Here are the most useful tools and services people use to monitor award-seat availability (what they do, strengths/limits, and quick pricing/coverage notes). I’ve included alternatives for both flight and hotel award monitoring.

Top flight award-monitoring tools

• SeatSpy — Monitors reward seats on a set of carriers (BA, Virgin, AA, United, KLM/AF, Etihad, etc.). Lets you run calendar searches and set alerts (Telegram/WhatsApp/SMS). Good for Avios/Virgin/major transatlantic programs; limited airline coverage and occasional lag in how frequently results refresh. (Paid tiers for unlimited alerts/searches.) (SeatSpy.com)

• Roame (Roame.travel) — Fast, multi-program award search with “Skyview” and Super Alerts to monitor routes/regions/programs. Strong for broad, speedy searches across many programs and for alerting when saver space appears. Paid subscription for full features. (Roame.travel)

• Point.Me — Comprehensive award search engine that aggregates availability across many programs and shows transfer/booking options. Historically slower per search than some rivals and (depending on plan) may not offer alerting — mostly a powerful manual search/analysis tool. (Paid plan for full access.) (Roame.travel)

• PointsYeah — Search tool with broad program coverage and built-in “Price/Availability Alerts.” Good value option for users who want lots of alerts at a lower annual price; free tier supports a few alerts. (awardwallet.com)

• ExpertFlyer — Long a staple for award and fare-class alerts (very granular). Important caveat: ExpertFlyer’s ability to retrieve award/upgrade data for some airlines (notably many Star Alliance carriers) has been reduced/changed at times, so current coverage can vary — check ExpertFlyer before relying on it for specific carriers. (Paid subscription.) (onemileatatime.com)

• AwardFares (and similar specialist engines) — Platforms like AwardFares focus on both search and improved alerting (Flex/Live alerts), often adding AI/“flex” monitoring for broad-region searches. Good if you want flexible/automated discovery rather than monitoring one exact flight. (newshub.medianet.com.au)

Other helpful services / complements

• AwardWallet — Tracks balances across loyalty programs and integrates with some award-search tools. Useful to pair with alert services so you instantly know you have the points to book. (Mostly balance-tracking; limited direct award-searching.) (headforpoints.com)

• Airline websites / loyalty program alerts — Many airlines (AA, BA, United, etc.) allow you to search and sometimes save searches or call to ask a seat to be held. Always validate any third‑party alert with a direct search on the airline site before trying to book.

• Community tools / niche sites — There are many smaller or regional tools (Seats.aero, AwardTool.com, PointsYeah variants, and forum-driven trackers). These can be useful for niche programs/routes but vary widely in reliability and coverage. (brandradar.org)

Hotel-award monitoring (if you also need hotels)

• MaxMyPoint — Hotel award alerts for nights/entire stays (IHG, Hyatt, etc. depending on program). Useful for tracking award-night openings. (onemileatatime.com)

How to pick the right tool (practical tips)

• Choose by airline/program coverage first — a fast tool is useless if it doesn’t cover the program you plan to use. (Check each tool’s supported-program list before subscribing.) (SeatSpy.com)
• Use alerts for routes/dates you care about — set “flex” region alerts if you’re date- or airport-flexible (helps catch high-value opportunities). (newshub.medianet.com.au)
• Combine tools — use a fast multi-program searcher (Roame/Point.Me/PointsYeah) to discover availability and a specialist (SeatSpy/ExpertFlyer/AwardFares) to monitor a specific flight or cabin. (Roame.travel)
• Verify on the airline’s site or by phone before transferring points or buying a fee-based booking — award availability can change quickly and third‑party tools sometimes lag. (nerdwallet.com)

If you want, I can:

• Recommend 2–3 specific services tailored to the airlines/programs you use most (e.g., Alaska, Delta, AA, Avios, Aeroplan), or
• Pull current coverage/pricing pages for 3 tools you’re considering so you can compare exact costs and which carriers they support.