Baggage Fee Refunds:  $3.5 Billion a Year Spent on Airline Baggage Fees

Did you know that airline passengers will spend $3.5 billion on baggage fees this year?  Those are the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation based on baggage fees collected in the first three quarters of 2012. Well, you don't have to be a statistic. 

There are several ways to avoid paying baggage fees including flying airlines like Southwest or Jet Blue that don't charge or use credit cards like Delta American Express or American Express Platinum that offer to waive luggage fees.  Now, there's also BaggageFeeRefund.com where you can earn credits toward getting money back.  There's no membership fee and no limit to how many refunds you can receive.  You can sign up for free and start with 100 free credits.

How it Works

Step One:  Book your travel using the BaggageFeeRefund.com website.  You can book air, hotel, and more through their links to trusted online travel sites like Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and others.  Every dollar you spend earns you credits toward baggage fee refunds.  You can earn up to three credits for each dollar spent. 

• Earn 1 credit for each $1 spent on air;
• Earn 3 credits for each $1 spent on hotels;
• Earn 2 credits for each $1 spent on all other travel;
• Certain restrictions may apply

BaggageFeeRefund.com refunds your baggage fees when you book travel and make other purchases through their website. You earn credits based on the cost of your transactions and your credits can be redeemed for baggage fee refunds. It's that easy. The more travel you book through BaggageFeeRefund.com, the more money you get back.

BaggageFeeRefund.com offers the highest amount of credits per dollar spent for hotels. To maximize your credit earning potential, make sure to book all of your travel through their site, including both air and hotel.  You'll usually get better travel deals when you book your airfair, hotel and car rental together over booking them separately.

Step Two:  After you book your travel, forward your travel confirmation email to request@baggagefeerefund.com.  Be sure to add your BaggageFeeRefund.com username to the beginning of the subject line so we know who you are.

Step Three:  When you reach 3,000 credits, you'll receive a $25 baggage fee refund which BaggageFeeRefund.com will deposit in your PayPal account.  Just take a pic of your baggage fee and send it to redeem@baggagefeerefund.com. (If you paid your baggage fee online, just forward your e-mail receipt to the same address.) Your e-mail should also contain your BaggageFeeRefund.com username, an indication of how many credits you want to redeem, and the e-mail address associated with your PayPal account.

When you book travel using the travel links at BaggageFeeRefund.com, you'll be taken to that travel site's regular customer web site. If you usually log in to earn rewards points and airline miles, you'll be able to do that. So, you'll be able to earn travel site rewards points, airline miles, and baggage fee refund credits all on the same booking.

I love the idea of maximizing rewards especially if you're not giving up other travel rewards to do it. By maximizing reward programs, I flew first class to China for just $99.

Would love to hear if any of our readers have used this and how you like it (or don't like it) or if you think you'll use it.  Let me know.