Tool
Availability and Deal Alerts
Why there is no alerts feature on this site, what would be needed to build one, and what to do instead.
This tool is not here, and we are not going to fake it
Availability and deal alerts need something watching prices and award space around the clock and sending you a message when something changes. That means a server running jobs on a schedule, a place to store your alert rules, and a way to email or push to you.
This site is static files. There is no server, no database and no scheduled job. We could build something that looked like an alerts page, with a form and a confirmation message, but it would do nothing. So there is a page explaining the gap instead.
What actually works on a static site
A fair amount, as it turns out. Everything else in this toolkit runs entirely in your browser, which is why it works here: calculators, filters, comparisons and anything saved to your own device. What cannot work is anything that needs to happen while you are not looking at the page.
| Works on a static site | Needs a server |
|---|---|
| Every calculator on this site | Watching award space overnight |
| Filtering and comparing cards | Emailing you when a fare drops |
| Saving your portfolio to your own browser | Push notifications |
| Site-wide search over a prebuilt index | Storing alert rules for you |
| Deal lists updated when the site is rebuilt | Re-checking prices between rebuilds |
What to do instead
Three approaches that do not need anything from us:
- Airline and program alerts. Most airlines and hotel programs will email you about fare sales and promotions directly. That is the least effort for the most reliable coverage, and it comes from the source rather than a tracker.
- Your own calendar. For the deadlines on this site, a calendar reminder a week before each one does the job. The transfers and deals page lists every date we are tracking.
- Check in deliberately. The Deal Aggregator sorts everything we track by deadline. Looking at it once a week beats most alert setups, because alerts tend to train you to ignore them.
Could this change?
Yes, if the site stops being static files. An alerts feature would need a backend, somewhere to keep subscriber data, and the privacy and deliverability obligations that come with holding email addresses. That is a different kind of project from a set of pages you upload, and it is worth being clear that it is a decision about hosting rather than a feature that was simply left out.
We have not linked to a third-party alert service here. We would only do that if we had verified that the service exists, does what it says, and is appropriate to point readers at. We have not done that, so there is no link.
Assumptions and limitations
- This page is an explanation, not a tool. There is nothing to configure and no form that does anything.
- We have not linked to a third-party alert service, because we have not verified one as appropriate to recommend.
- If this site ever moves off static hosting, an alerts feature becomes possible. That is a decision about hosting and about holding subscriber data, not a missing button.