SuperFly: another new Frequent Flier Organizer

TechCrunch has all the details:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/20/fr...il&utm_campaign=Feed:+Techcrunch+(TechCrunch)

"Armed with a new domain, new design, and fresh funding, Superfly’s goal is to not only help users organize travel rewards (be they frequent flier miles or hotel rewards), but actually educate users on how to use them to maximize their value. According to Superfly, there are currently between 17 and 22 trillion unused miles and points floating around travel accounts today, and these points are valued at between $500 and 600 billion."

 

copying milepoint...

funding = ?

 

I found out about it some time back when a venture capitalist client told me about it. The article gives most of the public information, and the website has some more. These are now so common that it is becoming a trifle overwhelming, isn't it?

 

Superfly is not your average miles and points management service. Having seen the product roadmap (I work for superfly), I can tell you that Elite travelers, and I stress Elite travelers are in for a treat.

 

Welcome. entertaining first post. Here's a like to get you started.

 

I signed up for Superfly. It had zero value to me. There is not perceptible functionality apart from an unexplained value algorithm and simple account aggregation. It is a bust, IMO. Maybe they plan something, but this is not even good enough for a beta. The VC community has had another scam based on what I can find. Bubble?

If I am wrong and there is content, they hide it far too well for the typical high intensity Frequent Traveler.

 

I signed up but backed off. I'm not entering all my account numbers and pins into a site where I don't personally know who is behind it and what their security system is, let alone not knowing their exit strategy (they may be secure, but what if they sell out to another company or go under and get sold as scrap?)

 

I knew who was behind it. A client tried to convince me. As my pervious post indicates, I recommended against my client investing in this project.

 

jbcarioca - Hi,

My name is Jonathan and I founded Superfly. Current functionality is very basic. Our goal was to give users a simple way to add accounts, get a sense of the value of their rewards programs, and help users understand that the value of their rewards is impacted by how they actually use the rewards.

In that respect we've succeeded and thousands of users have linked account with hundreds of millions of miles.

That being said, we are an early stage company, and we just came out of Beta. I suggest you stick around and see what we have in store. If you have ideas and suggestions regarding what you'd like to see, I'd be personally very happy to listen.

 

Thanks for responding, and thanks to both of you for joining Milepoint and communicating with us. I have so far participated in evaluating and opining on features for at least five different sites. None of them have yet really proven to be useful for me, but some have been popular with less frequent travelers. There are a number of them that have been regularly been evaluated here and on other BB's, including quite a few that have had active assistance from members here. Thus you probably can get lots of help.

For me, Superfly does not offer any useful functionaility other than some "secret formula" you use to value points. Even that formula requires user input that is not allowed because the point value is vastly different for different flyers. One who uses points for domestic flights only in the USA sees a far different value than does someone who lives in a high-fare region who uses them for Business or First Class intercontinental travel. Hotel points have similar issues, as do car rental points.

Thus Superfly, by offering nothing useful, not even a road map, eliminates any real incentives for people to use it. Signups are fairly easy but utility is something else again. I wish there were an easy way to delete my records because I would do so if I could. Earlier comments by Gargoyle in this thread demonstrate why I should have been more cautious.

Sorry, Jonathan, but you should not have entered beta without demonstrable value. You should have called this Alpha. You're persuasive because you've successfully raised funding. However, you do not have a product worthy to be named a Beta offering.

 

1,000 free signup miles credited to the program of your choice sounds like a good start, and an extra 1,000 to the person who came up with the idea!

 

Ah, General, should not the latter benefit apply also to the person who alerted you to this possibility? I certainly think so.

 

500 extra miles for you, 500 extra miles for me. The general is fair!

 

That is above the 1000 each already suggested, right? Thus we have now proven that regardless of underlying value Milepointers are prepared to be bought! "It's all about the miles" as a friend of mine is prone to say.

 

jbcarioca - happy to be part of the forum. Randy Peterson is a friends and we've been following the development and initial launch of the forum closely.

I agree that the current site offers limited functionality, but our vision goes well beyond organizing rewards.
The "secret formula" that you mention is already learning the users' patterns and aggregating a lot of information with the sole purpose of helping elite travelers make informed decisions.

Our models differentiates between using points for upgrades versus using points for award flights. Other questions like "Where should I stay?", "Which flight makes more sense for me?" and "Which credit card should I use on my next car rental?" are just a sample of the personal value which is missing today from the equations.

As a frequent flier we'd love to have your business. I'd suggest you stick around and see what we roll out over the next few months.

I'll check in again with this thread to get more feedback
Thanks,
Jonathan

 

Thanks for coming here for feedback, Jonathan. When I go to

https://www.superfly.com/

I see a page that tells me that Superfly apparently

- organizes all my miles in one place
- tells me what my miles are worth and how to best use them

Then I can sign up.

Personally, I have so many accounts with so many sites that I am at a point where I'd like to know a bit more about a product before spending time signing up for something new, even if it doesn't cost money (it does cost me time, since I need to think up a new password and store a new record in my password manager for this account) . I don't see a demo, screenshots, more detailed feature list, ... and without that you've more or less immediately lost my interest. Am I missing something?

 

You are missing nothing. Jonathan says there is a plan but gives no details. At the moment there is no benefit nor any clues about what might become a benefit.

 

But surely there is some amount of functionality? As a potential user, I think I should be offered a bit more information before I am asked to sign up (for what?).

 

There is a summary of the purported financial value of each of your programs, and a total. There is no formula revealed nor any customization of the values. At the moment that is it. They have revealed nothing about their plans other than that they will be to our liking.

 

You shouldn't knock it before they roll out all their features.

 

Thanks OneSweetWorld! We've been out for less than three months so I appreciate the patience.

That being said, we are rolling out more features and I'm happy to share some of the details.

Superfly Lounges - your elite circles. Just like your airline lounge. We're building exclusive lounges where users can learn about other elite travelers like themselves. We've also amassed a lot of data and we'd like to use the lounges to share that data. For example, we know which hotels United 1K members prefer and where Lufthansa HON circles like to dine. We plan on aggregating that information and presenting it to your elite circle.

The feature will launch in the next few weeks and there is still room for a few tweaks. Happy to hear your feedback.

Cheers,

Jonathan

 

I agree with that if there has not yet been a Beta launch. One does need features for a beta; otherwise it is not a launch but some other form of testing. There have been zero details until now, only "you'll love it". That is what I criticize. There are so many sites that do have real content, and where a Beta launch has real, demonstrable value, that one that has no such value is hardly a good use of time IMO.

 

So now what? What does this site do for me?

 

So mileage aggregation + social, meeting place for elites qua elites, find out what road warriors like you prefer because you're likely to prefer that too? I get it but I'm skeptical.

Me, I'll wait until some of this stuff rolls out to decide whether to jump on board. It takes a ton of time to enter all of my 60 or so accounts, though I haven't checked to what extent this site will support them all yet?

WIll you track my Bangkok AIrways points?

 

This seems a little problematic. I would have thought you would know what services you are going to provide before getting funding and signing people up?