PointHub is a new website currently in beta for loyalty program members that lets you search for and book award travel comparing cash vs. points, brings all your loyalty accounts together and helps protect your points from expiring. We recently spoke with Co-founder, Ryan Eberhard, about what PointHub has to offer the frequent flyer.
InsideFlyer
How is PointHub different from other loyalty program management sites?
Ryan Eberhard
We offer a break-through loyalty rewards search engine that displays side-by-side results for flights and hotels in cash, points and miles. We help save users money by recommending their best value booking option.
IF
What does PointHub offer the very frequent flyer?
Eberhard
PointHub gives frequent flyers the ability to search for and book award tickets and hotel rooms in under 60 seconds–less than the time it might take to read this interview. And beyond loyalty accounts, we also protect frequent flyer airline vouchers and flight credits from expiring with PointTracker, our intelligent alert service. And of course, there’s our cash vs. points recommendation engine.
IF
Can you describe the PointTracker?
Eberhard
What PointTracker does, is monitor your programs, your account balances, vouchers that you add, flight credits, and gives you one consolidated dashboard for managing your points. It also sends you email alerts of an upcoming expiration of your points, for example, or an expiration for a voucher coming up.
IF
How did you come up with the estimated value of miles and points?
Eberhard
We use the reward program’s tax filings, current and upcoming terms and conditions, industry accepted values and intrinsic value surveys. Just as world currencies fluctuate, the point values fluctuate based on our users’ decisions to use cash or points.
IF
Why launch the site? How long have you developing it?
Eberhard
We developed PointHub over the last two years to alleviate the frustration of managing and using miles and points. PointHub users don’t have to visit multiple travel sites to discover all of the travel options. And when it comes to booking, PointHub users never have to think about expiration dates, blackout periods, redemption fees, rewards forfeited and other complexities that frequent flyers used to have to calculate in their heads.
IF
How was it tested before launch?
Eberhard
We tested PointHub rigorously for a full month before releasing it to the public. Our test group included not only ourselves, but also a wide body of frequent travelers drawn from our family, friends and business partners.
IF
Can you tell us about the PointFinder feature?
Eberhard
PointHub currently helps users manage and use their points. The PointFinder, as the name implies, will help users earn more rewards. This is a powerful feature that will ensure that PointHub users earn promotional points at every opportunity. With PointFinder, you’ll never wonder if you earned all the rewards that you qualify for when booking travel.
IF
Can users track the miles and points for family members?
Eberhard
Yes they can. They can label, track and monitor all of their family and corporate accounts within PointHub.
IF
Is there an app or a mobile version of PointHub.com?
Eberhard
We’re excited to announce that our mobile site is scheduled to launch in mid-November at m.pointhub.com. And apps are also in our near-term release rollout.
IF
What can users expect in the coming months?
Eberhard
Users can expect that PointFinder will help them earn more rewards, and of course, there will be features to help them maximize award redemption. One of those features we’re most excited about is extending our flight search to display split ticket partner and alliance award options.
IF
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Eberhard
The main message for InsideFlyer readers is realizing how much time and grief PointHub will save them by consolidating the experience to one site. Rather than needing to hop among three or four sites or more to shop for the best value among the different programs, PointHub saves them a great amount of time by providing a cash or points search and recommendation engine.
