Get Free Checked Bags with Airline Credit Cards

Airfare Booking Strategies, Credit Card Reference

Fees for checked bags can really add up. Checking two bags, when travelling as a couple or family, will typically cost $100-120 for a round trip flight. The easiest way to avoid paying these fees (on most airlines) is to avoid checking bags in the first place, and rely on the overhead bins. But sometimes that just isn’t going to work—the stuff you need for the trip just won’t fit, or you need to bring items that can’t be taken in carry-on luggage.

If you find yourself checking bags somewhat frequently, and you tend to fly the same airline multiple times per year, you should consider getting and holding on to the airline’s co-branded credit card.

For example, if you typically check bags with American Airlines, a few times a year, you could get the American Airlines credit card, which lets you and your fellow passengers check your first bag for free. If you can save $50-100 per round trip, it easily makes sense to pay the card's $95 annual fee.

Airline credit cards usually have a few other benefits, such as priority boarding. And a few cards come with very valuable additional benefits. For example, the Alaska Airlines credit card provides an annual companion certificate, that can easily save you hundreds of dollars per year.

For most people, signing up for credit cards, just to receive travel benefits, good reward earning rates, or lucrative signup bonuses, isn't an irresponsible thing to do. It won't kill your credit rating—it just might improve it. But, if you have a problem with credit, or you aren't organized enough to avoid unwanted credit card fees, you'll need to stick to our other strategies for discounted travel. For more information, see our Credit Cards 101 guide.

Aeromexico Credit Card Guide	The Aeromexico Card provides a free bag for the cardholder only. But, authorized card holders also get this benefit. The cards also gives you an annual companion certificate, a “Buy three, get one free” benefit, and 2,000 annual bonus miles. $45 annual fee, waived first year. The signature version of the card has a $80 annual fee, and also includes a free upgrade certificate, and additional 2,000 bonus miles, every year.
Alaska Airlines Credit Card Guide	The Alaska Airlines card provides a free bag for up to 7 passengers. Authorized card holders also get the free bag benefit. The card also gives you an annual companion certificate. $75 annual fee.
American Airlines Credit Card Guide	American Airlines credit cards provide a free bag for up to 5 passengers, with the Platinum card or Aviator Red card, and up to 9 passengers, with the Executive or Aviator Silver card. Not available with the Gold card. The card also gives you preferred boarding, 10% of your mileage back when you redeem awards, 25% discount on inflight purchases, and provides access to reduced-mileage awards. $95 annual fee., waived first year.
Delta Credit Card Guide	The Delta Gold card provides a free bag for up to 9 passengers. Works even on basic economy fares. In addition, the card’s early boarding benefit will help basic economy fliers board early enough, to be able to find room for their bags. The cards also provides a 20% discount for inflight purchases. $95 annual fee., waived first year. The Delta Platinum version, costs $195 per year, and includes a companion certificate.
Hawaiian Airlines Credit Card Guide	The Hawaiian Airlines card provides a free bag for the primary card holder, but only if the ticket is purchased directly from Hawaiian airlines, and paid for, with the card. It also gives you $100 off a companion ticket and a discount on economy-class award redemptions. $89 annual fee.
JetBlue Credit Card Guide	The JetBlue card provides a free bag for up to 4 passengers. The card also gives you 50% off inflight food and beverages purchases, and a 10% rebate on award redemptions. To get the free bag benefit, you'll need to pay for your tickets with the JetBlue card.
Southwest Credit Card Guide	A special shout-out to Southwest Airlines, which still doesn’t charge ANYONE for checking bags. The Southwest credit card gives you 6,000 anniversary points, and points you earn from using the card help qualify you for elite status.
United Credit Card Guide	The United card provides a free bag for up to 2 passengers, but only if you use the card to purchase your tickets. You'll also get access to overhead bins (or free checked bags), even when you are flying on Basic Economy fares. In addition, the card gives you priority boarding, two United Club passes, and increased access to award availability. Unfortunately it is subject to the Chase 5/24 rule. $95 annual fee, waived the first year.

Benefit details

The credit card's free checked bag benefit doesn’t add an additional checked bag to the ones you get from other sources. For example, it doesn’t let you take one additional free bag when you are flying internationally; or let you take two bags, if you could normally take one, by being an elite member of the airline’s frequent flyer program. It just guarantees that your first bag will be free.
You can only count on getting free bags, when your trip is entirely on the associated airline. If you are connecting to a different airline, you may still be required to pay for your checked bags, or you might not. If you are starting on a different airline, you almost always need to pay any baggage fees.
Most of the time, you don't have to actually use the airline credit card, to get the free bag benefit—you just need to have the card. The benefit is associated with your frequent flyer number, and automatically applied, whenever you make the reservation using that number. Since you don’t need to use the airline card to make the purchase, you can often earn better rewards by using a card that earns a higher reward rate on airfare purchases, or has more valuable flight and baggage protections.

However, a few airlines do require that the airfare purchase is made using the card, as indicated in the table above. If you do need to use the airline credit card to make the purchase, and you are travelling on an award reservation, you’ll still get the free bag benefit, by paying for the fees and taxes with the required card.

Always have the physical credit card with you, when you travel on that airline. Sometimes the airline system doesn't flag your reservation for the free bag benefit. If you are planning to take advantage of free checked bags, make sure to travel with the physical credit card, so that you can show it to an agent, as necessary.
The primary cardholder must usually make the reservation. However, a couple of cards extend the benefit to authorized card holders (who are flying without the primary cardholder).
If your baggage is overweight, or otherwise doesn’t qualify for the standard checked bag fee, you won’t be able to check it for free with this benefit. It only applies to "standard" bags.