Once a week, we will post an update on where we are in our journey toward a nomadic lifestyle. Also from time to time, we will spotlight a book, website, article, or video that has helped us formulate our long-term plan.
This week we are going to talk about a website that has helped us find affordable flights to wonderful and exotic destinations. Going.com, formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights, posts daily flight deals to both domestic and international destinations (with premium membership). The flights are arranged by destination, departure airport, and month(s).
How it works
You’ll want to sign up for email alerts, at minimum. If you set your departure airports, the email deals you receive will be matched to those locations. You can also add destinations to your watchlist and get notifications when there are deals between your departure airports and your watchlist destinations.
Each deal will show the price from each of your departure airports, the percentage of discount from the typical fare, the fare type, the airline, and how long they expect the deal to last (Hint: they go fast!). There is a link to book the flight on Google Flights, but you could also go directly to the airline if you prefer.
The “On the Fly” section is a great place to learn about how to hack flight deals. This section has article like 22 Ways to Travel More, Even on a Small Budget, The Best Airline Credit Cards, and The Greek Islands Trick: How to Cross the Ocean as Cheaply as Possible.
The membership tiers
Going is free to use, but the free version does have its limitations. The flights you see will only be within the continental United States. You will not get deals for any fare above economy class, and you will not receive any mistake fares, or deals using points or miles. You also will not be able to set up custom destination alerts.
Upgrade to the Premium membership ($49/year, but often on sale) and you can add more departure airports, get deals for international destinations, and receive notification of mistake fares (like when the airline posts a fare to Paris as $200, instead of $1200!). The Premium membership is still narrowed to economy class, so if first or business class are your jam, you’ll need to upgrade to the Elite membership ($199/year).
We have found the Premium membership paid for itself quite quickly. The only additional benefit of the Elite membership is first and business class fares, which aren’t of interest to us and, in our opinion, doesn’t justify the steep annual cost.
What we’ve learned…
We have used Going for flights to Texas to see family, our recent flight to Puerto Rico, and we currently have Spain on our watchlist, in hopes of finding some cheap flights for this summer.
Here are a few tips we’ve learned from booking flights through Going:
- Fares go fast, so book quickly. Airlines will allow you 24 hours to change your mind on a reservation for a full refund, so I recommend booking first and cancelling later if you decide against it, rather than waiting until you are sure and risking missing out on the fare. We’ve cancelled flights a few times without any issue (but make sure you are within that 24 hour window or you’re out of luck!)
- Don’t fall in love with the fare you see on Going. That deal is the cheapest option, which might have you in an airport (or several of them) for 17+ hours, or leaving/returning on very specific days that may not work for your schedule. The fares are a starting point; you may find that paying a bit more will make for a more convenient flight.
- Keep in mind the limitations that come with the value airlines. A more expensive American Airlines fare might actually be cheaper than a fare from JetBlue after you factor in the additional costs of luggage and seat selection.
If you are planning a flight, you really check out Going.com for deals, tips and itinerary suggestions. For us, we like Going because it gives us peace of mind that we’ve gotten a good deal. If you have other flight hack tips, let us know in the comments!
Happy travels!
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