Here are the top websites/tools to search and book award flights with miles — grouped by type and with quick pros/cons so you can pick the right tool for your goal.

1. Airline loyalty sites (best for booking directly, lowest risk)

• American Airlines AAdvantage (aa.com) — book AAdvantage and many partner awards directly. (aa.com)
• United MileagePlus (united.com) — good for Star Alliance partner awards; shows flexible-date calendars. (united.com)
• Delta SkyMiles (delta.com) — book Delta award travel and upgrades online. (content.delta.com)
• Alaska Mileage Plan (alaskaair.com) — excellent partner sweet spots; many partner awards bookable online. (news.alaskaair.com)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards (southwest.com) — points = fares (every seat is a reward seat); also Cash+Points. (southwest.com)

Why use them: no middleman, lower chance of “phantom” availability, easier changes/refunds per airline rules.

2. Credit‑card issuer travel portals (good if you want to spend transferable bank points without transferring)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal — lets you book flights for a fixed cash/points value (often best to compare vs. transfers). (nerdwallet.com)
• American Express Travel (Pay with Points) — can pay (partially or fully) with Membership Rewards; convenient but often lower cents-per-point than transferring. (americanexpress.com)
• Capital One Travel — redeem Venture/Capital One miles or transfer to partners; useful for simpler bookings. (capitalone.com)

Why use them: convenience, immediate booking; downsides include sometimes lower value and third‑party booking rules. (kiplinger.com)

3. Award-search engines / aggregators (best for finding availability across programs quickly)

• Seats.aero — fast, alliance-wide award search, alerts and Pro features for extended windows; popular with advanced users. (seats.aero.)
• Point.me (formerly Juicy Miles) — shows which programs/transfer partners can book each seat and offers concierge booking; beginner-friendly. (point.me)
• PointsYeah — competitor with useful filters, transfer guides and alerts; cheaper than some rivals for many users. (nerdwallet.com)

Why use them: they search many programs at once so you can spot the best way to use your points; always verify availability on the airline/program site before transferring points. (tools can show “phantom” results). (wsj.com)

4. Paid concierge / booking services (if you want someone to do the transfers/phone bookings)

• point.me concierge (paid) — full-service award booking for a fee; good for complex itineraries. (point.me)
• Other specialist agencies (e.g., legacy Juicy Miles offerings were folded into point.me) — useful when awards require phone calls or complicated partner routing. (frequentmiler.com)

Why use them: saves time and can unlock complex multi-program bookings — expect fees per passenger.

5. Tracking & helper tools (not for booking but very useful)

• AwardWallet — tracks balances and can help you monitor accounts and award expirations. (use alongside searches). (awardwallet.com)

Quick practical tips

• Always confirm availability on the airline/program site before you transfer transferable points (Amex, Chase, Capital One) — transfers are usually irreversible and availability can vanish. (wsj.com)
• Watch taxes, carrier surcharges and phone‑booking fees (some programs charge extra on partner awards). Factor cash fees into the redemption value. (cntraveler.com)
• If you value flexibility: booking directly with the airline or via a card portal (if refundable) is often simpler than transferring points to a partner for a tightly-timed award. (nerdwallet.com)

If you want, I can:

• Recommend the single best option for your specific origin/destination/date and which program to search first, or
• Run a quick comparison for one route (origin → destination + dates) using the best tools above.

Which would you prefer?