Top Airline Credit Cards That Waive Checked Bags Fees

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.One of the top money-saving perks offered by many airline co-branded credit cards is the ability to check a bag (or several) for free. This one benefit can end up saving hundreds of dollars per trip depending on the credit card and how many bags you can check.Checked bag fees can really add up, so find a credit card that waives them.Though it seems like a fairly obvious benefit, many basic airline credit cards forego it. Even some of the top airline credit cards on the market (such as the British Airways Visa Signature Card, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card and the Virgin Atlantic Mastercard) offer plenty of valuable benefits, but don’t include checked bags. Finally, airlines like JetBlue and Southwest already offer a free checked bag or two, making such a benefit redundant.However, many major airline credit cards offer free checked bags both for primary cardholders and their travel companions. To help you keep track, I assembled this list of the major airline credit cards on the market at the moment that offer free checked bags. Read on to see which ones suit your needs. (Note that the fees quoted are for non-elites on domestic flights.)Airline Credit Cards With Free Checked Bag BenefitsFree checked bag benefits vary widely from card to card and airline to airline. Some offer just a single checked bag fee waiver for the primary cardholder, while others include up to eight companions on a single reservation. Be sure to read the fine print of your credit card benefits to make sure you’re maximizing them.AMERICAN AIRLINESAmerican normally charges $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second.Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite MastercardCurrent sign-up bonus: 30,000 miles when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months of cardmembership and two Admirals Club day passes.Annual fee: $95, waived the first year.Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for cardholder and up to four travel companions on the same reservation.Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select World MastercardCurrent sign-up bonus: 30,000 miles when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months of cardmembership and two Admirals Club day passes.Annual fee: $95, waived the first year.Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for cardholder and up to four travel companions on the same reservation.Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MastercardCurrent sign-up bonus: 50,000 miles when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months.Annual fee: $450Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for primary cardholder and a companion on the same reservation.The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select and Citibusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.DELTADelta normally charges $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second.Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American ExpressCurrent bonus: 30,000 miles when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months. Plus, earn a $50 statement credit after your first Delta purchase within the first 3 months.Annual fee: $95, waived the first year. (See Rates & Fees)Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for cardholder and up to 9 companions on the same reservation. The business version also offers this benefit.Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American ExpressCurrent bonus: 35,000 bonus miles and 5,000 MQMs after $1,000 in qualifying purchases in the first 3 months. $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new card within your first 3 months.Annual fee: $195Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for cardholder and up to 9 companions on the same reservation. The business version also offers this benefit.Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American ExpressCurrent bonus: 40,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after spending $3,000 within the first three months.Annual fee: $450Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation. The business version also offers this benefit.HAWAIIAN AIRLINESHawaiian Airlines normally charges $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second.Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MastercardCurrent sign-up bonus: 35,000 bonus miles after your first purchase.Annual fee: $89Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for primary cardholder. Note, this benefit is not offered on the business version.UNITEDUnited normally charges $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second.United MileagePlus Explorer CardCurrent sign-up bonus: 30,000 miles after spending $1,000 in 3 months.Annual fee: $95, waived the first year.Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for cardholder and one companion on the same reservation.United MileagePlus Explorer Business CardCurrent sign-up bonus: 30,000 miles after spending $1,000 in 3 months.Annual fee: $95, waived the first year.Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for cardholder and one companion on the same reservation.United MileagePlus Club CardCurrent sign-up bonus: $100 statement credit after first purchase.Annual fee: $395, but when you sign up for the card in a Chase branch, the first year is waived.Baggage benefit: First and second checked bags free for primary cardholder and one companion on the same reservation.United MileagePlus Club Business CardCurrent sign-up bonus: $100 statement credit after first purchase.Annual fee: $395Baggage benefit: First and second checked bags free for primary cardholder and one companion on the same reservation.US AIRWAYSUS Airways normally charges $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second.US Airways Premier World MasterCardCurrent sign-up bonus: 50,000 miles with first purchase and payment of the annual fee.Annual fee: $89Baggage benefit: One free checked bag for cardholder and up to four companions on domestic US Airways-operated flights.VIRGIN AMERICAVirgin America normally charges $25 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second.Virgin America Premium Visa SignatureCurrent sign-up bonus: 15,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in 90 daysAnnual fee: $149Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for cardholder and one companion on the same reservation.Virgin America Visa SignatureCurrent sign-up bonus: 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in 90 daysAnnual fee: $49Baggage benefit: First checked bag free for cardholder and one companion on the same reservation.Do You Have To Use The Card To Receive the Benefit?United Explorer: Primary Cardmembers and one companion traveling on the same reservation will receive their first standard checked bag free each time they fly on United- or United Express-operated flights when they purchase their tickets with their MileagePlus Explorer Card (a savings of up to $100 per round trip — calculated as $25 for the first standard checked bag each way, per person).Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select doesn’t mention having to purchase ticket with the card and it has to be on an American flight, not US Airways (for now)Delta you don’t have to purchase the ticket with your card, but it must be on a Delta flight, not codeshare on a partner.US Airways: Has to be US Airways originating flights only.Hawaiian Airlines: All ticket purchases (original and exchanges) must be made with the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard premium product and purchased directly from Hawaiian Airlines. HA Vacation Package purchases do not qualify as direct purchases from Hawaiian Airlines. Virgin America: Check one free bag for you and your plus-one on Virgin America flights when your card is used to purchase the flight and each bag is within the standard weight and size restrictions.For rates and fees of the Gold Delta SkyMiles, please click here.