15 Tricks to Easily Avoid Baggage Fees, According to a Travel Expert

You don’t have to pay baggage fees when you travel. In fact, you can travel for nearly free by utilizing valuable travel planning secrets.

I’ve been using credit card rewards for over a decade to travel the world. Let’s explore how you can avoid baggage fees on your next flight.

This one is easy and straightforward.

Apply for a travel credit card with travel credit benefit, then use that travel credit to pay for your baggage fees.

The best travel credit cards could also help you earn travel rewards to reduce the cost of flights and hotel stays.

Here’s another simple approach.

Apply for an airline credit card that gives you a free checked bag as a benefit. Then, you can pack everything you need while keeping money in your pocket.

Choose the best airline credit cards depending on which airlines you fly the most.

Holding elite status with airline loyalty programs can provide valuable benefits, including free checked bags.

For example, Delta SkyMiles members receive their first checked bag free when traveling on a Delta or select airline partner flight, starting at the Silver Medallion tier.

If you don’t have airline elite status or a credit card with a free checked bag benefit, maybe you know someone who does.

In many cases, free checked bag benefits from elite status or credit cards extend to a certain number of travel companions on the same itinerary.

Every airline has different policies when it comes to baggage allowance and fees.

To ensure you know whether you’ll be charged for what you plan to pack, do your research ahead of time. You can typically find bag fees and other information by searching online for the airline and “baggage allowance” or “baggage policy.”

For example, search for “United baggage policy” to find information about fees and baggage restrictions when flying United Airlines.

It’s best to stick to the actual airline’s website when doing this type of research.

Once you’ve researched an airline’s baggage policy, it’s time to see if your bag meets the dimension and weight limits.

You can easily measure bag dimensions with a tape measure, but not everyone has a luggage scale handy to weigh their bags.

One smart Amazon hack is to buy a portable digital luggage scale for just $10 (or less) and get it quickly shipped if you have a Prime membership.

Most major airlines don’t provide free checked bags unless you’re on a premium fare or flying to a specific destination.

However, you can still count on Southwest to provide two free checked bags to just about every destination it flies.

As long as you’re within the limits of the Southwest baggage policy, you get your first two checked bags for free. It’s as easy as that.

Rather than get rid of free checked bags altogether, many airlines have opted to provide them as a benefit if you pay for a more expensive ticket.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to purchase a business or first-class ticket, but you typically can’t go with basic economy and expect a free checked bag.

Book a business or first-class ticket to help guarantee a free checked bag or two — or even three!

This typically isn’t a money-saving strategy since these types of tickets often cost much more than economy. But you can consider free checked bags a bonus on top of a better flight experience.

Remember that booking premium fares regularly is well within the realm of possibility if you use points and miles.

A simple way to avoid baggage fees is not to have as much baggage. In other words, skip bringing a checked bag altogether. 

If you pack light enough, you might be surprised you can get by with a personal item and carry-on bag. You also won't have to worry about grabbing your bag at baggage claim unless your carry-on was checked at the gate.

Having issues packing light enough to skip bringing a checked bag? Consider wearing some of your bulkier clothing rather than packing it.

This doesn’t mean you have to be that person wearing multiple shirts, pants, and sweatshirts to avoid baggage fees. Instead, you could wear a bit bulkier clothes, like a jacket and jeans, to save room and weight in your luggage.

Budget airlines like Spirit and Frontier charge all sorts of fees for anything they deem to be “extra.” That typically includes bag fees, seat selection, and snacks, to name a few.

If you never want to worry about bag fees, your best bet is to avoid these budget airlines unless you have elite status or another way to avoid luggage fees.

You shouldn’t let baggage fees deter you from booking a trip to a dream destination. But if you’re open to going multiple places, consider destinations where you could get a free checked bag.

For example, American Airlines provides a first checked bag for free, excluding Basic Economy, if you’re flying to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, and more.

While this isn’t always the case, you can typically find more free checked baggage allowance if you fly to an international destination.

As mentioned previously, certain airlines have specific lists of destinations where they might allow a free checked bag with different limitations.

The best credit cards for international travel could help you visit more countries without breaking the bank.

You can purchase a customizable United baggage subscription for yourself and up to eight companions. This is typically an annual subscription that costs at least a few hundred dollars per year.

I don’t think this type of subscription is worth it for most people because you could get a free checked bag benefit and other travel perks with a new credit card. But it might be worth it if you have a large family with lots of bag fees to cover.

Baggage fees are the worst, but you can avoid them with proper planning, research, and different tips and tricks.

So, stop throwing money away and save your cash for fun travel excursions so you can start traveling more for less.