United Airlines Baggage Fees and Tips on Covering the Expenses

United has a pretty basic baggage policy all around, so you won’t find many surprises here. Overweight and oversized fees are on the higher side but, that being said, they’re consistent with most other major U.S. carriers.

Something to note: Economy fares are split into Basic or Full Economy, which is of importance when you consider the carry-on allowance. Otherwise, in terms of baggage, fees are pretty much the same across both.

United Airlines Carry-On Allowance

1 Personal Item: FREE
1 Standard Carry-on Bag:

• Standard Economy: FREE
• Basic Economy: No bag included (excluding South America, transatlantic/trans-Pacific flights where a standard carry-on is included*)

*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 the said passenger is a Premier member or a qualifying MileagePlus credit card primary cardmember or a Star Alliance Gold member.

Size Restrictions

• Personal: 17 x 10 x 9 inches (43 x 25 x 22 centimeters)
• Carry-On: 22 x 14 x 9 inches (56 x 35 x 23 centimeters)

Lap Infant Carry-On Policy

• Customers may carry the following infant and child articles on board, in addition to the maximum carry-on baggage allowance: 1 diaper bag, breast pump, or a government-approved child seat (infant carrying seat or car seat).

Stroller-Check Policy

• United allows passengers to check 1 car seat and 1 stroller or folding wagon per child they’re traveling with, either at the ticket counter or at the gate, for free.
• If your stroller is large or noncollapsible, or the wagon is non-folding, it has to be checked at the ticket counter (also free).
• Car seats aren’t allowed in United Polaris business class on most Boeing 767, 777, or 787 aircraft.
• Items such as a pack-and-play or collapsible crib must be checked at the ticket counter and are charged as baggage.

United Airlines Checked Baggage Allowance

All checked bags must weigh no more than 50 pounds (23 kilograms) for all economy and premium economy fares and 70 pounds (32 kilograms) for business, first, and Polaris and must adhere to maximum linear dimensions of 62 inches (158 centimeters). (“Maximum linear dimensions” is merely the number you get when you add together the length, width (or height), and depth of a piece of luggage. For example, if you have a suitcase that’s 26 inches long, 20 inches wide, and 16 inches deep, then its linear dimensions are 62 inches, or right at the maximum for many airlines.)

Instead of providing a hard and fast table to assess your baggage fees at a glance, United is now recommending all passengers use its official baggage fee calculator tool.

However, after doing some basic route searches, we found consistent fees as detailed in the table below (though you should use the baggage calculator to check your specific route).

For many routes, United now charges $5 more per bag when purchased at the airport rather than prepaying.

Additional and Excess Baggage Fees

As with checked luggage fees, United recommends all passengers use its official baggage fee calculator tool for excess baggage fees.

We ran some searches and found consistent fees for the destinations below, but we advise you to check the baggage calculator for your specific route, as this could vary based on your departure airport.

For baggage fees related to special luggage (sporting equipment, musical instruments, etc.), please refer to United’s policy.

Can I Prepay for Baggage?

United Airlines does allow passengers to prepay for luggage online or via the mobile app:

Here are the ways you can prepay:

• Log in to your booking on the United Airlines website
• Download and check in via the United Airlines app

Exclusions and Waivers

Use the United Airlines baggage calculator to check for any exclusions and waivers for your route.

Here are the Premier Member Status free weight allowances for the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S Virgin Islands:

Travel companions of MileagePlus Premier members have the same exemptions as the Premier member whose status provides the benefit, as long as they are traveling on the same reservation.

The above exclusion and waivers may have seasonal exceptions or limits. Refer to United’s baggage policy.

Star Alliance Gold Members: 

• Domestic Flights:
  • Economy Cabin: First checked bag free (50 pounds)
  • Premium Economy Cabin: 3 free Checked bags (50 pounds)
  • Business or First Cabin: 3 free Checked bags (70 pounds)
• International Flights:
  • Economy Cabin: 2 free checked bags (50 pounds)
  • Premium Economy: 3 free checked bags (50 pounds)
  • Business or First Cabin: 3 free Checked bags (70 pounds)

Active U.S. Military Personnel

• Personal travel: 3 checked bags FREE (70 pounds, 62 linear inches)
• Military dependent with travel orders: 2 checked bags FREE (70 pounds, 62 linear inches)
• Military orders: 5 checked bags FREE (100 pounds, 115 linear inches)

Dependents of active U.S. military personnel have the same exemptions as the military service member whose status provides the benefit, as long as they are traveling on the same reservation. If the dependent is traveling because of official orders, the exemption applies. If dependents are traveling on their own for personal reasons, they’re subject to the normal baggage allowance and fees based on the purchased ticket type.

Credit Cards That Give You a Free Checked Bag With United Airlines

There are several United co-branded credit cards that waive checked baggage fees on United flights. There are even 3 cards that will waive the fee for 2 checked bags.

To see more airline baggage fees and policies, click here.