Checked Bag Fees: How American, Delta, and Southwest Compare in 2026
A first checked bag now costs $45 on Delta and Southwest and $50 on American ($45 online). Second bags, Basic Economy surcharges, who flies free, and the date rules.
Checked bag fees went up across the big US airlines in 2026, and each one now prices bags by when you bought the ticket. For a standard domestic economy ticket today, the first bag costs $45 on Delta, $45 on Southwest, and $50 on American, or $45 if you pay American online. The second bag runs $55 to $60. This guide compares the published fee tables from American, Delta, and Southwest, explains who still checks bags free, and notes where United publishes only a calculator.
The quick answer
- American: $50 first bag ($45 online), $60 second ($55 online). Basic Economy pays $5 more on each, for tickets issued on or after May 18, 2026.
- Delta: $45 first bag, $55 second, for Delta Comfort and Delta Main on domestic flights.
- Southwest: $45 first bag, $55 second, on Basic, Choice, and Choice Preferred fares booked or changed on or after April 9, 2026. Choice Extra fares include two free bags.
- United: no flat table on its checked bag page; it says domestic bag fees rose for tickets bought on or after April 3, 2026 and points to its fee calculator.
- Every fee is per person, each way. A round trip doubles it.
- Free first bag: usually comes from the airline’s co-branded credit card or elite status, and on Southwest, from the Choice Extra fare.
Key facts at a glance
| Airline (domestic economy) | 1st bag | 2nd bag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| American | $50 ($45 online) | $60 ($55 online) | Basic Economy $5 more on each |
| Delta | $45 | $55 | Comfort and Main; bags under 50 lbs |
| Southwest | $45 | $55 | Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred; Choice Extra free |
| United | Calculator only | Calculator only | Domestic fees rose for tickets bought on or after April 3, 2026 |
| Question | American | Delta | Southwest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discount for paying online | $5 off 1st and 2nd bags | Not listed | Not listed |
| Date that sets your fee | Ticket issue date | Not stated on the page | Booking or change date |
| Free first bag via credit card | Not covered here | Eligible SkyMiles Amex cards | Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers |
| Third bag | Not covered here | Not covered here | $150 |
| Overweight 51 to 70 lbs | Not covered here | Not covered here | $100 plus the standard fee |
American: pay online and save $5
American’s fee page gives the main domestic rule in one line: “1st checked bag fee is $50 ($45 if you pay online) and the 2nd checked bag fee is $60 ($55 if you pay online).” That applies within and between the US, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Canada, the Caribbean except Cuba and Haiti, Mexico, Central America except Panama, and Guyana. Online means aa.com or the American app, up to 2 hours before departure.
Basic Economy pays more. American states: “Pay $5 more for 1st and 2nd checked bag fees for Basic Economy tickets.” Its fee table dates the change to tickets issued on or after May 18, 2026, which puts a Basic Economy first bag at $55, or $50 online.
Two refund rules on American’s checked bag policy page are worth knowing before you pay. Fees paid at the airport are non-refundable. And if you pay for bags and later buy or receive an upgrade that includes free bags, “any bag fees you already paid will not be refunded.” If you think you were charged incorrectly, American’s fee page says to file a refund claim within 45 days.
Delta: $45 and $55
Delta’s baggage page lists the fees for Delta Comfort and Delta Main customers on domestic flights without a SkyMiles Amex card, Medallion status, or active military exception: $45 for the first standard checked bag under 50 pounds and $55 for the second, each way. Bags must not exceed 62 inches in total length, width, and height.
Delta lets SkyMiles members pay standard bag fees with miles at most domestic airports during check-in, though not for excess or overweight bags. Medallion members and eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Card Members check their first standard bag free on domestic Delta flights, a benefit Delta says does not apply on partner-operated flights.
Southwest: bags no longer fly free on most fares
Southwest’s optional charges page now carries two fee tables. For US mainland travel booked and ticketed before April 9, 2026, Basic, Choice, and Choice Preferred fares paid $35 for the first bag and $45 for the second. For travel “booked and ticketed and/or changed on or after April 9, 2026,” those fares pay $45 and $55. The words “and/or changed” matter: changing an older booking can move it to the newer, higher fees.
Who still checks bags free, per Southwest’s footnote: “Choice Extra fares and Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred Members receive two free checked bags. A-List Members and Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers only receive their first checked bag for free.” The credit card benefit covers the primary cardmember and up to eight passengers on the same reservation, but only if the cardmember’s Rapid Rewards number is on the booking, and not on flights booked with a partner carrier. Active-duty military customers check bags free.
Southwest also publishes its extra charges: a third bag is $150, and an overweight bag of 51 to 70 pounds costs $100 on top of the standard fee.
United: a calculator, not a table
United’s checked bag page does not print a domestic fee. It sends travelers to a fee calculator and lists when prices rose: “Bag fees for domestic flights, short flights between the U.S. and Latin America, and flights between the U.S. and Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico increased for tickets purchased on or after April 3, 2026.” The size limit is 62 total inches, and economy bags can weigh up to 50 pounds. Run your route through United’s calculator before you fly.
What a family pays (our math)
A family of four with one checked bag each, flying round trip, checks eight bags:
| Airline | Per bag | Round trip, 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Delta Main | $45 | $360 |
| Southwest Choice | $45 | $360 |
| American, paid online | $45 | $360 |
| American, paid at the airport | $50 | $400 |
| American Basic Economy, online | $50 | $400 |
The bigger lever is a free-bag benefit. On Southwest, one Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmember on the booking covers the first bag for up to eight companions, so a family checking one bag each would pay nothing for those eight bags instead of $360 (our math). Delta’s page lists a free first bag for eligible SkyMiles Amex Card Members; check your card’s terms for whether companions are included.
Before you go
If you are flying soon, make sure your ID will clear security: our REAL ID and TSA ConfirmID guide covers which IDs work and the $45 fee if you have none. Frequent flyers weighing a faster checkpoint can compare programs in our Global Entry vs PreCheck vs CLEAR+ guide.
Bottom line
On a standard domestic economy ticket, plan on $45 for the first bag on Delta and Southwest and $45 to $50 on American depending on whether you pay online, then $55 to $60 for a second. Basic Economy on American costs $5 more per bag, Southwest’s Choice Extra fare includes two bags, and each airline’s credit card or elite status is the usual way to skip the first-bag fee. Your ticket date decides which table applies, every fee is charged each way, and United only shows its price through a calculator.
Fees verified against American’s bag and optional fees page, Delta’s baggage page, Southwest’s optional travel charges page, and United’s checked bag page as of October 12, 2026. Airlines change bag fees often; check your carrier before you fly.