The primary cardholder and one traveling companion are entitled to have their first standard
checked bag fee waived.
Some will waive, or reimburse for, incidental travel fees, such
as checked bag fees, in - flight meals and beverages, and on - board Wi - Fi.
On your next trip to the airport, you may find yourself getting a surprise upgrade or those
pesky checked bag fees waived.
They have increased the first and
second checked bag fees to $ 20 and $ 30 respectively for those who chose to check in at the airport.
The waived
check bag fee applies to the primary cardholder and up to eight companions, saving $ 50 per person on a round - trip flight.
But to avoid the airline's last -
minute checked bag fees and hefty overweight penalties, travelers need to be prepared.
While the credit can not be used to compensate ticket purchases or upgrades, it can be used to
compensate checked bag fees or in - flight purchases such as food and movies.
It also includes a variety of additional benefits like your
first checked bag fee, preferred boarding and double miles on American purchases.
All Delta credit cards, with the exception of the basic Delta Credit Card, offer to waive the first
checked bag fee for the primary cardmember and up to 8 guests on the same reservation.
Overweight, extra-large and additional bags will set you back $ 75 each — which likely account for most of Southwest's $ 44 million
in checked bag fees in 2016.
Since you might not own a co-branded airline rewards card with the other airlines, you never have to worry about
checked bags fees with Southwest.
Finally, you can fly with Southwest Airlines to
avoid checked bag fees since all passengers receive 2 complimentary checked bags.
* Any Basic Economy Fare passenger that brings a full - sized carry - on bag to the gate will be required to check their bag and pay the
applicable checked bag fee plus a $ 25 gate handling charge; unless said passenger is a MileagePlus Premier member or companion traveling on the same reservation, the primary cardmember of a qualifying MileagePlus credit card or a Star Alliance ™ Gold member.
Additional baggage fees will start at the 2nd
checked bag fee listed in the Checked Baggage Allowance Each Way chart.
Carry - on and
checked bag fees vary depending on the length and time of your flight, but as a general rule, here's what you can expect:
Many of the national carriers offer credit cards which may entitle card holders to take advantage
of checked bag fee waivers.
The other great advantage to this is that if you have the TD Aeroplan Visa, you get your
1st checked bag fee waived on all Aeroplan award flights.
Delta
levies checked bag fees that are similar to other major U.S. carriers like American Airlines and United Airlines.
MileagePlus elite members score free baggage allowance on United Airlines flights, but that's not the only way to avoid these
onerous checked bag fees.
The United MileagePlus Explorer Card and the United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card from Chase offer a
single checked bag fee waiver for the primary cardholder and one companion traveling on the same reservation.
The figure on
total checked bag fees collected by airlines in 2016 is out, and it's quite jaw - dropping: about $ 4,177,135,000.
Offset some of those travel expenses that add up fast,
like checked bagged fees and in - flight refreshments, with up to $ 200 per year in airline fee credit with a pre-selected airline.
Ancillary revenue — money from everything
from checked bag fees to sales of premium seats — nearly doubled to $ 12.5 billion last year among the major U.S. airlines.
(Unlike several other airlines, US Airways does not waive
checked bag fees for credit card holders).
Use the PenFed card to pay for all airline - related purchases,
including checked bag fees, pet travel fees and inflight food and beverage purchases to receive reimbursement of up to $ 100 each year.
Fee credit: Some airline cards will reimburse you for incidental fees, such
as checked bag fees, in - flight meals and beverages, and Wi - Fi.
Passengers on a Basic Economy ticket who bring a full - sized carry - on bag to the gate will be required to check their bag and pay the
applicable checked bag fee plus a $ 25 gate handling charge.
So if you're flying United and you don't have elite status and you're not an active member of the U.S. military, is there any way to
avoid checked bag fees?
For Blue and Blue Plus fares for flights to or from Santa Domingo, Santiago, Port - au - Prince, Port of Spain, Kingston, Cartagena, Medellin, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City and Quito: one checked bag is included and the
second checked bag fee is $ 35.
The Citi ® AAdvantage ® Executive World Elite ™ MasterCard ® and the AAdvantage ® Aviator ™ Silver MasterCard ® will waive the
first checked bag fee for the cardholder and up to 8 travel companions.
Now, more than ever before, it's a good idea to have the right luggage to avoid
airline checked bag fees and because cruise lines allow passengers to skip the checked luggage line if they can carry it themselves.
Up to six travel companions can also have their first
checked bag fee waived on all Alaska and Virgin American flights.
For example, although $ 195 a year for may sound astronomical to pay for the privilege of holding a credit card, the benefits of premium lounge access and the savings
in checked bag fees may easily offset that $ 195 fee.
Compare the price of a basic economy ticket plus
a checked bag fee and the higher - priced coach ticket.
Do whatever you can to minimize carry - ons, whether that means paying
the checked bag fee or wearing the same outfit all week.
If my assistive device can not be stowed in the passenger cabin as carry - on baggage, do I have to pay
a checked bag fee?