RFID Bike TrackingIndex

Tracking Your Bike Shipment: What You Can See and When

With an RFID-enabled shipment, you get near-real-time pickup confirmation, then location-stamped updates each time the bike passes a reader in the UPS network, through to delivery. You will not see continuous movement, but you will see meaningful progress instead of the long silent gaps you may be used to with traditional barcode scanning.

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Shipment tracking updates shown on a phone, a laptop and a smartwatch

How do I get an RFID label?

RFID labels are requested during checkout, not printed at home. After purchasing a shipment at Bikeflights.com, select “MAIL AN RFID (+$2.00)” at the label step. An RFID version of your shipping label will arrive in two to three business days.

If you’ve already got a shipment booked and don’t see an option for RFID for your label, you can always contact Bikeflights to request they mail you an RFID label without having to cancel and rebook.

You will want to build that short lead time into the planning of your shipment. If a bike needs to be on the road in three business days, a mailed RFID label is likely the wrong choice for that trip!

What does an RFID tracking timeline look like?

  1. Purchase shipping from Bikeflights.com, and select “MAIL AN RFID (+$2.00)” at the label step.
  2. In just two to three business days, your RFID label should arrive.
  3. Pickup or drop-off at a shipping point and, with the first scan, the bike has entered the shipping network.
  4. In transit: Each pass by an RFID reader adds a location-stamped update.
  5. Out for delivery, the final read at a facility as the parcel is placed on a truck.
  6. Delivered, delivery confirmation closes out the shipping record.

Why does tracking sometimes go quiet?

With RFID, scans only happen at fixed points. A bike crossing several states overnight is between readers for most of that time. Quiet does not mean stalled. On the contrary, it usually means that it is moving. The difference RFID makes is at the ends of those quiet stretches. Arrivals and departures get captured reliably rather than depending on someone manually scanning an oversized box.

Is RFID tracking available on every shipment?

Not just yet. RFID tracking is available by request on domestic shipments within the United States. It is not yet available for international shipments.

What if the label is damaged in transit?

All Bikeflights RFID labels have a standard barcode printed on them, so any damage to the small transmitter won’t result in delays or issues with your shipment. Redundant systems like this help keep your shipment moving in the right direction at all times.

When will international shipments get RFID?

Built-in RFID tracking is currently domestic only.