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| If you must check a bag ... |
| by Brian Kelly |
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To check a bag, or not to check a bag? It’s the eternal struggle of a world traveler. While not checking is the easiest option that gives you the most flexibility, especially if the airline cancels or delays your flight, it is also much easier to rebook yourself on a different flight when you don’t have luggage stuck in the belly of a plane.
On the other hand, traveling with a carry-on only can be downright impossible, especially when traveling with kids or for special events like weddings. It also limits the amount you can bring back from shopping, and as anyone who travels internationally will know, you can save a lot of money buying things abroad with a strong U.S. dollar.
Help for lost bags
For those who like to check bags, Apple’s AirTags have been a godsend for years (and the 4-pack was on sale for the lowest price ever). Single AirTags are still on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $19. Even if the airline loses your bag, you know exactly where it is so you can help the airline locate your bag and track it in real time.
In big news this week, Apple released an update to iOS that will allow you to now share the location of an AirTag with an airline, which will hopefully make it much easier to be reunited with a missing bag. The program will launch with 15 airlines in the coming months (including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Air Canada, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic … waiting on you, American Airlines!). Unfortunately, there isn’t a program for those with Android devices, but I’m hoping the industry comes up with a solution as clearly not all travelers have iPhones.
Airlines have often delayed processing of lost bags; an AirTag can alert you when your bag reaches your location so you can go to the airport yourself and retrieve it versus waiting for the airline to deliver it. This happened to me in Madeira, Portugal, two summers ago when the one bag that got left behind in Lisbon was my son’s, and going out shopping on a small resort island to replace everything would have been a huge waste of our time.
Avoiding baggage fees
But, at the end of the day, if you really must check a bag, you’ll want to avoid paying baggage fees.
The best way to avoid baggage fees is to either get airline elite status or get an airline cobranded credit card. As elite status continues to get harder and more expensive to attain, getting the right cobranded card can easily pay for itself, even if you avoid checking bags only once a year (but many of these cards come with other valuable perks — like sign-up bonuses, priority boarding and companion passes — that can make them an absolute no-brainer to keep year after year).
While I always recommend putting a majority of your spending on a card that earns transferable points or miles (like the American Express® Gold Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card), it might make sense to book flights on an airline cobranded card that offers free checked bags and priority boarding.
Passenger rights
And remember, new U.S. Department of Transportation rules went into effect this October that require airlines to refund your baggage fee automatically if they don’t deliver your bag on time. I doubt the airlines will do this automatically, so understand your rights and request a refund if you don’t see it within the time frame of seven business days; always save your receipts for any paid baggage fees so you can easily request reimbursement.
If your credit card has delayed or lost baggage coverage, always request compensation from both the airline and the credit card when your bag goes missing. If the airline doesn’t refund the fee, you can always file a DOT complaint, which will force them to respond.
Safe travels, everyone!
BK
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| Photo Credit: JONNO RATTMAN. |
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