Can You Use Miles to Pay for Checked Bags? Rules for 12 Airlines in 2026

By Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, Founder and CEO of The Points King. Last updated: October 14, 2026. Editorial Policy

Short answer: on most US airlines, no. American, United, Southwest and Alaska do not offer a way to pay a checked bag fee with miles. Delta and JetBlue do. Abroad, British Airways, Air France-KLM and Turkish Airlines let you buy extra bags with miles, and Emirates lets you use Cash+Miles. Everyone else expects a card, unless a co-branded card or elite status gets you the bag for free.

I checked every airline below against its own website on October 13, 2026, and each section links to the page I used. Bag rules change often (most US airlines raised fees in April 2026), so check the airline’s page before you fly.

Quick table: can you pay for bags with miles?

Airline Pay bag fees with miles? How
American Airlines No Free bag through a Citi AAdvantage card or status
Delta Yes “Pay with Miles” at check-in, most US departures
United No published option Free bag through a United card or Premier status
Southwest No published option Free first bag for cardmembers, Choice Extra fares, A-List
Alaska and Hawaiian (Atmos) No published option Free bag through an Atmos card or status
JetBlue Yes Manage Trips or the app, before check-in
Air Canada (Aeroplan) Not directly Redeem points for an Air Canada gift card
British Airways (Avios) Yes Manage My Booking, before check-in
Air France-KLM (Flying Blue) Yes Baggage option in My Bookings, the app or customer service
Lufthansa (Miles & More) No Fare with a bag included, or status
Emirates (Skywards) Partly Cash+Miles for extra baggage
Turkish Airlines (Miles&Smiles) Yes Miles only, online, app, sales office or call center

Can you use AAdvantage miles to pay for checked bags on American Airlines?

No. American’s checked bag policy prices bags in dollars only and does not mention miles. Citi, which issues American’s credit cards, puts it plainly in a December 2025 article: “you can’t use AAdvantage miles to pay for a checked bag” (Citi).

What it costs: for tickets issued on or after April 9, 2026, the first checked bag on a domestic flight is $50 at the airport and $45 if you pay online. Basic Economy pays $5 more.

How to get the bag free instead:

  • A Citi AAdvantage card. Eligible cardholders get the first bag free on domestic American itineraries. On the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select, Citi says that covers you and up to four companions on the same reservation. Your AAdvantage number has to be on the booking.
  • Elite status. Gold (and oneworld Ruby) gets one free bag, Platinum (oneworld Sapphire) two, and Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro (oneworld Emerald) three.
  • The cabin. Domestic First, Business and Premium Economy include two bags.
  • An award ticket in a cabin that includes bags. Citi’s own suggestion: if you want to spend miles, spend them on a fare that already comes with the bag.

Free bags apply only to flights marketed and operated by American, not codeshares.

Delta: yes, with SkyMiles at check-in

Delta is the one big US airline that lets you do this. Its baggage page says SkyMiles members flying from most domestic airports “can pay for standard checked bags fees with miles.” You do it during check-in on delta.com, the Fly Delta app or a kiosk.

  • You need enough miles to cover every bag on the reservation.
  • Excess and overweight bags cannot be paid with miles.
  • The first standard bag costs $45 on domestic flights in Delta Main and Comfort.

Is it a good use of miles? Delta shows the miles price at check-in, so do the math there. The Points Guy values SkyMiles at 1.2 cents each, which puts the break-even for a $45 bag at about 3,750 miles. More than that and you are better off paying cash and keeping the miles for a flight. Better still, the Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex and the other Delta Amex cards give you and up to eight companions the first bag free; Amex says the airfare has to be paid with the card.

United: no published option

United does not list miles as a way to pay for checked bags, and none of the sources I checked shows one. United’s domestic first bag is reported at $45 prepaid and $50 at the airport after an April 2026 increase. See United’s checked bag page for your route.

The free-bag routes are the cards and status. The United Explorer card gives a free first bag to you and one companion when you buy the ticket with the card, and the United Quest and Club cards give two. Premier members also get free bags.

Southwest: no published option

Southwest ended free bags for most fares on May 28, 2025, and raised the fees again for bookings on or after April 9, 2026. Its fee table now shows $45 for the first bag and $55 for the second on Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares. The table lists cash prices only and says nothing about paying with Rapid Rewards points.

Who still checks a bag free:

  • Choice Extra fares and A-List Preferred: two bags.
  • A-List: one bag.
  • Southwest credit cardmembers: one bag, for the primary cardmember and others on the same reservation, as long as the cardmember’s Rapid Rewards number is on the booking. Details are in my Southwest Priority card review.
  • Active-duty military.

Alaska and Hawaiian (Atmos Rewards): no published option

Atmos Rewards points go toward flights and experiences, and I found no option for bags. Alaska raised its bag fees for tickets bought on or after April 10, 2026: $45 for the first bag and $55 for the second, with no discount for paying online. Flights within Hawaii stay at $30 and $40.

The Atmos Rewards Ascent card gives a free first bag to you and up to six guests on the same reservation when you pay for the flight with the card. Elite members and oneworld Ruby members also get free bags.

JetBlue: yes, with TrueBlue points before check-in

JetBlue added this in March 2026. Its fees page says you “can also pay for checked bags with TrueBlue points any time before check-in,” in Manage Trips on jetblue.com or My Trips in the app. Once you have checked in, it is cash.

The first bag on domestic and short international routes costs $45 off-peak and $49 peak. Frequent Miler reports the points rate appears fixed at about 1 cent per point. The Points Guy values TrueBlue points at 1.35 cents, so paying for bags with points gets you less than a flight would. It is still a fair use for a small leftover balance. The JetBlue Plus card gives a free first bag to you and up to three travelers on the same itinerary.

Air Canada (Aeroplan): not directly

Aeroplan points cannot pay a bag fee. Air Canada’s checked baggage page lists cards and Air Canada Gift Cards as payment, and the Aeroplan redemption page offers those gift cards starting at 10,000 points. So the long way around is points, then gift card, then bag. Before you do it, check that the gift card works where you plan to pay (online or at the counter).

The simpler route for US travelers is the Chase Aeroplan card, which gives a free first bag to the cardholder and up to eight companions when the trip starts on an Air Canada flight.

British Airways (Avios): yes, online before check-in

British Airways lets you pay for up to 10 extra checked bags in Manage My Booking “using Avios or with a combination of both,” meaning Avios and a card (BA). After you check in, you “won’t be able to pay using Avios,” and bags added at the airport are cash only. BA does not publish the Avios price; it shows it in the booking.

Most BA economy fares other than Basic already include one 23kg bag (BA baggage essentials). Silver and Gold members get two bags of up to 32kg.

Air France-KLM (Flying Blue): yes, for a baggage option

Flying Blue lists baggage among the extra options you can buy with Miles, through the Air France website, app or customer service. Air France’s baggage terms add three details worth knowing:

  • You buy it in My Bookings, up to 30 hours before departure.
  • Paying with Miles costs the airport price, so you lose the online discount.
  • On award tickets, extra bags can only be bought during online check-in.

Air France’s extra baggage page says oversized and overweight bags are paid at the airport, so do not count on Miles for those. Flying Blue Silver and Gold members get one extra bag on SkyTeam flights, and Platinum members get two on Air France and KLM.

Lufthansa (Miles & More): no

The Miles & More spend page lists flights, upgrades, hotels, cars, gift cards, the Worldshop and donations. Baggage is not on it. If you fly Lufthansa in Economy Light, either pick a fare with a bag included or use status: Senator, HON Circle and Star Alliance Gold members get a bag on Light fares.

Emirates (Skywards): partly, with Cash+Miles

Emirates lists “Excess Baggage” among the things you can pay for with Cash+Miles, in Manage Your Booking. Its extra baggage page describes it as a way to “bring down the amount of cash,” and Emirates says there is no set conversion rate; you see it on the payment page. Skywards Gold and Platinum members get one extra piece on routes where Emirates uses the piece system.

Turkish Airlines (Miles&Smiles): yes, miles only

Turkish Airlines sells extra baggage with Miles through its website, app, sales offices and call center. The catch is that you “must make the payment only with Miles,” with no cash top-up, and the miles price varies by route, transit time and operating airline. Elite and Elite Plus members get one additional piece on piece-system routes.

If your airline says no: card credits that cover a bag fee

When the airline won’t take miles, a card often covers the fee instead:

  • Amex Platinum airline fee credit: up to $200 a year on one airline you select, and Amex lists checked bag fees as eligible (Amex). The fee has to be charged separately from the ticket. More in my Amex Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve comparison.
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit: $300 a year that applies to airline purchases (Chase).
  • Capital One Venture miles: you can redeem miles to cover a travel purchase within 90 days (Capital One). Airline charges are generally treated as travel.
  • Bank of America Travel Rewards: points become a statement credit against travel, and Bank of America names baggage fees as eligible (Bank of America).

For the full card comparison by airline, see Top Airline Credit Cards of 2026.

My take

Paying for a bag with miles is almost never the best value for them. A $45 bag paid at around 1 cent per point, the rate JetBlue is reported to use, is a weaker deal than the 1.2 to 1.55 cents The Points Guy puts on the big US programs when you spend them on flights. It makes sense in two cases: you have a small balance that will never reach an award, or you are about to lose the miles to expiry. If the problem is a balance you will not use at all, the options are to spend it on a flight, book a ticket for someone else, or, for programs we buy, ask us for a written price. Selling breaks most airlines’ rules, so read the risks first.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use American Airlines miles to pay for bags?

No. American prices bags in cash only, and Citi confirms AAdvantage miles cannot pay for a checked bag. A Citi AAdvantage card or AAdvantage status gets you a free first bag on domestic American flights.

Which US airlines let you pay for checked bags with miles?

Delta (SkyMiles, at check-in, from most US airports) and JetBlue (TrueBlue points, before check-in). American, United, Southwest and Alaska do not offer it.

How many miles does Delta charge for a bag?

Delta does not publish a fixed rate; it shows the miles price during check-in. At The Points Guy’s value of 1.2 cents per mile, about 3,750 miles is the break-even for a $45 bag.

Can you use miles for overweight bags?

Usually not. Delta excludes excess and overweight bags, and Air France’s extra baggage page says oversized and overweight bags are paid at the airport.

Can you use credit card points to pay for a checked bag?

Often, yes, indirectly. The Amex Platinum airline fee credit, the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit, Capital One Venture miles and Bank of America Travel Rewards points can all cover an airline charge such as a bag fee.

Sources

The Points King
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