Your suitcase has missed the carousel, but the tracker in your phone says it is nearby. What now? A location pin is a useful clue. The quickest route to getting your bag back still starts with an official airline report.
Before you fly: make the bag easy to trace
- Place a compatible tracker inside a secure pocket of your checked bag and check its battery and your phone settings.
- Take a photo of the outside of your suitcase and its contents, especially anything difficult to replace.
- Keep the baggage tag or claim receipt from check-in. Photograph it too, so the barcode and number are easy to find.
- Put medicines, essential documents and valuables in your carry-on, subject to airline rules. Remove old baggage tags and add your current contact details.
If the bag does not arrive: follow these four steps
- Report it before leaving the airport. Visit the airline’s baggage desk, or follow its specified reporting process. Ask for a written delayed-baggage report and its reference number, often called a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Confirm where the bag should be delivered and how to get updates.
- Share the tracker location as a clue. Show the latest location and its time stamp. If your device offers a temporary location-sharing link and the airline accepts one, share it through the airline’s official claim channel. A tracker may show an old or approximate position; it does not give you or a desk agent access to restricted baggage areas.
- Keep a record. Save the report, baggage tag, flight details, messages from the airline and screenshots of useful tracker updates. Note when the delay began and when the bag was returned.
- Buy only what you reasonably need. If you need toiletries or clothing while waiting, keep itemised receipts. Ask the airline about its reimbursement process and contact your travel insurer promptly to check your policy’s baggage-delay conditions.
A bag tracker helps locate a bag; it does not replace the airline report or an insurance claim. Airline scans and Bluetooth tracker locations can both lag. Use the two together and keep your reference number handy.
Where travel insurance fits
Baggage delay and loss benefits vary by policy. Check the waiting period, limits, excluded items, proof required and whether you must seek reimbursement from the airline first. You cannot recover the same expense twice. A tracker location alone usually will not establish the cost of your loss, so the airline’s report and your receipts matter.
If you are carrying specialist sports equipment or other valuable gear, ask about its cover before you travel. Standard baggage limits and item exclusions may be lower than the cost of replacing it.
Talk to HMIS about travel insurance for your trip →
Inspired by “Smart tags and lost luggage: How to get your bags back faster” by Damian Tysdal, founder of CoverTrip.com, in the Safe Travels newsletter (22 August 2026). This is an original HMIS guide for travellers; the linked article contains US-specific rights and policy examples that may not apply to your journey or insurance.
