When I was living in the UK I tried Jack’s Flight Club and ended up booking cheap flights to Cape Town through the service, you can read the full review here.
Now I’ve moved to the US I signed up for a similar flight deal email service called Scott’s Cheap Flights. The idea behind these email subscription services is that you’re sent epic flight deals straight to your inbox, enabling you to score deals you otherwise wouldn’t usually get.
Personally I love the feeling of scoring a good deal, particularly when it comes to travel. If done the right way, travel hacking can save you $100s or even $1000s on your trip, allowing you to travel even if you don’t have a huge income.
Here I’m going to give you the lowdown on what Scott’s Cheap Flights is all about and give you my personal opinion on the service:
First of All, what is Scott’s Cheap Flights?
Every day, Scott searches for cheap flight deals, including flight sales and mistake fares. He then sends the best ones to your email inbox, showing you exactly how to book them. Over 500K travelers subscribe to his flight deal emails, so you know he must be doing something right.
There’s a free service and a paid service, which has an annual subscription fee of just $39, which is less than you’d spend on coffee over the course of the year. It’s currently available if you’re living in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Which version should you get?
With the free version you get 1/3 of the deals that premium customers get but you really can’t go wrong with something that’s a completely free service. You still get daily emails, you just miss out on some of the deals that premium customers get.
Premium subscription is $39 per year, so it’s still really cheap. That averages out at $3.25 per month, which is less than Netflix. You get 3x the number of deals if you’re a premium subscriber.
What deals will you get?
Here are some examples of US deals I’ve received in the last month alone:
Roundtrip flights to Toronto in the $200s (normal price $450+)
Barcelona roundtrip in the $300s from Dallas and Newark (normal price $850+)
Rountrip flights to destinations in Africa in the $600s on Air France, Delta, KLM (normal price $1200+)
US. Virgin Islands roundtrip in the $200s (normally $500+)
Scott then shows you how to book the flights, with a link to an example itinerary on Google Flights or Momondo. He makes no commission from the referrals, just money from the annual subscription fees.
My Scott’s Cheap Flights Review
Pros
Super cheap fares – It’s possible to grab some really great bargains and save 100s of $ on flights with Scott’s Cheap Flights. For instance, flights to China from the US can often run at a standard fare of $850+. In a recent email, Scott found fares that were around the $300-$500 mark. That’s a significant saving.
Mistake fares –Airlines sometimes make mistakes with pricing – it happens! Scott looks for these and can sometimes send jaw-dropping fares before the airlines have a chance to take them down. You might not have the time to look for them every day but Scott is doing all the leg work for you.
Great for new ideas on where to travel –If you’re open to new adventures and looking for inspiration, it’s quite exciting to see fares to all these exotic destinations fall in your inbox. It can give you new destination ideas and encourage you to explore new places.
Fantastic for that trip you’ve been saving up for – Perhaps you’ve always wanted to visit your long-lost relatives or you’ve always wanted to visit a particular country. If you’re flexible with WHEN you travel, you never know, an amazing deal might appear in your email.
You can choose your departure airport –So that you’re not receiving deals from irrelevant airports, you can select your preferred departure airport. Scott will only send you deals that have flights departing from the city where you live.
There’s a 30-day money back guarantee – If you buy the premium version there’s a 30-day money back guarantee so if you don’t like it, you can get your money back!
Cons
It’s for international travel – Since I’ve moved to New York, I’ve been wanting to travel to places throughout the USA. Sadly Scott’s Cheap Flights only covers international flights, not domestic, and I’m not always wanting to travel internationally.
It’s not for last minute travel –I tend to travel very spur of the moment and it’s often hard for me to book in advance. If I have a spare window I just want to GO straight away. Scott’s Cheap Flights tends to send deals for travel 2-8 months in the future.
It’s not for people looking for specific flights –If you need to book a ticket from New York to London on a specific date, then you’re probably better off looking to Skyscanner. Scott’s Cheap Flights sends all sorts of different deals to destinations all over the world, so it’s better if you’re flexible with dates and/or your destination.
Lots of emails – I do find myself deleting a lot of the emails without even opening them, simply because I’m not looking to travel in the near future. However, sometimes something will catch my eye in the subject line and I’ll have a look at the deal.
Is Scott’s Cheap Flights Worth It?
Definitely. Give Scott’s Cheap Flights a whirl if you want to save money on flights. I haven’t booked anything as of yet but I’m hoping to travel to Mexico or South America over winter, so I’ll be looking for some awesome fares.
If you sign up for the free version and like what you see, then it’s always possible to upgrade to the premium version after.
