- Frontier Airlines’ annual all-you-can-fly flight pass called « GoWild! » costs $299 through Wednesday.
- I bought the seasonal subscription in 2023 and used it to crisscross the US.
- While it has limitations, I think GoWild is good for flexible travelers with a spontaneous spirit.
Frontier Airlines’ all-you-can-fly pass is an interesting concept that comes with a major catch.
Called « GoWild!, » the subscription-based program gives members exclusive access to heavily discounted flights — $0.01, plus taxes and fees.
On Tuesday, Frontier announced the annual pass option for just $299, valid for travel between May 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. This is GoWild’s lowest price yet, which goes up to $499 after December 18.
Frontier also sells seasonal and monthly passes. Be aware that GoWild will automatically renew unless you cancel.
Bookings can be made the day before for domestic flights or up to 10 days in advance for international flights, with the option to pay an early booking fee for dates beyond that.
Luggage, reserved seats, snacks, and drinks still cost extra. New this year is the ability to earn Frontier Miles when booking seats and bags with a GoWild ticket.
Hypothetically, GoWild means one could wake up one morning and, on a whim, go hop across Frontier’s route map for as low as $15 per leg with just a personal item.
It sounds too good to be true, so I decided to test it out using Frontier’s $299 unlimited fall and winter pass in 2023.
I visited three cities over five days, spending $60 total on last-minute flights. There were early mornings and late nights, some moments of uncertainty, and hours of flying on Frontier’s uncomfortable planes.
After using the pass, I found that GoWild can be extremely frustrating to use if you aren’t flexible or willing to get creative. But for others, it may be a golden ticket.
Over 4,000 miles in five days for $60
Frontier’s GoWild pass offers unlimited flights across its entire network, which touches the US, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
I started my 2023 trip in Austin after a friend’s wedding. Then, I flew to Las Vegas and Orlando. I took the Brightline train to Miami to catch a flight to Philadelphia, where I then headed home to Connecticut via Amtrak.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
Thanks to the early booking option, I booked my first leg to Vegas about a week in advance to ensure I’d at least get out of Texas. It was an extra fee, but it was worth the peace of mind.
The other two legs were booked at the lowest rate, so I paid $15 to Orlando and Philadelphia and $30 to Vegas for a total of $60 on three flights. Without the pass, the flights would have cost about $260.
I personally enjoyed piecing together the trip and having various options to work with, but I also loved that I could potentially switch up plans on a whim.
But I realized the too-good-to-be-true pass has a few pain points that make it only really useful for certain lifestyles.
The « unlimited » flight pass has its limitations
One of the biggest concerns about GoWild is actually getting anywhere at all.
Not only are there blackout dates, but it’s not uncommon for Frontier to have nonstop flights listed but no GoWild seats available for purchase.
Frontier Airlines
This could force people to ditch paradise destinations like Cancun for a completely different city in a random place, like Ohama, for example. Not that a spontaneous trip to Nebraska can’t be fun, but it’s not the beach getaway one may have expected.
Plus, last-minute GoWild seats to the Caribbean are difficult to snag, as a Wall Street Journal reporter who tested the pass in June 2023 found.
Travelers also have to consider last-minute hotels and activities may be more expensive or sold out.
Frontier doesn’t have the best flight schedule
I didn’t have many options for leaving Austin except a 10 p.m. flight to Las Vegas. I wasn’t thrilled about the late departure, but that’s part of the experience.
After a full day of touring around Las Vegas, I was hoping to sleep in the next morning and then take a red-eye flight to Florida that night.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
Surprisingly, on the one day that I wanted to fly to Orlando, Frontier had only a 6:15 a.m. flight — nothing later. I sucked it up and trudged through another sleepless night after leaving Vegas’ famous Sphere at 11:30 p.m.
After a full day exploring Miami with a friend, I switched my next day’s Philadelphia flight from 6:10 a.m. to 1:11 p.m. to get more sleep.
There was no cancellation fee, but I also lost a day of exploring Philadelphia.
I restricted myself to a personal item
Because I was trying to book the cheapest GoWild flights possible, I forwent a carry-on bag, which cost over $60 for each leg.
I brought a regular-sized backpack with a laptop pocket in the back. I packed it so that nothing bulged out, and it fit perfectly inside Frontier’s size checker.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
I’ll admit that I had to pack and repack several times, and I had to ditch a lot of outfits that I wanted to bring with me.
Bringing only a personal item ended up being extremely challenging, so I recommend just paying for the carry-on if you think you’ll need it.
If you do opt for the free option, be warned: an agent visually checked every personal item during boarding during all three flights.
They forced those that looked too big into the size box and charged extra for the bags that didn’t fit — likely part of Frontier’s controversial bag incentive program.
Finding GoWild seats is a lot of tedious guess-and-check
The process of searching and booking GoWild seats is a cumbersome task. The flights can only be bought on Frontier’s website, not its app, and customers have to check each one by one.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
Fortunately, some computer-savvy individuals independent of Frontier launched « The 1491 Club, » which has a monthly fee but lists every single GoWild seat available.
It saved me a lot of effort when trying to Tetris together my GoWild itinerary.
Getting home proved tricky once I realized that using Frontier isn’t ideal for those of us living in no-man’s land Connecticut.
When I bought the pass, I initially planned to use Stewart International Airport in New York, 40 minutes away, but Frontier has sadly since shut down operations there.
I ended up taking a two-hour Amtrak home from Philadelphia for $40 and Ubering home from the station.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
I could save time by driving to a New York City airport, but then I’d be locked into returning to the same airport, which would make using GoWild even tougher.
My advice is that if you don’t live near a Frontier hub or focus city, GoWild will be nearly impossible to use unless you’re willing to add drive time, parking fees, rideshare trips, or train fares.
GoWild is most realistic for those with remote or flexible jobs
Despite the less-than-favorable flight times, I managed to check off my list of cities to hit and things to do.
While I had a good experience, there are still a lot of limitations to the « unlimited » flight pass, and the costs can add up.
Personal items that bulge just a little too much may be subject to Frontier’s hefty carry-on fee. You also have to pay extra for more luggage or legroom.
There’s also no guarantee you’ll get to your desired destination until the day before unless you fork out even more money for an early booking fee. This uncertainty can be stressful.
But for those who love to travel on a whim, the concept of not knowing your next move could be a dream adventure.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
Spontaneous digital nomads or freelancers would likely get the most out of the pass. I have a remote job, so I could make it work.
I’m sure there are a lot of people who could make weekend getaways via GoWild work, too. But it’d come with risks like getting stuck somewhere and missing work — at that point, I don’t think it’d be worth the hassle.
2024-12-17 22:06:33
