Window Shopping Award Bookings
Award searches are probably one of the easiest things to get frustrated with in points and miles. Like many other things in this day and age, we want everything in the hobby to be easy and straightforward. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's not. Otherwise, everyone would be doing it! This is why so many people want to use aggregators and portals, despite our advice to steer clear. Setting up award alerts is easy. We get it. But we want to teach you to fish—and fish well. I am starting to see a disturbing trend of people giving up on finding saver awards too soon. Many are window shopping their awards and getting discouraged. What does window shopping for your awards mean? Let's dive into exactly that.
What Is Window Shopping Awards?
Picture this: You are casually walking by a store and see something in the window or display case you want to buy. The shop wants $200 for it. That seems like a lot, but you are not sure what it should cost. You don't want to spend the time to research it or see if it is on sale somewhere else. You may be able to get something similar for less but a different brand, but you are not interested in that. You see, this is free money you got. You might be using a birthday gift, or a gift card. You have it, and you want to spend it.
Yes, some may just buy now and overpay. Some might just move on, frustrated they can't have it because it costs so much. And, of course, you only want it in a certain color or style. So maybe you casually look at it every now and then. You are already frustrated because you only see it for $200 all the time. Do you see where I am going with this yet? This is exactly what we do with window shopping award bookings, too. What happens next is important to avoid.
The Price Drop
You walk by again, and now see that the item you wanted is only $120. This is where we may just fall into a trap. “But I have the money in my account, so I am buying it!” See the pattern? It's easy to spend just because you have it. Kind of like points and miles and window shopping award bookings, huh?! Just because something is one price a lot does not mean it is always going to stay that way. Did you know that this store will eventually drop the price on that $200 item? Did you know it is even going below the $120 price? You are only going by every once in a while, so you are missing the true price.
The Real Price
It turns out the real sale price for this item is $60. But when it's not $60, the store marks it up to $200. Or sometimes, it likes to try and lure you into buying at $120. Do you see it now? This is how we are treating award bookings. Let me break it down:
- All you see is the 200,000 awards.
- Sometimes you see 120,000 awards.
- You just want to spend the miles because you have them.
- We do not treat it like a currency or our own money.
- We do not want to keep shopping around.
- We book too quickly to realize we can get it for 60,000 points.
If you are looking for an award booking, you might not know what the price should even be. Don't let that 200,000-point price tag frustrate you. This is how it works. Do not give up! Do not get frustrated!
Finding Saver Awards: The Facts
For many things, there is a saver fare. Some may have a set price it goes on sale for. So if you are going to Europe and want business class, we usually give a range of 40,000-88,000 points. If you are going to Asia, expect 52,000-110,000. It varies by program. For economy, it will be less. Not every store or airline will have a set price or, as we refer to it, dynamic pricing. The price is always changing a bit.
You need to know the pricing and what it should be. Window shopping award bookings and researching will help you find those price trends that I love to hunt for. Maybe it its released at that $60 price at a certain time, or if you search more you will see the sale price more. You need to shop around and look for that award flight frequently and often. Become proficient in searching for an award flight, just like when you want to buy a new computer or item. Treat that points currency like real money in your wallet—and spend it wisely.
Window Shopping Award Bookings: ToP Thoughts
We see posts and comments every day in the Facebook group about the high price of awards. But it's not the end-all, be-all. Keep practicing, become proficient, and search frequently. Find those tendencies or saver fares, and read what others are booking in their trip reports. Finally, it’s worth noting that Travel on Point(s) has tons of resources for you with a variety of items from getting started on award bookings to ToP 10 tips to remember. For those that simply do not have the time, we also have 1:1 consultations and an Award Booking Service to help if you need it.
