Short answer: Maybe — AwardFares is worth paying for if you search award availability often, want cross‑program searches + alerts, or value the time saved. If you only redeem points occasionally, have fixed dates/airlines, or don’t need alerts, free tools and airline sites will often suffice.

Why (what AwardFares gives you)

• Search many loyalty programs and airlines in one place, view multi‑date timelines and maps, see per‑program availability, seat maps, and set email alerts. It’s built specifically around award availability and monitoring, which saves a lot of manual clicking. (awardfares.com)

Price and tiers (what you’d pay)

• AwardFares has a free/basic tier plus paid tiers (Gold and Diamond) that unlock real‑time searches, more searches/alerts and unlimited options at the top tier. Paid tiers are modest (roughly single‑digit to low‑teens USD per month equivalent in examples shown by the service). They also offer a trial so you can test alerts and searches. (awardfares.com)

Who should pay for it

• Good candidates: frequent award‑travelers, people who want premium cabins or hard‑to‑find saver space, highly flexible travelers (can search whole countries/regions), and anyone who values automated alerts instead of manual checking. Subscribing often pays for itself if you snag even one high‑value premium redemption you wouldn’t have found otherwise. (awardfares.com)

When free tools are enough

• If you only redeem a few times a year, always fly one airline or alliance, or have rigid travel dates and don’t need broad scans/alerts, free options are usually fine: airline award searches, Google Flights for routing ideas, AwardHacker for redemption ideas, and the free tiers of ExpertFlyer/AwardWallet for seat maps or basic alerts. Paid award tools (Point.me, ExpertFlyer premium, Seats.aero, etc.) compete in this space with different strengths and prices. (expertflyer.com)

Practical testing approach (recommended)

1. Use AwardFares’ free tier/24‑hour trial and try one realistic search (your route + a flexible search by region/dates) and set one or two alerts. See how many useful opportunities you actually get. (awardfares.com)
2. If you like the results, subscribe for one month (Gold) rather than committing to a year — test alerts over several weeks when award space moves.
3. Always verify availability on the airline’s site before transferring or booking (award‑search sites can occasionally show results that need confirming). (wsj.com)

Quick pros/cons

• Pros: powerful cross‑program searches, timeline/region searches, alerts, seat maps — saves time and finds options you’d probably miss. (awardfares.com)
• Cons: recurring cost if you keep it, some airline/program coverage differences vs competitors, still necessary to double‑check and book on airline sites. (wsj.com)

Bottom line

• If you’re serious about squeezing high‑value redemptions from points/miles and you book award flights multiple times per year (or chase premium cabins), AwardFares is very likely worth the modest monthly fee. If you’re an infrequent redeemer or only book the same program, try the free tier and airline sites first — you’ll probably be fine without paying.

If you want, I can:

• compare AwardFares’ exact current pricing and feature limits to a specific competitor (Point.me, ExpertFlyer, Seats.aero) right now, or
• suggest a one‑month test plan tailored to the exact airlines/programs you use.