Since 2015, Going (then known as Scott’s Cheap Flights) has been a top resource for savvy travelers looking to score the best flight deals in existence. From too-good-to-be-true flash sales to competitive price war discounts to mistake fares up to 90 percent off, this newsletter notifies its members by email as soon as a deal is identified by its groundbreaking software and/or human flight experts.
As travelers continue to scour the web for the best value possible, subscription-based Going has grown to over 2 million members (and counting): Official stats show that Going members save an average of $200 on domestic economy flights, $550 on international economy flights, and $2,000 on international business- and first-class flights thanks to newsletter alerts.
Now, in its latest plot point of delivering the best deals to members, Going launched Going with Points. This new feature is exclusive to those with Elite Going membership, Going’s top tier subscription that costs $199 per year, and entails e-blasts as soon as great deals on points are spotted.
“There’s one thing I love even more than cheap flights: free flights,” says Going founder Scott Keyes. “Nine times out of 10 when a nonmillionaire is sitting in business class, they’re there thanks to frequent flier miles. Points and miles are the most accessible way for everyday travelers to enjoy a lie-flat bed on a long flight, and we want to make sure Going members know about those valuable deals.”
Here, everything you need to know about Going with Points and getting a deal that will make you feel like a true points pro.
Signing up for Going with Points
Going has three membership levels at different price points: Limited (free), Premium ($49 per year), and Elite ($199 per year). Going with Points is a new bonus feature for Elite members that has arrived without an increase in the annual fee. (Praise be!) Elite membership gives members access to all international and domestic first-class, business-class, premium economy, and economy deals from an unlimited number of airports in the United States, plus weekend getaway deals and mistake fares from any U.S. airport.
Current sky-high airfare prices can make it feel like there are no flight deals out there, but in fact, there are many. Elite members who were subscribed to all notifications got over 2,500+ deals last year. But thankfully Going lets its members decide which kind of notifications to receive through several settings. The first is simply toggling a button under “Notification” settings to decide which notifications to get.
To obtain notifications on these new points and miles deals, members must have the “Going with Points” button checked. Zooming in, it’s possible to then pick and choose which classes to receive deals for and from which airports (for either cash or points deals).
Going Elite members can now toggle on points and miles deals in the notifications channel.
Courtesy of Going
Personally, I narrow down my selections to deals from my home airports only (Miami and Fort Lauderdale), though it’s possible to follow deals from as many airports as you’d like. I also scale down the blasts to receive only deals for business and first for international flights; business and premium economy for domestic flights; and all mistake fares in all classes and from all airports (out of curiosity).
To limit the number of emails you get, you can select the airports and the type of flights you get deals about.
Courtesy of Going
When you’ll get those Going with Points deals
Based on your settings, you’ll get e-notifications as soon as Going spots a points or miles deal and even a direct link to seal the deal. For example, with the strict parameters I set, the other week I received an email with the opportunity to book a round-trip flight with miles to Australia or New Zealand in business class for as low as 150,000 miles this summer. (Typically there are no award seats to get to Australia or New Zealand in business or they cost upwards of a half million miles, so this was major.)
What a Going with Points e-mail looks like in your inbox.
Courtesy of Going
Scrolling through the email, it specified exact dates for award availability, from which cities (including Miami) the award tickets were available, and how to access the mileage tickets with direct links to Aeroplan and Avianca, the two award programs offering the deal with partner airlines in the Star Alliance network. There were even instructions on how to book the deal through transfers from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points, as points in these loyalty programs transfer to either or both Aeroplan and Avianca frequent flier programs.
It may seem odd at first that this amazing deal actually entailed flights on United and Air New Zealand, but the deal did not link to booking with either of their programs. That’s because even though United, Air New Zealand, Aeroplan, and Avianca are all part of the same airline alliance, they don’t charge the same amount for award bookings. United and Air New Zealand both charge about triple the number of miles, so Going would never flag those high rates as a “deal.”
How often will I get points deals?
Note that while cash deals from Going typically flood your inbox, points deals are less frequent. Personally, I had at least seven deals the other week for amazing offers paying cash but only one for points given my parameters. I decided to loosen my settings slightly to see what I’d receive, and a few more opportunities did pop up, including a South Africa deal for as low as 80,000 miles round-trip in economy for flights between June 2023 and May 2024. Other economy round-trips that Going members have already seen this summer include Paris for 24,000 points, Tokyo for 50,000 points (including cherry blossom season availability next spring), and Bali for 88,000 points.
Deciding what makes the cut and acting fast
Another thing to love about Going: It doesn’t bombard your inbox with just any deal. It takes credibility and legitimacy seriously and sends members deals that are significantly less than retail (as in 50 percent less, but often way less). So, when my inbox dings with a Going with Points deal, I know it’s serious. I also know that other members are sure to act fast, so making a quick decision is key. While some of the cash deals linger for a bit and are accessible on the Going dashboard long after e-blasts, the points deals disappear quickly due to limited inventory.
