Spirit Airlines Baggage Fees & How To Avoid Paying Them!
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Customers need to be careful about how charges like baggage fees add up on budget airlines like Spirit.
Spirit Airlines does not include any bags in their base allowance (Bare Fare), not even carry-ons. Additionally, baggage prices increase the closer you get to take-off. This means your best bet is to buy your allowance during your initial booking.
Another consideration: Spirit’s baggage policy states the max checked bag weight allowed is 40lbs. This is 10lbs less than the standard average and you’d better believe you’ll be paying extra for that difference.
Table of Contents
Spirit Airlines Carry-On Allowance:
1 personal item: FREE with Bare Fare
Standard carry-on bag:
During Booking:
- $9 fare club – $28
- Standard – $37
Before & During Online Check-In:
- $9 fare club – $36
- Standard – $45
Airport Reservation Desk: $55
At Gate: $65
Size Restrictions
- Personal: 18″ x 14″ x 8″
- Standard: 22″ x 18″ x10″
Lap Infant Carry-On Policy
- Breast pumps and baby formula are allowed to be carried onto an aircraft and don’t count against your carry-on allowance.
Stroller Check Policy
- Spirit airlines will check a stroller or double stroller at the ticket counter or gate. The stroller will be waiting for you when you exit the aircraft.
Spirit Airlines Checked Baggage Allowance:
All checked bags must adhere to a max weight of 40lbs and must adhere to max linear dimensions of 62 inches.
Spirit Airlines considers a number of items in their fee calculations, including: route, dates of travel, and $9 fare club or Standard fare. The following table displays general fees for MOST* routes.
For the most personal/ accurate baggage fee calculations, please use Spirit’s online baggage calculator tool here.
| Checked Bag | During Spirit.com Booking | Before Online Check-In | During Online Check-In | Airport, Group Desk, Res Center | At Gate | |||
| 1st Bag | $23 | $32 | $33 | $42 | $33 | $42 | $52 | $65 |
| 2nd Bag | $33 | $42 | $43 | $52 | $43 | $52 | $62 | n/a |
| 3rd-5th Bags | $78 | $87 | $88 | $97 | $88 | $97 | $102 | n/a |
| $9 Fare Club | Std | $9 Fare Club | Std | $9 Fare Club | Std | |||
*Some routes may limit the number of checked bags allowed (please refer to online baggage calculator tool).
Credit Cards That Reimburse You For Checked Bag and Carry-On Fees
Spirit is notorious for fees, but you can use a few different credit cards to reimburse your checked bag and carry-on fees.
| Credit Card | Card & Fee Reimbursement Details |
|---|---|
Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card |
|
American Express® Gold Card |
|
The Platinum Card® from American Express How We Get $1,500+ In Value From This Card (Per Year) > |
|
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
|
Chase Sapphire Reserve® |
|
Additional / Excess Baggage Fees:
Overweight Fee
41 – 50lb: $30
51 – 70lb: $55
71 – 100lb: $100
Oversized Fee
63 – 80cm: $100
Special items over 80cm: $150
For baggage fees related to special luggage (sporting equipment, musical instruments, etc.) please refer to Spirit Airlines’ policy here.
Exclusions & Waivers:
For active duty military, Spirit will provide two free checked bags and a free carry-on, in addition to the already free personal item.
I’m confused about the credit card reimbersment ? If I use my card are they going to charge extra on it when I go online to check my bag?
Nope, what happens is you pay for the bags and then your credit card company will reimburse the fee. The “how” depends on your specific credit card, e.g. it might be a statement credit or you might be able to use points to offset that cost when your statement is ready to be paid.
What do I have to do to check my luggage online? How much is it check in luggage? This will be my first time flying with spirit in July. I don’t want to be embarrassed at check in. What is the total cost for my luggage the whole trip? I will not have a carry on bag just my purse. This flight is so stressful!!! For example delta cost is $25 leaving out and $25 coming back. I hope that you can answer my question. Hopefully you can make this a joyful weekend for me and my 3 sister’s. Thanks in advance
Hi Felisa – First of all, let me be clear that we are not Spirit Airlines. We are Upgraded Points, an online website that provides articles on a variety of topics related to earning points and miles. I understand you are having some issues figuring out your baggage costs for a Spirit flight. We completely understand baggage fees can be confusing which is why we attempt to outline things in our articles here. However, airlines don’t have the clearest policies to begin with so that can make summarizing them really tough. To figure out your fees, what I would recommend is to use Spirit Airlines Baggage Fee Calculator on Spirit Airlines official website. Since we are not Spirit Airlines, we cannot give you the specific answer you are looking for. This official calculator should provide the most accurate information. You can find it here: https://www.spirit.com/OptionalServices. You will need your flight dates as well as your airport locations. This will give you a range of prices that will depend on when you actually purchase your luggage allowance. Yes, it’s confusing and yes, it’s one of the reasons Spirit Airlines customers complain a lot! Hope this helps…
Can I pay for the luggage at the airport ? If so how much is it ?
You can pay for your luggage at the airport but you may want to do it in advance at a reduced cost. Use this calculator to help you determine how much you will be charged. https://www.spirit.com/OptionalServices
The worst airlines are always late and they charge you for everything. Dont waste your time and money. Dont be cheap, at the end it will cost you more! Use others airlines like jetblue, american, etc…
I’m flying to the Caribbean at the end of the month and i could only find 1 flight with spirit. Its actually 6 planes that i have to get on to get there and back. And they are charging us for baggage on each flight. It totals our to 553$! I will NEVER fly spirit airlines again.
You do get one free carryon though… the size of a purse or smaller
It just happened here yesterday, they charged me $65 for the smallest bag I bought, I paid for 3 bags for each flight… This is insane! I will never fly Spirit Airlines again!
Wow, I’ve never been on a plane befor and to be ready to get on this plane really makes me not to want to fly any more. Im hope my flight goes well in October.
I flew spirit this past weekend. I only had a bookbag carry on. they were fine with it when I flew to Myrtle Beach but on my return flight they made me pay $55.00 to take it on the plane and it was the same bag!!!. Never again!!!!! what a scam they have!
I Guarantee I Will Never Use Spirit Airlines Again.
I have four flights and three of the four flights are with Spirit.
I will not make this mistake again. I hope everyone does the same and let them check their bags on their way out of business. Poor excuse for customer service.
I read awhile back that Spirit airlines was changing the weight limit from 40 to 50 lbs. Us that not true?
Hey Stefanie,
At this point in time, the maximum weight of luggage is still up to 40 pounds (18.1 kg). You can find this information on Spirit’s website:
https://customersupport.spirit.com/hc/en-us/articles/202096476-What-are-the-size-and-weight-limits-for-bags-
Thanks for reading and your support!