Flight delayed or lost luggage? Airlines owe you money

You finally made it to your gate, overpriced coffee in hand, sprinting like your vacation depends on it, only to be greeted by those two soul-crushing words: Flight Delayed. Maybe it starts with 30 minutes … then an hour … then four. 

No apology, no update, just your suitcase sunbathing alone on the tarmac like it’s on vacation without you. 

Here’s what the airlines don’t want you to know: You might be owed money. A lot of money. But you usually have to ask, and that’s where tech know-how (and me) saves the day.

💰 International flights

Flying to Canada or anywhere in the EU? You might be owed $300 to $700 if your flight is delayed over three hours. The U.S. doesn’t mandate airlines pay out for delays, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope.  

Don’t spend hours combing through airline policies. AirHelp does it for you. Just enter your flight number and date, and it checks your eligibility. If you’re owed money, they’ll file the paperwork and deal with the airline. 

They take a cut (about 25%) if you win.

🧳 Bag checks 

In the U.S., airlines are required to reimburse passengers for reasonable expenses due to delayed or lost luggage. Think clothing, toiletries, chargers, even a change of shoes if your bag’s gone for days.

Toss an Apple AirTag (21% off) or Tile tracker ($24.98) in your bag. This way, you can see your bag’s location in real time.

Airlines love to tell you your luggage is “in transit” when it’s clearly stuck in Milwaukee. Show them proof, and get your expenses covered faster.  

💼 Credit card perks

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Control app access on Windows: On your PC, choose which apps can use your camera or mic. Go to Settings > Privacy & security, then scroll to App permissions. Tap Microphone, then toggle off any apps you don’t need using it.

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Clean up your Chrome bookmarks: If your favorites bar is filling up, save space by removing the bookmark name. Right-click a bookmark, select Edit, delete the Name and hit Save. You’ll still see the icon. FYI: If you have multiple links to the same site, they’ll all look the same now. Just rename them.

🤖 Ask for up-to-date answers: ChatGPT can sometimes give outdated info, especially on recent events. Try saying, “Can you search the web and verify with 2025 sources?” If it does, you’ll usually get clickable links. PSA: Double-check the sources, too. If a website looks unfamiliar, give it a quick Google to make sure it’s legit.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Shopping online and the price looks weird? Type camelcamelcamel.com and paste the Amazon URL. It shows the full price history.

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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Use your phone’s Notes app (iPhone) or Google Drive (Android) to scan documents.

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▶️ Save your YouTube channel: Back up all your videos, just in case. Head to takeout.google.com and select only YouTube and YouTube Music. Then, follow the prompts to download everything in one swoop. Your future self will thank you.