Is Carry-On Free on Frontier? Only the Personal Item Is
The short answer
Is carry-on free on Frontier? No, not on a Basic or unbundled fare. Frontier only guarantees one free personal item, 18 x 14 x 8 inches and up to 35 pounds. The carry-on bag, up to 24 x 16 x 10 inches and also capped at 35 pounds, costs extra on its own. It is free only with the Economy, Premium or Business bundle, or with Elite Gold status or higher. Checked bags cost extra on every fare except Business, which includes two at 50 pounds each.
Frontier is the one major US carrier where the answer to “is my carry-on free” is genuinely no, not a fare-specific exception the way it is on American, Southwest or United. That catches a lot of flyers who assume every airline treats the overhead bag the same way.
This separates what Frontier actually gives away for free from what it charges for, by how much, and which bundle or status avoids that charge. Every figure below is checked against Frontier’s own baggage, bundle and elite-status pages, dated to when each was checked.
What to check before you fly Frontier
- Your fare: Basic, Economy Bundle, Premium Bundle or Business Bundle, since bundle is what decides whether your carry-on is free, not loyalty alone.
- Your Frontier Miles elite tier, since Silver gets nothing, Gold gets a free carry-on, and Platinum and Diamond extend bags to the whole party.
- Whether you added bags at booking or plan to add them later, since Frontier’s prices climb at every later stage.
- A luggage scale, since the carry-on itself has a 35-pound cap that most airlines do not enforce.
- Your confirmation number, needed to add a bag online through My Trips before you reach the airport.
Is a carry-on bag free on Frontier?
No, not by default. A Basic or unbundled Frontier fare includes only the personal item. The carry-on bag is a separate, paid add-on unless your bundle or elite status includes it.
That is the opposite of American, Southwest and United, where the carry-on is free on every fare and only the checked bag costs money. Frontier charges for both, and knowing which one your fare actually includes is the first thing to check before you pack.
Personal item
One item, up to 18 x 14 x 8 inches, including handles, wheels and straps, free on every fare with no exception. It must fit under the seat ahead of you and may weigh up to 35 pounds.
Carry-on bag
One bag, up to 24 x 16 x 10 inches, that fits in the overhead bin. Frontier caps it at 35 pounds, a weight limit most US carriers do not apply to the cabin bag at all. Coats, canes, crutches, portable oxygen concentrators and other assistive devices do not count against the allowance or its charge.
See carry-on size by airline and carry-on weight limit by airline for how Frontier’s limits compare to Delta, American and Southwest.
Are checked bags free on Frontier?
No, not on Basic, Economy Bundle or Premium Bundle. Only the Business Bundle includes checked baggage, two bags at up to 50 pounds each. Every other fare pays for a checked bag the same way it pays for a carry-on, and the price depends on when you buy it.
Checked bag vs carry-on on Frontier
A checked bag is both larger and heavier than a carry-on on Frontier, which is the opposite of most legacy carriers that cap checked bags at 50 pounds and leave the cabin bag unweighed.
| Personal item | Carry-on bag | Checked bag | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free on | Every fare | Bundled fares, Gold+ | Business Bundle only |
| Max size | 18 x 14 x 8 in | 24 x 16 x 10 in | 62 linear inches |
| Max weight | 35 lb | 35 lb | 40 lb |
| Fits | Under the seat | Overhead bin | Cargo hold |
Note: Frontier’s standard checked-bag weight limit is 40 pounds, ten pounds lower than Delta, American and Southwest’s 50-pound standard. A bag packed to another airline’s limit can already be in Frontier’s overweight bracket.
See checked baggage by airline for how that 40-pound cap compares across the rest of the network.
Where do you check a bag for a Frontier flight?
Add the bag online or in the Frontier app through My Trips before you travel, since that is always the cheapest price. At the airport, check it at a self-service kiosk or the ticket counter bag-drop desk. Do this at least 60 minutes before a domestic or international departure.
Frontier closes check-in and bag acceptance exactly 60 minutes before scheduled departure, for both domestic and international flights, with no later exception. Miss that window and the ticket is cancelled as a no-show, along with the rest of the itinerary.
How much does a carry-on or checked bag cost on Frontier?
Frontier prices both by route and by how early you buy, and the gap between the cheapest and most expensive stage is large. Buying at booking is consistently the cheapest option; waiting until the gate is consistently the most expensive.
| When you buy | Carry-on | 1st checked bag | 2nd checked bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| At booking | $29 to $69 | $29 to $63 | $59 to $86 |
| Before check-in, online | $39 to $86 | $39 to $74 | $59 to $97 |
| Airport kiosk or counter | $79 to $92 | $79 to $92 | $89 to $110 |
| At the gate | $99 to $115 | $99 to $115 | Not offered |
Figures checked against Frontier’s own fee schedule and a third-party fee survey in June 2026. Frontier states its own prices vary by route and date, and directs flyers to its Bag Price Checker for an exact quote on a specific flight.
Which bundle or status gets you a free bag?
Three routes avoid the charge: a bundle bought with the ticket, an elite tier earned through Frontier Miles, or, for the carry-on only, a handful of exempt items. Discount Den membership is not one of them, it lowers the base fare and does not waive any bag fee.
| Fare or status | Carry-on | Checked bags |
|---|---|---|
| Basic, unbundled | Paid | Paid |
| Economy Bundle | Free | Paid |
| Premium Bundle | Free | Paid |
| Business Bundle | Free | Free, 2 bags, 50 lb each |
| Elite Gold | Free, member only | Paid |
| Elite Platinum | Free, member +8 on same booking | Free, 1 bag, member +8 |
| Elite Diamond | Free, member +8 on same booking | Free, 2 bags, member +8 |
Note: Elite Platinum and Diamond extend the free bag to up to eight other passengers travelling on the same reservation as the member, not just the member alone.
What an overweight or oversized checked bag costs
Weight and size are checked separately on Frontier, the same as elsewhere, and both charges apply on top of whatever the base checked-bag fee already is.
| Bag condition | Fee |
|---|---|
| 41 to 50 lb | $75 |
| 51 to 99.99 lb | $100 to $129, route dependent |
| Over 99.99 lb | Not accepted |
| Oversized, 63 to 110 linear inches | $75 |
| Over 110 linear inches | Not accepted |
A bag that is both overweight and oversized is charged for each separately. These figures are Frontier’s own published fee range, checked September 2026; the airline states the exact amount within each bracket can vary by route.
Your bag was flagged, charged twice, or the fee looked wrong
- Ask which limit it failed. Weight and size are measured separately, so a bag can clear one and still fail the other.
- Confirm your bundle or elite tier was on the reservation, if you expected a free bag and were charged anyway. The benefit attaches to the booking, not the payment method.
- Ask for the bracket, not just “overweight.” The fee roughly doubles between the 41-50 lb and 51-99.99 lb tiers.
- Redistribute into a second bag if you are travelling with someone, since a second checked bag is often cheaper than one overweight fee.
- Add the bag online before you leave for the airport next time, since every later stage, check-in, counter, gate, costs more than the one before it.
- Contact Frontier afterward if a charge still looks wrong once you are off the aircraft, rather than disputing it again at a later checkpoint.
Frequently asked questions
In short
Frontier only guarantees the personal item free. The carry-on bag and checked bags both cost extra on a Basic or unbundled fare, and the price rises the later you buy, from around $29 at booking to well over $99 at the gate.
The Economy and Premium bundles add a free carry-on, the Business Bundle adds two free checked bags, and Elite Gold status and above waive fees that Discount Den membership does not touch.
Rules change without much notice. If something here no longer matches what you were told at the counter, tell us and we will correct it.
Sources
- Frontier Airlines: Bag Size Limits and Weight Allowances
- Frontier Airlines: Bag Options
- Frontier Airlines: Optional Services and Fees
- Frontier Airlines: Bundle & Save
- Frontier Airlines: Difference Between Economy, Premium and Business Bundles
- Frontier Airlines: Elite Status Benefits
- Frontier Airlines: Discount Den Membership Overview
- Frontier Airlines: Check-In
- Upgraded Points: Frontier Airlines Baggage Fees & Policy
- Are carry-on bags free on American Airlines?
- Are carry-on bags free on Southwest?
- Are carry-on bags free on United?
- Featured photo: Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels
