Verdict: Your first checked domestic bag is $50, or $45 if you prepay online, and standard fares include a free carry-on. Basic Economy gets a personal item only, and a full-size carry-on at the gate costs $65.
United Airlines baggage fees start at $50 for the first checked bag on a domestic flight, or $45 if you pay online at least 24 hours before departure, as of July 2026. The second bag is $60, or $55 online. The third is a flat $200. Those are the numbers most people come here for, so they are the first thing on the page.
Your carry-on bag and one personal item are free on standard Economy, Economy Plus, and premium fares. Basic Economy is the exception, and it is the one that catches people out: on a domestic Basic Economy ticket you get a personal item only, and bringing a full-size carry-on to the gate costs you $65.
Everything after this explains the parts that trip people up: which cabin you are actually in, the $65 Basic Economy carry-on trap, when an overweight bag adds $100 at the counter, and the three ways to get the checked-bag fee down to zero. Every dollar figure below is taken from United’s own fee schedule, verified for this article in July 2026. United raised these fees effective April 3, 2026, so if another site shows you a $40 or $35 first bag, that figure is out of date.
For travel within the United States, United charges $50 for the first checked bag and $60 for the second, as of July 2026. Pay for those bags online through united.com or the app at least 24 hours before departure and each price drops by $5, to $45 and $55. That $5 online discount is the single easiest saving here, and it applies per bag, each way.
A standard checked bag is one that weighs up to 50 pounds (23 kg) and measures up to 62 linear inches (length plus width plus height). Stay under both limits and you pay only the fee above. Go over either one and United adds an overweight or oversize charge on top, which is covered further down.
Premium Economy, Business, and First fares include up to two free checked bags, so the standard fee only applies to Economy and Basic Economy passengers. A third bag is $200 regardless of cabin.
United lets you bring one carry-on bag and one personal item at no charge on standard Economy, Economy Plus, and premium fares. The carry-on cannot exceed 22 x 14 x 9 inches, and the personal item, such as a purse, laptop bag, or small backpack, cannot exceed 9 x 10 x 17 inches and has to fit under the seat in front of you.
Here is the trap. On a domestic Basic Economy ticket, you get the personal item only. A full-size carry-on is not included. If you bring one to the gate, United charges you $65 to check it, which breaks down as $40 for the bag plus a $25 gate-handling fee. That is more than the $50 you would have paid to check a normal bag, and far more than the $45 online rate.
United enforces this at check-in, not just at the gate. Basic Economy flyers are asked to put a card on file and authorize a $65 charge during online check-in. If you board with only a personal item, the hold falls off your statement within a few days. If you show up with a roller bag, you pay.
There are two ways around the Basic Economy carry-on limit. MileagePlus Premier members, Star Alliance elites, and United co-branded cardholders keep the full carry-on regardless of fare. And on transatlantic, transpacific, and South American routes, Basic Economy includes both a carry-on and a personal item at no charge. On a domestic hop, neither of those helps unless you hold status or a card, so measure your bag against 9 x 10 x 17 inches at home before you book Basic Economy.
This table covers travel within the United States, as of July 2026. Prices in parentheses are the discounted rate paid online at least 24 hours before departure. The fees also apply to most flights to Canada, Mexico, and Central America and the Caribbean.
| Bag | Basic Economy | Economy / Economy Plus | Premium Economy / Business / First |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal item | Free | Free | Free |
| Carry-on | $65 at gate (personal item only included) | Free | Free |
| 1st checked bag | $50 ($45 online) | $50 ($45 online) | $0 |
| 2nd checked bag | $60 ($55 online) | $60 ($55 online) | $0 |
| 3rd checked bag | $200 | $200 | $200 |
The fees apply per person, each way. If you want a broader picture of what an airline does and does not owe you when something goes wrong, our guide to what US airlines owe you for a canceled or delayed flight covers the refund rules that sit alongside these fees.
One note on scope. “Domestic” here means travel within the United States, and United applies the same figures to most flights to Canada, Mexico, and Central America and the Caribbean. Transatlantic, transpacific, and South American routes carry their own allowances, and many of them include a free first checked bag. If your itinerary crosses an ocean, check the fee for that specific region rather than assuming the domestic number.
An overweight or oversize fee is charged on top of the standard checked-bag fee, not instead of it. This is the part travelers miss at the counter, so read it before you pack.
Overweight fees for domestic travel, as of July 2026, work in tiers:
| Bag weight | Domestic fee (added to base) |
|---|---|
| 51 to 70 lbs (23 to 32 kg) | $100 |
| 71 to 100 lbs (32 to 45 kg) | $200 |
| Over 100 lbs (45 kg) | Not accepted |
There is no gentle first tier here. United goes straight from the 50-pound free limit to a $100 surcharge. A bag that weighs 51 pounds is one pound over and costs you $100 on top of the $50 checked-bag fee, turning a $50 bag into a $150 bag at the airport.
Weigh it at home. A cheap luggage scale pays for itself on the first trip.
Oversize is just as blunt. Any bag over 62 linear inches carries a flat $200 fee, whether it is 63 inches or 100 inches, and United does not accept checked bags over 115 linear inches. Like the overweight charge, the oversize fee stacks on top of the base checked-bag fee.
The most reliable way to check a bag for free is to hold Premier status or a United co-branded card, because both waive the first checked-bag fee. Here are the four routes to a free bag, in the order most travelers can actually use them.
Fly a premium cabin. Premium Economy, Business, and First fares include up to two free checked bags. If you are already in one of those cabins, you owe nothing for your first two standard bags.
Hold MileagePlus Premier status. Premier Silver adds one free checked bag in Economy, Gold adds two, and Platinum and 1K add three. Premier members and premium-cabin passengers also get a 70-pound weight allowance per bag before an overweight fee applies, instead of the usual 50, and that higher limit applies even on a Basic Economy ticket.
Carry a United co-branded credit card. The United Explorer Card waives the first checked-bag fee for the cardholder and one companion on the same reservation, on United-operated flights. The higher-tier United Club Card covers the first and second checked bag for both travelers. Weigh the card’s annual fee against how often you actually check bags before you sign up.
Fly a route that includes a free bag. Several international regions include a free first checked bag. That does not help on a domestic hop, but it is worth checking your specific route before paying.
One thing that does not earn you a free bag: Economy Plus. Upgrading from standard Economy to Economy Plus buys legroom, in-seat power, and a seat closer to the front. It does not raise your baggage allowance, so do not book it expecting a bag to come with it.
United raised its checked-bag fees effective April 3, 2026, following a similar increase from JetBlue and citing rising fuel costs. The change pushed the first domestic checked bag to $50 at the airport, or $45 online, and the second to $60, or $55 online. The $5 online prepay discount survived the increase on most domestic routes.
The practical takeaway is narrow. If a fee tracker or an old itinerary is showing you a lower number, it predates April 2026. Confirm the current figure on United’s checked-bag page or run your route through United’s checked bag fee calculator before you pay.
If you are weighing United against another carrier for a domestic trip, the checked-bag fee is close to the pack. American charges $50 for a first domestic bag ($45 online) and Delta sits in the same range. Where the fares actually diverge is the carry-on. American and Delta include a full-size carry-on on every fare, including their Basic Economy, while United’s Basic Economy gives you a personal item only. Frontier, a true budget carrier, charges for the carry-on on every fare and prices bags dynamically by route and timing.
So the real comparison is not the $50 checked bag, which is broadly similar. It is whether you can carry on for free. On United, that answer depends entirely on which cabin you booked.
Is a United carry-on bag free? On standard Economy, Economy Plus, and premium fares, yes: one carry-on and one personal item are free, as of July 2026. On domestic Basic Economy, only the personal item is free. A full-size carry-on brought to the gate on Basic Economy costs $65.
How much is the first checked bag on United? $50 for domestic travel, or $45 if you prepay online at least 24 hours before departure, as of July 2026. The second bag is $60, or $55 online.
Does United charge more for a bag over 50 pounds? Yes. A domestic bag between 51 and 70 pounds costs an extra $100 on top of the checked-bag fee. Between 71 and 100 pounds it is an extra $200. Bags over 100 pounds are not accepted.
Can I bring a carry-on on United Basic Economy? On domestic routes, no, unless you hold MileagePlus Premier status, Star Alliance elite status, or a United co-branded card. Otherwise you get a personal item only, and a full-size carry-on at the gate is a $65 charge. Transatlantic, transpacific, and South American Basic Economy fares do include a carry-on.
How do I get a free checked bag on United? Fly a premium cabin, hold MileagePlus Premier status, or carry a United co-branded credit card. Each waives at least the first checked bag. Economy Plus does not include a free bag. See the current United checked bag policy to confirm your route before you fly, since these fees change.
For more plain-language guides to the true cost of a US flight, browse the FlightsInUSA blog.
American Airlines baggage fees, as of July 2026: the first checked bag is $50 domestic, carry-on is free in every cabin, and here is how to pay $0.
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