Short answer: Yes — AwardFares is a legitimate award‑search tool used by many travelers, but it’s an aggregator/search service (not a booking agent) so you should confirm availability and complete the booking on the airline or loyalty‑program site. (awardfares.com)

What the evidence shows

• The company runs a public website and describes real‑time award searches, alerts, seat maps and subscription tiers; it says it’s used by a large user base. (awardfares.com)
• Independent user reviews are largely positive (Trustpilot reviews and small travel‑community writeups report it saves time and finds real award space). (trustpilot.com)
• Award‑search communities (Reddit / r/awardtravel) list AwardFares among the credible paid tools; users note it performs well but recommend cross‑checking results with another tool or the airline. The same discussions also include occasional reports of UI/bug issues and a few moderation warnings about marketing behavior — i.e., community feedback is mostly positive but not unanimously flawless. (reddit.com)
• Scam‑check sites and business listings treat it as legitimate (no major scam flags), though third‑party checks call out standard items to watch for (site ownership WHOIS privacy, limited traffic metrics). (scamadviser.com)

Practical cautions and tips

• Treat it as a search/alert tool: always confirm the award seat directly on the airline or loyalty program before transferring points or paying taxes/fees. (Tools can show cached or stale results on rare occasions.) (awardfares.com)
• Try the free tier or trial first to confirm it covers the specific loyalty programs and routes you care about. Feature coverage varies by program. (awardfares.com)
• Compare searches with at least one other tool (or the airline site) if you’re hunting a rare premium seat. Community testing often recommends using two sources to avoid missed inventory. (reddit.com)
• Read the subscription terms (refresh limits, alert limits, billing/cancellation policy) before subscribing. (awardfares.com)

Bottom line AwardFares is a reputable, commonly recommended award‑search engine that many frequent flyers use. It’s a helpful time‑saver, but don’t treat its results as the final booking step — verify availability and complete the redemption on the airline/loyalty site. (awardfares.com)

If you want, I can:

• check whether AwardFares covers a particular airline/loyalty program or route you care about, or
• run a quick side‑by‑side comparison with another tool (Point.me, AwardLogic, SeatsAero) for a route and date you give me.