Baggage fees can quickly add up when traveling with a family. But the right credit card can help save you money by covering these charges directly.
Co-branded airline cards often provide many perks, including complimentary checked bags. Unfortunately, these benefits tend to be limited by which carrier you fly with.
Other cards, like the National Bank World Elite Mastercard, allow travelers to check bags free regardless of which airline they fly on.
1. United Explorer Card
The United Explorer Card is one of the top airline cards for free checked baggage. If you travel frequently on United Airlines, this card can provide significant value with its $95, annual fee (waived in the first year), giving priority boarding and one free bag on every flight booked as well as lounge passes, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck eligibility credits and savings on in-flight purchases.
But this card comes with some drawbacks as well, such as its relatively low rate of earning miles with United purchases compared to cards offering two times as many miles for spending directly with them, and charging fees for balance transfers and cash advances.
If you want to maximize the rewards from airline purchases, a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card could be worth considering. It offers an easier way of redeeming Ultimate Rewards points for United flights as well as many additional perks, including free checked bags and 25% back on in-flight purchases.
For travelers who travel occasionally or semi-frequently with United, a card like the United Gateway Card could be ideal. It offers a welcome bonus, free first bag access to United Club membership and no annual fees.
Another option for travel rewards are the United Quest Card or Club Infinite Card, both with higher annual fees than the Explorer Card but offering additional United-specific perks, including priority boarding and two free checked bags. They also feature higher earning rates on airfare purchases plus travel protections such as rental car coverage, lost luggage reimbursement and trip interruption/cancellation insurance. Both cards require good credit scores before application – be sure you can afford the annual fees before applying.
2. United Business Card
The United Business Card is an ideal solution for small-business owners who frequently fly United and need an airline credit card that offers useful perks like free checked bags. In addition to an impressive rewards structure and welcome bonus, the annual fee remains competitively priced.
This card earns two miles for every dollar spent on United Airlines purchases (tickets, inflight food and Wi-Fi, etc), grants priority boarding privileges to you and one companion on every flight, offers two United Club one-time passes annually, provides free checked baggage service on flights as well as priority boarding; plus provides travel protections such as trip interruption / cancellation insurance coverage as well as baggage delay coverage as well as primary car rental insurance protection.
Contrary to some airline cards, this card does not charge foreign transaction fees, saving money when traveling internationally and making it an excellent choice for international trips.
However, after the first year has passed, this card does come with an annual fee of $99 which may be difficult for small-business owners to manage. Furthermore, it offers less free checked bags than some other airline cards such as United Explorer which offers one for you and one companion while with United Quest you are allowed two per way when paying with this card.
Although the United Business Card can be beneficial to frequent United flyers, you might prefer an alternate travel credit card instead. Chase offers several cards that allow transfer points directly into United MileagePlus including its top travel cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve that provide generous rewards rates on most spending.
3. National Bank World Elite Mastercard
National Bank’s World Elite Mastercard is its premium credit card, featuring travel perks and earning potential, but also having steep income requirements and an expensive annual fee that may put off some applicants. However, for those unable to meet them or who are concerned with affordability National Bank also offers the Platinum Mastercard card which doesn’t feature travel benefits or insurance coverage like its World Elite counterpart but boasts much lower income requirements and annual fees than its World Elite sibling.
National Bank World Elite Mastercard stands out among Canadian credit cards by offering travel perks and enhanced earning rates, but also its impressive array of included insurance coverage. Notably, it boasts some of the best out-of-province hospital coverage – 60 days of coverage for those aged 54 or under and 31 days for those over. Furthermore, rental vehicle coverage and two years’ purchase protection protection coverage protect new or pre-owned merchandise bought on it from being damaged during purchase.
Cardholders can redeem their points for gift cards and cash back, paying down mortgage loans faster, investing in RRSPs/TFSAs, or accessing over one million WiFi hotspots around the globe through Boingo WiFi membership – or any combination thereof!
Although its annual fee and earning potential may be somewhat limited, National Bank World Elite Mastercard remains an attractive choice for many travelers, thanks to its comprehensive suite of included insurance and benefits. Furthermore, it’s notable that National Bank is one of only few Canadian banks to offer a card with complimentary checked baggage coverage.
4. Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the most beloved travel credit cards on the market, thanks to its premium suite of benefits that make it ideal for frequent travelers willing to pay an annual fee in exchange for luxury travel experiences and top-tier protection benefits. Plus, this card comes equipped with an attractive welcome bonus of 60,000 points as well as high earn rates on travel and dining purchases!
Cardholders of Chase Ultimate Rewards points can redeem them at a rate of 1.5 cents each through Chase’s travel portal – far better than the redemption value of most airline miles. In addition, an automatic $300 travel credit helps offset costs related to airfare and travel expenses; and additional features like primary auto rental collision damage coverage, trip delay coverage and lost luggage reimbursement make this card ideal.
Priority Pass Select offers you access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide, including some operated directly by airlines. This perk sets it apart from similar cards like The Platinum Card from American Express or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
Chase Sapphire Reserve credit cards provide travelers with several key benefits, including waiving first-class airfare booking fees – an invaluable savings when traveling as part of a group. Furthermore, these cards offer $100 statement credit to cover TSA PreCheck(r) Global Entry(r) NEXUS application fees; which alone could more than make up for its annual fee alone! Nevertheless, its steep $550 annual fee may be difficult for some consumers to justify; additionally it charges $75 for every authorized user, higher fees than most travel credit cards.
5. American Express Platinum
The Platinum Card is an iconic travel companion that comes loaded with luxurious benefits. A popular credit card choice among frequent flyers, the card provides premium features like an annual airline credit of $200 that can be applied toward incidentals such as checked bags on U.S. airlines. Furthermore, Amex Offers gives access to savings on many purchases across categories.
Bankrate’s latest valuations put this welcome bonus at roughly $1,600 of travel. Additionally, The Platinum Card offers access to airport lounges via American Express Global Lounge Collection’s network of 500+ locations worldwide as well as premium services and purchase protections like automatic elite status with Hilton and Marriott hotels as well as complimentary Gold status with Avis Hertz National car rental agencies.
As with other ultra-premium cards, the Platinum Card requires good to excellent credit in order to be approved. Furthermore, it doesn’t offer many of the travel protections provided by other cards such as trip delay/baggage delay/cancellation insurance and accident protection. However, for frequent flyers who book flights through an airline, 5X Membership Rewards points on airfare can easily offset its $695 annual fee; other benefits of having this card make it worth keeping. As always, the choice to select an American Express Platinum card ultimately lies with you and your traveling needs and budget. If not, consider other airline co-branded cards offering complimentary baggage check or look for cards with similar perks but lower annual fees.
