5 Tips To Avoid Wasting Money on Baggage Fees

Excess Baggage Fees can dampen that holiday spirit instantly. Here are 5 tips to avoid wasting your money on excess baggage costs.

Airports are stressful places. From checking in on time, to making sure the duty-free shopping gets delivered correctly, to gearing up for a long-haul flight.

Ideally the only worry should be when the in-flight champagne will arrive. Here’s how to avoid excess baggage fees, especially when you are flying with an internal airline in a foreign country and might not be in Business or First..

  1. Order an extra baggage allowance online

Prior to arriving at the airport, check your airline’s baggage policy. Most will allow you to buy extra allowance at a cheaper price than at the check-in desk, so if you just can’t justify leaving that extra jacket at home, think ahead and pre-purchase.

  1. Buy an electronic hanging scale

Lojel Digital Luggage Scale, $24.95

Check the weight of your luggage before you leave your house with  an electronic hanging scale. These low-cost tools make weighing luggage much easier than using a typical bathroom scale, and they’re also portable – meaning you can easily bring them along for the trip and weigh your bags again on the return trip home. s

  1. Use lightweight luggage

Samsonite Lite Shock Hardside Spinner Case Large 81cm Black 2.8kg, $899

People often forget that empty luggage also has its own weight, and with airlines such as Qantas charging up to $80 per kilogram in excess fees, every bit of weight that can be scaled back makes a difference.

Get more space for your shoes by purchasing lightweight luggage. Anything under four kilograms should keep you on track and underweight.

  1. Use your frequent flyer points

If you’re a regular flyer you should be rewarded. Most airlines will allow you to use your frequent flyer points to purchase additional baggage allowance.

It’s also a good way to use up those extra points that don’t quite equal the equivalent of a flight ticket – better to be used than not at all.

  1. Ship your excess baggage home

Consider using a shipping company to send the heaviest luggage home.

Not only is it cheaper than coughing up the extra dollars when you’re just a few kilograms over, it’ll also allow you to skip the customs lines and won’t leave you wasting time by the luggage carousel.

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