easyJet Checked Baggage Rules: Hold Bag Fees and Limits (2026)

easyJet calls its checked baggage a "hold bag" — the bag that goes in the aircraft's hold rather than the cabin. Like most European budget carriers, easyJet does not include a hold bag in its cheapest fares. Instead, it must be purchased separately, and the price you pay depends significantly on when you buy it. This guide explains everything about easyJet's hold bag options, pricing structure, and the allowance pooling system that many travelers do not know about.

What Is Included in the Standard easyJet Fare?

easyJet's Essential (base) fare includes:

• One small under-seat bag (45×36×20 cm, must fit under the seat in front of you) — free on all fares

That is all. No overhead bin access without purchasing a Large Cabin Bag add-on, and no hold bag.

For overhead bin access, easyJet sells a Large Cabin Bag (56×45×25 cm) as an add-on. This is a cabin bag, not a checked bag. For a bag that travels in the aircraft hold, you need to purchase one of the hold bag options.

easyJet Hold Bag Options

easyJet offers three hold bag weight tiers:

15 kg Hold Bag

The lightest option, suitable for shorter trips where you don't need much space:

• Pre-booked online: approximately £13–£25 (varies by route and booking timing)
• This option works well for 2–3 day trips where a carry-on-sized bag would otherwise be too full
• The 15 kg limit is restrictive for most adult travelers packing for a week or more

23 kg Hold Bag

The most popular option and the standard choice for most travelers:

• Pre-booked online: approximately £18–£40 depending on route and timing
• At airport: typically £48 or more (substantially more expensive)
• 23 kg is the standard weight limit used by most major airlines, so it is the most familiar benchmark
• Suitable for holidays of up to two weeks with efficient packing

26 kg Hold Bag

easyJet's maximum standard hold bag option:

• Pre-booked online: approximately £25–£55 depending on route
• This is heavier than the 23 kg standard used by most airlines, giving extra margin for heavy packers
• Note that 26 kg is approaching the 32 kg maximum that EU handling regulations treat as the threshold for manual handling — still well within limits, but among the heavier checked bag options in European aviation

Who Gets a Free Hold Bag?

Two groups receive a 23 kg hold bag without paying separately:

easyJet Plus Card Members

The easyJet Plus annual membership (approximately £270 per year) includes:

• One 23 kg hold bag included on every flight
• Speedy Boarding (equivalent of priority boarding)
• Access to easyJet's upfront seating zone
• Flexibility on seat selection

For frequent easyJet travelers taking more than three or four return trips per year with a bag, the Plus card can break even compared to paying for bags individually.

FLEXI Fare Passengers

easyJet's FLEXI fare includes a 23 kg hold bag along with other benefits: unlimited flight changes at no extra fee, Speedy Boarding, and a guaranteed seat. FLEXI is more expensive per ticket but can be cost-effective when flexibility or the bag benefit is needed.

How easyJet Bag Prices Vary by Timing

The most important rule with easyJet (and most budget carriers) is that bag prices increase as you get closer to departure:

When You Add	Typical Fee (23 kg bag)
At initial booking	£18–£30
Online, before departure day	£25–£40
Online, departure day	£35–£48
At the airport	£48+ (often £55–£65)

The price difference between booking a bag at the time of flight purchase versus adding it at the airport can be £20–£30 or more per bag. Always add the bag before arriving at the airport.

Adding a bag after booking but before the departure day is done through the easyJet website or app under "Manage My Booking." The online price is always cheaper than the airport rate, so adding it even the day before is better than waiting until check-in.

easyJet Hold Bag Size Limits

The physical size limit for easyJet hold bags is 275 cm total (Length + Width + Height combined). This is approximately 108 linear inches — far more generous than the US standard of 62 linear inches (157 cm).

In practice, nearly all standard luggage fits comfortably within 275 cm. A typical large suitcase (29 inches) measures approximately 165 cm combined — well within the limit. easyJet's hold bag policy focuses on weight, not size.

The maximum dimensions for a single item are not individually specified by easyJet beyond the combined 275 cm limit and a maximum weight of 32 kg per bag.

Overweight and Excess Baggage Fees

If your hold bag exceeds the weight you paid for, fees apply at the airport:

• Approximately £15 per kg over the purchased allowance

If you purchased a 23 kg hold bag and your bag weighs 26 kg, you pay 3 × £15 = £45 in excess weight fees on top of what you already paid for the bag. This is expensive — purchasing the next weight tier (26 kg) in advance would almost always be cheaper.

If you have not purchased any hold bag and you arrive at the airport with a bag that cannot fit under the seat, the airport rate for adding a hold bag is typically £48–£65 depending on route and season.

The Allowance Pooling Rule

easyJet has a useful policy that many travelers are unaware of: passengers on the same booking can pool their hold bag allowances.

Here is how it works:

• Two passengers each purchase a 23 kg hold bag: combined allowance of 46 kg
• Those 46 kg can be distributed across the two bags in any combination
• One bag can weigh 28 kg and the other 18 kg — the total is still 46 kg, within the pooled limit

This is valuable for couples or family groups where one person packs light and another heavy. Rather than both passengers buying separate bags and the lighter packer wasting their allowance, the total weight is shared.

Pooling applies only to passengers on the same booking. It does not apply across separate bookings, even if passengers are traveling together.

easyJet Checked Bag vs. Ryanair Checked Bag

Travelers choosing between easyJet and Ryanair often want to compare checked bag policies:

Feature	easyJet	Ryanair
Standard checked bag limit	23 kg	20 kg
Standard checked bag options	15 kg, 23 kg, 26 kg	20 kg (only)
Overweight fee	~£15/kg over purchased	~€10/kg over 20 kg
Max hold bag size	275 cm combined	81×119×119 cm (very generous)
Allowance pooling	Yes (same booking)	No
Airport premium vs. online	Significant	Significant

easyJet's 23 kg standard option has an edge over Ryanair's 20 kg limit for travelers who pack to the typical airline standard. The pooling feature is also a meaningful advantage for groups.

Practical Strategies for easyJet Hold Bags

Add the Bag at Booking Time

The cheapest point to add a hold bag is at the time of the original ticket purchase. Even if you are not certain you need a bag, checking the price at booking versus later is worthwhile — pre-booking prices are lowest at this stage.

Use the 26 kg Option for Heavy Trips

If you know you will be packing close to or over 23 kg (winter clothing, sports gear, long trips), buying the 26 kg allowance upfront is cheaper than paying the per-kg excess fee at the airport. The price difference between the 23 kg and 26 kg options is typically £5–£15 online — versus £45 in excess weight fees if you're 3 kg over.

Pool Allowances Within Your Group

If two people are traveling, each buying a 23 kg bag gives you 46 kg of total allowance. Use this flexibility to balance packing loads rather than buying extra bags or overweight allowances.

Check In Online and Add Bag Before Airport

Online check-in opens 30 days before departure on easyJet (or 28 days for Plus members). This is another opportunity to add a bag at online pricing if you forgot at booking. Airport bag prices are the highest pricing tier and should be avoided if at all possible.