Your Guide to United Airlines’ Baggage Limits and Rules

United Airlines’ Baggage Limitations and Rules

When you book a flight with United Airlines or United Express, part of the process is choosing your fare type.

This fare type determines the number of bags you’re allowed to bring with you on your trip and its limitations in terms of size and weight.

It’s important to know the rules around your fare’s baggage requirements since you could be on the hook for extra fees if your bags are bigger or heavier than allowed or if you bring more bags than the set amount.

In the guide below, we help you decipher United Airlines’ baggage limits and restrictions so that you can be prepared and pack accordingly.

United Airlines Baggage Dimensions

Carry-on baggage

When travelling on a United or United Express flight, you’re generally allowed one carry-on bag and one personal item, with the exception of Basic Economy fares (which we’ll clarify below).

Both your carry-on and your personal item need to be within United Airlines’ size limitations so that they can be stowed in the overhead compartments or under the seat in front of you.

Baggage that is larger than the set dimension requirements may need to be checked at the airport, and in these cases, you’ll probably end up paying an additional fee.

To make sure your carry-on and personal items stay within United Airlines’ baggage guidelines, let’s explore the sizing rules for personal items and carry-on luggage.

United Airlines’ carry-on baggage dimensions are:

United Airlines’ personal item dimensions rules are:

An important thing to note about these measurements is that they include your bag’s handle, wheels, and anything else that’s attached. United Airlines has baggage sizing devices at check-in and at the gate, and if your bags won’t fit (even if it’s just because the handle sticks out or the wheels are positioned strangely), you could end up paying a significant fee.

Also, typically, there are no official weight limitations for carry-ons and personal items. However, the general rule is that they must be light enough that you can put them in the overhead compartment without needing help.

Checked baggage

As you start filling your suitcase for your upcoming United Airlines flight, you’ll want to make sure that your bags aren’t larger than the following:

Again, these size limitations include your bag’s handle and wheels.

Since checked bags need to be moved around by multiple airport and airline staff members, the weight restrictions are taken fairly seriously, and overweight bags will typically cost you an extra fee.

For United and United Express flights, the allowable weight of your checked bag varies depending on which fare you’ve purchased and if you have MileagePlus elite status.

• Economy or Premium Economy: These travellers are allowed a checked bag with a maximum weight of 23 kg or 50 lbs.
• United Business, United First, or United Polaris business class: passengers of these classes are allowed bags to weigh as much as 32 kg or 70 lbs each.
• MileagePlus Premier Silver, Gold, Platinum, or 1K status members: They are allowed to have bags that weigh 32 kg or 70 lbs each.

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Basic Economy baggage rules

For travellers who have booked a Basic Economy fare with United Airlines, the baggage limitations and rules are quite restrictive.

With a Basic Economy fare, you may only bring 1 personal item, and you are only allowed to bring a carry-on bag if you’re flying to South America or across the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. This means that all short-haul Basic Economy fares get no carry-on luggage.

All other bags must be checked, with baggage fees ranging from $48 to $103 depending on when you booked your ticket and whether you pay the fee when you book, when you check in at the airport, or at the gate.

That said, there are some exceptions. You still get at least one free checked bag with a Basic Economy fare if:

• You hold MileagePlus Premier status
• You are travelling with a Premier status member
• You hold Star Alliance Gold status
• You have an eligible US-issued MileagePlus credit card

How to Get Free or Discounted Checked Baggage with United Airlines

If you’d like to save your travel budget for something more enticing than baggage fees, read on to see how you can get free checked bags with United Airlines.

Choose the right fare

The first and most straightforward way to get a free checked bag with United Airlines is to purchase a fare type that includes it.

When travelling with United for a long-haul flight (such as to Europe, Asia or South America) you will typically get a free checked bag when you book any fare above Basic Economy. Additionally, premium fares like business class, first class, and Polaris business class generally come with two free checked bags.

Comparatively, shorter flights within North America (including the Caribbean) and Central America require an additional fee if you’re flying Economy or Economy Plus and want to check a bag. However, two free checked bags are still provided with the three premium cabin fare types.

United Premier elite status

United MileagePlus members who have Premier status can all enjoy free checked bags when flying Economy with United and United Express. The number of checked bags is based on your Premier elite status level as follows:

You can also read through our guide to MileagePlus Premier elite status to learn about how to access each level and its related travel perks.

Have the right credit card

An easy and convenient way to get a free checked bag whenever you fly with United and United Express is to add the United^® MileagePlus^® Neo World Elite^® Mastercard to your wallet. This card offers a complimentary checked bag when you fly with United, and you also get additional perks like priority boarding and a strong welcome offer.

Another good alternative if you don’t have the United^® MileagePlus^® Neo World Elite^® Mastercard, is to consider the National Bank World Elite Mastercard^®. This excellent travel card gives you an annual $150 travel credit that you can use to cover travel expenses like checked bag fees.

Bottom Line

As you get set to pack your bags for your upcoming United Airlines flight, double-check that you’re following United Airlines’ baggage rules, and confirm if you might qualify for free checked bags with a MileagePlus credit card or status.

To learn more about where United Airlines can take you, check out our articles on its destinations and airline partnerships.

Frequently Asked Questions