If you’re like most travelers, you’ve probably never considered shipping your luggage ahead of you instead of bringing it with you on a trip. Sure, over the holidays you might mail a few gifts to your destination to avoid having the TSA root through your suitcase and ruin your perfect wrapping job, but otherwise, it probably seems more practical, convenient, and economical to check your bags with your airline. But is this still the case? Have you ever wondered if luggage shipping is a better solution?
Most major U.S. airlines charge travelers to check a first or second bag on domestic and even some international flights—though few will guarantee that your bag will actually make it where it’s going on time. (If you thought luggage delays were frustrating before, imagine how you’ll feel if your airline loses a bag you paid $30 to check.)
Ultra-budget carriers Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant have added fees for carry-on bags as well. And no matter which airline you’re flying, if your bag is overweight, be prepared to shell out $50 or more in penalties on top of whatever fees you’re already paying for the privilege of checking that bag.
In light of these changes, shipping suitcases may suddenly look like a more attractive alternative. While it’s still generally more expensive to ship a suitcase than to check it, the latest airline fees have narrowed the cost differential—and what you gain in convenience and reliability may be worth paying a few extra bucks.
Note that luggage shipping isn’t the simplest process beyond drop-off and pick-up: Standard service can take several business days in transit, and anyone who’s had issues with FedEx or UPS delivery might be skeptical. You could try to minimize the timing issue by shipping in advance of your trip so that your stuff is there when you arrive. And you might worry less about whether it takes a few days when you’re shipping home, since you’ll be arriving to all the comforts of home and can usually keep what items you truly need (toiletries, meds, etc.) with you in transit.
But with bag fees now at $30 on most lines, shipping it for about the same cost avoids the aggravation of checking your bag on an airline, especially if you have a short connection or you hate waiting for your stuff at a luggage carousel. Shipping companies have pretty good tracking programs that let you make sure your bag is going where it’s supposed to, which provides peace of mind.
Related: 7 Smart Ways to Bypass Baggage Fees
To help you “weigh” your options, we’ve outlined the pros, cons, and costs of checking bags versus shipping them. We’ve included information on standard delivery services (such as UPS and FedEx) as well as specialty luggage handlers like Luggage Forward and
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