Here are reputable websites and tools that help you find, monitor, or actually book award flights with miles/points. I’ve grouped them by what they do and included a short note on strengths, costs, and when to use each.

Award-search engines (find which program can book a route)

• point.me — Searches many airline programs at once, shows options and how to book; has a paid Premium tier (popular for one-stop multi-program comparisons). (clearme.com)
• AwardHacker — Free, simple tool that shows which programs can (theoretically) be used for a route and estimated point costs; good starting point but doesn’t check live availability. (travel-on-points.com)
• AwardFares — A newer multi-program award-availability searcher with real‑time searches, timelines and alerts (subscription options). Good for finding real availability across programs. (awardfares.com)

Availability monitors / seat alerts (watch when award seats open)

• ExpertFlyer — Strong at showing award/upgrade inventory and setting alerts for award seats; widely used by experienced travelers (subscription). (expertflyer.com)
• SeatSpy — Focused reward-seat finder (very popular for Avios/British Airways and some other carriers) with calendar view and alerts. Useful when trying to snag Avios/BA/Virgin seats. (seatspy.com)

Booking services & concierge help (they search + can book for a fee)

• Juicy Miles — Paid award-search + full-service award‑booking concierge; they’ll search multiple programs and can book on your behalf for a fee. Good if you want an expert to handle transfers and the booking. (pointmetotheplane.boardingarea.com)
• point.me concierge — point.me also offers higher‑tier subscriptions and concierge/booking help if you want hands‑on support. (clearme.com)

Portals & program tools (book directly or transfer points)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards / Chase Travel Portal — If you have Chase points, you can either transfer to airline partners (often best value) or book through Chase’s portal using points at fixed redemption values. Check both options when deciding. (nerdwallet.com)
• American Express Travel (Pay with Points) — AmEx cardholders can book flights through AmEx Travel or transfer Membership Rewards to partners; “Pay with Points” is convenient but often gives lower value than partner transfers. (americanexpress.com)

Account trackers and helpers

• AwardWallet — Tracks balances, expirations and itineraries across many loyalty programs so you know what points you have and when to use them; useful to coordinate transfers before booking. (awardwallet.com)

Quick notes & how to use these together

• Start with a multi‑program search tool (point.me, AwardFares or AwardHacker) to see candidate programs and price ideas, then verify live availability on the airline’s (or partner’s) site or a real‑time searcher (ExpertFlyer, AwardFares). Many search tools don’t book — they show where to go to complete the redemption. (nerdwallet.com)
• Airline and credit‑card transfer partners are often the cheapest route (transferable currencies like Chase UR, AmEx MR, Capital One). But portals (Chase Travel, AmEx Travel) can be faster and sometimes competitive depending on your card. Always compare both. (nerdwallet.com)
• Paid tools/services save time and can find combos a DIY search misses, but they charge subscription or booking fees — weigh the fee against the time/value saved. Independent reporting has compared several paid tools and found differences in results, so always confirm on the airline site before transferring points. (wsj.com)

If you want, I can:

• Recommend which of the above is best for a specific program you hold (Chase/AmEx/Marriott/etc.), or
• Run a quick check for which tools to use for a particular route/date (I can show typical workflow).