When it comes to must-have travel accessories, the Apple Air Tag has quickly become a favorite with frequent flyers for a variety of reasons. While many people use airtags to keep track of their keys at home or keep track of valuables, these trackers can also be invaluable when it comes to keeping your belongings safe during all stages of your journey.
Below we will look at why Apple air tags are essential for travel in 2023 and why they are essential in helping you keep your belongings safe and secure.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Editor's Choice
60,000 Points
What Are Apple Air tags?
Apple Air tags are small tracking devices that use Bluetooth to help you keep track of the location of your belongings – this could be your car keys, wallet, valuables, or luggage. Once you place an Apple tag in your luggage, you will be able to track its location using Apple’s “Find My” function.
How do You Track Apple tags?
To triangulate the location of the airtags Apple will track the strength of the signal which is sent to your iPhone or iPad which is tracking the device. This location is then uploaded onto the Cloud and shown on a map so you can easily head to the correct location.
You can use two different methods to precisely pinpoint the location of your Apple air tags – Precision Finding or Beeping.
Air tag beeping can be helpful if you are in the habit of misplacing your keys, wallet, or other essentials and need to search for them every time before you leave your home. After attaching an air tag, you will be able to pinpoint the exact location of your keys by using the “Find My” function to make the device beep until you locate it.
If you are in an airport or want to locate your luggage unknown location, then Precision finding will turn your phone into a compass device which will point in the direction of the tracker and let you know exactly how far it is from your current location. (You will need an iPhone 11 or newer, to access this function.)
How does Apple Air tags Help with Lost Luggage?
Given the delayed and lost luggage chaos that US travelers found themselves subject to during the 2022 holiday season, there is a good case to be made for taking all the precautions you can to keep track of your luggage with airtags while you travel.
Thousands of flyers found that their suitcases had been sent to their travel destinations while their own flights were canceled, with no way of tracking them or discovering when they would be returned to them. The images of thousands of pieces of luggage piling up in airports across the US are not likely to be forgotten by travelers who want to take every step to keep their belongings safe.
Placing an Apple tag in your luggage will help you to pinpoint exactly where your belongings are and how far away they are from you. From the moment you check your bags to the point you pick them up at your destination, you can make sure that you know exactly where your suitcases are located.
Why Is It Essential That You Track Your Luggage?
However, it is not only delayed or misplaced luggage you need to worry about. Unfortunately, there have been more than a few cases of suitcases being ferried out of the official lines and into residential addresses by unscrupulous employees who are looking to profit through traveler's losses.
Recent stories have also highlighted how Air Canada travelers have used airtags Apple location trackers to track their luggage as it was placed in a storage facility and then sent to a third-party organization that deals with unclaimed luggage before donating the belongings to charity.
When luggage has been delayed or sent to the wrong place, further complications can arise when an air carrier tries to get your luggage back to you. An airline may use a third-party delivery service that leaves your luggage open to further damage, misplacement, or delays.
As detailed on CNN, a United Airlines traveler was informed that her checked luggage was in a distribution center and would be delivered directly to her. But her Apple air tags allowed her to track her bags as they moved through Washington malls and residential areas and expose the false information being fed to her by the airline on Twitter.
All of this shows that it is not only the loss or delay of luggage that you need to be worried about when checking in your luggage. Of course, in most cases, your luggage will be safe and secure and there to meet you on the other side of your journey – but it is always better to take precautions.
Save Time Waiting Around at Baggage Claim
Another benefit of Apple tags when traveling which you may not have considered is saving time and limiting your waiting around for luggage once you arrive at your destination. Once you have arrived at the airport you can use the tracking on your airtags to get real-time updates on the progress of your luggage toward baggage claim.
By using the “Find My” application on your phone, you will get a clear idea of when your bags have arrived for pick up and won’t feel the need to rush to the baggage claim area only to wait around for half an hour. Instead, you can spend this time winding down with a coffee or even getting your rental car picked up!
Summary - Apple Air Tags are a must-have for travel (not just lost luggage!)
The primary benefit of using Apple tags in your luggage has become ever more important given the recent chaos of lost and misplaced luggage which thousands of travelers were subjected to over the holidays.
But, with airtags Apple also offers other benefits when it comes to keeping your belongings safe when you travel – whether your luggage has been misplaced, delayed, or the airline claims they are sending it back to you, an Apple air tag will help you to get an accurate idea about exactly where your belongings are and whether the information you are being fed is accurate.
Best Credit Cards with Travel Insurance
Credit card companies are operating in an increasingly competitive world. As more and more competition arrives on the internet, card providers are finding they have to offer increasingly attractive benefits packages to get customers to look their way.
