Avoid Overweight Checked Baggage Fee Sticker Shock

AKA, how those extra fees sneak up on you

It’s a world of underpackers versus overpackers. Some people can head to the airport, perfectly carefree with just a backpack or small carry-on. For the rest of you, though, the night before a trip finds you agonizing amongst the contents of your closet – which are currently all over your bed. Why choose your favorite shirt or sandals, when you can just bring them allll? We see you, overpackers. You guys are our tribe.

But guess what: you overpackers are also the airlines’ favorite passengers. And here three ways in which baggage fees eat into your vacay fund.

  • About that “free” luggage…

    So this seems pretty straightforward, right? You buy your ticket, get a certain number of checked bags, and then you’re off. Easy-peasy. Except, not so much. That’s the old way of doing things. You know, back when you were also allowed to eat peanuts and smoke during a flight.

    Nowadays, most airlines won’t even give you one free suitcase. Yikes! So right from the get-go, you’ll be on the hook for, typically, $35 for your first bag. The second one comes in at $45. So that’s $80, before you’ve even gotten to your destination. And if you’re flying roundtrip – which you probably are, unless you’re running away from home – that means you’ll be paying $160 just to bring your suitcases on vacay with you. (Every airline is different – read the small print so you know the exact details re: your itinerary).

  • Cramming it all into one suitcase

    Of course, you don’t want to pay extra for that second baggage. We feel you. So you can always try to cram all of your clothes, toiletries, and shoes into one suitcase. But (there’s always a “but” in these situations), you’re going to make things even worse. Because now instead of two checked bags, you have one filled-to-the-brim suitcase. Uh-oh.

    Cross your fingers and do some fancy acrobatics on the bathroom scale, because you might have overweight baggage. And if that happens, you’re going to have to dip even further into your vacay fund. Because you’ll be paying anywhere from an extra $150 to 200, on top of what you already paid for your suitcase. Yes, the airlines are double-dipping.

    I know, it doesn’t seem fair to us, either. But it’s two different fees: one for checking a bag, and the other for that bag being overweight. You could end up paying upwards of $185 for just one piece of overweight baggage.

  • Or bringing an extra bag

    This is the part that really hurts. You did your best, put some of your favorite shoes back in the closet, and managed to whittle everything down to one not-too-heavy suitcase. But then you went on vacay. And saw that cute little scarf. And wanted to get your mom those handmade teacups. And thought your dad would look great in that sweater. And, well, you get the idea. Souvenirs can easily push you into the overweight baggage category. Sure, you can exercise some self-control, but who wants to do that on vacation?

    So you run off to a nearby shop and buy an extra suitcase to bring home. Smile smugly, because now you won’t have an overweight suitcase. Except that you’ll have two suitcases, or even three. That second piece of luggage is already going to set you back $45 (on average). But that third one? It can easily cost you a cool $150 – because that excess baggage fee, ouch.

So what’s an overpacker to do? Yes, you need the extra shoes. And your favorite “vacay mode” shirts. And maybe a jacket or two, just in case. And don’t forget your extra charger. You can’t leave any of your “stuff” behind, because what if you need it, right? #relatable

Chin up, overpackers. We’ve got you covered.

You can save hundreds of dollars – and a bunch of hassles – by shipping your luggage directly to your destination. Whether it’s one bag or more, no matter how heavy they are, we’ll get them there before you even land, and way cheaper than on an airplane. So go ahead, pack all of your faves, and let LugLess handle the rest.