How to Avoid Carry On Luggage Fees (Even If You’re Overweight)
traveling carry-on only can save you
money and is weirdly liberating but
airlines are getting sneaky with
stupidly expensive carryon fees so you
need to be even sneakier to avoid them
you never know what going to go down at
the airport so if you want to know how
to avoid carry on luggage fees you need
to plan for three stages before the
airport when you arrive at the airport
in a code red situation if you get
called out stick to the end for an
off-the-wall Last Resort trick that I’ve
seen work multiple times to these
fees before you start packing you need
to do some prep work check your Airlines
weight and size requirements because
they can vary a lot if you have separate
connecting flights on different airlines
research them all and don’t make
assumptions and be careful because some
Airlines have a total weight limit that
includes both your carry-on and your
personal item combined and the wording
that they use isn’t always exactly clear
while you’re in research mode check what
the overweight fees are for your airline
just to have an idea of the potential
consequences if you don’t take these
next tips seriously armed with your
limits now it’s time to weigh you can
just use a normal scale and weigh
yourself with and without your bag but
it’s also handy to grab one of those
luggage scales on Amazon if you’re going
to be traveling frequently and you’re
worried about the airlines discovering
your overweight bags if I know my
weight’s going to be an issue I
generally pack my heaviest stuff in my
personal item Which is less likely to
get weighed although it can still happen
once you get to your gate you can always
rearrange your stuff if you want to but
whatever you do try to avoid the check
en counter at all costs this is where
you’re most likely to get smacked with
fees that means always trying to check
in online or using the Airlines app to
get either digital or printed boarding
passes beforehand it also means not
having any check bags because if you
have checked bags then you’ll likely
need to go to the check en counter where
they might weigh your carry-on as well
if you don’t think you can survive
without the space of a checked bag use
the clever tips in this video to
maximize your personal item space
instead you can also minimize your odds
of problems by using a compact
lightweight carry-on ideally in lowkey
colors backpacks don’t draw as much
attention as rolling luggage and they
also normally weigh way less for example
the carry-on rolling suitcase ranked
number one by the New York Times weighs
7.8 lb while this 4 L Tortuga backpack
that I use as my full-time carry-on only
weighs 4.5 lb a 3 or 4 lb difference
might not sound like a big deal but with
carryon limits as little as 15 lb simply
choosing a backpack over a rolling
suitcase allows you to pack roughly 25%
more weight of your actual stuff I like
this bag because it’s Compact and it
doesn’t really draw attention so even if
it does happen to be overweight Airline
attendants don’t really notice it and
are less likely to weigh it there are
are certainly lighter bags out there but
you want to be careful about going too
light or you’ll lose durability and
could end up with a broken carryon apart
from using the right carryon you can
also avoid luggage fees by wearing a
fanny pack a sling pack or one of these
fancy Scotty vests these vests are
specifically designed with 20 30 even 40
Pockets to outsmart Airlines at their
annoying luggage restriction games some
of these vests and coats even have a
pocket that fits an entire laptop
obviously it only makes sense if you
plan to use it over five times or so at
this point the cost of Saved baggage
fees outweighs the cost of the jacket
the next piece of our anti- luggage fee
strategy is to arrive at the airport
with plenty of time to spare I know it
sucks especially if it’s super early in
the morning but having a Time cushion
allows you to fix problems if they arise
which I’ll show you how to do in a sec
if you arrive late you’ll be dressed and
frazzled and you’re more likely to pay
their outrageous fees just so you don’t
miss your flight now that I have a
credit card that includes free lounge
access I actually look forward to
arriving early to the airport not being
in a rush makes the entire airport
process less stressful and in the end
you get free food now if you weren’t
able to check in online the kiosks are
your next best option and if that’s not
an option either you have no other
choice but to prepare for battle at the
check encounter if you know you’re over
weight and you’re traveling with a group
you could try going one at a time and
leaving one person behind leaving some
of your stuff with them I’ve never had
to resort to this but if you bought your
tickets as a group I don’t know if the
check-in agents would wonder or care
where your travel partners are but it
seems like it’s worked for other
Travelers in the past so it may just
depend on the airlines policies the same
idea applies if someone brought you to
the airport to see you off you could
just leave some of your stuff with them
and then pick it up after you have your
boarding pass
but what happens if they discover that
your bags are overweight or oversized
don’t panic yet simply tell them that
you need to rearrange some things step
out of line to find a quiet corner and
initiate the code red protocol code red
level one is to Simply wear more of your
heavy stuff layer up as many shirts
sweatshirts and coats as possible wear
your heaviest shoes hang your headphones
around your neck put heavy stuff in your
pockets there are some pretty hilarious
videos of people doing this right in
front of the checking counter but I
would not recommend trying to provoke or
show up the attendant they probably
won’t think it’s very funny but in the
end who are they to tell you how warmly
you’re allowed to dress I realized how
ridiculous are the sounds because in the
end the same amount of weight is
entering the airplane but sometimes
stupid rules call for stupid workarounds
even if you wore all your clothes and
strapped ankle weights around your legs
you’d still probably weigh less than
other people on your flight that that’s
why I don’t buy it when trolls leave
hateful comments claiming that these
overweight luggage tricks are a safety
risk your neighbor might weigh 100 lb
more than you so what’s the risk in
carrying 5 lbs extra in your backpack if
you want to be extra clever like my wife
Diane you can even cram clothes into
your neck pillow and wear around your
neck she found a seamstress in Thailand
who added a zipper to her old travel
pillow for $2 but if you don’t have a
tie seamstress on speed Di I’ll link to
a travel pillow designed specifically
for this purpose also if you’re
traveling with someone else and they’re
underwe you can ask the airline workers
if you can weigh your bags at the same
time to see if they even out if they’re
being a brat and won’t let you weigh
them together just go to the bathroom
and move some of your stuff into their
bag cold red strategy level two is to
start throwing away cheap stuff that
weigh a lot like an old pair of shoes or
a bulky sweatshirt decide for yourself
if it makes sense in your situation but
it may make more sense to lose a easy to
replace $20 item than to pay a $100
overweight fee cold red level three
requires some sneaky creativity you
could bring a food bag like a big
McDonald’s bag and fill it with stuff
instead of food that said if they ask
about it don’t lie to them a bag like
this is something you’d want to pack in
your carry-on before leaving home just
in case but if you don’t have one you
could try to find a restaurant in the
airport that looks like they have taken
way backs packing the wrong way can also
increase your odds of getting smacked
with luggage fees and you may not even
realize you’re doing anything wrong
luckily I ran some experiments to
determine the best way to pack your
carry-on luggage according to science so
watch that video next it may change the
way you think about packing all right
guys leave me some of your best carry on
Packing Tips below and I’ll see you in
the next one
bye-bye
If you follow these packing tips, you can avoid carry on luggage fees almost every time. Click “show more” to see links mentioned in this video and ad disclusure 👇
My carry-on backpack: https://bit.ly/48jltKj
Traveling carry-on only can save money…IF you don’t get smacked with outrageous fees at the airport. These carry on packing tips show you step-by-step how to avoid these fees.
Links mentioned in video 👇
Credit card I use for free lounge access: https://bit.ly/3wHrweR
Travel vest/jackets with insane amount of pockets: https://bit.ly/48yZoZK
Travel pillow you can pack stuff in: https://amzn.to/3SKXTBR
Luggage scale: https://amzn.to/3IsWo56
🔴 M O R E C O O L V I D E O S 😎 :
▶ SNEAKY Tips for Packing a Free Spirit Airlines Personal Item Backpack: https://youtu.be/arPv33f2bU0
▶ BEST Way to Pack Carry-On Luggage, According to SCIENCE: https://youtu.be/wPX7lLFqeCE
▶ AVOID These Carry-On Packing MISTAKES At All Costs: https://youtu.be/k8aHwEG_lfw
___
🟠 C O O L S T U F F :
▶ My favorite credit cards for award flights & travel perks: https://bit.ly/42B8TVx
▶ 100+ ways to make money traveling (free download): https://bit.ly/2Qku25X
▶ How to become a digital nomad for beginners (complete blueprint): https://bit.ly/3fkkgLa
___
🟢 T O P R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S :
→ Newsletter that sends out crazy cheap flight deals:: https://bit.ly/40R1SyM
→ Everything you need to plan your trip: https://bit.ly/2QsWmCz
→ Get free accommodation around the world: https://bit.ly/3jXCjeL
→ Cheap travel insurance (that saved me $15k in medical expenses): https://bit.ly/3xlZiU2
___
🔴 C H A P T E R S:
___
🟣 A L I T T L E A B O U T U S
Heyo! Mitch and Day here 👋🏼
We’re just your typical American-Colombian couple determined to live every second of our precious time here on earth to the fullest. After a 10-month solo backpacking trip through South America, I (Mitch) stopped in Cali, Colombia to take salsa dancing classes 💃🏻. I only planned to stay for a couple weeks, but God had other plans for me. I met a cute Colombian girl (Day) in class, those couple weeks turned into a couple years, and before we knew it…we were married 👰🏻🤵🏼
Now we’re traveling the world full time as digital nomads, supporting ourselves by working online 👨💻👩💻
Our goal with these videos is to inspire you to step outside your comfort zone, give you an inside peek at our crazy imperfect lives, and show you that you don’t have to be rich to live an extraordinary life…all you need to do is make the choice!
___
Advertiser Disclosure:
This video may contain links through which we are compensated when you click on or are approved for offers. The information in this video was not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Offers are current only as the time of the video publishing date and may have changed by the time you watch it.
Project Untethered is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as Milevalue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor. Project Untethered does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.
34 Comments
Stop looking at the camera. Your eyes are so distracting!
Hi, you briefly showed wearing a hip pack with 3 external zippers under your jacket. Can you please share a link? Thanks! New sub. here.
Thx Mitch – good ideas… 👍
I recently discovered your channel and I love it!!! Thank you for all those hacks that you share with us!!!
Great helping tricks
5:45 "in the end, the same amount of weight is entering the airplane" => actually it matters a bit. As you may have noticed, the overhead bins often contain a big sticker stating the max weight of the stuff that can be put in it. Overloading these bins could aggravate an in-flight issue, as it moves up the center of gravity of the plane. Could also damage the compartment in case of a high-G event. Not a problem if just one passenger does it, but if everyone does it, that's another story.
On a side note, at CDG, if you get picked for a luggage weight check, they will definitely put all your cabin bags on the scale at once.
Southwest recently announced that pilliows and blankets have to fit in your carry on or personal item bag.
Yea, on a recent trip to Colombia I wore my jeans and hiking boots and a couple of extra jackets, and placed my laptop in my personal item bag to save space and weight on my carry on sized backpack. It worked. Once I got to the gate I put one of the jackets and the laptop back in the backpack.
Ignorant people need to be reminded this is a safety issue. I am a frequent traveler and always check a bag, unless it is a very short trip with a small bag that meets the carry on limits. I resent the many people who selfishly take more than one carry on or skirt the weight and volume limits. People who resent the overweight fees need to find their missing empathy. "Stupid" rules were made for stupid selfish people. If I observe that an airline is clearly lenient and enabling these people I will make a mental note not to use them in the future.
you are the cheap fool who makes others wait in line, takes up interior cabin space, and is looked upon as a cheap leech.
Shame on you and your equally cheap skate wife Diane. If you are that hard up for the few dollars you save by shaming each other, take the train.
Wear your jeans, sweat shirt, hoodie or coat on the airplane. It can get chilly up there at 37k ft. And you’ll save a good amount of space in your bag.
if you really wanna hack the system, you should not fly and just get a bus or train or a car and go to your destination. By the time you get done dealing with all the people staring at you for acting like a fool by putting your underwear or jackets in a neck pillow and having the gate agents take your bag anyway then charge you a fine for being overweight, you could have saved yourself a hella lot embarrassment. I find these videos hilarious. I'm happy to contribute to your views, but completely disagree with this methodology.
Don’t advise people to carry other peoples things that’s so irresponsible
Wow – great advice and his eyes are beautiful!
Is this the guy that leaves no room for others who follow the rules?
Great tips, but I'm definitely not overweight! 😂
I flew recently with United Airlines and their fees are ridiculous (first time flying with them, first time encountering pricey baggage fees). Idk if this is a hack, but what I found worked for me. Two days before I was on their website looking at the costs for extra bags and overweight fees. They have different requirements for different ticket levels. So if you're traveling economy, you're allowed 2 checked bags with a fee at 50lbs (not sure if per or total). If you're traveling Premium Economy, 2 checked bags, no fee, 50lbs. If you're traveling business or first class, no fees for both bags, 70lbs. So when I got to the check-in, I was on an economy ticket, I had my two regular bags and a case that had my equipment. In total I was gonna be charged $440+. I asked the agent what the charge was to upgrade to business class, $229. All my bags and case were now under the limit AND checked through to my final destination. I was on 3 connecting flights with an overnight layover in Atlanta.
Major airlines are considering initiating weight limits on overweight people. Tests have been done where an airport lab is set up in order to remove said pounds of flesh in order balance the plane.
I don't fly much but I was stupid enough to go to the counter even after checking in with their free kiosk. They tagged my 3lbs over the combined weight so I got charged $100. I saw so many people with much larger two bags of carry-on's walk in without checking in at the service counter. I was so mad!
Does flying business or first class change or eliminate baggage fees?
Great video. I travel carry on All the time and have utilized these strategies many times. Another good trick is making sure that i have a hoodie with large internal pockets. when i arrive at the check in counter i take my plastic bag with my 100 ML liquid bottles in it and place it in the pockets whilst wearing it. Cheers, great video.
Then why people that are not overweight are paying prices like overwheight people?
Why somebody that have 80 kg pays same price as somebody that have double weight?
Please don’t encourage this guy he is a idiot
I have only travelled in Europe and mostly use Ryanair since it is the cheapest I can find. Only take a personal item. While I do not think it is ok to charge people more to take a carry-on, at the same time I think it makes it a fun game to try to get only the basics in a personal item.
The problem I have seen over the years is that people overpack and ignore the size regulations. They clearly state how big the bags have to be. If you pack way too much or the bag is too big, well…
I know everybody is different and every person has different needs but try to travel more minimalistic if possible. Do you need 10 t-shirts, 10x underwear, 10x socks and 10 trousers for a 10-day trip? Take half or even less and wash them in the sink of your ho(s)tel. If you are travelling with friends, gather all your dirty stuff and do a load of laundry. I've been to England twice in winter with only a 16 L Kånken backpack. I am glad I do not use make-up or need a ton of different skin-care products so a 1 L toiletry bag is enough. I could travel with that for a month too.
Thanks for the tips!
With the size of people getting larger and larger, I foresee airlines allowing less baggage in the future or else weighing people along with their luggage.
Just don't overpack. Throw stuff away or donate items to a homeless person on the street.
Just take 3 or 4 outfits. Most place have washers and dryers, this eliminates a lot of this. Also roll all your clothes' to save space.
I know someone who is working at an airport and some airlines and some are doing this already are thinking to start to weight the carry on at the gate and also check the size at te gate, if it is to big or to heavy you have to pay at the gate. He has heard of an airline in North Afrika thzt is weighting the hold baggage at arrival and if the baggage weight more than 20kgs the passenger has to pay before they receive their baggage.
Yeahhh right. You need no matter what you do? You need to weight your bag 💰 n the ticket counter even that you check your bags on line or in the kios
Sometimes I hate the tourists (most of whom are Westerners) carrying backpacks that are so huge they almost can’t fit in the compartment. I don’t know how they get past the checkpoint, but this is annoying because it takes up so much space. As a result, I had to put my luggage a few rows away. Since the cabin crew isn’t saying anything, I can only remain quiet.
hope you made your connection in istanbul. i barely did!
thank you
How can people not have checked in luggage though if going from UK-USA or UK-Asia? Limits are often are like 5-8kg for carry on luggage. Some of these videos are far wide of the mark. Great video for quick flights though!