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Have you ever found the perfect award itinerary but didn't have enough points to book it yet? The good news is that you likely have several options to top up your loyalty account. However, timing is crucial when booking award availability. You'll want to book the award before someone else swoops in and snags it. And unfortunately, not all point transfers or miles purchases post instantly.
What if there was a way to track your loyalty point accounts and be alerted the moment the transferred or purchased miles arrived? Well, that's exactly the feature we built: Balance Watch.
AwardWallet users can use Balance Watch to monitor a specific loyalty account for changes. These data points are what power our transfer times and purchase times pages.
We've covered everything you need to know about Balance Watch below. If you prefer video format, you can check out this video from our friend Ernest from TripAstute.
When to Use Balance Watch
AwardWallet attempts to check your account balances every few days, but in some cases, these background updates don’t happen on a consistent schedule. To get the most up-to-date information, you can click the “update all” button at the top of your list of accounts.
The normal update process is perfectly fine for most situations, but there are times when you want to know about a balance change right away. Once you find an itinerary you want to book, it can be a race against time to confirm your plans before award availability disappears. If you don't have enough points in your account, you may need to purchase points or transfer them from a program like Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, or Marriott.
Unfortunately, not all point transfers or miles purchases happen instantly. While you're waiting for the transaction to process, anyone else can potentially book the same flight or hotel, and leave you having to replan your trip. Although we can't make your points post faster, we created Balance Watch to make sure you can book as soon as they do.
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How AwardWallet Balance Watch Works
Balance Watch will monitor a loyalty account to let you know as soon as your points arrive. Once activated, AwardWallet will check your balance up to twenty-four times per day and send you a desktop, mobile, and email notification as soon as a change is detected.
Balance Watch is an AwardWallet Plus feature, so you'll need to upgrade your account if you're currently using the free version. Each paid AwardWallet Plus subscription comes with one Balance Watch credit included, and you can purchase additional credits whenever you need to monitor for a balance change.
How to Activate Balance Watch
1. Before you activate Balance Watch, make sure the account you plan to monitor is updating without errors and you have enabled your preferred notification methods for rewards activity. You can update your AwardWallet notification settings here.
2. To activate Balance Watch, head to your list of accounts and click the edit button by the account you want to monitor. Please note that our example is for transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott Rewards. Make sure to enable Balance Watch on the account where the points will post (and not the account where the transfer originates).
3. Scroll down to the Balance Watch section and choose your options. When you select the source of the incoming points and the time you started the transaction, you'll be helping us collect data to share with the AwardWallet community. 
4. Check the box to acknowledge the terms and click “Update Account” 
5. On your list of accounts, you'll see that monitoring is active. 
6. Once your points post, you'll get a desktop, mobile, and email notification 
Limitations
The biggest limitation of Balance Watch is that AwardWallet needs to be able to update an account in the background to enable the feature. That eliminates the ability to track accounts that require two-factor authentication or CAPTCHA to log in. Unfortunately, the list of excluded programs has grown much longer over the past few years.
Still, there's a long list of loyalty programs you can track through Balance Watch. Here's just a partial list of programs you can track:
- Amex Membership Rewards
- Capital One Rewards
- Alaska Atmos Rewards
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Korean Air SkyPass
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- IHG One Rewards
- Expedia One Key
- Enterprise Plus
- National Emerald Club
Also, Balance Watch should be used for keeping track of inbound points that are expected in the next few days. For example, it could take several weeks for a credit card signup bonus to post. In this type of situation, we recommend using the “update all” button at the top of your account list to get the most up-to-date information.
AwardWallet Balance Watch Cost
AwardWallet Plus subscribers receive one Balance Watch credit per membership year. Beyond this free credit, you'll need to buy Balance Watch credits here.
Balance Watch credits can be bought in increments of 1, 3, 5, and 10 credits — with the cost per credit decreasing as you buy more:
- $5 for 1 credit
- $10 for 3 credits ($3.33 each)
- $15 for 5 credits ($3 each)
- $25 for 10 credits ($2.50 each)
Plus, upgrading your account supports ongoing development efforts that improve both the free and paid versions of AwardWallet. Admittedly, we're a bit biased, but AwardWallet Plus comes with a ton of great features like unlimited point-expiration tracking, enhanced account data, and spending analysis to help you earn more points with your everyday purchases.
Final Thoughts
When award space is limited and timing matters, every minute counts. Balance Watch takes the guesswork out of waiting — letting you know the instant your transferred or purchased miles post so you can book before availability disappears.
It’s one of those powerful tools that can make a real difference for points and miles enthusiasts. Whether you’re chasing a dream business class seat or just trying to lock in a hotel before rates spike, Balance Watch ensures you’re ready to act the moment your points arrive.
We’re always refining AwardWallet based on user feedback, so if you find creative new ways to use Balance Watch, let us know in the comments. Your insights help shape the tools that make award travel easier for everyone.
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