What is SeatSpy

SeatSpy helps solve the problem of finding airline reward seats. Its goal is to allow people that have collected air miles and airline reward loyalty points to easily see which seats are available as Reward Seats.

To use the site, you select the airline and the route that you want to search for reward seat availability. We then show you all of the reward seat availability, for every cabin class, for almost a whole year. No more re-entering search details, creating a new search with a different cabin class or with new dates when you might be able to travel.

Which airlines does SeatSpy have reward seat availability for?

SeatSpy currently keeps track of reward seat availability for the following airlines:

• Air France
• American Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• British Airways
• Brussels Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• Etihad Airways
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Swiss Air Lines
• Virgin Atlantic

Can SeatSpy help me find out when new reward seats become available?

Yes, this is the primary goal of the site. Instead of having to keep coming back to our site, or the airlines site, to check if any new reward seats have become available, we will send you a message when we detect that there are more reward seats available for the routes you are interested in.

We'll let you know by sending you a text message and an email whenever we've detected new availability.

How do I book the reward seats that I find on SeatSpy?

Once you know that the reward seats you are interested in are available, you can get in touch with the airline by phone or on their website to book or upgrade to the reward seats.

Which routes does SeatSpy show results for?

SeatSpy tracks reward seat availability for direct flights on an airline's own aircraft. We aren't able to track multi-stop flights or partner flights that are flown on a different airline's aircraft.

How can I contact SeatSpy

You can contact us using the Help button that appears at the bottom right of every page on the SeatSpy site. This registers a contact ticket on our system to help us keep track of all enquiries.

Why do I need to set up an alert?

If you search our site for reward seat availability and the seats you want are not available, it is possible that the airline will release more award seats between now and the time you want to fly. You would normally have to keep coming back to SeatSpy or to the airlines website to check if they have released more reward seats on the flights you want.

Instead, you can now set an alert for the route that you are interested in on SeatSpy and when we detect that new seats have become available, we'll send you a message.

How do alerts work?

You set the options for the flight you are interested by telling us

• Airline
• Origin
• Destination
• Departure Date
• Arrival Date
• Number of Passengers
• Cabin Classes
• One way or Return flight

For example, this means that you can set an alert to let you know if any new reward seats become available for a BA return flight from London to New York, for 2 people, travelling between 2nd February and the 9th February 2020 in either Business or First Class.

Once you've set this alert, we'll constantly monitor that route and if we detect that any new reward seats become available, we'll send you a message to let you know. You can then book or upgrade to the seats by calling the airline or booking on the airline's website.

 

Difference between Return alerts and One Way alerts. Which should I use?

Return alerts are very broad and will send you notifications of any new seat availability in both directions for any date in the range you have set.

One way alerts are much more specific allowing you to set more specific time ranges, but you need to set up an alert for each flight you want notifications for.

If we take an example search:

London Heathrow to Cape Town Dec 20 - returning Jan 3 You can either create one return alert or two one-way alerts.

The return alert will notify you of any new availability in both directions between the dates that you have selected. For example, if a seat becomes available on the outbound leg on Dec 21st, you will receive a notification. Similarly, if a seat became available on the return leg on Jan 1st you would receive a notification.

One Way alerts can be much more specific. If you are only interested on availability for the exact days or for a very tight range of dates, you would be better off setting up two one-way alerts. If you set up one-way alerts for

1. London - Cape Town on Dec 20
2. Cape Town - London on Jan 3

Then you will only receive alerts if seats become available on these specific dates. If you were a little more flexible, you might set these one-way alerts up for Dec 20 - 21 and for Jan 2 - 3. This way you would be notified of new seat availability for this tight range of dates, but you wouldn't get alerts if seats become available in the 25th December like you would for the return alert.

So, a return alert is very broad and you will be notified of ANY new availability between the two dates. Even if availability appears on the return leg the day after you have stated you want to fly out. This works best if you can very flexible about travel dates.

A one-way alert is very specific and works best when you are less flexible about dates. You can set the exact date or a very small range of dates that you want notifications for.

 

How do I delete an alert? How do I stop receiving notifications about an alert?

As soon as you login to SeatSpy, there is a link at the top of the screen named Alerts. Click on this link to see a list of all of the alerts that you have set up. There is an option beside each alert to delete it. Deleting the alert will stop our tracking of this route for you and will stop any more messages being sent for this alert.

There is also a direct link in the emails that tell you about new seat availability. If you no longer want to receive alert messages for this alert, click on the email link and it will immediately delete the alert and prevent any more messages being generated for it.

Alerts are automatically deleted when the End Date of the alerts Date Range is passed. For example, if you were looking for availability between 2nd and 9th February, then, on 10th February, our system will delete your alert for you as there is no longer any possibility of finding new reward seat availability for this alert.

How do mobile alerts messages via SMS or WhatsApp work?

Depending on which subscription level you sign up to, you can opt to have alert notifications sent to you via SMS text message or WhatsApp message. Many people find message notification more prominent on their phones or laptops and prefer to have messages when they are waiting for important notifications.

These mobile alert messages are subject to a fair usage policy as the delivery of each message is an additional cost to us. Mobile alert messages are limited to 30 messages per month. A count of your mobile alert message usage is shown on your account page under the option to select your preferred delivery method.

If you reach your monthly quota of 30 messages, you will be sent an additional message informing you of this. You will then continue to receive email alert notifications, but you won't receive any further mobile alert messages until your quota resets. The quota resets on the 1st of every month.

You can avoid using unnecessary messages each month by keeping your alert date ranges as specific as possible. If you set a very large date range, for example from 1st February to 1st August, this can potentially generate many alert notifications per day which will quickly use up your message quota.

At 30 messages per month we find very few people reach their monthly limit if they set reasonable date ranges for personal use.

What is the cost of the service?

We offer two levels of subscription, with varying features available in each.

You can see the latest pricing details on our Pricing page

How can I cancel my subscription?

You can cancel at any time by logging in and visiting the Subscriptions page from within your account page. You will see the details of your current subscription and be able to choose the option to cancel.

If you cancel part way through a billing period, you will continue to have access to the features of your subscription tier for the remainder of the period, but will not be charged again when it ends. You will not receive a refund for the remaining part of the billing period.

How do I change my payment card?

You can change the payment card that you use to pay for your subscription from visiting the Subscriptions page.

You can navigate to this page by logging in to your account on the SeatSpy site and clicking on the Account option in the menu at the top of every page. This takes you to your Account page from which you can review your subscriptions by following the Subscriptions link in the menu on the left of the page.

This subscriptions page will list all detail about your current subscription, including the card you are using to pay, with an option to "Update Payment Card Details". Clicking this link will let you update your card details or change to a different card.

Can I get discounts by referring friends?

Yes, we have a Refer A Friend scheme that gives you 1 months worth of credit when you refer someone that goes on to take out a paid subscription. You can find your unique referral code and an easy way to send it to friends on the Refer a Friend page.

Read more about referring friends in the Refer A Friend section of this FAQ.

How does your Refer A Friend referral scheme work?

If you Refer A Friend who goes on to take out a paid subscription you will earn 3 months credit for your own subscription.

Your friend must sign up using your unique referral code that you can find on your Refer a Friend page.

Where do I find my unique referral link?

You can find your unique referral Link on the Refer a Friend page.

Send this link to your friends when you tell them about SeatSpy.

What is the easiest way to tell friends about SeatSpy?

We have created a template email that you can send to your friends from the Refer a Friend page.

Scroll down to see the template email and enter your friends email address. The template automatically includes your personal and unique referral code so you don't have to add anything to it.

You can see the template email that we will send them so you know what message they will receive.

Click the Send Friend Referral button to send the email.

What is AwardWallet?

AwardWallet helps you keep track of all of your loyalty points including frequent flyer miles, hotel points, dining rewards and shopping rewards. If there is a loyalty program that offers incentive points, AwardWallet will probably know about it and they will help you track your points, including alerting you when your points are about to expire.

AwardWallet is designed to be integrated into other services like SeatSpy, so, by linking your AwardWallet account, we'll be able to show you how many points you have for the airline that you are searching for.

If you don't already have an AwardWallet account, you can sign up for one for free at AwardWallet.com

How do I connect my AwardWallet acount to SeatSpy?

When you sign in to your SeatSpy account, go to your Account page you will see an AwardWallet connect button.

This will bring up an AwardWallet dialog box asking you to authorise access to your loyalty account balances. You may have to login to your AwardWallet account first.

That's it. Once you have done this your AwardWallet account is connected and you can see your loyalty point balances from SeatSpy.

How do I disconnect my AwardWallet account from SeatSpy?

If you want to disconnect your AwardWallet account, you can do this from your AwardWallet account at AwardWallet.com.

From your AwardWallet.com dashboard, choose the Manage Connections option from the left hand column. From here you choose to revoke access to your AwardWallet balances from anyone that you have shared them with.

What is Virgin Atlantic’s new dynamic pricing for reward seats?

Virgin Atlantic has shifted to a dynamic pricing model for reward seats, which means that the number of Virgin Points needed for a seat now varies based on factors like demand, travel dates, and route popularity. Instead of a fixed-point rate, reward points required now align more closely with cash ticket prices, offering more flexibility and access to a wider range of seats.

How does this benefit loyalty members?

The dynamic pricing model opens up the ability to book any available seat on Virgin Atlantic flights using Virgin Points, not just a limited selection. This expansion provides members with greater choice and flexibility when booking with points, especially on popular routes where availability was previously restricted.

What are Saver Reward Seats?

To ensure value within the dynamic pricing model, Virgin Atlantic has introduced Saver reward seats, which are available at a fixed, lower points rate. Saver seats provide members with a predictable and cost-effective way to use points, with redemptions starting as low as 6,000 Virgin Points on select routes.

Will I always need more points during peak times?

Since dynamic pricing adjusts based on demand, higher points values may be required during peak travel times or on high-demand routes. However, members may find more favorable points rates during off-peak times, giving them the chance to book with fewer points when demand is lower.

How does this affect companion and upgrade vouchers?

Companion and Upgrade vouchers have also been updated. Now, these vouchers can be used for any seat in any cabin, although there is a cap on the points they cover. For example, Flying Club Red members’ vouchers cover up to 75,000 points, while Silver and Gold members’ vouchers cover up to 150,000 points. Members can top up with additional points if the seat exceeds these limits.

Are there any issues with availability under the new system?

Some discrepancies have been observed between availability shown on Virgin’s Reward Seat Checker tool, the website, and the app. A seat that appears available at one point level on the Reward Seat Checker may display at a different point requirement on the booking page.

How can I use alerts now that all Virgin Atlantic seats are available?

With Virgin Atlantic’s new dynamic pricing, all seats can now be booked using Reward Points. To help you find the best-value options, we’ve added two new filters to the Virgin Atlantic Create Alert form:

Set A Maximum Points Value - By setting a maximum points value, you’ll only receive alerts for seats available at or below your specified points limit on your chosen dates. You'll also continue to receive alerts if the points value for these seats decreases. This way, you’re only notified about options that match your points budget.

Use the Saver Fare Type - Selecting the Saver fare type when creating your alert will ensure you’re notified only when Virgin Atlantic Saver seats become available. Saver seats offer lower, fixed points rates, so this option helps you identify seats with special, reduced-point pricing.

These filters allow you to narrow down your alerts to the best-value seats, letting you focus on lower-point availability and avoid higher-priced options that may not meet your preferences.

Why does my search not get past the loading screen?

If you run MalwareBytes or Ad Blocking software, it can interfere with the loading of the availability calendar results page. Some people have reported that the page will display our Loading message with our spinning arrows but will not progress past this. Turning off ad blocking software allows the results to be displayed.

The ad blocking software only effects a very small proportion of the users of the site. It prevents our code loading only because it thinks the code resemble some advertising activity, not because we are attempting to display adverts on the page.