Going Review [2025]: Can It Really Save you Money on Flights?

What is Going?

Have you ever heard a story about someone getting a jaw dropping deal on a flight and wondered how they did it?

That was what happened to Scott Keyes, founder of Going, formerly Scott's Cheap Flights. One day he found an amazing deal on a flight from NYC to Milan and suddenly everyone wanted his help. So now he provides that with Going, an email subscription service that alerts you when flight prices drop. But you can also find deals on his website and download his new app for similar services.

Don't worry, you won't have to fork out large commissions for the flight recommendations. Going has paid memberships (and a free one), which is how they stay in business.

My personal experience with Going

Here's my personal experience with Going to give you an idea of how it works and how to maximize its benefits.

When I was planning my trip to Amsterdam, I looked at prices for flying into London, Paris, Brussels, and even a few cities in Germany. Even though London and Amsterdam aren't all that far from each other, tickets to London were hundreds of dollars more expensive than flying direct to Amsterdam. I also found the best deal for flying home to the U.S. was to leave from Paris. This led to planning a multi-city trip and taking trains across Europe to get from one destination to another.

I compared the deals I found using Going to booking a cheap flight with points, and how much I would earn if I used one of my travel credit cards. The combination of the three gave me the best deal on my trip and allowed me to have more money for other things I wanted to do on this trip.

How does Going work?

When you sign up for a free membership, you can get alerts on the latest deals on flights within the continental United States and access to travel expert newsletters. If you want deals to Alaska or Hawaii, destinations outside of the United States, or access to Premium Economy, business class, or first class deals, you'll need to sign up for a paid membership.

• Premium $49/year: Choose this package if you want to travel internationally in economy class. This tier also includes deals to Alaska and Hawaii.
• Elite $199/year: Choose this package if you want to travel domestically or internationally in any class beyond economy.

Both paid packages include access to points and miles deals, mistake deals, custom destination alerts, and partner discounts. The free plan doesn't include these options.

No matter which plan you choose, you'll select the airports you want to receive flight alerts about and some personal information so you get customized deals.

After logging in on the Going website, you can peruse the "Deals" page, which shares current discounts available from your chosen airport. Click on an offer to see additional details including the airline, travel dates, and potential savings. You can then follow a link to book the trip on Google Flights. 

Going also has an extensive FAQ section and lots of articles containing travel tips and info on being a smart, savvy traveler. 

How does Going find flight deals?

Going looks for flights that could be good deals domestically and internationally. Instead of relying on an algorithm, the so-called Flight Experts review the available data against the company's standards for what constitutes a cheap flight or a good deal. Criteria include how the price compares to regularly offered prices for that flight, how much time you'll spend traveling, and travel dates.

Going details their process on their website, giving everyone access to the same tools, but unless you're making a living out of it, chances are you're better off leaving it to them.

The emails you get have information about possible deals and links/instructions for booking. Going doesn't handle any kind of booking. It sends you to partner sites, such as Google Flights, to search for the provided deal where you can complete your booking. Customer support is on hand via email to help you with questions.

How to sign up for Going

Signing up for Going is easy. Start by visiting the Going website. Click on the "Sign Up" button in the top right corner of the screen. You'll have three options to choose from: sign up with your Google account, Apple account, or with your email address. If you sign up using your email, you'll be sent a link to verify your account.

Next, you'll be asked to choose your home airport. If you live close to an airport that doesn't usually get a high number of deals, the software will suggest additional airports to add and create a list that the software will regularly search.

You'll be asked to choose a membership plan after you select your home airport(s). It will continually nudge you toward the premium membership, even if you choose the basic one. There is a comparison list to consider, which shows what you get with each option.

As you can see from the image below, you get very little from the free version. Because the premium version of the membership is only $49 per year and you get a 14-day free trial, it may well be worth the investment for the deals you get in return, if you travel often. Plus if you use a lucrative travel rewards card, the purchase makes even more sense.

You'll finish out your registration with a message from Keyes and the option to check out deals that were recently available. Then you just have to wait for the deals to hit your inbox.

How to get the most out of Going

If you invest in a Going membership, it's important to know how to get the most out of it. While a majority of it is out of your hands, there are a few things you can do to maximize your benefits:

• Be flexible with your travel dates
• Be flexible with your travel destinations, including out of the way airports
• Act fast on Mistake Fares
• Book during the "opposite season" of when you want to travel

FAQs

Bottom line

Overall, Going is a great tool if you aren't traveling in the near future. Most of their deals are for trips two to nine months out from departure. You'll find the best deals on long-term plans, especially when Going finds Mistake Fares. Going states that most of their deals range from 40% to 90% off normal prices. If you travel somewhat frequently, $4.08 a month is less than one cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop, and can land you some of the best deals on travel.

Learn More

Does the legwork for you to find cheap airfare

Offers a free trial and a free plan tier

Can be combined with cash back credit cards