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Southwest constructed its family-friendly popularity on giving every passenger two free checked bags, however these days are now not. In 2025, the airline launched main adjustments to its flight expertise and now fees for checked baggage on most fare varieties. This got here as a giant disappointment for vacationers used to packing for his or her journey on Southwest with out a second thought. Now they’ve to pay $45 for the primary checked bag and $55 for the second.
Thankfully, there are a number of ways to dodge Southwest’s new checked-bag fees. These vary from reserving costlier fare courses to having the proper Southwest credit card in your pockets, so let’s have a look at all of your choices.
Choice Extra is the one Southwest fare sort that also consists of two free checked baggage. This is the most costly Southwest fare sort, providing a bunch of extra advantages, together with Group 1 boarding, Extra Legroom seats, bonus factors within the Southwest Rapid Rewards loyalty program and extra. These perks do, nevertheless, come at a price.
For instance, this flight from New York LaGuardia to Chicago Midway prices simply $159 in Basic, however a Choice Extra fare prices virtually twice as a lot at $314.
Likewise, a Choice Extra fare on this pattern one-way itinerary from Honolulu to Los Angeles prices greater than twice as a lot as a Basic fare.
Open a Southwest co-branded bank card
The most easy manner to get a free checked bag on each Southwest flight is to open a Southwest bank card. All Southwest private and enterprise bank cards embody a single free checked bag for the first card holder and up to eight companions on the identical itinerary.
Which Southwest bank card it is best to get relies upon on your wants and the way typically you fly. Here’s a quick overview of the three private Southwest bank cards accessible and their key advantages:
The entry-level Southwest card comes with a complimentary checked bag and Group 5 boarding for the cardboard holder and up to eight companions on the identical reservation. The card additionally grants 3,000 bonus factors per yr and one annual 10% flight low cost on Southwest (excluding Basic fares).
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Welcome supply: Earn 50,000 bonus factors after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
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Annual charge: $99.
The Rapid Rewards Plus earns 2 factors for every greenback spent on Southwest Airlines purchases and a pair of factors for every greenback spent at gasoline stations and grocery shops (on the primary $5,000 in mixed purchases per anniversary yr, then 1 level). On every part else, it earns 1 level per greenback.
The Rapid Rewards Plus card is finest for infrequent Southwest flyers who need to earn factors and revel in airline perks with out committing to a excessive annual charge.
This mid-tier card has a barely larger annual charge however elevated perks in contrast with the Rapid Rewards Plus. It additionally comes with a complimentary checked bag and Group 5 boarding for the cardboard holder and up to eight companions on the identical reservation. The card grants the next 6,000 bonus factors per yr and one annual 15% flight low cost on Southwest (excluding Basic fares).
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Welcome supply: Earn 55,000 bonus factors after spending $1,500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
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Annual charge: $149.
The Rapid Rewards Premier earns 3 factors for every greenback spent on Southwest Airlines purchases and a pair of factors for every greenback spent at eating places and grocery shops (on the primary $8,000 in mixed purchases per anniversary yr, then 1 level). On every part else, it earns 1 level per greenback.
The Rapid Rewards Priority is the highest providing amongst private co-branded playing cards with Southwest, and gives the strongest mix of perks, credit and bonus factors incomes for Southwest loyalists.
The Rapid Rewards Priority is the highest providing amongst private co-branded playing cards with Southwest and gives the strongest mix of perks, credit and bonus factors incomes for Southwest loyalists.
Like the opposite co-branded playing cards on this article, it comes with a complimentary checked bag and Group 5 boarding for the cardboard holder and up to eight companions on the identical reservation. It additionally grants 7,500 anniversary bonus factors and lets the cardboard holder choose a Preferred seat reserving, plus space-available upgrades to Extra Legroom seats inside 48 hours of departure.
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Welcome supply: Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
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Annual charge: $229.
The Rapid Rewards Priority earns 4 factors for every greenback spent on Southwest Airlines purchases and a pair of factors for every greenback spent at gasoline stations and eating places. On every part else, it earns 1 level per greenback.
With any one in all these playing cards, the checked bag and seat choice advantages alone may offset your annual charge, and every card gives a big welcome bonus that may go a great distance towards reserving your subsequent flight on Southwest.
The Rapid Rewards Priority card is finest for vacationers who fly Southwest a number of occasions per yr and need high-end perks with the airline.
You may reap the benefits of some non-Southwest bank cards to offset baggage fees on Southwest.
For instance, you possibly can pay the baggage fees with playing cards just like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Those allow you to cowl any journey buy with Capital One miles at a price of 1 cent per mile, that means a $45 checked bag charge requires 4,500 Capital One miles. To do that, cost the checked bag charge to your eligible Capital One bank card and redeem Capital One miles towards the cost inside 90 days of buy.
The American Express Platinum Card® and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express each supply an airline incidental charge credit score of $200 per yr, with an airline of your alternative. If you choose Southwest, you should use the credit score to cowl checked bag, seat choice, and different widespread fees. Just make sure to enroll within the profit and choose Southwest as your most well-liked airline earlier than buy.
Those with Southwest A-List and A-List Preferred elite standing are entitled to free checked baggage on each flight. A-List elites get one free checked bag, whereas A-List Preferred standing gives two free checked baggage. That stated, incomes these standing tiers requires flying Southwest commonly or spending loads on Southwest bank cards.
Getaways by Southwest lets vacationers ebook flights, motels and rental automobiles as a package deal, generally providing a considerable low cost when put next to reserving every individually. As an additional benefit, flights booked by means of Getaways by Southwest every embody two free checked baggage per individual.
Some teams are exempt from Southwest’s bag guidelines. The first are active-duty members of the navy, who obtain up to three free checked baggage on all fare varieties. Likewise, Hawaii residents flying between the Hawaiian islands can carry up to two checked baggage for free of charge.
Southwest fees $45 to your first checked bag and $55 to your second checked bag, until you’ve booked a Choice Extra fare, which incorporates two checked baggage. Each checked bag after this prices $150, and outsized baggage is topic to extra fees.
Each passenger is allowed one private merchandise and one full-size carry-on whatever the fare sort booked.
Southwest now fees for checked baggage, with the primary bag costing $45 and the second $55.
NCS Underscored’s group of skilled editors and contributors rigorously evaluations bank cards, journey rewards and loyalty applications to assist readers navigate adjustments and make knowledgeable monetary choices. Our skilled suggestions are grounded in real-world worth, not hype, and backed by thorough evaluation, skilled perception and a dedication to readability and transparency.
For this text, contributing author and former NCS Underscored senior cash editor Andrew Kunesh outlines a number of methods to avoid Southwest’s new baggage fees. Kunesh is a really frequent flyer and an authoritative voice masking bank cards, having spent years within the business and printed lots of of articles.