How can I avoid baggage charges on Delta and United?

[SlightlyocdDisneyfan]

Does anyone know of a way to avoid checked bag charges on Delta and United? We are flying out on one airline and back on another.

 

[goofy4tink]

Several ways....some airlines allow their more valued customers to check bags with no fees...but you would already be aware of that if you were part of an airline elite program.
Or, you can just fly with carryon bags...hard to do for the majority of fliers.

Basically, you pay to check bags..period. There is no real way 'to avoid' paying checked baggage fees. The airline either allows for a free checked bag, or they don't.

 

[SlightlyocdDisneyfan]

Thank you for the information.

Two years ago, I read on these boards information about a fabulous deal on the airline we happened to be flying (US Airways). Basically, we signed up for a free trial "Silver" membership and received a year of free baggage. It was a low publicized special, but saved us a bundle. I was hoping to hear of a similar deal this time around.

 

[Brian Noble]

If you have a Gold or higher Delta AmEx, the first checked bag for each person on your reservation is free. The fee is $95/year, but waived for the first year.

www.mycardcan.com

 

[DebbieB]

If you have a Gold or higher Delta AmEx, the first checked bag for each person on your reservation is free. The fee is $95/year, but waived for the first year.

www.mycardcan.com

This is a good deal plus they give you 20,000 miles to signup.

You don't have to charge the flight to the card, it just has to be an open account when you fly. They link it to your skymiles # and anytime a flight with that skymiles # is on it, you get the 1 free bag for each person on your reservation, up to 8 people.

United has one too:

https://www.theexplorercard.com/MPC...r_upto40k_50back_XXCardsFeatured_NV9_20110719

 

[francie57]

As others have said, get a Delta AmEx or you have to be in the higher skymile categories. We just upgraded to first class when checking in for our last flight. The price was very low (think they needed seats for standby people) and we got free bags and priority luggage service - ours were the first three bags off the plane.

 

[disneyfanUSA]

I just looked at the offer. So if I'm reading it right, I can get 25,000 points at sign up. It takes 5000 pts for $50 of credits. So for my 25,000 pts I could get $250 off airfare...about a one way flight for March when I'm looking! Am I understanding this correctly?

 

[MAH4546]

I just looked at the offer. So if I'm reading it right, I can get 25,000 points at sign up. It takes 5000 pts for $50 of credits. So for my 25,000 pts I could get $250 off airfare...about a one way flight for March when I'm looking! Am I understanding this correctly?

25,000 points is a free round-trip coach ticket within the lower 48 states or one-way in first. A horrendous waste of miles, IMO, considering you can fly to Europe starting at 50,000.

 

[DebbieB]

25,000 points is a free round-trip coach ticket within the lower 48 states or one-way in first. A horrendous waste of miles, IMO, considering you can fly to Europe starting at 50,000.

In my experience, it's hard to get a ticket for 25,000 miles. When I used miles last year PIT-MCO, the best I could do was 32,500. The best I could do PIT-SNA last month was 40,000.

 

[MAH4546]

In my experience, it's hard to get a ticket for 25,000 miles. When I used miles last year PIT-MCO, the best I could do was 32,500. The best I could do PIT-SNA last month was 40,000.

On a program as bad as Delta's, true. On a good program where miles actually have value, like AAdvantage, it's very very easy.

 

[jodifla]

I have a Delta platinum card...It costs $150, but I get free bags for my whole family each time I fly, and a free companion ticket every year, so it ends up saving us hundreds of dollars and is worth the annual fee.

They also just announced cardholders will be able to board after first class, another perk.

 

[Disneyhayes]

Amex employee here. If you sign up for the gold Delta skymiles card at americanexpress.com you get 20000 skymiles after your first purchase and 2500 bonus miles for each additional card you add at the time of application (up to 2). You get your first bag free anytime you fly with Delta for you and up to 8 people flying WITH you. You get zone 2 boarding which is after 1st and business class and also 20% off in-flight purchases.

 

[NancyIL]

On a program as bad as Delta's, true. On a good program where miles actually have value, like AAdvantage, it's very very easy.

I agree about AAdvantage. While I used 25,000 AA miles for my roundtrip flights to Seattle in August, my travel buddy had to use 40,000 Delta miles for the same flight dates. I generally prefer to save my miles for fights to Europe, and I have always been able to get flights on American or their partners using the lowest mileage awards.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

On a program as bad as Delta's, true. On a good program where miles actually have value, like AAdvantage, it's very very easy.

I have been elite on Delta, AA, United and USAir.

AA was no better then Delta (actually they were worse. Called both airlines once for a last minute FF ticket. Both had half empty flights to my destination... AA wouldn't give me a FF ticket, DL gave me a low milage award)

I use most of mine to Europe and after a lot of AA frustration have let my status drop with them.

Honestly, airlines don't make money flying us for free.