If you watch Shark Tank then you probably saw the segment on RewardStock. RewardStock is a paid membership site that aims to make understanding, redeeming and valuing loyalty hotel and airline points more efficient.
It looks like the service was actually started by a Flyertalk member. The service costs $29 annually and for that they provide the following features:
- Algorithm-powered search results
- Search best reward deals for anywhere you want to go
- Easy “one-click” reward bookings
- Automatic reward balance tracking
- Strategic earning guidance
- Customize parameters for your situation
A lot of the features of RewardStock are available on other sites, for example you can track your reward balances easily with AwardWallet. Sites like such as Travel Codex and previously Pointimize provide the best routings for award trips. Sites like Frequent Miler provide point valuations as well. It looks like in addition to monetizing with the $29 annual fee they also use credit card affiliate links on site as well. I think for me the most interesting feature is the one-click rewards booking. This is described in more detail here.
Our Verdict
I need to have a play around with RewardStock a bit more to get a better idea of the site and service offered. For me personally a lot of the features are useless as I already have those aspects covered (e.g balance tracking, point valuations). One of my least favorite things to do is actually sit down and try to redeeming points/miles, I don’t find it too bad with hotels but when it comes to airlines I end up wanting to poke my eyes out. Things like Travel Codex have made that somewhat easier, but if RewardStock is giving me real time availability and also able to book things like partner airlines without me having to do anything then I’ll happily pay the $29. My guess is that this is harder to do than it sounds and that RewardStock will have some issues being able to do that efficiently on a regular basis. As I said, I need to do more thorough testing first. It’s a shame that they don’t seem to offer any sort of free trial period either. I’d also be hesitant to rely on the credit card recommendations as one of their monetization strategies is to make commission from those cards.
I’d love to hear from any readers that have used this site/service in the past.
Wow was looking forward to signing up for this but I’m glad I read these reviews. I will not be wasting my money on this. It’s a great idea and an obvious money maker if someone can pull it off. I got a bad feeling when you can’t even find a review showing the actual website working so Thanks all
I have been frequent flyer semi junkie since they started. My AA account has numbers only. Who remembers the Global Pass? I even flew Peoples Express to Europe 1st Class (excellent) using points. Yes, I would pay $29 for someone or program to find best use of points, but apparently this is not working well – per others who have tried the system. Guess it is back to the old try often and hope what I want comes up routine. Thanks to everyone who posted experiences.
I emailed them to ask about a trial or refund policy. They said no trials and no refunds. I have tons of airline miles but always worry about redeeming them for a “bad” redemption. But I hate to waste $29 too. I’d love to hear more about how you liked it, William.
I paid the $29, entered my points, linked my accounts, etc. I was horrified when I got a pop up asking to accept their ability to link to my gmail account. It said by accepting I agreed to allow them to read, compose and delete my emails. I’m not sure it was really their site or if somehow I was redirected to another fake site, so be aware and cautious.
I could not link my Sapphire Reserve account and only one of my Alaska Miles accounts, fair enough, the other is my wife’s. She would require her own account. All other accounts linked ok. My Hilton Honors card is the only one that actually updated. I tried to book a trip to Kona, it could not find the airport (KOA). I decided to book a fake trip to see what it would cost. I did MUCH, MUCH better on my own. Airfare to the Maldives cost me $34 plus 554,000 points one way, one flier. I was able to book 2 round trip for 165,000 points. I am a Point junky. I have over 4 million various points that I’m hoarding for retirement. I have a spreadsheet to help me track everything. That said, it was very easy for me to save way more than RewardStock could. I plan on calling AmEx in the morning to have them stop payment and I’ll cancel my account. Maybe Mark Cuban can invest in making the site work as intended.
I signed up and paid the $29 it was a big waste – You cannot pick specific dates of travel only months – cannot pick the time of trip you have to go with the dates they provide. It will not provide the flight numbers to verify. Does not provide the hotel options – Its a massive push towards affiliate credit card offers – I emailed no response – I had to set an appointment in their automated system for 2 weeks out before I can speak with someone – I am canceling and disputing the charges – Nothing about what they said they provide is accurate – BIG SCAM
Watching the show, I was amazed at the valuation that they were given… Currently you can barely search for any destinations and you can’t even select a trip length. I search for a Singapore trip and it comes up with a 2-day stay… It seems pretty worthless considering what is offered elsewhere. Plus, after paying the membership fee there is still a booking fee for each booking.
If it all worked completely, it would be cool, but I just don’t see that happening.
I read about this in local paper. The creator is from Raleigh NC which is a bit south of where I reside.
What I want to know is if their award booking recommendations are based on actual current availability? Or are they just suggestions of what could be booked with what you have? Obviously the former could be very valuable info/time saving. While the latter is already available by a few services.
Do you plan on signing up and giving us a review? Doesn’t seem like there is much that can be done without paying and I’m not paying $29 for something that might be good. If they had a $3.99 option, I might give it a try when planning my next trip.
I was a beta user for rewardStock but haven’t really used it in the past year. I personally was never able to find the award space they claimed to have.