The era of free bags on Southwest Airlines is over … kind of. The airline now charges bag fees for all flights, an unfortunate change for Southwest and budget flyers who enjoyed two free checked bags on all flights.
If you check a bag more often than not and Southwest is your carrier of choice, we recommend applying for one of the airline's cobranded cards (which were refreshed in July of 2025).
This way, you'll get free checked bags instead of having to pay $35 for the first bag and $45 for a second one.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on The Points Guy Articles.
