AwardWallet
| Privately-held company[1] | |
| Traded as | AwardWallet |
| Industry |
|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founders | Alexi Vereschaga[2] Todd Mera[3] |
| Headquarters | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States[1] |
Key people | Erik Paquet (Editor-in-Chief)[4] |
| Website | awardwallet |
AwardWallet is an American Software as a service company that allows users to digitally store, track and manage loyalty programs, frequent flyer accounts and credit cards.[5][6][7] AwardWallet is based out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.[1] In 2012, AwardWallet was involved in a series of disputes with several airlines companies which denied access to AwardWallet's tracking software on their websites.[8][9][10]
Overview
AwardWallet was established in 2004[11] by Alexi Vereschaga[12] and Todd Mera,[4] two former employees and software engineers from the Aelita Software Corporation.[2][3] The company's initial focus was on tracking loyalty and reward programs for frequent flyer users. It later expanded its services by adding a variety of customer loyalty programs[13] and also allowing users to manage their accounts.[7][14][15] AwardWallet added a companion mobile application for iOS and Android (operating system)|Android devices apparently in 2010 or 2011.[16][5][17]As of June 2020, AwardWallet had over 650,000 members and 705 loyalty programs.[18][19] AwardWallet software has been discussed and cited in travel and technology sections of the media outlets such as BBC,[20] CNN,[21] Bloomberg,[22] Forbes,[7] Entrepreneur,[23] Vox[24] Los Angeles Times[25][26] CNBC[27] and The Wall Street Journal.[28]
Technology and API integration
AwardWallet's software is equipped with several APIs related to the travel space including an AwardWallet Email Parsing API, AwardWallet Web Parsing API, and AwardWallet Account Access API. For example, Email Parsing API retrieves travel reservations from confirmation emails. Travel reservations are then parsed by the API to return the reservation data in a structured JSON format[29] The AwardWallet Account Access API operates via OAuth protocol.[30] The AwardWallet Web Parsing API retrieves account balance, membership tier, expiration date and more from online accounts. It also provides access to travel itineraries and historical account activity.[31] A number of sources[17][32][33] indicate that the AwardWallet software is a part of an emerging API economy.[34][35]
Controversy
AwardWallet was a part of controversy related to the denial of the airline companies to have tracking software programs in their API systems. In late 2012, AwardWallet (along with TripIt and MileWise) received a number of cease and desist letters from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines|Delta,[10][36] United Airlines[8] and Southwest Airlines, demanding that AwardWallet discontinue accessing their websites for tracking clients' miles rewards programs.[9][6] In August 2013, American Airlines resumed its use of the AwardWallet by integrating its software in the company's API.[17][37][6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "AwardWallet". Crunchbase.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Alexi Vereschaga (CEO, Owner at AwardWallet, LLC)". LinkedIn.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Todd Mera". LinkedIn.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "About AwardWallet". AwardWallet.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Five Best Air Travel Apps". BBC.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "American Airlines corrects course, makes nice with AwardWallet and other loyalty tracking startups". PhocusWire.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "The 4 Best Apps To Track Credit Card Rewards". Forbes.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "United Is Latest Airline to Block Rewards Web Site". The New York Times.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Delta Sends C&Ds To Startups Tracking Airline Rewards; MileWise, AwardWallet & Others Affected". TechCrunch.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Delta forces loyalty point tracker AwardWallet to drop support for SkyMiles". Skrift.
- ↑ US News: 5 Online Tools for Managing Airline Miles
- ↑ "New Options in Choosing an ID Printer". Security Magazine.
- ↑ "A TOOL TO TRACK YOUR POINTS – AWARD WALLET". Las Vegas Advisor.
- ↑ "Track Frequent Flyer Miles, Avoid Expired Rewards". CBSNews.
- ↑ CreditCards.com: How to keep track of all those rewards points
- ↑ AppStore: AwardWallet Track Rewards
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 American Airlines News: American Airlines and AwardWallet Offer New Reward Tracking Technology for AAdvantage Members
- ↑ AwardWallet: Official website statistics
- ↑ Social Report: Facebook Groups Spotlight: Award Travel 101® Builds Community
- ↑ "Tracking Travel Rewards: New travel tools help monitor your airline miles, credit card points and other loyalty programs, making free flights and hotels upgrades less elusive". BBC Travel.
- ↑ CNN Travel: 10 most useful travel websites
- ↑ Bloomberg: A Travel Hacker's Guide to Elite Status in 2017 and Beyond
- ↑ Entrepreneur: World Leaders Weigh in on the State of Business Travel
- ↑ Vox: 4 frequent flier mile pro tips that anyone can use
- ↑ "First Person". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ "Resolutions for 2019: Go ahead — be stingy, grouchy or lazy. But it could cost you". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ CNBC: How this 30-year-old manages 35 credit cards and earns free flights
- ↑ "Two Airlines Battle Mileage-Tracking Websites". The Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ ProgrammableWeb: AwardWallet Email Parsing API
- ↑ Official Website: AwardWallet Account Access API
- ↑ AwardWallet Web Parsing API
- ↑ Capital One: Award Wallet + Rewards API
- ↑ E-week: Capital One Launches DevExchange Developer Portal
- ↑ Gartner: Welcome to the API Economy
- ↑ SearchAppArchitecture: API economy
- ↑ Carrns, Ann (September 19, 2012). "Delta Cracks Down on Mileage Tracking Sites". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ↑ Leff, Garry (August 6, 2013). "AwardWallet Can Track American AAdvantage Accounts Again". View From The Wings. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
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