Best Free Checked Bags Credit Cards

Kevin Shahnazari

•

5 min read

Paying for bags when travelling is not fun! Especially if you are travelling with family, for which you would probably need to spend over a few hundred dollars to cover the fees on Canadian Airlines.

If same as me, you are the type that doesn’t like paying these fees, this article is for you! The good news is that there are credit cards that allow you to get free check-in bags without paying for them! But the number of cards with this benefit is very limited, and they don’t cover all airlines. We will go into the details of each card so that you can decide which card is better for you.

Different Airlines that have Credit cards to get free checked bags

When you get the free checked baggage benefit from a credit card, it is specific to one airline. This means you can't use that benefit on any other airline, so you are somewhat restricted in your airline choice if you want to use this benefit every time. There are two airlines for which you can use this benefit: Aeroplan and WestJet. The Aeroplan cards give free checked-in bags ONLY when travelling with AirCanada, and the WestJet card also only provides that benefit for flights with WestJet.

We will cover Westjet cards in detail first, and then discuss Aeroplan cards after.

Westjet Cards

For Westjet, things are simple because there is only one card offers the benefit of the first free checked-in bags: The Westjet RBC World Elite MasterCard.

More Details

WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard

Finly Rating

Welcome Bonus

Up to $450 WestJet Dollars

Net Annual Rewards

$241.6

Based on $2,000/mo spending. Calculate your rewards.

Annual Fee

$119

Interest Rates

20.99% / 22.99%

RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE

300

Poor

560

Fair

660

Good

725

Very Good

760

Excellent

Why we like it

If you travel frequently with WestJet, you must get this card because you are missing out on many benefits, even if you don't use this card for rewards. The round-trip companion voucher, status lift, and free checked bag benefits alone more than make up for the annual fee. For WestJet purchases, this card is great for earning rewards, but for all other categories, we recommend pairing it with another card.

Pros & Cons

Pros

A no-brainer if you are a frequent WestJet traveler. The first free checked bag, annual companion pass, and status lift benefits alone make up more than the amount paid for the annual fee.
A very good list of travel insurance in addition to WestJet-specific benefits.

Cons

Not the best card for rewards accumulation, so it's better if paired with another card that offers higher rewards on non-WestJet purchases.
Rewards can only be used on WestJet, making them less flexible.

Product Details

Rewards

2% back in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages
1.5% back in WestJet dollars on other purchases

Insurance

Coverage

Emergency Out of province Medical
15 days
Emergency Medical Over 65
3 days
Travel Accident
$500K
Car Rental Damage & Theft
$65K up to 48 days
Trip Interruption
$5K/person, $25K/trip
Flight Delay
$250/person, $500/occurrence
Baggage Delay
$500/person, $2500/occurrence
Purchase Protection
90 days
Extended Warranty
1 year

Benefits

Details

Companion Voucher
Travel within Canada or to the continental U.S. (excluding Hawaii), from $119 CAD, Travel to Hawaii or Mexico from $399 CAD, Travel to the rest of the WestJet network from $399 CAD
Status lift
Eern $500 in tier qualifying spend which applies towards achieving the next WestJet Rewards tier for every $15,000 CAD in Eligible Purchases on your WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard (up to a maximum of $1,500 in tier qualifying spend in a qualifying year)
Free first checked bag
First checked bag is free for primary cardholder on WestJet flight and up to 8 guests
Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass
Pass only, complimentary visits not included! Companion Voucher can be exchanged for 4 visits.
Discount
Member Exclusive fares: Exclusive discounts when you pay the full base fare with WestJet dollars
Boingo Wi-Fi hotspot
Gas Discount
save 3¢/L on fuel and always earn 20% more Petro-Points at Petro-Canada
Extra points
50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible products at Rexall

Eligibility

Credit Score
Good
Annual Income
$80,000 personal or $150,000 household

To use this benefit you need to be the primary cardholder of a Westjet credit card; you can take up to 8 guests along with you who can use this offer provided that they are travelling with you on the same flight reserved with Westjet. Also, The benefit is valid only for the flights reserved with Westjet.

The fee for a checked-in bag on Westjet flights is between $30-$36 for US, Canada, Latin Caribbean & Mexico flights and between $70-$83. So, with a single round-trip flight for a couple, the card fee will be more than covered. (More details on the fees here).

Aeroplan Cards

Aeroplan is the loyalty program for AirCanada. With Aeroplan cards, you can gather Aeroplan points to buy tickets or reserve vacation packages.

Out of the Aeroplan cards, this is the full list of all the cards that have the benefits of the free checked bag:

TD Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Card ($139/year, the first year waived)
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Card ($139/year)
American Express® Aeroplan® Card ($120/year)
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege ($599/year)
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* ($599/year)
American Express® Aeroplan® Reserve Card ($599/year)

The free checked bags benefit is identical between these cards. Whether you are a primary cardholder, an additional cardholder, or have a primary business card, you will be deemed eligible for this offer. Not only that, but you can also redeem this offer for up to 8 travelling companions who are travelling with you, and they are on the same reservation.

This benefit is valid when checking in with Air Canada for a flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or under the Air Canada Express brand. The offer is also valid for all flight categories. Whether you have a basic (or standard), Flex (or comfort), or latitude ticket, you will be offered a free checked bag if you are travelling on an Air Canada flight booked with an Aeroplan credit card.

To check in a bag with AirCanada, you need to pay around $30; for international flights, it’s roughly $75 (Check here for the latest details). You can see how easily, with a single round trip for a couple, the cost you saved covers the card fee. If you travel multiple times a year or have a bigger family, this benefit would cover the card fee by a fewfold.

To decide which one of those cards to go for, you need to look at the other details of those cards.

These cards could be grouped into two main categories:

The first group is the non-private and reserve cards, which are more affordable. Here is our view on the cards in this group:

The rewards for TD Aeroplan® Visa Infinite*, CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, and American Express® Aeroplan®* are very similar. In terms of additional benefits, each has a benefit that is unique to their own, so it’s good to review their benefits in detail. If we were to rate one to be the best among three, we would rate the TD Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card to be the best among this group because it has a few more unique benefits compared to the other two (e.g. Nexus app fee waiver), the first-year annual fee is waived and compared to the American Express card it’s accepted at more merchants.