Seasoned travelers know it’s best to fly carry-on only but from time to time, they need to check a bag. As anyone who’s flown in the last twenty years can attest, checked bag costs add up quickly. To avoid baggage fees, consider a credit card with free checked baggage benefits.
Delta Air Lines
Flying on Delta and checking a bag will cost $30 each way for your first checked bag and another $40 for your second bag on flights within the U.S.
However, Delta offers a variety of consumer and business credit cards which give you one free checked bag for yourself and up to eight other travelers traveling on the same booked ticket.
With your Delta Skymiles numbers attached to your flight booking, you can use the following Delta cards the one free checked bag perk:
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 (Terms apply. See rates & fees)
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 (Terms apply. See rates & fees)
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: $250 (Terms apply. See rates & fees)
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: $250 (Terms apply. See rates & fees)
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: $550 (Terms apply. See rates & fees)
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: $550 (Terms apply. See rates & fees)
Unlike other airline cards, you do not need to use your qualifying card on the purchase of your ticket in order to receive your checked baggage fees waived.
United Airlines
With a $35 charge for the first bag and $45 for the second, United Airlines charges baggage fees on all domestic flights. You can lessen these charges by $5 for each bag if you prepay for your bags when reserving a flight. Even better, there are four cards with benefits to help you dodge baggage fees altogether.
- United℠ Explorer Card: First checked bag free for you and one travel companion. $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- United Quest℠ Card: First and second checked bags are free for you and one travel companion. $250 annual fee.
- United Club℠ Infinite Card: First and second checked bags are free for you and one travel companion. $525 annual fee.
- United℠ Business Card: First checked bag free for you and one travel companion. $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- United Club℠ Business card*: First and second checked bags are free for you and one travel companion. $450 annual fee.
In order to receive your benefit, you will need to have your MileagePlus number on your reservation and use a United card with a free checked bag to purchase the ticket. Otherwise, you will not receive your free checked bag benefit.
American Airlines
For travel within the domestic U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean (minus Haiti and Cuba), it will cost $30 for your first bag and $40 for the second bag on American Airline flights. Luckily, there are several credit cards to choose from to get those bag fees waived.
Citi® AAdvantage® Cards
Three Citi options offer a free checked bag for your first bag on domestic itineraries:
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*: $450 annual fee
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months
- CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®*: Annual fee of $99, waived for the first 12 months
Each of the Platinum Select® cards above extend a free checked baggage benefit to you and up to four traveling companions on the same booked reservation. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* goes further by offering this benefit for up to eight traveling companions.
Barclays Aviator® Cards
This lineup of cards from Barclays offers a free checked bags benefit when flying American Airlines.There are three cards to choose from:
- AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®*: $99 annual fee
- AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver Mastercard®*: $199 annual fee
- AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard®*: $95 annual fee
Both the Red and World Elite Business Mastercard offer the first checked bag free for you and up to 4 companions on a reservation. And, as a bonus, the Silver Mastercard offers a free bag for you and up to eight companions.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines charges a $30 fee for the first checked bag and $40 for the second bag on their flights. But thankfully, two cards offered by Alaska Airlines offer a free checked bag for you and up to six additional companions. The cards are:
- Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card: $95 annual fee
- Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card*: Annual fee is $70 for the company and $25 per card
And if using these cards, don’t forget about the Companion Fare. This benefit alone might make the card worth holding.
Hawaiian Airlines
For flights to North America, Hawaiian Airlines charges $30 for the first checked bag and $40 for the second checked bag. For inter-island or neighbor island flights, it is $25 and $35 respectively.
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®* is the only Hawaiian Airlines card currently available with a free checked bag benefit. With it, you can receive the benefit to receive two free checked bags on all flights. There is no allowance for free bags for any companions though. Still, this can be worth up to $140 in savings for a round trip. The card carries a $99 annual fee.
JetBlue Airways
With JetBlue, travelers going to or from the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean will be charged $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second checked bag. Consider one of these cards:
Both the JetBlue Plus Card* ($99 annual fee) and the JetBlue Business Card* ($99 annual fee) offer your first checked bag free for you and three companions on the same reservation. You will need to book the flight with your JetBlue card and use your True Blue member when you book.
Bottom Line
When it comes to choosing a travel card, consider several factors. Do you typically fly out of a specific airport? Is there an airline you frequent? How much do you care about benefits like lounge access? Once you’ve answered these questions, you can start to sift through the various cards and see what fits your lifestyle best. No matter what card you choose, selecting a card with free baggage is a surefire way to save some money on your next vacation.
To view rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card please visit this page.
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