Methodology & sources
AwardReserve is built for sophisticated points users who want to verify the claim before they trust it. This page lists exactly where each piece of data comes from, when it was last verified, and the math we use to turn it into a recommendation.
Point valuations (¢/pt)
Verified 2026-01 via Frequent Miler RRVEach program’s ¢/pt is a blended estimate based on reasonable redemption value, not the maximum aspirational redemption. We default to Frequent Miler 2026 RRV because it’s updated quarterly and accounts for transfer-partner depth, not just retail-equivalent redemptions.
Show the math
portfolio_value = Σ (balance × rrv_cents) / 100For transferable currencies, rrv reflects blended ratio across owned partners. Hotel programs use observed-redemption ranges (Cat-floor to peak), not category face values, because dynamic pricing makes face values misleading.See the full list on My Points. Methodology changes are versioned in the changelog at the bottom.
Transfer bonuses
Verified 2026-04-27 via Frequent MilerTransfer bonuses are verified weekly against Frequent Miler’s current point transfer bonuses. There are 4active entries in our cache today. We never list a bonus we can’t link to a primary source. Always re-verify in your card’s transfer portal before moving points — transfers are irreversible.
Hyatt category data
Hyatt category data uses Hyatt’s own published award chart as the source of truth. Properties confirmed against a primary source are flagged verified; those reported only via third-party blogs are flagged reported. For pre-launch beta, per-property reconciliation is incomplete — always verify on hyatt.com before booking.
How the advisor is grounded
The chat advisor is grounded in three tiers, in priority order:
- Static code —
lib/cards.ts,awardCharts.ts,hotels.ts. Hand-curated facts. - Knowledge cache — verified entries that supersede static data when more recent. Editable in
/app/admin/knowledge(admin only). - Live availability — Seats.aero search for routes the advisor needs to look up in real time.
The system prompt explicitly forbids the advisor from inventing point costs or transfer ratios from training data. If we don’t have a source, the advisor says so.
Affiliate disclosure
AwardReserve does not currently receive compensation from card issuers. When affiliate partnerships launch (planned Q3 2026), sponsored card recommendations will be clearly marked with FTC disclosures. Affiliate compensation will never override our point-valuation methodology or the advisor’s recommendations.
Changelog
2026-04-27Added 4-tier triage on What Changed; rewrote this methodology page; added the About + Founder page; added the SourceChip component.2026-04-25Anti-hallucination guardrails added to advisor; 6 verified Tier-2 cache entries seeded.2026-04-23Frequent Miler 2026 RRV adopted as default point valuations.
v0.4 (pre-beta) · Last updated 2026-04-27 · Maintained by Stephen Fung