How to Pack and Save Money on Baggage Fees

Summary

All Of It: How to Pack and Save Money on Baggage Fees

Hosted by Alison Stewart and featuring Sally French, Lead Writer at NerdWallet

As summer approaches and vacation plans ramp up, the latest episode of WNYC’s ALL OF IT delves into the essential travel updates and money-saving strategies travelers need to know. Host Alison Stewart is joined by Sally French from NerdWallet to discuss significant changes in travel regulations, airline policies, and practical tips to make your summer trips smoother and more affordable.

1. Real ID Implementation: What You Need to Know

The episode kicks off with a critical update on Real ID, a long-awaited travel requirement that officially took effect on May 8, 2025. Alison Stewart introduces the topic by highlighting the recent enforcement deadlines and their implications for travelers.

Sally French explains, “[Real ID] is this long awaited change in travel where you need to have a designated Real ID compliant to go through TSA” (01:22). A Real ID-compliant identification card is marked with a gold or black star, signaling its validity for domestic flights. For those without a Real ID, alternatives such as a passport or Global Entry card are acceptable.

Despite the rollout, compliance rates were not universal. Sally notes, “Even yesterday only 81% of travelers across the nation were Real ID compliant” (02:06). This leaves 19% of travelers needing to navigate additional screening processes. She reassures listeners, “The Department of Homeland Security did put out a statement yesterday saying that the rollout went smoothly” (02:06), suggesting that non-compliant travelers shouldn’t panic but should be prepared for possible delays.

For individuals needing to obtain a Real ID, Sally advises visiting the DMV and remaining persistent in securing appointments, as many offices are experiencing high demand and limited availability (03:06).

2. Navigating International Travel Requirements

Alison shifts the conversation to international travel, specifically addressing the newly instituted Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) by the United Kingdom. Sally explains, “You need to fill out a digital form online in advance. It costs £16 to apply” (04:36). This ETA is mandatory for U.S. citizens traveling to the UK for tourism, visiting family or friends, short-term study, or business purposes, and is valid for trips up to six months.

Additionally, Sally emphasizes the importance of passport validity for entry into the Schengen Area. “Your passport must be valid for at least six months at the time of your entry” (06:08), warning travelers that a passport expiring soon could result in denied entry.

3. Southwest Airlines' Baggage Fee Changes and Airline Policies

A significant portion of the episode focuses on Southwest Airlines’ policy changes regarding checked baggage fees. Previously renowned for allowing two free checked bags, Southwest has announced new fees, aligning with broader industry trends of increasing ancillary charges.

Sally French explains, “Airlines are looking for more ways to make money, whether that's increasing checked bag fees, fees to choose your seat” (07:24). Despite these changes, she points out a silver lining: airfares have actually been decreasing. “Over the past year, airfares are down 5.2%” (07:24), and over ten years, they’ve decreased by 12.1%, outpacing inflation rates (07:24). This means that while base ticket prices are lower, travelers may end up paying more through additional fees unless they adopt strategic spending habits.

Sally advises travelers to embrace a bare-bones approach: avoid checking bags, opt for middle seats, and be flexible with flight arrangements to save money (10:27).

4. Maximizing Travel Discounts and Credit Card Benefits

Listener calls introduce practical tips for saving money on travel. One caller from Croton Hudson shares, “Don’t be shy about asking for discounts” (10:39). Sally builds on this advice by highlighting the benefits of an AARP membership. “Even though AARP is for Americans ages 50 and older, anyone can join, no matter your age” (11:26). Memberships offer discounts on hotels, rental cars, cruises, and more, often surpassing the cost of the membership itself.

When discussing credit cards, Sally differentiates between branded travel credit cards (specific to airlines or hotels) and general travel credit cards that offer transferable rewards. She recommends cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and American Express Platinum for their robust travel benefits, including free checked bags and comprehensive travel insurance (15:57).

5. Understanding Travel Insurance: When It’s Worth It

A listener questions the value of travel insurance, contemplating whether to pay for increased airfare flexibility or insurance that allows cancellations. Sally responds by outlining scenarios where travel insurance is beneficial, such as connecting a flight to a cruise. “If your flight is delayed by one day and you miss the cruise, not only do you lose a day, but the entire trip” (17:55).

She advises that premium travel credit cards often include insurance benefits, which can be more cost-effective than purchasing separate policies. “Many premium credit cards actually offer travel insurance as a benefit for booking that trip on the card” (17:55).

6. Affordable Vacation Destinations in the U.S. and Europe

Sally shares insights on cost-effective vacation spots. Within the U.S., cities like Palm Springs, Bozeman, Montana, and Savannah, Georgia offer affordable travel options. For instance, Palm Springs remains a top pick due to low round-trip fares and hotel discounts, despite its high summer temperatures (16:14).

For international travel, Sally recommends European cities such as Reykjavik, Paris, Munich, and Dublin for their cheap airfares. She suggests flying into major hubs and then using budget airlines or trains to reach less expensive destinations. Additionally, opting for a second city (e.g., Hamburg instead of Munich in Germany) can result in significant savings on accommodations and activities (19:35).

7. Listener Interactions and Practical Advice

Throughout the episode, listener questions provide real-world contexts:

• Carrie from Croton Hudson shares her upcoming trip to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos, emphasizing the importance of asking for discounts, which Sally reinforces by highlighting the wide range of benefits available through AARP membership (10:47, 11:26).

• Harris from Woodstock, New York, concerned about traveling without a Real ID, receives practical advice to verify his ID’s compliance and arrive early at the airport to navigate any additional screening (12:33, 13:03).

• A musician upset with Southwest’s baggage rules is advised to explore credit card options that offer free checked bags, thereby mitigating the impact of the new fees (14:07, 14:59).

Conclusion

This episode of ALL OF IT equips travelers with essential information on navigating new travel regulations, maximizing savings through discounts and credit card benefits, and choosing affordable vacation destinations. Sally French’s expertise from NerdWallet provides actionable insights, ensuring that listeners are well-prepared to embark on their summer adventures without unnecessary financial strain.

Notable Quotes:

• “Even yesterday only 81% of travelers across the nation were Real ID compliant.” – Sally French (02:06)

• “Airlines are looking for more ways to make money, whether that's increasing checked bag fees, fees to choose your seat.” – Sally French (07:24)

• “Even though AARP is for Americans ages 50 and older, anyone can join, no matter your age.” – Sally French (11:26)

• “If your flight is delayed by one day and you miss the cruise, not only do you lose a day, but the entire trip.” – Sally French (17:55)

For more detailed insights and continuous updates on travel and culture, tune into future episodes of ALL OF IT on WNYC.

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. The weather's getting warmer. The end of the academic year is coming up and that means summer vacation is on the horizon. But before you fly, you might want to check the news and whether any of the recent travel changes could affect your plans. Yesterday was the deadline for Real id, the new form of license you'll need to fly domestically. The policy is finally taking effect after almost two decades of delays. And at the end of the month, Southwest Airlines with will start charging fees for checked bags. Joining me now is Nerd Wallet lead writer Sally French. We'll talk about these changes and some tips to help you save and earn points as you travel this year. Hi, Sally.

[Sally French]

Hi. Thank you so much for having me. All sorts of exciting changes in travel.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, Real ID went into effect yesterday.

[Sally French]

Sort of.

[Alison Stewart]

We'll get it to that. First of all, what is Real id?

[Sally French]

Yes. So Real ID is this long awaited change in travel where you need to have a designated Real ID compliant to go through tsa. You can tell if your ID is Real ID compliant if there is a star. It depends on what state your ID is, but it would be a gold star or a black star. But you need to have that to get through security. If you don't have that, there are some alternatives. Things like a passport, a global entry card can also work.

[Alison Stewart]

The plan has been with that travelers needed real ID fly after May 7th. That was the big deadline. And then the head of Homeland Security said something different. What did he say?

[Sally French]

Yeah, well, you know, the deadline kept getting pushed back more and more, but finally yesterday was the day that they actually started enforcing it. Now what's interesting is Even yesterday only 81% of travels across travelers across the nation were Real ID compliant. That means 19% of travelers still are not Real ID compliant even after years of saying this is going to go into effect. Now for those people who are not Real ID compliant, you don't need to panic. Many airports have actually been having separate lanes for people who are not compliant and that's where they go through additional screening. They might be asked some extra questions, something like that. For what it's worth, the Department of Homeland Security did put out a statement yesterday saying that the rollout went smoothly. Many airports didn't even really need to use those extra lanes. So the good news for travelers is they probably do not need to panic.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, so how does someone get real id? They suddenly realize, oh, I need this thing.

[Sally French]

Yes. So you need to go to your DMV to get that new updated ID. And what we're seeing is many DMVs are out of appointments. I even heard some ID or some, some DMVs are extending their hours to allow people to fit more appointment time slots. I've even talked to colleagues who've said I've tried to go to my DMV to get an appointment and I just can't. Uh, so, so do keep checking for those time slots. If you check your DMV and there are no appointments available or they're super far out, keep checking because sometimes people don't show up and you might be able to snag a last minute appointment.

[Alison Stewart]

My guest is Sally French, lead writer at NerdWallet. We are talking, we are, we are talking traveling. Are you traveling? Are you traveling this summer? Do you have questions? Do you 969-221-2433 WNYC or tell us about where you're going, where you think other people should go. Also how to save money along the way. We want your travel questions and your travel plans for the summer. 2124-3396-9221-2433 wnyc. So let's talk about some other identification related news. The United Kingdom recently instituted something called electronic travel authorization. What is that?

[Sally French]

Yes, so this is also something that you need if you are a US citizen going to the UK. This went into effect on January 8th and you basically need to fill out a digital form online in advance. It's not some sort of big process where you need to go through a giant in person interview or anything, but it is something that you need to do online before you go to a trip. In the UK. This is valid for trip up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family, friends, short term study or business. But you can do this online and make sure you do because otherwise you won't be able to get in. It costs £16 to apply. It's very simple. You do need a passport, which you need to get into the UK anyway. And that's how you get into the uk. The other important thing to note is for travel elsewhere in Europe, a lot of people don't realize that they also need to have a valid passport. Not just for, for the day of their visit. But to get into the EU or the Schengen area, your passport must be valid for at least six months at the time of your entry. That means if you are going to Europe in July and your passport expires in August, that can be risky. An immigration officer may refuse your entry. So make sure that your passport has enough time after its expiration date if you are planning a European vacation this summer.

[Unknown Male Host]

I did want to ask about that electronic travel authorization. What's the explanation for it?

[Sally French]

Oh, you know, that's a good question. You might need to ask people in the UK about why they're doing that. But in general we are just seeing more and more sort of papers please when it comes to travel. And we are seeing that with the real ID is is a papers please sort of thing. And the UK is doing that too. It is something that is important for travelers to be aware of before they get on a plane is that they need to be prepar and many people just aren't. Whether that's because they are planning a last minute trip to see maybe a sick relative who I just, you know, didn't know that I would need my passport this month to see my, my relative in a different country or people who simply are just overwhelmed because there's so much that goes into travel. You have to plan the trips, the international phone, plan, all of these things. And people just kind of forget like I need to have my passport with six months of validity.

[Unknown Male Host]

Let's talk about some new costs that US travelers will be seeing. Southwest Airlines announced a bunch of huge changes for fees for for checked bags. Why are these changes getting so much attention?

[Sally French]

Yes, I mean, Southwest felt like the holdout. I was a huge Southwest fan myself in that they included so many things and it just really eliminated this headache of feeling like I was being nickeled and dimed. Southwest allowed two free checked bags, which was almost unheard of in travel, at least for domestic and economy travel. They also allowed for no change fees, no cancellation fees. This is something that many airlines tapped into as part of the pandemic. Southwest had always been a leader in this. Southwest also allowed you to cancel flights up to 10 minutes in advance and you would get that money in the form of travel credit that never expired. Now you can still do that, except that those travel credits now do expire, depending on the ticket, between six and 12 months after cancellation. So it is important to know that a lot of these airlines are cracking down and looking for more ways to make money. Now I will say it is not all Bad news, definitely. Southwest is looking to drive revenue in other ways. And Southwest is not alone. Many airlines are also looking for ways to increase revenue, whether that's increasing check to bag fees, increasing fees to choose your seat. But I do have actually good news for you. What NerdWallet has found is that airfares are actually dropping. So over the past year, airfares are down 5.2%. That's really shocking when you consider exactly that. You know, inflation, we're all familiar with inflation, and it's going up. Here's where it gets even more shocking. Over the past 10 years, airfares are down 12.1%. The inflation rate over the past 10 years is 35.4%. So not only are airfares increasing less than the rate of inflation, which would already be good on its own, they are actually down from this huge inflation rate otherwise. That's really important to note. But what we see is what airlines are doing is they are charging lower base rates and they're really sucking you in with this, you know, $79 fare to go across the country. But then what happens is I've seen airlines that charge more than that just to check your bag. So they're making it up for things like bag fees, fees to choose your seat, of course, all of these change and cancellation fees. So we do see that often many people spend the same as they might have last year or 10 years ago, sometimes more because they are paying for all these extra fees. But the good news is if you are a bare bones traveler and you say, I don't need to check a bag, I don't. If I have the middle seat, I don't need to sit next to my partner or my friend on the flight. I will sit literally anywhere. You can save a lot of money.

[Alison Stewart]

My guest is Sally French, lead writer at NerdWallet. We are talking about travel. Let's talk to Carrie from Croton Hudson. Hi, Carrie. Thanks for calling, all of it.

[Caller]

Hi, thank you for taking my call. I love y' all. I listen a lot.

[Alison Stewart]

Love it. What's going on?

[Caller]

So I was calling, I'm going to be traveling to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos and trip of a lifetime. Very exciting and celebrating some things. But one thing as a tip, when I was booking it, I very offhandedly said, oh, do you take, you know, AAA discount or ARP? And they did, you know, and that seems like $2,000, you know, because that's a big trip. So I'd say don't be shy about Asking for discounts.

[Alison Stewart]

Good advice. Thank you so much for calling in. Sal, you want to weigh in?

[Sally French]

Well, you know, I love this tip because you mentioned aarp. First off, their membership is so affordable. You can find a membership for $16 annually, sometimes even less if you opt into that auto renewal. But what a lot of people don't is Even though AARP is for Americans ages 50 and older, anyone can join, no matter your age. I am less than 50, but I am an AARP member because Carrie is totally right. There are so many discounts involved with aarp. And even if we're not all going to Machu Picchu, I would love to go with you. But there are discounts for all sorts of hotel brands. I'm talking Hilton, ihg, Wyndham, discounts on rental cars, discounts on cruises. And often the discounts are much, much more than the AARP membership alone. Something like a Zipcard discount is $20 off an annual Zipcar membership, but with AARP, you're paying 12 or you're paying $16. So you're. You're practically making money right there. Great tip.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Harris. Hey, Harris, where are you going?

[Caller]

Hey, calling from Woodstock, New York. Longtime listener, first time caller. So I'm supposed to board a domestic flight this afternoon, but I only have a New York state enhanced id, not a real id, And I'm getting, like, a lot of confusing info online about what is real ID compliant. So am I going to have any issue, and this is especially if I cannot find my passport right now?

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, no. Do you have any advice for Harris?

[Sally French]

Yes. So it is very straightforward to tell if your ID is compliant. Whip out your ID right now, Harris. And if there is a gold or black star, you are okay. I still don't want you to panic. I know your flight is this afternoon. Get to the airport early, typically two hours in advance is recommended for you. Three hours I would recommend because you will need to go through the potential of an extra screening, but I still am optimistic for you. Just get there early and be prepared.

[Alison Stewart]

Good luck, Harris. My guest is Sally French, lead writer at NerdWallet. We are talking traveling. I did want to remind listeners that there is apparently a new pope. White smoke has been seen at the Vatican. We don't have a name yet, but stay with NPR and WNYC for more information. All right, so this person types as a musician. I'm so upset Southwest changed their baggage rules. I was able to bring my guitar on before. What does your guest recommend now?

[Sally French]

I feel so bad because, yes, the baggage rules were so nice for people who have this huge, you know, something like a guitar that you can't just fit under your carry on. Now, there are some ways to avoid Southwest checked baggage fee. One of them is by holding Southwest Elite status that might not be attainable for you if you know you don't fly a ton. But the other thing you can do is apply for certain Southwest credit cards. Many of these cards offer free checked bags as a benefit for holding the card. Now, you do have to account that a credit card with Southwest is going to incur an annual fee. But if you travel enough, then sometimes the annual fee on the credit card is easily outweighed by what you would pay on baggage fees.

[Unknown Male Host]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

One of the people wants to know.

[Unknown Male Host]

Which credit cards would be the best to collect transfer news points for travel.

[Sally French]

Ooh, that's a good question. So Nerd Wallet typically breaks travel credit cards into two categories. One is branded with that actual travel brand. So a specific airline like Southwest, a specific hotel, and then there are general travel credit cards. Now, if you are someone who always flies with the same airline, because maybe only one airline even serves your home airport, or you're just doing the same route all the time, then having a card branded to that airline can be good. Typically, you get better perks at that airline we just mentioned, you know, free checked bags are often a benefit on many airline credit cards. At the same time, NerdWallet also recommends more general travel credit cards that earn transferable rewards. These are things like the platinum card from American Express, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Capital One, Venture X. These cards earn more general points that you can book on all sorts of travel. And for people who don't want to be locked into a certain travel brand, often these are a better bet.

[Unknown Male Host]

All right, you put together a list of the cheapest US cities for a July 4th vacation. It includes Palm Springs, Boatman, Montana, Savannah, Georgia. What makes these cities, quote, cheaper, although? Because they're great locations, by the way.

[Sally French]

They are. And we looked at cities that had the lowest average round trip fares for the fourth of July week. Now, I do want to point out the cheapest city was Palm Springs. And Palm Springs is so hot during the fourth of July. So some of these sort of have to do with those seasonal variations of, you know, maybe a lot of people don't want to go to Palm springs for the 4th of July. It's a lovely in October, but so hot in July. But I think a city like Palm Springs is great because also hotels really drive down the rates. And you know, if your ideal fourth of July is laying by the pool anyway, then Palm Springs is your place to go. Now there are other destinations that aren't quite as hot as Palm Springs. Other cities that we recommend that have lower than average fares are Bozeman, Montana. Great getaway to go to many national parks. Hilo, Hawaii what's really interesting about Hilo, Hawaii is that we see so much over tourism. We see so many cities that have more tourists now than pre pandemic. But Hawaii is one of those states that has not seen its numbers come back since the COVID 19 pandemic. In fact, we are typically seen. In fact, in March 2025, visitor arrivals across Hawaii were just at 97.3% of what they were in March 2019.

[Alison Stewart]

We got a text here that says can the guest speak about travel insurance for domestic travel as well as international travel, Is it better to pay for the increase of an of air, it says, or for the privilege of being able to cancel. Oh, so you could. You would pay for the privilege of being able to cancel your airfare?

[Sally French]

Yes. So travel insurance is one of those things that not everyone needs to get it. It is an added cost and sometimes the cost can be hundreds of dollars. Typically the cost is the of your overall trip price and it really depends on factors like how stuck are you going to be if a flight gets canceled? Are you going to a place where you can stay with relatives instead or do you mind extending longer? That said, there are certain trips where we really recommend you have travel insurance. I'm talking about something like you're flying to go catch a cruise. Now if that flight is delayed by one day and then you can't get on the cruise, not only have you missed out on one day of your trip, but you didn't make the boat. Yeah, you missed the entire trip. That's where travel insurance can definitely make more sense. Now I do have some advice for you and that is that many premium travel and travel credit cards actually offer travel insurance as a benefit for booking that trip on the card. You'll typically see this benefit on cards with very high annual fees. I'm talking many hundreds of dollars but you at the cost of travel insurance for certain trips. And it's more than the annual fee on the card itself. So look at what the travel insurance policy might cost if you purchase it out of pocket. And then consider looking to a credit card. Something like the Chase Sapphire Reserve has excellent travel insurance coverage and that card has an annual fee in the many hundreds of Dollars realm, but it could overall be better for you.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, what are some good vacations in European cities that won't cost us a lot?

[Sally French]

Ooh, that's a good question because actually NerdWallet analyzed the cheapest European cities to fly to in 2025 and we are seeing lots of cheap airfares going into Reykjavik, Iceland, Paris, France, Munich, Germany Dublin, Ireland. These are all cities where we're seeing really cheap airfares. Now the catch is that many of these cities are actually expensive to to spend your time in. So here's where you can get a little tricky with it. Nord Wallet recommends that you fly into one of these airports where you can get a really cheap transatlantic flight and then from there catch a budget airline to your final destination. Of course, Europe has an amazing train network, so many of these cities are connected by train. NerdWallet also really recommends that you go for that second city trend. So a second city is kind of the second most popular city in a country or in a region, and often it's always going to be cheaper than that first most popular city. So I'm talking about someplace like Hamburg. If you're going to Germany, you might get a really cheap flight into Munich, but then hop on the train over to Hamburg and you'll likely find a cheaper hotel.

[Unknown Male Host]

Sally French, lead writer at NerdWallet, thanks for all the tips.

[Sally French]

Thank you.

[Unknown Male Host]

And if you by the way, if you have an enhanced id, you can use it to travel the same as Real id. Enhanced ID also allows you to cross borders into Mexico and Canada. How you know if your New York State license RD does not have a star or a flag on it, then you do not have a Real ID compliant document. There you go. There's more. All of it on the way. Stay with us.

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