Tried Frontier’s Unlimited GoWild Flight Pass, it’s fun but can be difficult to use

• Frontier Airlines’ annual all-you-can-fly flight pass called “GoWild!” costs $299 through Wednesday.
• I bought the season pass in 2023 and used it to criss-cross the US.
• Although 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 big catch.

The subscription-based program, called “GoWild!”, gives members exclusive access to deeply 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, rising to $499 after December 18.

Frontier also sells seasonal and monthly passes. Please note 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 afterwards.

Luggage, reserved seats, snacks and drinks still cost extra. New this year is the opportunity to earn Frontier Miles when booking seats and bags with a GoWild ticket.

Hypothetically, GoWild means you can wake up one morning and jump across Frontier’s route map on a whim for just $15 per stage with just a personal item.

It sounds too good to be true, so I decided to test it out with Frontier’s $299 2023 Unlimited Fall and Winter Pass.

I visited three cities in five days and spent a total of $60 on last-minute flights. There were early mornings and late evenings, some moments of uncertainty and hours of flying in Frontier’s uncomfortable planes.

After using the pass, I discovered that GoWild can be extremely frustrating to use if you’re not flexible or don’t want to get creative. But for others it can be a golden ticket.

More than 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.

Thanks to the early booking option, I booked my first leg to Vegas about a week in advance to ensure I would at least leave Texas. It was an extra fee, but it was worth the peace of mind.

The other two flights were booked at the lowest fare, so I paid $15 to Orlando and Philadelphia and $30 to Vegas, for a total of $60 for three flights. Without the pass, the flights would have cost about $260.

Personally, I enjoyed putting the trip together and having different options to work with, but I also loved that I could change plans on a whim.

But I realized that the too-good-to-be-true pass has a few pain points that only make it really useful for certain lifestyles.

The “unlimited” flight pass has its limitations

One of the biggest concerns about GoWild is getting anywhere at all.

Not only are there blackout dates, but it’s also not uncommon for Frontier to list nonstop flights but not have GoWild seats for sale.

This could force people to leave 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 vacation you might have expected.

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Plus, last-minute GoWild seats to the Caribbean are hard to come by, as a Wall Street Journal reporter who tested the pass in June 2023 discovered.

Travelers should also consider last-minute hotels and activities that may be more expensive or sold out.

Frontier doesn’t have the best flight schedule

I didn’t have many options leaving Austin other than a 10pm flight to Las Vegas. I wasn’t happy with the late departure, but that’s part of the experience.

After a full day of touring Las Vegas, I was hoping to sleep in the next morning and catch a red-eye flight to Florida that evening.

Surprisingly, on the one day I wanted to fly to Orlando, Frontier only had a 6:15 flight – later nothing. I sucked it up and trudged through another sleepless night after leaving Vegas’ famous Sphere at 11:30 p.m.

After a full day of exploring Miami with a friend, I switched the next day’s Philadelphia flight from 6:10 AM to 1:11 PM to get more sleep.

There were no cancellation fees, but I also lost a day of exploring Philadelphia.

I limited myself to a personal item

Trying to book the cheapest GoWild flights, I forwent a carry-on bag, which cost over $60 per leg.

I brought a regular sized backpack with a laptop compartment on the back. I packed it so nothing bulged out, and it fit perfectly in Frontier’s size control.

I admit that I had to pack and repack several times, and I had to throw away a lot of outfits that I wanted to take with me.

Taking just a personal item proved to be quite a challenge, so I recommend only paying for the carry-on if you think you’ll need it.

If you do choose the free option, be warned: an agent visually checked every personal item during boarding on 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 guessing and checking

The process of searching and booking GoWild seats is a cumbersome task. The flights can only be purchased on Frontier’s website, not the app, and customers must check each one by one.

Fortunately, some computer-savvy individuals, independent of Frontier, have launched “The 1491 Club,” which has a monthly fee but lists every available GoWild seat.

It saved me a lot of effort when trying to put together my GoWild route.

Getting home proved difficult when I realized that using Frontier isn’t ideal for those of us living in the middle of nowhere, Connecticut.

When I purchased the pass, I initially planned to use New York’s Stewart International Airport, 40 minutes away, but Frontier has unfortunately since ceased operations there.

I ended up taking a two-hour Amtrak home from Philadelphia for $40 and Ubering home from the station.

I could save time by driving to an airport in New York City, but then I would be stuck returning to the same airport, which would make using GoWild even more difficult.

My advice is that if you don’t live near a Frontier hub or focus city, GoWild will be almost impossible to use unless you’re willing to add drive time, parking fees, ride sharing, or train fares.

GoWild is most realistic for people with remote or flexible jobs

Despite the less favorable flight times, I managed to check off my list of must-see cities and things to do.

Although I had a good experience, there are still many 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 high carry-on fees. You also have to pay extra for more luggage or legroom.

There’s also no guarantee that you’ll arrive at your desired destination the day before unless you shell out even more money for early bird fees. This uncertainty can be stressful.

But for those who love to travel on a whim, the concept of not knowing what your next step is can be a dream adventure.

Spontaneous digital nomads or freelancers are likely to get the most out of the pass. I have a remote job so I could make it work.

I’m sure there are many people who can also take a weekend away via GoWild. But it would come with risks like getting stuck somewhere and missing work – at that point I don’t think it would be worth it.