Question 1

What is Volata?

Accepted Answer

Volata is an Australian-built platform that helps frequent flyers find the best value for their loyalty program points. We compare redemption costs across 10+ programs (Qantas, Velocity, KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, JAL, ANA, and more) so you can book the cheapest option for any route and cabin.

Question 2

Is Volata free?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Volata offers a free tier that includes access to the Points Optimizer, Cabin Confidence scores, and Captain Byron AI assistant. Premium features like unlimited searches, personalised alerts, and advanced transfer path analysis are available via a paid subscription.

Question 3

Who is Captain Byron?

Accepted Answer

Captain Byron is your AI points copilot. He's trained on award chart data across all major loyalty programs and can answer questions like 'What's the cheapest way to fly business class to London?' or 'Should I transfer my Amex points to Velocity or Qantas?' He factors in your specific balances, home airport, and travel goals.

Question 4

Do I need to enter my loyalty program passwords?

Accepted Answer

No. Volata never asks for your loyalty program login credentials. You simply enter your points balances manually. We never access your airline or bank accounts directly.

Question 5

How does the Points Optimizer work?

Accepted Answer

Enter your route (e.g., Sydney to Tokyo) and cabin class. Volata compares the points cost across every major loyalty program — including partner award charts — and shows you which program offers the best value. We also factor in fuel surcharges and taxes to give you the true cost.

Question 6

What loyalty programs do you cover?

Accepted Answer

We cover Qantas Frequent Flyer, Velocity Frequent Flyer, KrisFlyer (Singapore Airlines), Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific), JAL Mileage Bank, ANA Mileage Club, Emirates Skywards, Qatar Privilege Club (Avios), Etihad Guest, British Airways Executive Club, and Amex Membership Rewards — plus transfer paths between them.

Question 7

How current is your pricing data?

Accepted Answer

We track award chart changes as they happen. Our data reflects the post-August 2025 Qantas devaluation, the November 2025 KrisFlyer increases, the April 2026 ANA devaluation, and all other recent program changes. Our blog articles are regularly updated with the latest pricing.

Question 8

What are 'transfer paths'?

Accepted Answer

Transfer paths are ways to move points between programs to get a better deal. For example, Amex Membership Rewards points can transfer to Velocity at 2:1, and Velocity can book Qatar Qsuites for 139,000 points to London. Volata identifies these paths automatically so you don't have to figure them out yourself.

Question 9

What is a Cabin Confidence score?

Accepted Answer

Cabin Confidence is our expert-curated assessment of equipment-swap risk per flight. Airlines sometimes substitute aircraft, which can leave you in a less desirable cabin product even within 'business class.' Scores are a directional 0–100 rating based on aviation research — fleet composition, route history, and known industry changes. They are not statistical measurements today; we're building a flight-data pipeline to ground future scores in observed swap frequencies.

Question 10

How are scores calculated?

Accepted Answer

Scores are expert-curated from aviation research: fleet consistency on the route, schedule stability, and known risk factors from recent industry changes (new aircraft deliveries, retirements, seasonal rotations). A score above 85 means experts consider the route highly reliable; below 70 means there's a meaningful equipment-change risk. These are directional ratings today — we're building a flight-data pipeline to move to measured swap frequencies over time.

Question 11

Which routes have the highest swap risk?

Accepted Answer

High-risk routes include MEL-LAX on Qantas (A380 ending October 2026), MEL-SIN on Singapore Airlines (A380 only seasonal), and any route via Doha on Qatar where First Class availability depends on A380 deployment. Our blog article on cabin downgrades covers this in detail.

Question 12

Where does Volata get award seat availability data?

Accepted Answer

For features that show real-time award seat availability, we use independent third-party data aggregators under commercial licence. We are not the collector of that data — we surface it so you don't have to check 10 airline websites by hand. Our own points costs, transfer paths, and award chart data are researched and maintained in-house.

Question 13

Is the availability I see guaranteed?

Accepted Answer

No — and you should never treat it as guaranteed. Availability data is a point-in-time snapshot that may be cached or delayed. Seats can be sold, held, or withdrawn by the airline at any moment. Always verify availability, points price, taxes, and surcharges directly with the operating airline or loyalty program before transferring points or making a booking.

Question 14

Why does Volata sometimes show a seat that the airline doesn't?

Accepted Answer

This usually means one of three things: (1) the seat was available at the time our data provider last checked but has since been booked, (2) the airline released the seat to partner airlines but not to their own members yet, or (3) the seat is only visible through a specific partner program (e.g., Qatar Qsuites bookable via Velocity but not Qantas). Always double-check on the program you plan to redeem through.

Question 15

What if a program I rely on disappears from your availability search?

Accepted Answer

It can happen. Airlines occasionally force third-party aggregators to drop their data, and program coverage may change without notice. If that occurs, Volata will fall back to generic guidance (award chart pricing, transfer paths, Captain Byron's advice) for that program — you just won't see live seat availability for it. We'll note affected programs in the app when this happens.

Question 16

Is Volata scraping airline websites?

Accepted Answer

No. Volata does not scrape airline websites or access your airline accounts. Availability data is sourced from licensed third-party aggregators; our award charts, transfer paths, and Cabin Confidence scores are researched and built in-house.

Question 17

Do you store my search history or share it with airlines?

Accepted Answer

We keep your search history in your account so you can revisit past queries and so Captain Byron can personalise advice to your balances and goals. We do not share individual search data with airlines or with our availability data providers. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Question 18

How do I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

You can cancel your subscription anytime from your account Settings page. You'll retain access to premium features until the end of your current billing period. No pro-rated refunds are issued for partial periods.

Question 19

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We use Clerk for authentication, Stripe for payment processing (we never see your card details), and all data is encrypted in transit. We don't sell your personal information to third parties. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Question 20

Can I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Contact us at hello@pointspilotapp.com or use the account deletion option in Settings. We'll delete your personal data within 30 days, except where we're required to retain it for legal purposes.

Question 21

Does Volata earn commissions?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we may earn affiliate commissions when you click through to certain third-party products or services. This never affects the price you pay, and it doesn't influence our recommendations. We recommend ANA or JAL when they're the cheapest option, even though we earn nothing from those bookings.

Question 22

Are your blog articles sponsored?

Accepted Answer

No. Our blog content is independently researched using data from Point Hacks, Australian Frequent Flyer, airline websites, and community forums. We don't accept payment for editorial coverage or recommendations.

Question 23

Is Volata affiliated with any airline?

Accepted Answer

No. Volata is an independent platform. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Qantas, Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines, or any other airline or loyalty program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started

Points optimization

Cabin Confidence

Data & availability accuracy

Account & billing

Affiliate & editorial

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