United Credit Card Can Get You Past Carry-On Restrictions

United Airlines' no-frills "Basic Economy" fares prohibit passengers who buy them from bringing aboard anything but a small carry-on on domestic flights. But having a United credit card can be your ticket past the restriction.

Basic Economy fares, which the airline began offering in 2017, limit domestic passengers to carrying on a single "personal item" that can fit under the seat in front of them. United defines a personal item as a shoulder bag, backpack, laptop bag or other small item that measures no larger than 9 inches by 10 inches by 17 inches.

Any other baggage will have to be checked — for a fee. That includes standard roll-aboard bags and duffels.

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As of April 2024, United was charging $40 to check a passenger's first bag at the airport and $50 for a second bag. (Prepaying for checked bags online drops those prices to $35 and $45, respectively.) Basic Economy passengers who bring an ineligible bag to the gate will have to pay the fee plus a $25 gate handling charge.

» MORE: The complete guide to United's frequent flyer program

The exceptions

However, certain Basic Economy passengers are exempt from the baggage restrictions and can still bring full-size carry-ons and use the overhead bins:

Holders of United credit cards who pay for the flight with the card.
United MileagePlus Premier members and Star Alliance Gold members.
Travelers on trans-Atlantic flights to and from the U.S., Mexico and Central America, as well as those flying to and from El Salvador, Panama and South America.

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Free checked bags

Some United cardholders also have the option of checking their first bag for free.

The The New United℠ Explorer Card, for example, has an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $150. The first checked bag is free for the cardholder and a companion traveling on the same reservation — so a couple who each check a bag could make up for the card’s annual fee in a single round trip.

The higher-priced The New United Quest℠ Card and The New United Club℠ Card give cardholders and a companion their first and second checked-bags free. But the $0-annual-fee The New United Gateway℠ Card only offers two free checked bags after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year.

» MORE: Which United Airlines card should you get?

While several general-purpose travel credit cards offer higher reward rates and more flexible redemption options, airline-branded cards are the only ones to provide free checked bags.

The luggage limit isn't the only restriction that United Basic Economy fliers have to contend with. No-frills passengers also board the plane last, unless they have an airline credit card or elite-flier status. And they're given whatever seats are left over after higher-fare passengers are assigned seats. That means families and groups on the same Basic Economy itinerary won’t necessarily sit together.