Here’s a compact, practical list of popular tools you can use to monitor award-seat availability — what each does best, pricing/limits where relevant, and important caveats.

Top tools (what they do + quick pros/cons)

• ExpertFlyer — industry classic for award/upgrade/seat alerts; flight- or seat-specific monitoring (one-off or continuous), supports many carriers, free tier with very limited alerts and paid plans for heavier use. Great if you want precise flight/seat alerts and fare-class (inventory) detail. (expertflyer.com)

• Seats.aero (Seats.aero / Seats.aero) — broad award-search engine that shows award space across many programs and offers flexible alerts (one-off or continuous), date-range and “any date” options, email/push/SMS depending on plan. Good for multi-program searches + unlimited/expanded alerts on Pro. (docs.seats.aero)

• SeatSpy — focused on British Airways / Avios reward seats (reward-flight finder + calendar view) with alerts when BA reward seats open. Best pick if you need BA/Avios availability only. (seatspy.com)

• Roame — real‑time award search engine with advanced “alerts” (route/region monitoring, continuous alerts) and a mobile app. Useful if you want large-scale monitoring (region-to-region) and an app-driven workflow. (roame.travel)

• PointsYeah — newer award-search tool with multi-day searches, seat/upgrade alerts and price/availability alerts. Has free and paid tiers with limits on active alerts (paid expands limits). Good balance of usability and alerts for many users. (shukrihaad.com)

• Point.me — excellent for discovering which airline/program is the cheapest way to book an itinerary (shows live award pricing across many programs). Useful for research and “what program should I transfer to?” — but several reviews note it does not offer the same ongoing award-space alerting as other tools. Good companion to an alerting tool. (nerdwallet.com)

Other tools worth knowing (niche or booking services)

• AwardFares, Roame, PointsPath and others — offer award searches/alerts or concierge booking services; features and alert limits vary by product and plan. (Coverage and pricing differ; verify on each site before committing.) (blog.awardfares.com)

Important notes & tips (short and actionable)

• Alerts vary: some tools monitor specific flight numbers/seats, others monitor routes or broad date ranges. Pick the type that matches your need (exact flight vs any option on a route). (expertflyer.com)
• “Phantom” availability: some tools scrape websites and can show space that’s not actually bookable through your program — always confirm on the airline/loyalty-program site before relying on an alert. The major award-search reviews recommend double-checking on the carrier. (wsj.com)
• Use multiple alerts/programs: many award seats are easiest to book through partner programs. Monitor several loyalty programs (or use multi-program tools) — what’s gone in one program may be bookable in another. (awardwallet.com)
• Combine tools: use a discovery tool (Point.me / Seats.aero / Roame / PointsYeah) to find options, and a dedicated alert tool (ExpertFlyer / Seats.aero / Roame / PointsYeah) to watch for openings. (nerdwallet.com)
• Cost vs convenience: free tiers exist but are often limited (few simultaneous alerts, smaller search windows). If you’re chasing premium-cabin space or need wide coverage, a paid plan is commonly worth it. (expertflyer.com)

If you want a quick recommendation based on common use cases (I’ll choose one for each scenario):

• If you mainly fly British Airways/Avios: SeatSpy. (seatspy.com)
• If you want airline- and program-wide alerting (multi-program): Seats.aero or Roame (pro tiers for broad, continuous alerts). (docs.seats.aero)
• If you want very granular flight/seat or upgrade-class monitoring: ExpertFlyer. (expertflyer.com)
• If you want to discover the best program to use (which points to transfer/use): Point.me (then set alerts elsewhere). (nerdwallet.com)

If you’d like, I can:

• Recommend 1–2 specific services to sign up for based on your carrier/program and whether you want free vs paid; or
• Give step-by-step alert settings for a typical high-value route (e.g., transatlantic business) on one or two of the tools above.

(If you prefer, tell me the airline(s) or route you care about and I’ll recommend the best specific tool + ideal alert settings.)