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We all work hard to earn our rewards, which is why most of us watch our account balances like a hawk. After all, we need to know how many business class flights we have left before it’s time to restock. But tracking accounts can get overwhelming, especially when you’ve got more than a dozen in play. That’s why AwardWallet works — and why its balance notification system once saved a user over half a million miles. Let’s talk about what happened.
How AwardWallet Saved This Traveler 500,000+ Alaska Miles
We first came across a post from Amol Koldhekar, known online as @PointsToPointB, a few weeks ago. He shared how AwardWallet helped save more than 500,000 Alaska miles in his account. According to his Reddit post:
“I got an odd notification from AwardWallet just now that my Alaska Airlines mile balance had gone down by over half a million miles. I found out that someone had hacked my account and booked two business class one-way tickets that were leaving within eight hours from the U.S. to Doha to China.
Fortunately, AwardWallet gave me the confirmation numbers and I was able to cancel the tickets and reclaim my miles. I was also able to change my password…my guess is that my information has been compromised for a while…but because I had recently moved Amex (points) to Hawaiian to Alaska, my account had become useful for them.”
We reached out to Amol for more details. He noted that he hadn’t changed his password in over a year and is now especially mindful of loyalty programs that don’t require multi-factor authentication (MFA) to log in — like Alaska Airlines.
Multi-factor authentication adds a second layer of security to your account by requiring confirmation through a secondary method, typically an email or mobile device. And while some programs are implementing it, Alaska Airlines isn’t one of them. At least not yet.
That’s part of what makes AwardWallet so valuable. With automated alerts whenever your balance changes, you can quickly catch suspicious activity. But that’s not all AwardWallet offers. In addition to balance tracking, you’ll also be able to view expiration dates for free night certificates, upgrade instruments, statement credits, and miles.
All of these features are free. But if you upgrade to AwardWallet Plus, you’ll unlock even more tools, including continuous balance updates, elite status tracking, and up to 10 years of travel history.
We may be a little biased, but we think AwardWallet is something special. And clearly, Amol does too.
Related: How to Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Bottom Line
Account balance change notifications are one of AwardWallet's many great features. And while we primarily aim to keep your loyalty program information organized and help you maximize your benefits, we also have your back when it comes to those who want to steal your miles. If that isn't a good reason to sign up for AwardWallet, we don't know what is.
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