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When it rains, it pours. Put another way: When one airline raises the fee to check a bag, they all do. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Delta Air Lines is taking a cue from other U.S. carriers and hiking the cost to check a bag by $5 — effective for tickets booked on or after March 5, 2024.
Delta Hikes Checked Bag Fees
At this point, we're probably starting to sound like a broken record. From American Airlines to JetBlue to United — you name it — several U.S. airlines have increased the cost of checking a bag. Unfortunately, Delta won't buck this expensive trend and is raising the price of checking a suitcase.
For tickets booked starting today, March 5, 2024, Delta will charge you $5 more to check a bag on a domestic U.S. flight each way. That means the first checked bag will run you $35 and $45 for the second.
The Atlanta-based airline spared its international routes from the now-higher checked bag fees.
How To Avoid Delta’s Bag Fees
Thankfully, there are a few ways to avoid the steep cost of checking a bag outside of paying up for a first-class seat.
Hold a Delta credit card
On flights booked with select Delta credit cards, you can check your first bag free of charge. If you're traveling with companions, up to eight can check their first bags for free if they're on your reservation.
The list of Delta credit cards that offer this first-bag-free perk includes the following:
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
- Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $150.
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- $200 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
- Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- You can check your first bag free on Delta flights, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a family of four that's a potential savings of up to $280 per round-trip flight.
- Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
- $100 Delta Stays Credit: Get up to $100 back per year as a statement credit after using your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
- Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- With Send & Split®, you can send money and split your Card purchases with any other Venmo or PayPal user, directly from the Amex App. Enroll today.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1X miles on all other eligible purchases
Have Delta Medallion or SkyTeam Elite Plus status
You can check your first bag for free as a Delta Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Diamond Medallion member. This benefit also applies to up to eight companions booked on your itinerary.
If you have status with another SkyTeam airline like Air France, KLM, or Virgin Atlantic, you can also check a bag for free if your status is SkyTeam Elite Plus equivalent.
Related: How To Earn Delta Medallion Status in 2024
Final Thoughts
If you book a Delta flight today and don't have a way to waive the cost of a checked bag, you'll pay $35 for your first piece of checked luggage and $45 for your second. While a $5 increase doesn't seem like much, checking a bag is undoubtedly expensive — and more so if you travel a few times per year.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Thanks for the update on delta fees. I have a delta platinum amex card and thought that I would get free first checked bag. When I first got the card this year there was no requirement that the ticket be purchased with the card – i had an existing reservation at the time. Delta is now saying the free checked bag is only available if the ticket was purchased with the card, but I believe this is a change made AFTER I got the card. What are my options at this point?
Matt, the card’s terms don’t say you must pay with the card. Perhaps the system noted “no bag fee waiver” or something like that on your reservation at the time of booking, but that should change and neither Delta nor Amex say you must PAY with that card. Here are the terms saying you just have to have the card and list your SkyMiles number (from Amex):
Benefit is limited to Basic Card Members (not Additional Card Members) with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Cards. Reservation must include the Basic Card Member’s SkyMiles number. Fee waiver also available for passengers traveling in the same reservation as the Basic Card Member. Maximum nine waivers per reservation. Waiver is only for normal bag fee, if any, for the first checked bag that is not overweight and not oversize under Delta’s applicable rules as set forth in Delta’s contract of carriage. Additional checked bags will be subject to the applicable baggage fees as outlined by Delta’s rules and the purchased fare as set forth in Delta’s contract of carriage. The first checked bag fee waiver will only be applied on flight segments which originate on a Delta or Delta Connection® carrier when you check-in with Delta for both a Delta marketed and Delta operated flight. Codeshare flights are not eligible. New Card Members and Card Members upgrading from another Delta SkyMiles Card product will be eligible for the checked baggage fee waiver benefit after receiving their Card from American Express. Offer terms and conditions subject to change. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions may apply. See delta.com/firstbagfree for details.