Southwest Airlines allowance at a glance
| Bag | Maximum size | Maximum weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carry-on | 24x16x10 in61x41x25 cm | No stated limit | Wheels, handles, and attachments count toward the 24x16x10 in dimensions; Southwest does not publish a carry-on weight limit or restrict carry-on size by fare class. |
| Personal item | Not published | No stated limit | Must fit under the seat in front of you; no published numeric maximum dimensions. |
| Checked bag | 62 in157.5 cm | 50 lb22.7 kg |
Southwest Airlines checked bag fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| First checked bag | $45 (mainland U.S. Basic/Choice/Choice Preferred fares) |
| Second checked bag | $55 (mainland U.S. Basic/Choice/Choice Preferred fares) |
| Overweight bag | $100 + standard bag fee for 51-70 lb; $200 + standard bag fee for 71-100 lb |
| Oversize bag | $200 + standard bag fee for bags measuring 63-80 total linear inches |
Carry-on and personal item size limits are the same across all fares; checked-bag fees depend on fare/status — Business Select fares, A-List Preferred elites, and Rapid Rewards Priority Cardholders get free checked bags while other fares pay standard per-bag fees (Southwest ended free checked bags for everyone in May 2025).
This page goes deeper on one part of the policy. The full record is at Southwest Airlines Baggage Rules.
Southwest raised its own checked bag fees on April 9, 2026. That came less than a year after Southwest started charging for checked bags at all. Southwest baggage fees now run $45 for a first bag and $55 for a second on mainland US fares, up from $35 and $45 when the airline first ended free bags in May 2025.
That history matters more than the raw numbers. Southwest spent decades marketing free bags as a reason to pick it over rivals, and plenty of travelers still book expecting that. A traveler who has not flown Southwest since before 2025 is due for two surprises in one itinerary.
The airline’s own optional travel fees page is the only place to check current Southwest baggage fees. The number has moved twice in under a year.
What a checked bag costs today
Southwest prices bags by count, not by weight tier, up to the 50 lb standard limit. The table below is what the airline publishes for domestic mainland travel today.
| Bag | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First checked bag | $45 | Standard fee, all fares, mainland US |
| Second checked bag | $55 | Standard fee, all fares, mainland US |
| Third and each additional bag | $150 | Per bag, on top of size and weight limits |
| Overweight, 51 to 70 lb | $100 plus the standard bag fee | All regions |
| Overweight, 71 to 100 lb | $200 plus the standard bag fee | All regions; heavier bags are refused |
| Oversized, 63 to 80 total linear inches | $200 plus the standard bag fee | Length plus width plus height, all regions |
Southwest does not split an online prepay price from an airport counter price the way some rivals do. The amount you see at booking is the amount you pay at the counter. There is no prepay discount to chase here, only the free routes described below.
A bag that is both overweight and oversized gets charged for both problems. It is not just the worse one. That single line trips up more travelers than the base fee does, since a bag packed for a move or a sports trip can add $200 in overweight charges on top of the standard bag fee.
Who still checks a bag for free
Southwest kept several ways to skip the fee. They are worth checking before you assume you owe the standard rate.
- A-List Preferred members get the first and second bag free.
- That benefit extends to up to eight companions on the same reservation.
- A-List members get the first bag free; a second bag is $35, or $15 on Hawaii interisland routes.
- Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Cardmembers get the first checked bag free for themselves and up to eight companions.
- Active duty military traveling on orders check a first and second bag at no charge.
If none of those apply, budget for the standard fee. See how to avoid baggage fees for ways to trim the total that work on any airline. Compare credit cards that cover baggage fees if a Priority Card is not already in your wallet.
The one advantage Southwest still has
Southwest never charges for the carry-on itself. The full Southwest allowance record covers the 24 by 16 by 10 inch carry-on box and personal item rules that apply the same way on every fare. There is no Basic fare exception the way United or American structure theirs.
That is real money if your bag fits the box. A Southwest passenger who packs light and skips checked bags still pays nothing extra, unlike carriers that charge for a carry-on outright. Check your bag against the box with the size checker before you assume it clears.
How Southwest compares
Southwest baggage fees sit close to the market now that free bags is gone as a difference maker. JetBlue and Allegiant both charge for a first checked bag on their cheapest fares too. Frontier prices a checked bag by how early you pay, often cheaper prepaid than Southwest’s flat rate.
See the live JetBlue baggage record and the Allegiant baggage record. Or check the Frontier baggage record if your dates are flexible between carriers. The gap that remains is the carry-on.
Frontier and Allegiant both charge for a carry-on bag on their lowest fares, and Southwest still does not. A Southwest fare with one carry-on and no checked bag can beat a nominally cheaper ultra-low-cost fare once every add-on is priced in.
Weighing in without a fee surprise
A cheap digital scale prevents the single most common Southwest bag fee: crossing 50 lb by a pound or two at the counter. The Etekcity digital luggage scale hooks onto a handle and gives a reading before you leave for the airport. That is the only moment the reading is useful.
Weigh a bag after packing, not before. Shoes and liquids added last are usually what push a bag over the line.
If your itinerary regularly runs close to the second bag threshold, compression packing cubes can sometimes fold two half full bags into one full one. The Gonex compression packing cubes use a second zip to squeeze clothes flat rather than relying on a vacuum. That only helps when the extra bag was mostly air to begin with, not when it is genuinely two bags worth of gear.
The math on a Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card is worth doing before you assume it pays for itself. A single traveler checking one bag on two round trips a year saves roughly $180 against the standard rate. Anyone flying that often clears the card’s annual fee well before the second trip.
Southwest still weighs and measures bags the same way regardless of how the fee got paid. A bag right at 50 lb is worth a second look at the counter, not just at home. Airport scales can read a pound or two differently than a bathroom scale.
Run your own trip numbers through the baggage cost calculator before you book. Two bags each on a family of four adds up fast at $45 and $55 apiece. Southwest’s overweight and oversize bands track the pattern most other US airlines use closely enough that the same packing habits work everywhere.
The bottom line
Southwest baggage fees stand at $45 for a first checked bag and $55 for a second on mainland fares as of today. A third bag costs $150, and overweight or oversized bags carry separate penalties.
A-List elites, Priority Cardholders and active military still check a bag free. The carry-on and personal item stay free for everyone regardless of fare, still Southwest’s strongest edge against the ultra-low-cost carriers now that its two free checked bags are gone.
Common questions
Does Southwest still let me check a bag for free?
Only with A-List elite status, a Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, or active duty military orders. Everyone else pays $45 for a first bag and $55 for a second.
How much is a third checked bag on Southwest?
$150 per bag, on top of the size and weight limits, and it applies whether or not the first two bags were free.
What happens if my Southwest bag is overweight?
A bag from 51 to 70 lb costs $100 plus the standard bag fee, and 71 to 100 lb costs $200 plus the standard fee. Bags over 100 lb are refused.
Does Southwest charge less if I prepay my bag fee online?
No. Southwest does not publish a separate prepaid rate, so the fee you see at booking matches what you would pay at the counter.
Is Southwest still cheaper than Frontier or Allegiant for bags?
It depends on the trip. Southwest charges more for a first checked bag than some prepaid Frontier fares, but Southwest never charges for the carry-on itself, which Frontier and Allegiant both do on their cheapest fares.
Does my Southwest Rapid Rewards status cover a companion's bag fee too?
Yes for A-List Preferred members and Priority Credit Cardmembers, whose free first bag benefit extends to up to eight companions on the same reservation.
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one, Carry On Sizes may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. How this works.