How to Use Apple AirTags to Track Your Luggage

Caroline Morse Teel is the Executive Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Caroline has a passion for adventure travel and has hiked to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the bottom of the Grand Canyon in pursuit of a good story. Follow her around the world on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

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Claims of lost luggage are skyrocketing recently, but there’s one easy thing you can do to prevent it from happening to you—place a tracker in your bag before you check it.

Luggage gathered on the airport floor near baggage claim — magann | Adobe Stock

How to Track Your Luggage

Luisa Favaretto, founder and editor of the travel and research site Strategistico, headed to Tuscany to serve as the maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding. Favaretto flew from New York to Italy with a connecting flight in Amsterdam, where she had to collect her checked bag (containing her bridesmaid’s dress and shoes) and then recheck it through to her final destination.

“After waiting for about an hour, my bag never came through the carousel while everyone around me had received theirs,” said Favaretto. Fortunately, she had placed an Apple AirTag in her suitcase before her trip. Worried that her bag wouldn’t make it, Favaretto checked the Apple app and saw her bag was in Amsterdam, but was stuck near her gate and not at baggage claim.

“It turns out that my luggage fell off the transporter and was just sitting somewhere on the tarmac,” said Favaretto. She showed the location of her bag to an agent, who was able to call and have the suitcase delivered in time to recheck it for her connecting flight. “If it wasn’t for the AirTag, their staff would not have been able to locate my bag quick enough for my next flight,” Favaretto explained.

Natasha Nelson, Owner of Golden Arrow PR, says AirTags have helped her the last two times she’s traveled. The first time she used it, Nelson checked three bags. “I could see on my phone app that one bag was in a different area on the tarmac than the other two that that were on the plane loading,” she said. “I alerted the airline and they got my bag and I could see it go on the plane. The AirTag trick came in handy again on another trip when Nelson’s bag was left behind at baggage claim. She was able to show an agent the location on the app and quickly get her suitcase back.

The Best Luggage Trackers

Trackers are cheap, portable, and easy to use.

Knog Scout Travel Smart Luggage Tag

Knog’s Scout Smart Luggage Tag is a luggage tag with a built-in tracker and alarm, so you can keep track of your bag anywhere you go. The innovative bag tag has a QR code that can be scanned to contact you and reunite you with your bag, making it easy to keep your information up-to-date in case you move or change phone numbers.

Scout’s tracker utilizes Apple’s Find My network so you can locate your luggage no matter where it winds up. It also has a motion-sensitive alarm you can turn on to make sure your bag doesn’t get stolen while you’re at a busy restaurant or bar (and don’t worry, the alarm can be turned off for travel.) An anti-tamper bolt and braided stainless steel cable keep the tag securely attached to your suitcase.

Scout is the only luggage tracker on this list that can be recharged, which is a key feature. The tag will notify you when the battery is low, and it can be recharged using a USB-C cable.

Apple AirTag

Apple’s AirTags are the most popular trackers for travelers. The AirTags integrate with Apple’s Find My app. If your bag is nearby, you can play a sound on the tracker’s built-in speaker to quickly locate it. If it’s further away, Apple’s Find My network will use the Bluetooth of any Apple devices nearby to help locate your tracker, so you can instantly locate it on a map in the Find My app.

Chipolo ONE Spot

The Chipolo ONE Spot works in a similar way to the AirTag, and also uses Apple’s Find My app and network to help you find your bag. The Chipolo ONE Spot can also give you a notification when you accidentally leave an item behind (perfect for something you might forget in a hotel room.)

Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+

Not an Apple Fan? The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 uses the same strategy to find your stuff as the AirTag, except it uses the Galaxy Find Network instead of Apple’s Find My network.

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