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How to avoid overweight bag fees
Limits change; confirm with your airline before you fly. Every figure here links to the airline page it came from.
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What is an overweight bag fee, and who actually charges it?
An overweight fee applies once a checked bag crosses over an airline's standard weight allowance, most often 50 lb (23 kg). It is separate from a bag's outside size, and separate from a standard checked bag fee for a first or second piece. Not every airline in this guide's data publishes a fixed dollar figure for it, but Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and Frontier all do, and the four numbers are different enough to matter.
What does Delta charge for an overweight bag?
Delta charges $100 for a bag between 51 and 70 lb, and $200 for a bag between 71 and 99 lb. That is a doubling of the fee for the second weight band, so a bag that is significantly over the limit costs meaningfully more than one that is only a few pounds over.
| Airline | Weight range | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Delta | 51 to 70 lb | $100 |
| Delta | 71 to 99 lb | $200 |
| Southwest | 51 to 70 lb | $100 |
| JetBlue | 51 to 99 lb | $150 |
| Frontier | 41 to 50 lb | $75 |
| Frontier | 51 to 99 lb | $129 (previously $100, before a 2026 rate change) |
What does Southwest charge?
Southwest charges $100 for a bag between 51 and 70 lb, the same as Delta's lower band. Southwest's page does not publish a separate, higher fee tier beyond that range in this guide's data.
What does JetBlue charge?
JetBlue charges a flat $150 for any bag between 51 and 99 lb, rather than splitting that range into two tiers the way Delta does. A bag at 55 lb and a bag at 95 lb cost the same overweight fee on JetBlue, which is different from how Delta prices the same range.
What does Frontier charge?
Frontier charges $75 for a bag between 41 and 50 lb, a band that starts below the 50 lb mark other airlines use as their standard limit, since Frontier's own standard checked bag allowance is 40 lb rather than 50. For 51 to 99 lb, Frontier's current fee is $129, up from $100 under an earlier schedule before a 2026 rate change.
How much does a luggage scale actually save?
A hanging digital luggage scale costs about $8 to $10 and gives a weight reading in seconds. Against Delta's $100 to $200 range, JetBlue's flat $150, or Frontier's $75 to $129, the scale pays for itself on the first bag it catches before check-in, and it is reusable on every trip after that.
What if a bag is right at the edge of the limit?
Shifting a heavy item, like shoes or a jacket, into a carry-on or personal item is usually the fastest fix at the counter, as long as that item does not push the carry-on itself over its own size or weight allowance. Weighing the bag at home first avoids having to make that trade-off in a check-in line under time pressure.
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Frequently asked questions
Is $100 the standard overweight fee across all these airlines?
$100 is the entry-level fee for Delta and Southwest's lower weight band, but it is not universal. JetBlue charges a flat $150 across a wider range, and Frontier charges $75 for a lower band and $129 for a higher one. Delta's own fee also doubles to $200 for bags between 71 and 99 lb, so no single number applies across all four airlines.
Does Frontier's overweight fee change depending on when I book?
Yes, for the 51 to 99 lb band specifically. Frontier's current fee for that range is $129, up from $100 under an earlier schedule, following a 2026 rate change. The 41 to 50 lb fee, $75, is not affected by that change in the data this guide draws from.
Can I avoid the fee by moving items to a carry-on at the counter?
Often, yes, as long as the carry-on itself stays under its own size and weight allowance after the move. This works best when the checked bag is only a few pounds over, since a carry-on has far less room to absorb weight than a checked bag does before it becomes a different problem at the gate.
Is a luggage scale worth buying for a single trip?
Yes, on cost alone. A hanging digital scale runs about $8 to $10, less than any of the overweight fees in this guide, including Frontier's lowest band at $75. It also works on every future trip, so the cost is really a one-time expense against a fee that can recur on every flight without one.
Researched, not professional advice. Airline rules change; confirm with your airline before you fly.