I’m pretty excited about HomingPIN. At first glance, this lost property recovery system looks like it’s going to be pretty complicated, and probably expensive. For this reason, I actually didn’t investigate it for some time. In fact, it’s both inexpensive, and easy to use.
What it is: HomingPIN is a global lost property recovery system that works to recover your missing bags, purses, phones, passports, and anything else when lost on airplanes and trains, in taxis, in airports, and just about anywhere else.
How it works:
First you buy a HomingPIN pack. The starter pack is only $10, and comes with codes and stickers (more on that in a minute) to protect and track 10 items. The standard pack is $20, and tracks 15 items. All packs come with 12 months subscription included. After that year, the subscription is $8.00 per year. Whenever I see a product that requires an annual subscription, I worry about cost, but in this case, it’s refreshingly reasonable.
Your pack will come with a variety of stickers, key rings, and luggage tags, all of which will have a unique tracing number. (Your stickers will have the same number, which makes the next step easier.) Stick or attach your tags and stickers to just about anything you want to trace if lost, then go to HomingPIN.com to create an account and activate your codes. Once you input the codes, you can add descriptions for what you’ve attached them to, which helps you as well as anyone who recovers the items. For instance, I attached one code to a green upright roller bag, and another to a backpack, so I wanted to keep track of which is which. As noted above, all your stickers have the same code, but you can still add descriptions, such as ‘laptop’ or ‘camera’.
If your item is lost:
The finder simply connects to you by going online to homingpin.com, or if in an airport, by using their WorldTracer system for baggage handling. By inputing their details and the homingPIN number, a text message is sent instantly to you. This is important: the finder is not given information about the owner.
This is where matters are placed in your hands: the owner then contacts the finder and arranges to get their property back. HomingPIN really doesn’t have to be involved, but they do provide a few solutions to help you: 1. If lost via an airline, HomingPIN provides the airline with information on where the bag is. They will then contact you and arrange for immediate transfer. This eliminates those hours in which you’re waiting to see if your bag truly is lost, where it is, and how you’ll get it back. 2. When property is found anywhere else, HomingPIN can provide a method of getting your property back from anywhere in the world. This will cost you (HomingPIN calls it a ‘reasonable cost’), but you’re not required to utilize this…you can always opt to arrange things yourself instead.
Giving HomingPIN a try:
Within 10 minutes of opening my HomingPIN packet, I was able to put my stickers and tags on all my stuff, register at the site, and activate the pins. It was truly very easy. Your portal to the site is password protected, and once on your dashboard, you can edit your descriptions, add more codes, and slide a notification on or off to indicate whether that item is currently traveling with you (and where).
I decided to place stickers on all our passports, since this is the single item I worry most about losing. I also placed pins on my DSLR camera and my laptop. A colleague just had her laptop misplaced during a TSA screening last month, when another passenger picked it up by mistake, and the story has stuck with me. I also put some tags on the bags I use most frequently when I travel, but because the tags are easy to switch out, I can move them to other bags when needed.
So far, I’ve traveled twice with HomingPIN tags on my stuff (once internationally and once domestically) and haven’t lost anything (thank goodness). For $10, I think the security is definitely worth it.
Pick up HomingPIN packages for $10 or $20 (with an annual $8 membership only AFTER your first year) at HomingPIN or on eBags, Brookstone, or Amazon.