by Ben B - Sunday, January 29, 2012
Do you remember the first time you got hit with baggage fees at the airport? I do, and it was like a kick in the back of the head. I showed up at the airport ready to hop on a flight for a much needed getaway with the cute wife to our old stomping grounds of San Francisco. Money was tight and I had been careful to find the absolute best deals on airfare, hotels and our rental cars, but when we checked in and they told me we had to pay $25 for each bag, I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me after all my work. Judging by the perpetually crowded overhead bins that have persisted since that time, travelers have come to expect the baggage fees and maximizing carry on luggage has become an art form. I still much prefer to breeze through security and get on and off a plane without any luggage, and it turns out that airline credit cards are a good way to do so. Here are the cards that can get you around baggage fees:
Delta:
Gold Delta Skymiles Credit Card
Delta Baggage Fees: 25 first bag, 35 for the second (domestic) details here
Baggage Fees with Card: 1 bag free for you and up to 8 other people traveling with you
Other Fees/Perks :
- Lounge Access: $25 per person
- Onboard Food: Discounted by 20% with the Skymiles card
- Current Signup Bonus: 30,000 Delta Skymiles after spending $500
- Annual Fee: $95, but waived the first year
Thoughts: The Gold Delta Skymiles card has a good bonus right now. (They recently raised it from 20,000), but not as good as the best ones we’ve seen (45,000), however it the card will save some baggage fees, especially if you’re traveling with someone else, travel frequently or have a trip planned as a family, I wouldn’t wait around for a better signup offer assuming you fly on Delta often.
Card Application
American Express Delta Reserve
Delta Baggage Fees: 25 first bag, 35 for the second (domestic) international and other details here
Baggage Fees with Card: 1 bag free for you and up to 8 other people traveling with you
Other Fees/Perks :
- Lounge Access: Complimentary lounge access
- Priority Boarding: Yes
- Onboard Food: Discounted by 20% with the card
- Current Signup Bonus: 10,000 MQM Skymiles after first purchase. 15K MQM miles if you spend $30,000 and 30K MQM if you spend $60,000 in a year.
- Annual Fee: $450
Thoughts: A good card for people needing a boost to get to the next Medallion level. The club access might be worth the hefty fee, but it is hefty
(CreditSense DOES NOT get compensated for applications made through the card link below)
Card Application
Delta Skymiles American Express Platinum`
Delta Baggage Fees: 25 first bag, 35 for the second (domestic) details here
Baggage Fees with Card: 1 bag free for you and up to 8 other people traveling with you
Other Fees/Perks :
- Complimentary Companion Ticket Each Year
- Lounge Access: $25 per visit
- Priority Boarding: Yes
- Onboard Food: Discounted by 20% with the card
- Current Signup Bonus: 20,000 Delta Skymiles (5,000 of them are MQM that count towards status) after first purchase. 10K MQM miles if you spend $25,000 and 20K MQM if you spend $50,000 in a year.
- Annual Fee: $450
Thoughts: The platinum card doesn’t stack up unless you’re a big spender and want status without flying a lot. Otherwise you’re better off taking your $450 and buying a ticket for a companion rather than trying to navigate the restrictions the ticket that comes with the card. At least the reserve card gets you complimentary lounge access which is worth around $450 and offsets the annual fee
(CreditSense DOES NOT get compensated for applications made through the card link below)
Card Application
American Airlines:
Executive AAdvantage World Elite Mastercard
American Airlines Baggage Fees: 25 first bag, 35 for the second (domestic) international and other details here
Baggage Fees with Card: 1 bag free for you and up to 8 other people traveling with you
Other Fees/Perks :
- Lounge Access: Free access for you and 2 others (nice!)
- Priority Boarding: Yes, and priority security screening
- Other: No foreign transaction fees
- Current Signup Bonus: 25,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $1000 in the first four months
- Annual Fee: $450
Thoughts: Again, you’ve gotta value the lounge access to justify the hefty fee, but you can bring people with you into the lounge. If you buy a lot abroad avoiding foreign transaction fees is another nice perk.
(CreditSense DOES NOT get compensated for applications made through the card link below)
Card Application
Citi Select AAdvantage American Express / Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa Signature
American Airlines Baggage Fees: 25 first bag, 35 for the second (domestic) international and other details here
Baggage Fees with Card: Same as without the card.. Grrr
Other Fees/Perks :
- Lounge Access: Two free lounge passes
- Priority Boarding: No
- Statement Credit: $150 statment credit when you make a purchase on American Airlines
- Current Signup Bonus: 50,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $3000 in the first four months
- Annual Fee: $85, waived the first year
Thoughts: A decent promotion as most of the best offers recently have been 50,000 miles, the $150 statement credit is an added bonus and makes this offer hard to beat, however not a card to get if you want to get around the baggage fees.
(CreditSense DOES NOT get compensated for applications made through the card link below)
Card Application
Southwest Airlines:
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Card
Normal Southwest Airlines Baggage Fees: Nada
Baggage Fees with Card: No Baggage fees
Other Fees/Perks :
- Lounge Access: No
- Priority Boarding: No
- Companion Pass: Others have reported that the signup bonus counts towards the companion pass (free flights for a companion for 1+ years)
- Current Signup Bonus: 50,000 Rapid Rewards miles after first purchase
- Annual Fee: $85, waived the first year
Thoughts: The sponsored offer on our site will only get you 25,000 rapid rewards points, but the best offer is the 50,000 points offer. If you’re aiming for a companion pass which is one heck of a perk, then this card is a great idea. Southwest has some things figured out that the other airlines don’t. I love that they don’t charge anyone any baggage fees.
(CreditSense DOES NOT get compensated for applications made through the card link below)
Card Application
United Airlines:
United Plus Explorer Card
United Airlines Baggage Fees: $25 first bag, $35 for the second (domestic) international and other details here
Baggage Fees with Card: First checked bag is free
Other Fees/Perks :
- Lounge Access: Two passes per year
- Priority Boarding: Yes
- Current Signup Bonus: 25,000 Mileage Plus miles after first purchase, 5,000 for adding a cardholder, and 10,000 for spending $25,000 the first year
- Annual Fee: $95, waived the first year
Thoughts: A decent signup offer, but you’ll have to spend a lot to get the full 40,000 miles. A good card if you fly United and want to avoid the fees
Application Link
Continental Airlines:
Continental OnePass Credit Card
Continental Airlines Baggage Fees: $25 first bag, $35 for the second (domestic) international and other details here
Baggage Fees with Card: First checked bag is free
Other Fees/Perks :
- Lounge Access: Two passes per year
- Priority Boarding: Yes
- Current Signup Bonus: 25,000 Continental miles after first purchase, 5,000 for adding a cardholder, and 10,000 miles for spending $25,000 the first year
- Annual Fee: $95, waived the first year
Thoughts: Again, a decent signup offer, but you’ll have to spend a lot to get the full 40,000 miles. A good card for avoiding fees if you fly Continental. The two lounge passes will make 1 or 2 of your layovers swanky and are a nice touch.
Application Link
US Airways:
US Airways Dividend Premier Card
US Airways Baggage Fees: $25 first bag, $35 for the second (domestic) international and other details here
Baggage Fees with Card: First checked bag is free
Other Fees/Perks :
- Lounge Access: One pass per year
- Priority Boarding: Yes
- Other: Cardholders can get awaards tickets with 5000 fewer miles (i.e. 20,000 miles instead of 25,000 for an awards flight ticket)
- Current Signup Bonus: 30,000 US Airways miles and, 10,000 more for a balance trasfer (0% APR for 15 months)
- Annual Fee: $89
Thoughts: With a potential 40,000 miles in a signup bonus, this card comes in above most. When you consider that the 0% APR balance transfer for 15 months is a rarity among travel credit cards or any other rewards credit card, and if you fly US airways, this might be your card.
(CreditSense DOES NOT get compensated for applications made through the card link below)
Application Link
Baggage fees begone! I hope this info will be helpful as you join the fight against baggage fees and review cards that will help you avoid them. If you know of any other offers like these, please let us know in the comments below and we’ll be sure to include them.
Filed under: American AAdvantage, American Airlines, Chase, Citibank, Delta Skymiles, Miles and Points, US Airways
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I've traveled the world, hitchhiked across Europe, and biked faraway coasts for weeks at a time. I'm here as a blogger with CreditSense to share my adventures and show you how you can take advantage of credit card offers, hotel points and frequent flyer miles to travel for free.