Luggage tracker buying guide

Pick the family that matches your phone

Bluetooth luggage trackers do not talk to each other. Each family relies on its own network of nearby phones, and each is managed from its own app. In practice the choice is made for you by the phone in your pocket. The table lists the families Qantas names on its baggage tracking page, and what it says about sharing their location^[1].

Other airlines have their own lists, and they change. If you fly with someone other than Qantas, look for the tracker or baggage page on their website before you buy.

Check what the tracker is actually for

There are two jobs a tracker can do on a trip, and they are not the same.

• Telling you where the bag is. This is the part every tracker does, within the limits of Bluetooth and the phones around it. Qantas points out that network coverage and obstructions, including the body of an aircraft, can affect accuracy, so the dot on your screen may not match the airline's own record^[1].
• Helping the airline find it. With a supported tracker, you can add a location link to a delayed baggage report. Qantas says only its trained baggage agents see the link, it expires after seven days, and it switches off when the bag is returned^[2].

Neither job prevents a delay. If someone tells you a tracker guarantees your bag arrives, they are selling something other than a tracker.

Pack it so it stays with the bag

1. Inside, not outsideUse an inner pocket or the lining. Anything clipped to the handle or hanging from a zip is a candidate for being snagged on a belt.
2. Not in a pocket you will emptyIf it sits in the pocket where you keep the charger, it will come out at security or the hotel. Choose a place you never unpack.
3. Photograph the bag and its tagA picture of the case, its distinguishing marks and the baggage tag helps a report move faster. Qantas lists photos and tags among the things to include with a claim^[2].
4. Leave valuables out of the holdQantas says some items, such as fragile, valuable or perishable ones, must not be put in checked baggage, and it will use all available defences against claims for them if rules were broken^[2].

Check the battery rules of your airline too. Virgin Australia, for example, says bags with small built-in devices such as bag tags, powered by button cells, are fine in checked baggage, while spare batteries must stay in carry-on^[3]. Yours may word it differently.

The day the bag does not appear

1. Check the right carouselQantas advises checking the designated carousel first^[1]. Screens sometimes move a flight to another belt.
2. Report it straight awayUse the airline's baggage desk, website or app. Reports are subject to time limits, and later claims rely on them^[2].
3. Keep receiptsIf you are away from home, essentials bought while you wait may be claimable, subject to the airline's rules^[2].
4. Add your tracker link, if you have oneGenerate it from the Find My or Find Hub app, then attach it to the existing report in the airline's portal^[2].
5. Follow the reportMost airlines let you check the status online with the report reference.

The pack most readers ask about

For iPhone and iPad owners, the tracker most readers ask about is Apple's AirTag, sold singly and in packs. Apple's own documentation says the current model needs a compatible iPhone or iPad running iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later, uses a replaceable CR2032 battery and supports sharing an item's location with airlines^[4]. A four-pack covers a household's checked bags, with a spare for keys or a wallet.

Amazon Australia is an independent company and is not part of Beltside. This is an affiliate link: if you buy through it we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Check the listing for the current price, delivery and return terms before you buy.

Android user? The better route is a tracker that works with Google's Find Hub network, which appears in the table above.