Here are the best tools frequent flyers use to find the cheapest award tickets, with what each one does best and a quick tip for when to use it.

1. Point.Me — comprehensive, real‑time award search and booking guidance.

   • What it does: Searches many airlines and loyalty programs simultaneously, shows live availability, compares booking/transfer options, and gives step‑by‑step transfer instructions. Good for complex international redemptions and finding “hidden” partner options. (Point.Me)
   • Tip: Use when you want the fastest way to compare the cheapest ways to actually book a specific itinerary (including which transferable currency to send).

2. SeatSpy — calendar view + award alerts for supported airlines.

   • What it does: Shows month‑by‑month award availability for specific airlines and lets you create alerts when saver seats appear; freemium pricing with paid alerts/unlimited searches. Best for watching specific routes and snagging saver space. (nerdwallet.com)
   • Tip: Set an alert for the exact route/class you want — SeatSpy notifies quickly when availability opens.

3. PointsYeah — all‑in‑one award search (flights + hotels).

   • What it does: Fast searches, robust filters, transfer partner suggestions, and alerts; positioned as an all‑in‑one replacement for multiple niche tools. Good if you want a single tool for both hotel and flight award searches. (medium.com)
   • Tip: Use PointsYeah when you frequently compare many programs and want filterable, repeatable searches.

4. AwardHacker — quick mileage‑cost comparisons (award charts).

   • What it does: Free, instant comparison of how many miles different programs charge for a route (not live availability). Good for planning which program to target before you search live inventory. (medium.com)
   • Tip: Use AwardHacker for quick program choice—then search availability with Point.Me, SeatSpy or the airline site.

5. Airline/Alliance tools & airline websites (United, Aeroplan/ANA/Korean, Avios searches, etc.)

   • What they do: Some airlines/alliances show the most reliable live availability or special partner space; checking the operating carrier or a relevant partner program can reveal lower‑cost options. Combine direct checks with a multi‑program searcher. (See Point.Me notes showing partner pricing differences.) (Point.Me)
   • Tip: If Point.Me or AwardHacker shows a cheaper program for an itinerary, log into that specific program/site or call the program to confirm/book.

Quick strategy to get the cheapest awards

• Strategy summary: decide target program (AwardHacker), search live availability and transfer options (Point.Me), watch for openings with calendar/alert tools (SeatSpy or PointsYeah alerts), then transfer points only when you have confirmed bookable space. (medium.com)

If you want, I can:

• Look up which of these tools currently supports a specific route or airline you care about, or
• Show price/points examples for a real route (I’ll need origin/destination and dates).