Avoid Luggage Fees – Win a $100 Amex Card!

This may be the best way to avoid luggage fees - your own private jet! But this was just for a photo shoot to introduce a line of Travelgirl luggage. That's me on the left with Robyn Klugman, Travelgirl's Associate Publisher.

I hate paying to check my bag. I just think about what else I could buy with that $50 I’d be charged just to have my suitcase travel with me. In my world, that’s more than four bottles of wine, a pair of shoes, a dress or a decent meal out with my husband.

I’ve gotten way better at packing now – I seldom have to go pull a Kramer and go commando because I forgot my underwear. Which I’ve done twice. So I can usually pack lightly enough to carry on my bag.

But then there is the whole hassle of finding space and the please-don’t-let-me-drop-this-on-someone’s-head prayer I say every time I hoist my suitcase in or out of the overhead bin. Not to mention the stress of shifting all those toiletries into those tiny three-ounce containers. And between trips the labels wear off so I’m not sure if I’m lathering on sunscreen or hair conditioner when I’m lounging poolside. We won’t even talk about the Neosporin/toothpaste mix-up of 2009.

Here’s one solution – get a Delta SkyMiles card from American Express and your  first checked bag is free! And not only yours, but up to nine people traveling with you. (Bless your heart if you’re traveling with nine people.) But let’s say you’re taking a family trip with four of you – that’s $200 right there.

I used to have a SkyMiles card but gave it up a few years ago, probably during the cost-cutting measures instituted in our household in 2008. But I’m getting another now just for this benefit. The first year fee is waived, you earn double miles on any Delta dollars spent and you get 20,000 miles after your first purchase. Check out details here.

To help spread the word, we’re giving away a $100 American Express Gift card. Just think how many bottles of wine, dresses, or dinners out you can buy with that – guilt-free!

It’s easy to qualify: Just tell us what’s on your must-travel-with list. Besides my underwear, which I always pack first (wearing my husband’s boxers is a not-to-be-repeated experience) I always take my Kindle with enough reading material to last several lifetimes. And you’re automatically entered.

You get an extra entry if you follow us on Twitter. If you don’t follow us yet, click here.

Contest ends May 19, so enter now! What do you always take with you?

Please note: American Express is sponsoring the giveaway and providing the $100 gift card. 

– Jan Schroder

21 Apr This entry was published on April 21, 2011 at 3:45 pm. It’s filed under Airlines, Jan Schroder, Travelgirl contests and tagged American Express Gift Card. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.