Luggage Scales Save You
Money In Airline Luggage Surcharges

Top Travel Tips home ›› Travel Luggage ›› Luggage Weight Scales

Portable luggage scales are essential travel accessory, as the airlines are getting stricter about their free luggage allowance. Luggage surcharges are actually very good lucrative source of extra income for them.

Avoid Hefty Charges For Overweight Luggage

It can be very expensive to exceed the airlines free luggage weight limit. These charges vary between airlines, routes, and flight classes.

Based on the big international airlines (like American Airlines, British Airways, Delta, United, etc), typical charges for overweight luggage in economy class are between:

• $60-150 each way for every bag weighing between 51-70 lbs (23-32 kg)
• $100-175 each way for every bag weighing between 70-100 lbs (32-45 kg)

This means you could pay between $120-300 return for each bag weighing over 51-70 lbs, or $200-350 for each bag weighing between 70-100 lbs.

You can literally save hundreds of dollars by not exceeding the airlines luggage weight allowance.

You Should Weigh Your Luggage Before Check-in

One of the best ways to avoid hefty airline surcharges is to weigh your luggage before you leave for the airport... at both ends of your journey.

It is so easy to exceed the free airlines luggage weight limit. Your bag on its own can easily weigh between 5-12 lbs, average pair of jeans weighs around 1.7 lbs, and bag of toiletries can weigh between 4-5 lbs. This adds up amazingly quickly so make a habit of weighing your bag before you leave for the airport.

You will also have to make sure you are under the free luggage weight limit on your return trip. This is especially important if you are planning to do some shopping while travelling.

What may feel like small purchases can add up quickly, if you did not make sure you had enough luggage allowance remaining before you left your home... you could literally end up paying the price for not weighing your luggage before you left home.

Best Way To Weigh Your Luggage

You can of course use your bathroom scale at home to weigh your luggage before you leave. Most of them are though not very co-operative or accurate for weighing suitcases. You can usually not be sure there is suitable bathroom scale at the other end to weigh your bag for your return trip.

This is why portable luggage scales are becoming so popular. There is no easier way to weigh your baggage accurately.

What To Look For
When Buying Luggage Scales?

There are many types of luggage scales on the market, now-a-days most of them are digital (for more accurate reading). We at Top Travel Tips recommend you consider the following features when deciding which scale to go for:

• Easy to read display window that stores the weight so you can read the weight after you have put your (heavy) bag down
• Strong strap to secure the luggage to the scale are better option than hooks (hooks are not allowed in carry-on luggage, risk of accident / damage)
• Good grip, making it as easy is as possible to lift the luggage
• Display the weight in both pounds and kilograms (most display up to 100 lbs or 45 kg)
• It should be lightweight and compact in size, for easy carrying and packing
• Some scales have multifunctional use that can be useful, e.g. built-in flashlight and / or timer alarm
• Finally yet importantly, it should be easy to use, i.e. just strap the bag, lift it, wait for the beep, set it down, and read the weight