Southwest no longer gives every passenger two free checked bags. For tickets bought from late May 2025 onward, a free checked allowance depends on your fare type, your Rapid Rewards status, and in some cases the credit card you booked with. Everyone still gets one carry-on bag up to 24 x 16 x 10 inches and one personal item up to 18.5 x 8.5 x 13.5 inches at no charge, and those two cabin bags are where most travelers can avoid paying anything at all.
Fee amounts change, and they vary by route and fare, so treat the numbers on southwest.com as the only reliable figure on the day you book. What does not change much is the size and weight structure, which is what decides whether you pay a standard charge or a much larger one. That is what this guide covers.
What you can still bring at no cost
The cabin allowance survived the change to checked bags intact. Southwest’s carry-on limit is generous compared with most other US carriers, and that matters: a 24-inch allowance takes a bag that would be refused at an American or Delta gate.
| Bag | Maximum size | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Carry-on | 24 x 16 x 10 inches (61 x 41 x 25 cm) | Free |
| Personal item | 18.5 x 8.5 x 13.5 inches (47 x 21 x 34 cm) | Free |
| Checked bag | 50 lb and 62 linear inches | Depends on fare, status and card |
Southwest does not publish a weight limit for carry-on bags, so the constraint is whether you can lift yours into the bin. Those extra two inches of height and one inch of depth over a standard 22-inch roller are worth real packing space, and travelers who fly Southwest regularly often buy luggage to the Southwest limit rather than the industry-standard one.
How checked bag charges are structured
Three separate things can be charged, and they stack:
- A charge for the bag itself, if your fare or status does not include a free allowance. The second bag usually costs more than the first.
- An overweight charge, applied to any bag over 50 pounds. This is a separate fee on top of the bag charge.
- An oversize charge, applied to any bag measuring more than 62 linear inches, meaning length plus width plus height added together.
A single heavy, large suitcase can therefore collect all three. The overweight and oversize charges are substantially higher than the standard bag charge, which is why they are worth designing your packing around. Southwest will not accept a checked bag over 100 pounds at all, and bags above roughly 80 linear inches have to travel as cargo rather than as baggage.
Measure linear inches the way the airline does: add the three outside dimensions together, including wheels and handles. A fairly ordinary large suitcase at 30 x 20 x 13 inches comes to 63 linear inches, which is one inch into oversize territory. This catches a lot of people who assumed the limit applied to one dimension rather than the total.
Who still gets a free checked bag
Free checked bags still exist, but they are now attached to something rather than included for everyone. Higher fare types include an allowance, Rapid Rewards elite tiers include one, and some Southwest co-branded credit cards include one for the cardholder. The exact combination has been revised more than once since the policy changed, so check the allowance shown on your own booking rather than relying on what someone told you last year.
Two practical points. First, the allowance that applies is the one tied to the ticket at the time of travel, so adding status or a card after booking does not always backdate. Second, an allowance usually applies per passenger rather than per booking, so a family of four traveling on one reservation each get their own entitlement. Confirm both on your reservation before you head to the airport.
Items that travel free regardless of fare
Some items have never counted against a baggage allowance and still do not:
- A stroller and a child restraint seat, when traveling with a child
- Mobility aids and assistive devices, including wheelchairs, walkers and crutches
- Medical equipment and medication
- A jacket, an umbrella, and food or drink bought after security
Sports equipment and musical instruments are handled differently. Some count as a normal checked bag within the size and weight limits, while others carry their own charge or require special handling. Golf clubs, skis and bicycles each have their own rules, and the details move, so look up your specific item on southwest.com before you commit to bringing it.
How to keep your Southwest bag costs at zero
The cabin allowance is large enough that for trips of a week or less, most travelers can skip checking a bag entirely. A 24 x 16 x 10 inch carry-on holds considerably more than the 22-inch standard, and the personal item adds room for electronics and anything you want during the flight.
If you do need to check something, weigh it at home. A bathroom scale works: weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding the bag, and take the difference. Aim for 46 or 47 pounds rather than 49, because airport scales and home scales rarely agree, and the gap between 50 and 51 pounds is expensive.
Two mid-size bags often cost less than one overweight bag, since the overweight charge tends to exceed a second standard bag charge. Run that comparison for your own fare before you pay. Our guide to packing light is built around staying inside a carry-on, and the international packing list helps if you are connecting onto another airline with tighter limits.
One thing the policy change did not alter: Southwest still does not charge to change or cancel a flight, and unused funds stay available as credit. That remains one of the stronger reasons to book with them even now that bags are charged. If fares are what you are optimizing for, our guide on finding cheap flights covers where the real savings tend to be.
Frequently asked questions
Does Southwest still have two bags fly free?
Not as a standard benefit. Tickets purchased from late May 2025 onward are subject to checked bag charges unless your fare type, Rapid Rewards status, or co-branded credit card includes an allowance.
How much does a checked bag cost on Southwest?
It depends on your fare and route, and the amounts have been adjusted since the policy changed. The figure shown during booking on southwest.com for your specific itinerary is the one to go by.
Is the Southwest carry-on size still bigger than other airlines?
Yes. At 24 x 16 x 10 inches it remains more generous than the 22 x 14 x 9 inches that American, Delta and United use. A bag bought to the Southwest limit will not clear a sizer on those carriers.
What counts as an oversize bag?
Any checked bag whose length, width and height add up to more than 62 inches, measured with wheels and handles included. The charge applies even if the bag is under 50 pounds.