If you last flew Southwest a couple of years ago, the baggage rules you remember are gone. Two free checked bags for everyone ended in May 2025, and the fees went up again in April 2026. The cabin side barely changed: one carry-on and one personal item are still free on every fare. But a checked bag now costs real money on most tickets, and the price depends on when you booked, which fare you bought, and whether you hold a Southwest card or status.
Here is the short version of the baggage limits Southwest applies today. A standard checked bag must weigh 50 pounds or less and measure 62 linear inches or less — length plus width plus height added together. On Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares booked on or after April 9, 2026, the first checked bag costs $45 each way and the second costs $55. Your carry-on can measure up to 24 x 16 x 10 inches and flies free, along with one personal item that fits under the seat. Below: who still gets bags free, what overweight and oversize really cost, and how to work out your total before you reach the airport.
Southwest Baggage Limits at a Glance
Three bags, three sets of rules. Keep them separate and most of the confusion disappears.
| Bag | Size limit | Weight limit | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carry-on | 24 x 16 x 10 inches, including wheels and handles | No published weight limit | Free on every fare |
| Personal item | Must fit under the seat in front of you | No published weight limit | Free on every fare |
| Checked bag (standard) | 62 linear inches (length + width + height) | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | $45 first, $55 second, each way* |
*Standard fees for U.S. mainland travel on Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares, for tickets booked or voluntarily changed on or after April 9, 2026. A third checked bag costs $150 each way. Bags over 100 lb or 80 linear inches are not accepted as checked baggage at all.
What Changed: Bags Fly Free Is Over
For more than fifty years, two free checked bags were Southwest’s signature promise. That ended for tickets booked on or after May 28, 2025, when most passengers started paying $35 for a first checked bag and $45 for a second. Then the fees rose again: for tickets booked or changed on or after April 9, 2026, the standard mainland fees are $45 for the first bag and $55 for the second.
The date that matters is the booking date, not the travel date. Booked before April 9, 2026? The older $35 and $45 prices still apply — unless you voluntarily change the booking, which moves you onto the newer schedule. Southwest says it can change pricing at any time, so check the baggage quote shown for your own reservation. And beware stale guides: plenty of pages still ranking in search say the first two bags are free, or quote the old fees. Some were written before May 2025 and never updated.
Checked Bag Size and Weight Limits
The two numbers to remember are 50 pounds and 62 inches. Every standard checked bag must stay inside both. A bag that passes on weight can still fail on size, and the other way round.
How to measure and weigh a checked bag
Add the three sides together — length plus width plus height — measured from the furthest points: the bottom of the wheels to the top of the fixed handle, across the widest point, and through the fullest front pocket. A size printed on a store label sometimes leaves the wheels out, so measure the packed bag yourself. Two examples: a 30 x 20 x 12 inch bag adds up to 62 inches and passes, while a 30 x 21 x 12 inch bag adds up to 63 and fails — one extra inch moves it into oversize territory even if it weighs only 40 pounds.
Weigh the packed bag at home on a bathroom scale: step on holding the bag, step on without it, and subtract. Leave a pound or two of headroom — souvenirs on the way home have pushed many a 49-pound bag over the line. In metric terms, 50 pounds is about 22.7 kg and 62 inches is about 157.5 cm.
How Much Does It Cost to Check a Bag on Southwest?
Fees are charged per bag, each way, so a round trip doubles everything below. The table shows U.S. mainland travel for tickets booked on or after April 9, 2026; Hawaii interisland flights have their own table further down.
| Fare or benefit | First checked bag | Second checked bag |
|---|---|---|
| Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred (no other benefit) | $45 | $55 |
| Choice Extra | Free | Free |
| A-List Preferred | Free | Free |
| A-List | Free | $35 |
| Eligible Rapid Rewards primary credit cardmember | Free | $55 |
| Active-duty military (valid ID) | Free | Free |
| Third or extra bag (any fare) | $150 per bag | |
Southwest publishes the full fee list on its Optional Travel Charges page, and the size and weight rules on its checked bag policy page. You cannot pay for checked bags in advance — you check them digitally after check-in opens, 24 hours before departure, or at a kiosk or the ticket counter. If your bag attracts a weight or size surcharge at the airport, you must pay with a physical credit card; Southwest does not accept tap-to-pay or mobile payments for those charges.
Who Still Gets Free Checked Bags on Southwest?
Free bags did not vanish entirely — they moved from “everyone” to specific fares, statuses and cards, as the table above shows. A few details the table cannot carry are worth knowing.
The companion extension
A-List and A-List Preferred benefits extend to up to eight additional passengers travelling on the same reservation — a detail that matters for families, since separate bookings do not count as one reservation just because you travel together. The Rapid Rewards card benefit works the same way: the primary cardmember’s first bag is free, and so is the first bag of up to eight others on the same booking. The cardmember’s Rapid Rewards number must be in the booking, new card status can take up to 14 days to show up, and authorised users do not get the benefit on their own. If a Companion Pass member qualifies for free bags through fare or status, the same benefit applies to their companion.
Active-duty military
Active-duty military passengers with a current, valid military ID receive free checked bags, with overweight and oversize charges waived within the 100-pound and 80-inch maximums. They are also exempt from the usual two-piece limit.
Overweight and Oversize Fees — and the One-Charge Rule
Surcharges sit on top of the standard bag fee, per bag, each way. This is where Southwest bills get ugly.
| Condition | Extra charge |
|---|---|
| 51 to 70 lb | $100 plus the standard bag fee |
| 71 to 100 lb | $200 plus the standard bag fee |
| 63 to 80 linear inches | $200 plus the standard bag fee |
| Both oversize and overweight (up to 100 lb) | One $200 surcharge plus the standard bag fee |
The last row is the one people miss. If a bag is both overweight and oversized, Southwest charges only one $200 surcharge, not both. A first bag measuring 65 inches and weighing 60 pounds costs $45 plus $200 — $245 each way. Do not add the two surcharges together.
There are hard ceilings: no checked bag over 100 pounds or over 80 linear inches, whatever you are willing to pay. A third bag costs $150 each way on top of any surcharge, and no passenger can check more than 20 pieces on one flight. Sporting equipment on Southwest’s accepted list, such as surfboards and golf bags, counts as a standard bag with the oversize fee waived, though overweight fees can still apply.
Worked Examples: What Two Bags Really Cost
Fee tables are abstract. Round-trip totals are not — all figures below are for mainland travel booked on or after April 9, 2026.
One traveller, two checked bags, round trip
Outbound: $45 plus $55 is $100, and the return costs the same. Total: $200 in bag fees on top of the fare. If a Choice Extra upgrade costs less than $200 across the whole trip, it saves money on bags alone — before counting the extra legroom and flexibility.
Carry-On and Personal Item Rules
The cabin allowance is the most generous part of Southwest’s baggage limits, and it has not changed: every ticketed passenger gets one free carry-on and one free personal item, on every fare.
Carry-on size: each side must pass
A carry-on must measure no more than 24 x 16 x 10 inches, including wheels, handles and attachments. Unlike a checked bag, this is not a total — every side must pass on its own. A roller measuring 23 x 17 x 10 inches totals 50 inches, exactly the same as a 24 x 16 x 10 inch roller, but it fails because it is one inch too wide. Southwest publishes no carry-on weight limit — but if you cannot lift a bag into the overhead bin yourself, it is too heavy.
What counts as a personal item
A personal item is the smaller bag that fits under the seat in front of you: a purse, a briefcase, a laptop bag, or a small backpack. Southwest publishes no set dimensions for it, and a bag’s name does not decide its category — a small backpack is a personal item, while a large travel backpack may need your carry-on allowance instead. Count your items before boarding: a roller, a laptop backpack and a crossbody purse is three items, not two. Put the purse inside the backpack before you board.
If your bag has to be checked at the gate
A cabin-sized bag can still end up in the hold if the overhead bins fill up; an oversized bag fails the cabin rules even if a bin happens to be empty. Keep a small pouch of essentials near the top of your roller — medication, documents, keys, charger and valuables — and take it out before the tag goes on. Your checked bag is out of reach for the whole flight, and backing up your phone photos automatically before you travel means a delayed bag never costs you your pictures as well.
Hawaii, Partner Flights and Embargoes
The mainland table does not apply everywhere. Three exceptions catch travellers out.
Interisland Hawaii flights
Flights that both begin and end within Hawaii have a separate table: non-residents pay $30 for the first standard bag and $40 for the second, each way, on tickets issued on or after April 9, 2026. Hawaii residents with a Hawaii mailing address in their Rapid Rewards account get two standard bags free, and a third costs $50. A mainland-to-Hawaii journey is not interisland, so check each leg against the right table.
Partner itineraries
On an itinerary booked with a partner carrier, the partner’s checked baggage policy and fees apply to the whole trip — even on Southwest-operated segments. A bag that passes Southwest’s sizer can still fail the partner’s limit.
Destination embargoes
For Nassau, Belize, Montego Bay and San Jose in Costa Rica, holiday restrictions run from November 15 through January 15: checked bags are generally limited to two per passenger, bags over 62 linear inches are refused, and boxes, storage containers and ice chests are restricted. Montego Bay has a second period from August 15 through September 15. Havana limits travellers to two checked bags all year, with no ordinary bags over 50 pounds or 62 linear inches. Paying an oversize fee does not override an embargo — worth knowing in the holiday window (our Thanksgiving dinner planning guide covers the meal side of that trip).
How to Avoid Paying Bag Fees on Southwest
The cheapest bag is the one you do not check. One carry-on plus one personal item is free for everyone, and a careful packer can fit a long weekend into that allowance — there is no published carry-on weight limit. Wear the bulky coat, put the heavy items in the personal item under the seat, and use packing cubes to make the roller hold more.
If you do need to check a bag, work in this order. First, see whether a Rapid Rewards card in your household already covers the first bag for up to nine people on one reservation. Second, compare the round-trip bag total with a Choice Extra upgrade. Third, check status — even A-List’s free first bag plus its $35 second bag beats paying $45 and $55. Fourth, shift weight between bags at home, where it costs nothing, instead of at the counter, where five pounds costs $100.
One last practical note: Southwest generally accepts checked baggage no earlier than four hours before departure, and domestic bags presented within 45 minutes of departure may be refused. International cutoffs are 60 minutes, or 75 for Aruba. Bring a physical credit card for any airport surcharge, and pack an essentials pouch at the top of your roller in case it is gate-checked. Each ticketed customer may also check one stroller and one car seat free.
The baggage limits Southwest sets are not complicated once you separate the three questions: how big, how heavy, and who pays. Measure the bag, weigh the bag, then check your fare and benefits before you book — not at the airport, when every option costs more.
How much does Southwest charge for a checked bag?
On Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares booked on or after April 9, 2026, the first checked bag costs $45 each way and the second costs $55, for U.S. mainland travel. A third bag costs $150 each way. Choice Extra fares, A-List Preferred members and active-duty military still get two bags free.
What size can a checked bag be on Southwest?
A standard checked bag must measure 62 linear inches or less — length plus width plus height added together — and weigh 50 pounds or less. Bags over 80 linear inches or 100 pounds are not accepted as checked baggage.
Is a carry-on still free on Southwest?
Yes. Every ticketed passenger gets one free carry-on measuring up to 24 x 16 x 10 inches, plus one free personal item that fits under the seat, on every fare. Southwest publishes no weight limit for carry-on bags.
Who gets free checked bags on Southwest?
Choice Extra fares include two free checked bags, A-List Preferred members get two free, A-List members get the first free, eligible Rapid Rewards primary credit cardmembers get the first free, and active-duty military with valid ID get free bags. The card and status benefits extend to up to eight passengers on the same reservation.
What happens if my bag is overweight on Southwest?
Bags weighing 51 to 70 pounds cost an extra $100, and bags weighing 71 to 100 pounds cost an extra $200, on top of the standard bag fee. Bags over 62 linear inches cost an extra $200. If a bag is both overweight and oversized, only one $200 surcharge applies.
