I almost don’t want to tell anyone about this because it’ll be ruined if too many people get their hands on it. However, I don’t have a huge blog readership, so it can be our secret; a little treat as a thank you for reading. Trust me, you need to check out Seats.aero.
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Seats.aero key takeaways
Don’t have time to read the whole thing? No worries. Here are some key points to know about Seats.aero:
- Seats.aero helps you find flights to book with loyalty program points by scanning airline websites.
- Set custom alerts to catch last-minute or rare deals.
- Seats.aero is free, but the Pro version is $10 and unlocks advanced filters.
- I got a great deal on a long-haul international business class flight.
- Search flights with 20+ major airlines including Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, United, and Emirates.
- You still book directly with airlines — Seats.aero just finds the deals.
- You’ll get the best results when you can be flexible with dates, routes, and departure/arrival cities.
- Perfect for casual travelers (like me!) not just points hackers.
How does Seats.aero work?
Seats.aero basically has some kind of algorithm that scans all the airline websites and finds flights you can use loyalty points for.
Instead of having to search through every date within your travel window, Seats.aero summarizes the info and presents more options, more clearly. It makes it wayyy easier to find a points-worthy flight.
The site automatically pulls data every few days and catches super low points offers that airlines release when they have empty seats to fill. This is why it’s usually best to check Seats.aero for last-minute flights — but it doesn’t work that way exclusively. I booked a month in advance and still found a great deal.
I love Skyscanner, but it only finds the lowest price, not the best points offer. And those things don’t always correspond. (Like just because a flight is cheap doesn’t mean it’ll be a good deal if you pay with points.)
So Seats.aero shows you what flights are out there, then you go to the airline’s website to investigate further and make your booking when you’re ready.
This is what the search results page looks like.
My fave Seats.aero features
I’m not one of those genius points hackers who have 10 credit cards and loophole strategies for maximizing airline points. I wish I had a mind for it. But whenever I go to read those articles, I find them too confusing. So I consider myself a regular user, but was still able to maximize my points with this helpful tool. I’m confident you can too!
If you’re looking for a more in-depth, technical look at how you can maximize your Seats.aero membership, The Points Guy goes into more detail. But here’s what I love most about Seats.aero.
It shows you economy, premium, business, and first class
And all on one easy-to-read page. This makes it super easy to compare. I wouldn’t usually spring for business class, but when I saw my DPS to AKL flight wasn’t even double the points to get a way more comfortable long-haul flight, I was like sign me up.
Toronto to Paris. Business class is even cheaper than premium economy!
Seats.aero has a ton of filtering options
Even with the free version. For example you can filter from lowest to highest points, by date, or by airline program. The Pro version has even more advanced filters.
It shows you whether the trip has a layover
Blue means one or more layovers, green means a smooth direct flight. I guess one downside to this is that it doesn’t have the details about when/where you stop or for how long. But you can easily find that info on the airline website.
You can see how many seats are available in each class
So when I booked I was traveling alone and it didn’t matter how many seats they had as long as they had one.
But if I was travelling with Chesney, it wouldn’t be fair for me to take the one business class seat with points and chuck him in economy, would it?! Best to look for dates where more than one seat is available in the same class.
Seats.aero shows you how much you'll pay in taxes/fees
Before you even get to the airline website you’ll know how much you’ll pay in points. But also how much you’ll have to pay in cash. So no surprises when you go to check out!
You still book directly with the airline
There’s no third-party BS. It just helps you find the best deals but still lets you manage everything about the booking on your own.
Seriously, if anything ever goes wrong — a delay, cancellation, lost baggage, etc. — you’ll be happy you didn’t go through a third party.
My experience using Seats.aero
I tried Seats.aero when I was booking a flight from Bali (DPS) to Auckland (AKL). I had a bank of Air Canada Aeroplan points to use, and because I was flexible on travel dates, I searched across a 60-day window. I started looking about two months in advance.
I found lots of economy flights for 25k points. Some direct, but many with a connection in Australia (no thank u). But there were also a few rare direct business class flights for 45k points. Many others were 60k and/or had layovers.
The dates weren’t perfect, so I decided to wait and set some alerts. Seats.aero emailed me every time it found a new:
- direct flight
- within my date range
- from Bali or Singapore to Auckland
- under 60k points
- in business class
I don’t usually fly business, but now that I have this handy af tool, I’ll be searching for that lie-flat seat when I use points! Most airline loyalty program gurus will tell you the best way to use your points is for long haul international business class flights.
I spotted one of those business class gems that aligned with my travel window and locked it in about a month in advance.
The final cost
45,000 points plus 100 CAD in taxes/fees. It seemed too good to be true. But I just got home and can confirm it all worked. Lounge access and everything!
Is Seats.aero Pro worth it?
Honestly, heck yes. Especially if you’re the type of traveler who likes to stretch your points as far as possible. (Who doesn’t?) It’ll feel like high level travel hacking when it’s actually super simple.
The free version is handy if you just want to see what’s out there. You can:
- search for flights by route
- get an idea of available options
- set up to 5 alerts
- search as many times or as often as you like, there’s no limit
- see a range of -/+ 7 days on either side of your chosen date
But the Pro version gives you:
- unlimited custom alerts so you don’t miss deals
- extended search windows (-/+180 days)
- more advanced features
- priority support
- alerts when United Airlines upgrades become available
Presumably, you’re going to save hundreds or thousands of dollars/points with this tool, so I think the 10 bucks is worth it. You can find more details about the free vs. pro version on their website.
Tips for getting the best deals on Seats.aero
Based on my experience, here’s how you can really make the most of the platform:
- Be flexible. If you have a wider date range or can include more than one departure/arrival city, you’ll find way better deals.
- Check regularly. Award availability changes constantly. New offers are coming out all the time, so keep an eye on the website to see what’s common so you can tell when there’s good offer. Be ready to snap it up when you find it!
- Set alerts. Arguably the best feature! Just create some parameters of what you’re looking for and Seats.aero will email you when a suitable offer pops up.
- Use it for international flights. Seats aero isn’t really designed for quick domestic trips. In fact, you should almost never use your points for domestic flights — the best value is always on international.
- Expect to fly with a partner airline. You’ll usually get a better deal flying with an alliance airline rather than the one you’re spending points with. For example, if you’re using Air Canada Aeroplan points, you will probably find the best deal for a flight operated by another Star Alliance airline.
- Pay for Seats.aero Pro. It give you unbridled access to the full suite of tools to find the best flight deals.
FAQs about Seats.aero
Is Seats.aero free?
Yes, there’s a free version with basic search features and it’ll do the trick. You don’t actually need the Pro version to find a great deal. But when I was ready to start seriously looking for flights, I upgraded to access the more extensive search features.
Seats.aero Pro is 9.99 USD per month. You don’t even have to commit to a year or anything. You can just pay for a month or two, search aggressively to find what you need, then cancel the membership until you need it again.
Can I book flights directly through Seats.aero?
No. Seats.aero just shows you availability and how many points you’ll need to book the flight you want. But you’ll need to log into your airline loyalty program to actually book. I think this is a huge benefit — it’s always better to book directly with the airline. If anything goes wrong, communication is much smoother.
My Air Canada business class booking just before I locked it in for $110!
Which airlines does Seats aero cover?
Seats aero shows you deals for a huge range of airlines within Star Alliance and OneWorld, and a few independents too.
Here’s the current list (as of September 2025): Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Egyptair, Emirates, Ethiopian, Etihad Airways, EVA Airways, flydubai, Helvetic Airways, Lufthansa, Oman Air, Singapore Airlines, South Africa Airways, Swiss, Thai Airways, United, Virgin Atlantic.
It’s not affiliated with any of these airlines — it’s an independent data collection tool. This is another reason I think it’s worth paying for Pro — they’re doing this out of the kindness of their hearts, and I want to support that.
Do I need to be super flexible or lucky to find deals?
It certainly helps! Fixed dates make it harder because you still need a fair amount of luck to get a good deal. But you can still score wins if you set alerts and act fast.
That said, the more flexible your dates, the more likely you are to find a steal on Seats.aero.
Don’t forget an eSIM for your trip! Wherever you fly, it’s a game changer to have data as soon as you land.