Here are the best award‑flight booking services (grouped by what they do), short pros/cons, typical costs, and quick tips so you pick the right one.

Summary (quick picks)

• DIY search + lots of program coverage: Point.me. (forbes.com)
• Fast “explore from my airport” searches and alerts: Seats.aero. (apps.apple.com)
• White‑glove booking (concierge): Juicy Miles (and similar independent award‑booking agents). (cntraveler.com)

1. Award‑search engines / tools (best for doing it yourself)

• Point.me — powerful multi‑program award inventory, transfer guidance, and an optional concierge. Good for people who want to research on their own then pay only if needed. Typical DIY subscription + paid concierge options. (forbes.com)
• Seats.aero — excellent “explore” views (all routes from an airport) and alerts; fast and easy for discovering routes you can book with points. Useful if you want broad inspiration/alerts rather than fiddling with many airline sites. (apps.apple.com)
• AwardTravelFinder and similar niche tools — helpful for quick program‑specific searches when you already know which program you’ll use. (awardtravelfinder.com)

2. Monitoring / alerts and seat‑availability tools

• ExpertFlyer (historically popular) — flight alerts and granular search, but note that support for some airlines/award data has changed in recent years so check current coverage before buying. (awardwallet.com)

3. Paid concierge / full‑service award‑booking agents (best for complex itineraries or zero time)

• Juicy Miles — full‑service award booking + a DIY search tool; charges per‑booking fees (older published examples: ~$125 per passenger for common bookings; tools also have short‑term/subscription options). Good when you want someone to find and ticket tricky partner awards. (cntraveler.com)
• Point.me Concierge — if you use their search tool and need a human to finish/confirm bookings, they offer paid booking help. (forbes.com)
• Specialist independent agents (BookMyAward, AwardBookingService, AwardYourMiles, Cranky Concierge, etc.) — pricing and policies vary (examples: some services charge $150–$400+ depending on cabin/complexity; some won’t charge until ticketed). Check each service’s “no‑risk” / refund / ticketing policy before handing over credentials. (bookmyaward.com)

What these services do well

• Search aggregators save huge time by showing seats across multiple programs and carriers in one place (Point.me, Seats.aero). (forbes.com)
• Concierge services know routing tricks, partner rules, and can sometimes assemble itineraries you wouldn’t find easily yourself. (cntraveler.com)

Caveats & common problems (what to watch for)

• “Phantom” or cached availability: some tools cache searches or scrape sites and may show results that can’t be booked when you click through — always re‑verify on the airline’s site or with the agent before transferring points. (milelion.com)
• Tool reliability/user reports: users sometimes report outages, blocked searches, or mismatches between tool results and airline availability (this is a known, recurring issue across multiple tools). Don’t transfer transferable points until you confirm the award can actually be ticketed. (reddit.com)
• Price/fee variation: concierge fees vary by cabin, route complexity, and number of passengers — confirm total fee and whether they charge only after ticketing. (awardbookingservice.com)

How to choose (short guide)

• If you want to learn and do it yourself: start with Seats.aero (explore + alerts) or Point.me (deep program coverage). (apps.apple.com)
• If you have a complicated trip, mixed alliances, or little time: hire a concierge (Juicy Miles, Point.me concierge, or a specialist agent). Expect $125–$400+ depending on complexity. (cntraveler.com)
• Always verify availability on the airline’s booking channel before transferring points; ask the agent to hold the itinerary or ticket it for you once confirmed. (nerdwallet.com)

If you’d like, I can:

• Compare 2–3 specific services side‑by‑side for your route and cabin (price, speed, refund policy), or
• Run a quick shortlist for your origin airport and travel dates (I can recommend which tool or concierge is likeliest to find the space).

Which would you prefer?