Bag fees
Free checked bags: card, status and military rules by airline
Set the airline, the travelers and the free-bag benefit you hold: the calculator shows the round-trip bag fees with and without it.
Bag fees for your trip
Delta Air Lines, round trip, 1 traveler
$90
| Checked bag 1, each way | $45 |
| Per traveler, each way | $45 |
Fees read on Delta Air Lines’s page on October 26, 2026.
Three things waive checked bag fees on most US airlines: the airline’s co-branded credit card, elite status in its loyalty program, and active-duty military service. The card usually covers the first bag, and its value comes from the companions it includes: up to 8 on the same reservation with Delta and Southwest, up to 6 with Alaska, up to 3 with JetBlue. At $45 per bag each way, a family of four on Delta saves $360 on one round trip, and a couple $180. Status starts with one free bag at the first tier and reaches three at the top tiers of American, United, Alaska and Hawaiian. Military travelers on personal trips get two free bags on Delta, Southwest and Frontier, three on American, United, Alaska and Hawaiian, and more on orders. JetBlue publishes no military rule on the pages read, and Allegiant no free-bag benefit at all.
Does the airline’s co-branded card pay for itself in bag fees?
First checked bag fees avoided in a year
$360
| Net of the annual fee | $360 |
| First bag, each way | $45 |
Airline co-branded credit card: first checked bag free for eligible cardholders on domestic American-operated itineraries (AAdvantage number must be in the reservation). Number of companions covered is not stated on this page.
Sizes, fees and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we check
The co-branded credit card, airline by airline
Most US airlines on this site state a free-bag benefit for holders of their co-branded credit card, and it is the way most travelers end up checking a bag without paying. The rules differ on three points: how many companions are covered, whether the trip must be paid with the card, and which flights qualify. The table quotes the conditions as read on each airline’s page.
| Airline | What the card holder gets |
|---|---|
| American Airlines | first checked bag free for eligible cardholders on domestic American-operated itineraries (AAdvantage number must be in the reservation). Number of companions covered is not stated on this page. |
| Delta Air Lines | first checked bag free for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation (when the flight is booked with the card); the basic cardmember also gets a second checked bag free on domestic Delta-operated flights. |
| United Airlines | fee waivers exist for cardmembers (and qualifying primary cardmembers may bring a carry-on in Basic Economy); the free-checked-bag details (number of bags, companions) are not on the pages read. |
| Southwest Airlines | first standard checked bag free for the primary cardmember and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation (Rapid Rewards number must be in the booking). |
| Alaska Airlines | one free checked bag for the cardholder and up to 6 guests on the same reservation when the airfare is bought with the card. |
| JetBlue | first checked bag included for the cardmember and up to three travelers on the same itinerary, JetBlue-operated flights only. |
| Frontier Airlines | no co-branded card benefit stated on the pages read |
| Allegiant Air | no co-branded card benefit stated on the pages read |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 2 free checked bags for the primary cardmember only, on North America–Hawaii and interisland flights; the Atmos Rewards card gives 1 free bag for the cardholder and up to 6 guests on the same reservation. |
Two cautions. The companions must be on the same reservation as the cardholder; a friend booked separately on the same flight pays. And several airlines tie the benefit to details in the booking, such as the loyalty number on American and Southwest or payment with the card on Delta and Alaska. United’s pages read on an archived copy mention fee waivers for cardmembers but not the number of bags or companions, so this site counts no card benefit for United.
What the card saves on a round trip
A free first bag saves the first-bag fee twice per traveler on a round trip, once each way. The table uses each airline’s online price for the first bag and assumes every traveler is covered, within the number of companions the airline states.
| Airline | Travelers | First bag, each way | Saved per round trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 2 | $45 | $180 |
| Delta Air Lines | 4 | $45 | $360 |
| Southwest Airlines | 4 | $45 | $360 |
| Alaska Airlines | 4 | $45 | $360 |
| JetBlue | 4 | $45 | $360 |
| American Airlines | 1 | $45 | $90 |
Set those savings against the annual fee of the card. The calculator below takes the number of round trips you fly in a year, the number of travelers and the fee written in your card’s terms, and returns what is left once the fee is paid.
Elite status
Status in the loyalty program gives free bags without a card. The first tier usually brings one free bag, the middle tiers two and the top tiers three, and several airlines extend it to travelers on the same booking.
| Airline | Free bags with status |
|---|---|
| American Airlines | AAdvantage Gold / oneworld Ruby: 1st bag free; Platinum / oneworld Sapphire: first 2 bags free; Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro / oneworld Emerald: first 3 bags free. |
| Delta Air Lines | Medallion members (any tier) and SkyTeam Elite/Elite Plus: first checked bag fee waived, extended to up to 8 companions on the reservation; more bags depending on tier/fare. |
| United Airlines | MileagePlus Premier: the member and up to nine others on the same itinerary check bags free; economy within U.S./Canada/Mexico/Caribbean/Central America: Silver 1 bag, Gold 2, Platinum 3, 1K 3 (70 lb each). |
| Southwest Airlines | A-List Preferred: 1st and 2nd bags free (+ up to 8 passengers on the reservation); A-List: 1st bag free (+ up to 8 passengers). |
| Alaska Airlines | Atmos Silver / oneworld Ruby: 1st bag free; Gold / Sapphire: 2 bags; Platinum & Titanium / Emerald: 3 bags (status-holder companions on the same reservation included). |
| JetBlue | Mosaic 1: 1st bag included; Mosaic 2-4: 1st and 2nd bags included (for the member and travelers on the same itinerary). |
| Frontier Airlines | Elite Silver: personal item; Elite Gold: carry-on (member only); Elite Platinum: carry-on + 1 checked bag (member + up to 8 on the same reservation); Elite Diamond: carry-on + 2 checked bags (member + up to 8). |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Atmos Rewards status (shared Alaska/Hawaiian program): Silver 1 bag, Gold 2, Platinum/Titanium 3. Hawaii residents: Huaka'i program (interisland bags free). |
United also raises the weight for its Premier members, to 70 pounds per bag in economy within North America. Frontier works differently: its Elite tiers unlock a carry-on first, then one and two checked bags at the Platinum and Diamond levels.
Military travelers
Active-duty US service members get free bags on every US airline that publishes a policy here, with a valid military ID. On personal travel the count is two or three; on military orders it rises, often to five. Several airlines raise the weight to 70 pounds or waive excess charges for these bags.
| Airline | Free bags, personal travel | Rule as read |
|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 3 | Active U.S. military with ID on personal travel: first 3 checked bags free; on orders (and dependents): 1st-5th bags free. |
| Delta Air Lines | 2 | Active U.S. military: personal travel 2 free bags in Delta Main/Comfort (3 in Premium Select/First/One); on military orders 5 free bags. |
| United Airlines | 3 | U.S. military personal travel: 3 free bags (62 in, 70 lb); on military orders: 5 free bags (115 in, 100 lb). |
| Southwest Airlines | 2 | Active-duty military with valid military ID: 1st and 2nd checked bags free. |
| Alaska Airlines | 3 | Active-duty U.S. military with ID, leisure travel: 1st-3rd bags free up to 70 lb (up to 5 at 70 lb); with orders: also overweight/oversize charges waived up to 5 bags. |
| JetBlue | not stated | not found on the pages read |
| Frontier Airlines | 2 | Active U.S. military with CAC/military ID (and accompanying spouse/children on the same itinerary): one personal item, one carry-on and two checked bags free, overweight/oversize fees waived on the two free bags. |
| Allegiant Air | not stated | not found on the pages read |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 3 | Same as Alaska: active-duty U.S. military with ID get 1st-3rd bags free up to 70 lb. |
The bags are free, but the rest of the trip is not always: an overweight bag beyond the waived limit pays the normal surcharge, listed on the overweight fee page. For everyone else, the checked bag fee comparison gives the price of each bag.