure regions today on PointsYeah.

A better award flight could be just one airport away.
July 22, 2025
Points in Action: July 2025

At PointsYeah, we believe that travel dreams shouldn’t stay dreams — and our users prove it every day. In this new series, Points in Action, we’re sharing real stories from the PointsYeah community about how smart searches, strategic alerts, and one powerful tool helped make big trips happen.

Tyler “Dublin” His Way Home from Europe

“When flights to Seattle were expensive in July 2025, PointsYeah’s Explorer Alerts found me a 27k American Airlines miles flight from Amsterdam. Then, Price Point Alerts discovered an even better 27.5k Alaska miles flight from Brussels that included a free Dublin stopover. The real win came when another Price Point Alert caught the same Brussels route in business class for just 55k Alaska miles – doubling my miles for a luxury experience home.

Tyler used PointsYeah’s Explorer Alerts and Price Point Alerts to make his trip home from Europe incredibly memorable. The power of the Explorer Alert allowed him to find his original availability before the Price Point Alert yielded even better opportunities. With PointsYeah watching all the programs at once, he didn’t have to manually check every day.

Rahul Jetsetting Across the Globe Through Alliance Partners

“I got an alert for Singapore Airlines nonstop business class Singapore to New York for only about 75k Air Canada points that I was able to book and will be doing later this year. I also booked a first class ticket from Dubai to Bangkok on Qatar Airways for only 50k American Airlines miles.”

Never underestimate the power of the transfer partners. Rahul found an incredible value traveling from Southeast Asia to the US through Air Canada and yet another trip from the Middle East to Southeast Asia through American Airlines. PointsYeah does the work for you, connecting you with the best redemption possible through partners you may not have even thought of.

Laura Bags First Redemption With Live Search

“It was exciting to do a live search for our Switzerland trip and receive an alert that met our criteria. We booked using points for the first time, so we were nervous, but now we are excited to go!”

Everyone remembers their first points and miles redemption and how nervewracking it can be. PointsYeah makes it simple with a straightforward, easy-to-follow search tool that can get you on your way to your next destination.

Your Story Could Be Next

Have you used PointsYeah to book an epic trip, unlock a hidden redemption, or stretch your points further than you thought possible? We want to hear about it!

Send your story to yeah@pointsyeah.com with a photo, your trip details, and how PointsYeah helped. We can’t wait to feature your story in a future edition of Points in Action!

July 21, 2025
How PointsYeah Makes United Airlines Upgrades Way Easier
Upgrades are one of the best ways to turn your miles into luxury, but tracking them on United Airlines can be a hassle. Whether you’re using PlusPoints, miles, or miles with a copay, the process often feels like crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.

Introducing PointsYeah’s United Upgrade Alerts, a Premium-exclusive feature that simplifies the process completely.

What Are United Upgrade Alerts?

United Airlines Upgrade Alerts let you track availability for upgrades from Economy or Premium Economy into Business Class or First on flights operated by United. This includes:
- ✅ Upgrades using PlusPoints
- ✅ Upgrades using miles
- ✅ Upgrades using miles with a copay
- ❌ Codeshare and partner airlines are not included
Whether you’re aiming for a flat-bed seat to Europe or a domestic first class upgrade, PointsYeah watches availability for you and sends an alert as soon as something opens up.

How It Works:

Here’s how simple it is to set an alert:
1. Select Your Route: Choose your departure and destination cities.
2. Pick Your Travel Date or Range: You can monitor a single day or a broader date range.
3. Optional: Enter a specific United flight number if you only want nonstop tracking.
4. Confirm and Track: That’s it. We take care of the monitoring and send you updates.
Each day you track counts as one alert and can set up to 32 active alerts at once.

Scanning Frequency: We start monitoring upgrade availability once per day when your departure is more than a month away. As your travel date approaches, the frequency increases. In the final days before departure, we scan every hour, helping you catch last-minute upgrade openings as soon as they appear.

What Makes This Feature Special?

Unlike other platforms that focus on cash fares or general award space, PointsYeah’s Upgrade Alerts are built specifically for travelers using miles, PlusPoints, or miles and a copay. The feature lets you monitor all United-operated flights between your selected cities, giving you the flexibility to track either a specific flight number or an entire route.

Once your alert is set, we’ll keep an eye on availability for you and send you a notification the moment an upgrade opens up. It’s designed for frequent flyers who value their time and don’t want to miss an opportunity to sit up front.

Premium-Only, and Worth Every Point

United Upgrade Alerts aren’t just useful. They’re powerful, and they’re only available to PointsYeah Premium Members. This feature alone can be worth the upgrade for anyone who flies United regularly or wants to travel more comfortably without wasting time hunting for upgrade space.

But the value doesn’t stop there. Premium gives you access to the full suite of advanced tools designed to help you find better flights, faster, and make the most of every single point you have.

As a Premium member, you’ll also get:
- 32 active flight alerts instead of just 4
- 8-day flexible searches instead for 4 days for both one-way and round-trip itineraries
- Hotel point alerts with up to 15 active alerts
- Tools to sort results by your custom point valuation
- Additional travel features designed to help you book the best deals faster
If you’re serious about maximizing your points and securing the best award flights, Premium is the way to do it.
July 19, 2025
Seat Alerts: Lock In the Seats You Actually Want
When you book a flight, you focus on getting the deal: the miles, cash price, routing, or program. But once it’s booked, the seat itself can still make or break your trip.

Even after you’ve locked in your flight, getting the seat you want isn’t always guaranteed.

Airlines constantly shuffle seat availability behind the scenes. Aisles free up. Exit rows open. Blocked or preferred seats get released. Families change assignments as their plans shift. If you’ve ever refreshed the seat map again and again, hoping your ideal seat appears, you know how tedious it can be.

That’s exactly why we built Seat Alerts.

With Seat Alerts, you set your preferences once, and we’ll monitor the seat map for you. Whether you booked with points or paid cash, we keep watching in the background and notify you when your preferred seat becomes available. No more daily checks. No more missed windows.

Real Situations Where Seat Alerts Make a Difference

Even when your flight is booked, the seat map often isn’t fully settled. Airlines are constantly shifting inventory behind the scenes, and that creates opportunities if you’re paying attention.

Seat Alerts are built for moments like these:
- You booked, but only middle seats were available at the time.
- Your family or group is split across multiple rows and you want to move together.
- Exit rows, bulkheads, and extra legroom seats that are held back may open closer to departure.
- Schedule changes or equipment swaps can free up better rows.
- Airlines release blocked or elite-only seats as the flight date gets closer.
- You’re trying to move farther from lavatories, galleys, or the very back of the plane.
Instead of checking the seat map every day, Seat Alerts monitor these changes for you and send an alert as soon as your preferred seat opens up.

Works for Cash or Award Tickets

Seat Alerts track the seat map itself, not how you paid for the ticket. Whether you booked an award flight, paid cash, or used a credit card portal, you can set Seat Alerts on any eligible flight. We monitor the seat map directly and let you know when the seat you want becomes available.

Simple to Set Up

You can create a Seat Alert in two ways:

Option 1: While searching
- Run a live search and select the flight you’re interested in.
- Open the seat map.
- Click “Create Seat Alert.”
- Select your seat preferences:
  - Any seat
  - Any aisle seat
  - Any window seat
  - Exit rows
  - Two or three seats together
  - Select specific seats manually
- Once active, we’ll monitor the flight and notify you if your seat opens up.
Option 2: From your account settings

Submit your alert and we’ll handle the monitoring in the background.
- Go to Manage Seat Alerts.
- Click “Create Seat Alert.”
- Enter your flight details:
  - Departing from
  - Going to
  - Operating carrier
  - Flight number
  - Cabin
  - Your seat preferences
- Submit your alert and we’ll handle the monitoring in the background.
Free and Premium Options
- Free members can set up to 4 active Seat Alerts.
- Premium members can set up to 32 active Seat Alerts.
Seat Alerts are live and available for all users while we continue to refine and expand the feature. As we gather feedback, we’ll keep improving coverage and monitoring behind the scenes.

Seat Alerts are one more way PointsYeah helps take the hassle out of award travel. Combined with tools like live searches, Daydream Explorer, Points Price Alerts, and Hotel Alerts, you’re always one step ahead when it comes to booking smarter and traveling better.

See you in the skies!
June 13, 2025
What’s New on PointsYeah: May 2025 Feature Roundup
At PointsYeah, we’re always building tools to make award travel easier and more personal. Our May 2025 updates help you search smarter, plan faster, and get more from your points.

Seat Alerts Are Here

Tired of checking back to see if the seat you want is available? Now you don’t have to.

With our new Seat Alerts feature, you can set a notification on any search result. We’ll alert you when the seat opens up—whether you’re avoiding the middle seat, trying to sit together as a family, or looking for a better row. It works quietly in the background so you can set it and forget it.

This feature is currently in beta.

Set a Seat Alert →

PointsInsider Is Now Live

We launched PointsInsider, our new content hub built for travelers who want to go deeper. It’s your go-to space for strategies, tips, and insights—whether you’re just getting started or you’re already optimizing every point.

Expect posts on how to spot hidden value, navigate tricky programs, and stay updated on award trends. We believe smart travelers are informed travelers.

Explore PointsInsider →

Heart Your Favorite Airports

You can now heart airports to save them as favorites. When entering your departure or destination during a live search, your favorited airports will appear at the top of the dropdown. That means fewer clicks and faster decisions—especially helpful if you fly out of the same hubs regularly.

This small change can save real time, especially for frequent flyers juggling multiple searches.

See It in Action →

flydubai Now Bookable with Emirates Skywards Miles

You can now search and book flydubai flights through the Emirates Skywards program. Emirates is the only major loyalty program that allows redemptions on flydubai—and now PointsYeah brings that access to your searches.

Why this matters:
- flydubai serves over 120 destinations, many not easily reached otherwise
- Several routes are monopoly markets, giving you unique redemption opportunities
- Coverage includes the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, and beyond
This adds serious value for anyone trying to reach cities that aren’t well-served by traditional carriers.

Search Emirates & flydubai →

Start Your Next Award Search

With Seat Alerts, flydubai access, smarter airport selection, and our new PointsInsider blog to guide you, there’s never been a better time to run a search.

Search Now on PointsYeah →
June 2, 2025
Personalize Your Experience for Smarter, Faster Searches
Award flights don’t last long. The best deals disappear quickly, and wasting time scrolling through options you wouldn’t book can mean missing out on the ones you would.

That’s why PointsYeah lets you personalize your entire search experience. With just a few quick settings, you’ll start seeing results that match your travel habits, your points, and your preferences.

Whether you’re a casual traveler or a points pro, a few smart tweaks can save you hours—and help you book the trips you actually want.

Here’s how to make PointsYeah work for you.

Set Your Home Airport

Most travelers fly from the same few airports again and again. If you live near a major hub like LAX or JFK, you might have dozens of good options. If you’re closer to a smaller airport, you want to avoid seeing results from places you’d never drive to.

By setting your home airport (or multiple home airports), you tell PointsYeah where to focus. Your results will prioritize departure cities that actually make sense for your travel plans. You’ll avoid irrelevant routes and stop wasting time on flights that are logistically impossible.

It’s one of the easiest ways to make your searches faster and more focused.

Set Your Home Airport →

Choose Your Preferred Bank Programs

This setting is all about showing results you can use, not just deals that look good on paper.

If you mostly earn points through Chase, for example, it doesn’t help to see a long list of options that require Amex or Capital One transfers. You can go into your settings and choose only the bank programs you use. Once selected, PointsYeah will filter your results to show only the flights that can be booked with those points.

This is especially useful when you’re trying to book quickly or work within a limited balance. Every result you see is bookable with the points you already have.

Choose Bank Programs →

Exclude Airlines You Don’t Use

Not every airline fits every traveler. Maybe you avoid airlines with high surcharges. Maybe you’ve had a bad experience. Or maybe your elite status is with a specific alliance and you prefer to stay within it.

Whatever the reason, you can remove unwanted airlines from your results entirely. Once excluded, you won’t see their flights in your live search results, keeping your options relevant and aligned with your preferences.

This is a great way to clean up your search results and avoid clutter that slows you down.

Exclude Airlines →

Set Your Own Points Value (Premium Members Only)

This is one of the most powerful features for Premium members.

Instead of using a fixed point value for everyone, you can assign your own custom values for each bank or airline program. This tells PointsYeah how you value your points, and we’ll sort and highlight results based on your personal valuations.

If you think Chase points are worth 1.7 cents and Avianca miles are only worth 1.2, we’ll factor that into your results. Flights that offer strong value based on your settings will rise to the top, and flights that aren’t worth it will move down the list.

It’s a smarter way to evaluate redemptions, especially when you’re comparing programs or trying to decide which points to spend.

Set Your Own Points Value →

Fine-Tune with Advanced Filters

Once your main settings are in place, you can go even deeper. PointsYeah gives you the option to customize:
- Cabin class: Only want to see business or first class? Easy.
- Max taxes and fees: Set a cap so you don’t get surprised at checkout.
- Airline & Hotel programs: Focus on the ones where you earn or redeem.
- Corporate codes: Add your company discount codes for hotels.
- Sort order: Prioritize by lowest points, shortest flight time, or other factors.
These advanced options help shape every search around your goals, whether that’s getting the best deal, flying in comfort, or avoiding long layovers.

Fine-Tune Filters →

Why Personalization Matters

The more you personalize, the more relevant your results become. Instead of wading through dozens of options, you’ll zero in on the ones that make sense for you.

You’ll book faster. You’ll make better use of your points. And you’ll avoid the frustration of missing a great deal because your screen was full of flights you wouldn’t take.

Try It for Yourself

It only takes a minute to update your settings, and the benefits are immediate.

Personalize My Search →

If you’re already a Premium member, don’t forget to use advanced tools like custom point values and extra alerts. If you’re not Premium yet, this is one of the best reasons to try it.

Less clutter. Better results. Easier bookings. That’s what personalized travel planning looks like.
May 22, 2025
PointsYeah Starter Guide
Welcome to PointsYeah!

We believe traveling with points or miles should be simple. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started, our tools are designed to make booking award travel as smooth as possible.

To get started, make sure you’re signed in.

Creating a free account unlocks the full power of PointsYeah—and more features than any other award search tool:
- Unlimited live searches (up to 4 days at a time for flights, any date range for hotels)
- 4 Flight Price Point Alerts, 4 Hotel Alerts, and unlimited Explorer Alerts
- Custom filters and settings to personalize your results
- … and more!
Once you’re signed in, explore the platform using the left sidebar and top header to navigate through our products.

Want to learn more about our tools?

Check out the full guides for each section of the site:
- Flight live search
- Daydream explorer – Flights
- Hotels
  - Live search, Hotel Collection and Hotel Alerts
- Alerts
  - Flight Price Point Alerts
  - Explorer Alerts
- Custom settings
Sunrise from a villa in Ubud, Bali

That’s it! Thank you from all of us at PointsYeah for joining our site and becoming part of a global community of travelers. We all believe travel planning should be easy, and we’re building a product that makes that happen—one search or daydream at a time.

Have questions or feature requests? Shoot us a message at yeah@pointsyeah.com, we’d love to hear from you!
April 30, 2025
Product spotlight: Flights Live Search
Whether this is your first day on PointsYeah or you joined us back in June 2023 when we launched, there is a good chance that you have used our most popular product, our Flights Live Search. This article is built to show you how to navigate the product like an expert. We will start with the most basic features and work our way towards “PointsYeah Expert Mode“, which includes settings and filters suggested by our power users.

Flights Live Search 101

We built this product with all of our users in mind, with speed and simplicity for basic searches combined with best in class filtering and customization for the most advanced needs.

Every search starts with the basics.
- Origin airport
- Destination airport
- Departure dates
If you are using a free account, you can pick 1 origin and 1 destination across 4 departure dates. Our paid members get access to 2 origin and 2 destination airports across 8 departure dates.

Once you are ready, press the YEAH button and our lightning fast search will bring you the results in approximately 20 seconds or less. All of those dates you searched will be displayed across the top, with the lowest priced award ticket shown by day.

Now that you have your dates and route picked, its time to start filtering.

Filters & Sort

We pride ourselves in our customization, knowing that all of our users have unique needs for their travels.

Some of our most popular filters
- Cabins, built for both those who prefer to stretch their points further in economy and those who prefer to stretch their legs in business class.
- Promotions, perfect for getting more out of your bank points. Want to learn more about active promotions? Click here.
- Max points, when you have a budget set and you are sticking to it.
Some of our filters used by expert travelers
- Aircraft, when you know which airplanes have certain seats and are a frequent user of the seat map tool.
- Connecting airport, for those who have favorite airport lounges in another city.
- Flight Quality, when you know that red eye flights are no longer for you.
Flight details

Congrats, you have found a flight that fits all your criteria! Now what?

The down arrow next to the flight will expand details around the journey, including the layover time, the aircraft types and relevant change/cancellation fees.

Expand further, and you will see the complete list of ways to book this flight.

Is it your first time transferring points or you need more information on how to transfer points to a specific program? Check out our comprehensive transfer guide.

If you dont have enough points, check out our “Buy points” section to get linked out directly to the loyalty program site where you can add to your account.

Cant find a flight that matches your criteria? Make sure to set a price point alert, our game changing tool aimed to continuously search based on your needs. Free members have 4 Price Point Alerts while our premium members have 32!

Cash fares

Today, users have the ability to compare the cash price of a ticket to the award price in real time. We currently only offer this feature on routes where the loyalty program for booking the award matches the operating carrier of the flight, like this American Airlines example below.

Search preferences

Once you have used the live search a few times, you should be comfortable with how you want to see your search results. Take the next step and save your search preferences in your account. This way, every live search you perform after this will be customized to your needs from the start.

Thats it! You are now ready to search for flights like an expert. Have any feedback, shoot us a note at yeah@pointsyeah.com
April 30, 2025
✈️ Introducing the all-new Daydream Explorer
April 2025

The way you explore with points just changed completely.

We didn’t just update Daydream Explorer, we reimagined how award travel should feel.

It now starts with a first-of-its-kind map that lets you search from anywhere to anywhere, across both flights and hotels. Toggle between them, zoom into regions, and start spotting possibilities instantly.

When you hone in on a destination, you’ll drop into a list view that feels familiar to Daydream of the past, letting you compare cabins, airlines, transfer partners, and more side by side.

You might start out looking for a trip to Paris… and end up planning something entirely different. That’s the magic of Daydream.

Whether you’re ready to book or just playing around, it’s the most inspiring way to use your points.

Explore Like Never Before

No departure city? No destination? No problem.

Start by choosing a region, or just hit “Anywhere”, and Daydream Explorer will instantly find flight and hotel options based on your filters. You can have up to three continents, Regions, countries, States or airports in each departure and arrival

It’s built for open-ended exploring, flexible planning, and those “just browsing” moments that turn into real trips.

And it’s not just about flights. Daydream also includes access to the Hotel Collection, a curated set of inspirational stays you can book with points. From beachfront escapes to boutique hideaways, it’s your gateway to unforgettable hotel experiences.

Cabin Class Colors on the Map

A quick visual guide to help you scan with confidence.

Every cabin type is color-coded on the map, so whether you’re browsing one class or all of them, it’s easy to compare. It’s a fast, intuitive way to spot the cabins you care about most, especially if you’re casually browsing or comparing options across the world.

🔵 Blue – Economy
🟢 Green – Premium Econ
🟣 Purple – Business Class
🟠 Orange – First Class

Filters That Actually Matter

Daydream Explorer lets you fine-tune your search to match exactly what you’re looking for.

On the flight page, you can filter by:
- Cabin class
- Airline program
- Bank program
- Number of stops
- Max points
- Max taxes
- Trip themes like beach, city, honeymoon, golf, family, and even to the moon
Whether you’re trying to find nonstop flights to Tokyo or a luxury stay in Rome, it’s all right there.

From Dreaming to Doing

Once you’ve found a destination you’re excited about in Daydream, you’ll land on a search card, a smart summary that shows you everything available for that specific route.

Here’s what you’ll see:
- All currently available award options
- Points pricing across multiple days
- All airline program options for that route
- Clear cabin labels (economy, business, etc.)
- Latest updated time
It’s a bird’s-eye view of what’s possible with your points.

And when one of those options looks right, just click to preview and tap ‘Real-Time Search’ to confirm availability instantly.

Explorer Alerts: Your travel sidekick

Not ready to book yet? That’s what Explorer Alerts are for.

You’ll find the orange bell icon at the top near the search filters or next to any deal you want to keep an eye on.

Click it, and you can customize your alert with flexible settings like:
- Where you’re departing from
- Travel dates
- Number of seats
- Travel theme
- Airline program
- Bank program
- Maximum taxes
Set it and let it run in the background. We’ll let you know when something hits your criteria, so you don’t have to keep checking back. You can track these alerts alongside your Price Point Alerts and Hotel Alerts in your account.

Explorer Alerts are free, unlimited, and built for travelers who like to keep their options open. Learn more about Explorer Alerts.

A few ways to use Daydream Explorer

Whether you’re browsing the map, diving into a search card, or setting up alerts, every part of Daydream is designed to turn ideas into action, and points into travel
- ✈️ Fly to London in business class for just 29,000 points
- 🛄 Find a 5k or less award flight
- 🌴 Book an overwater villa in the Maldives
- 💼 Find nonstop business class to Asia under 75,000 points
- 🏙️ Explore hotels in Tokyo for a perfect stay
From planning to playing around, Daydream helps you turn “maybe someday” into “I’m doing this”.

🚀 Ready to Try It?

The most visual way to plan award travel is live now.
Explore freely. Toggle between flights and hotels. Get inspired.

See where your points can take you →

Not loving the new Daydream Explorer flow? You can toggle back to the old view at any time by pressing “Detail view” button. You can even set this as your preference in your user settings.
April 10, 2025