GoWild Bags & Fees: What the Pass Doesn't Cover

The GoWild™ pass has a clean rule that surprises people at the worst possible moment — the baggage counter: the pass covers the base fare, and only the base fare. Taxes and fees you'll pay at booking (that's the ~$15–60 per flight). Everything else — bags, seat picks, boarding order — is à la carte, at Frontier's regular prices.

Here's the honest map of what costs what, and how veterans route around nearly all of it.

What's included with any Frontier fare

One personal item — the under-seat bag. Think backpack or large tote (Frontier publishes exact dimensions and does check; measure yours against their current bag rules before you fly). That's it. No carry-on, no checked bag, no seat assignment — you get a randomly assigned seat at check-in for free.

What costs extra

Carry-on bag (overhead bin): frequently more expensive than a checked bag on Frontier, and often more than your entire GoWild fare. Prices vary by route and when you buy — always cheapest online in advance, brutally priced at the gate.
Checked bag: varies by route/date; cheaper bought at booking than at the airport, and airport/gate prices climb steeply.
Seat selection: optional. Skip it and you're assigned a seat free at check-in — you might get a middle, but on the emptier flights GoWild favors (that's what the fullness gauge shows), rows are often open anyway.
Early boarding, refreshments, etc.: all extra, all skippable.

The pattern to internalize: fees scale with how late you decide. Everything is cheapest committed online in advance and most expensive improvised at the gate.

The veteran strategy: the personal-item life

The pass economics only stay absurd if you refuse the fee stack:

One bag, under the seat. A well-packed personal item covers a shocking number of trips — weekenders especially. Compression cubes are the cheat code; wearing your bulkiest layer on the plane is the free upgrade.
No seat pick. Free assigned seat at check-in. On a 40%-full Tuesday flight (the GoWild sweet spot), you'll likely have room regardless.
If you truly need a bag, decide at booking. Add it online with the ticket — never at the airport, never at the gate.
Do the math per trip, not on principle. A $45 GoWild fare + $60 carry-on each way isn't a $45 trip — it's a $165 round trip, at which point compare the cash fare with a bundle. Every WildAF result shows the Standard and Discount Den prices beside the GoWild fare for exactly this comparison.

The one-sentence version

The pass makes the seat nearly free; the stuff is where Frontier makes it back — so bring less stuff, decide early when you can't, and run the math when the bag fees rival the cash fare.

New to the pass? Start with Is GoWild worth it? and how the booking window works.