Never Pay Airline Baggage Fees Again With These 4 Proven Tips

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Airlines charge extra fees for checked and sometimes even carry-on luggage. Save on travel by learning the best ways to avoid these fees. 

Flying is already expensive enough. The average cost for domestic airfare was $367.79, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. It gets even more expensive if you’re charged baggage fees.

Most of the major U.S. airlines charge $30 for your first checked bag and $40 for your second. Airlines also charge these baggage fees each way. On a round trip, you’re paying baggage fees twice. Southwest Airlines is the exception. It lets you check two bags free of charge, so making it your airline of choice is one way to avoid bag fees.

But that might not always be an option, or you may just prefer flying with other airlines. Here’s what you can do to never pay baggage fees when you fly.

1. Always check what’s included in the ticket you’re booking

This is a simple one, but not everybody does it. Before you buy a ticket, check the baggage allowance. You can find this on the airline’s website — look for its baggage policy.

If you buy the lowest-priced airfare you find, that may be the airline’s basic economy option. Basic economy fares normally don’t include any baggage, outside of a personal item. You’ll need to pay extra even for a carry-on.

If the airfare you find is with a budget airline, it could have the same type of policy with its tickets. In that case, you’ll need to pay extra to bring a carry-on or checked luggage.

2. Get an airline credit card that includes a free checked bag

One of the most common perks of airline credit cards is a free checked bag. The cards that have this feature charge annual fees, normally starting at $95 to $99. I haven’t seen any no annual fee credit cards that get you free checked luggage.

Still, if you take two round-trip flights per year and check a bag each time, you could save $120 in checked-bag fees. This perk may also apply to travel companions on the same reservation, too. If your spouse or anyone else is flying with you, they could also check a bag free of charge.

An airline credit card can be a smart financial move if you fly with the same airline often. You’ll earn miles in the airline’s frequent flyer program on your credit card purchases, so you can get free flights more quickly. Many airline cards also have other valuable benefits, such as:

Access to the airline’s loungesPriority check-in and boardingDiscounts on in-flight purchases

3. Learn how to pack better and travel light

Frequent flyers always talk about how great it is to be “team carry-on,” and they’re right. It’s more comfortable to travel light, and you don’t need to worry about how you’ll avoid checked bag fees.

The No. 1 piece of advice I can give you is to buy packing cubes. I held off on getting these for years, thinking “How much of a difference could those really make?” A huge difference, as it turns out. Packing cubes make it so much easier to maximize space and keep everything organized.

Another item I’d recommend is a set of TSA-friendly toiletry bottles. I know that one of the reasons to check a bag is because of the 3.4-ounce size limit on liquids. You probably don’t want to buy new toiletries everywhere you go. With toiletry bottles, you can put everything you need for a trip in bottles that are under the limit.

4. Upgrade your airfare

In economy, there’s usually a fee for each checked bag. But everything above that cabin includes up to two free checked bags.

If you know you’re going to bring bags, it could make more sense to book premium economy, or even business class. The tickets are more expensive, but you won’t need to worry about strict baggage rules. You’ll also have a better travel experience and, most importantly, a larger seat. You can sometimes upgrade your economy seat before the flight at a reasonable cost. Or, you can book a premium seat from the beginning.

One of the ways to get around the higher price of premium economy and business class is to pay for your seat with miles. You can earn miles with airline credit cards, as mentioned earlier. There are also travel credit cards that aren’t tied to a specific airline, which are a good option if you aren’t loyal to any particular carrier.

Airline baggage fees can be annoying, but it’s not hard to avoid them. Now that you know how, you can save that $60 or more in fees round-trip and use it to enjoy your vacation.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Lyle Daly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Southwest Airlines. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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