Short answer: Yes—AwardFares is generally considered a safe, legitimate service and is reliable for finding and tracking award-seat availability for the frequent‑flyer programs it supports. But it’s not perfect: you should treat its results as a very fast, well‑organized pointer and always verify availability and pricing on the actual loyalty program’s site (or with the airline) before you book. (AwardFares.com)

Why I say that (key evidence)

• Legitimacy & reputation: AwardFares is an established product used by a large user base and has recent positive customer reviews (Trustpilot and other review sites). (AwardFares.com)
• Source of data: For the programs it directly integrates with, AwardFares pulls live availability—so results often match what the loyalty program shows. For programs it doesn’t integrate with, it uses estimations or cross‑program signals (and the company explicitly warns availability can vary by program). That’s why they recommend confirming availability with your own frequent‑flyer account. (help.AwardFares.com)
• Safety / security: The public site uses HTTPS and older legitimacy checks (ScamAdviser, site age) give it a generally positive trust score; there are no widespread reports that it’s a scam. Still, you should follow normal precautions when subscribing or sharing personal/payment data. (ScamAdviser.com)

Practical caveats and limitations

• Program differences: Award availability can differ between frequent‑flyer programs (same carrier can show different award inventory to different partners). AwardFares may show availability for one program that your program can’t book—so always confirm in the program you plan to use. (help.AwardFares.com)
• Flex vs Live alerts: Flex alerts rely partly on crowdsourced/search activity and may miss some openings; Live alerts actively poll and are better for fixed-date searches. Use the one that matches your needs. (help.AwardFares.com)
• Not a booking engine: AwardFares helps you find and track seats; you typically still book through the airline or your loyalty program. For some supported programs they provide booking links, but it’s not a substitute for final confirmation. (AwardFares.com)

Tips for safe, reliable use

• Use Live Alerts for firm travel dates; use Flex Alerts for inspiration/flexible travel. (help.AwardFares.com)
• When an alert shows a seat you want, immediately log into the loyalty program you’ll use and confirm availability/pricing before transferring points or completing a booking. (help.AwardFares.com)
• Consider a short trial (AwardFares offers a free/basic tier) to test match between their results and the specific programs you use. (AwardFares.com)
• Protect your account: use a strong password, enable 2FA on any loyalty accounts, and review AwardFares’ privacy/terms before subscribing.

Bottom line: AwardFares is a legitimate, useful tool that can save lots of time and catch award seats you’d otherwise miss. Just treat its results as a highly capable search/alert system—not the final booking authority—and always verify availability in the loyalty program you’ll use. (AwardFares.com)