easyJet have been hit with a warning for advertising very low cabin bag fees – so we’re looking at how you can travel with hand luggage for less.
7 Ways To Save Money on Your Hand Luggage with easyJet
You might have heard easyJet was recently hit with a warning over their messaging around £5.99 cabin bag fees. What exactly have they been up to, and how can you still save money on hand luggage with easyJet?
What is easyJet’s luggage allowance in 2026?
First up let’s just double check the luggage allowance for easyJet passengers:
Small cabin bag
Large cabin bag
Checked bag
- Included for free
- Must fit under the seat in front
- Max size 45 x 36 x 20cm
- Max weight 15kg
- Can be any type of bag, e.g. handbag, holdall or suitcase
- Available for a fee
- Must fit in the overhead bin
- Max size 56 x 45 x 25cm
- Max weight 15kg
- Can be any type of bag
- Available for a fee
- Must be checked-in before security
- Length + width + height = under 275cm
- Weight options 15kg, 23kg, 32kg
- Can be any type of bag(s) – up to 3 bags per passenger
Why has easyJet got into trouble?
easyJet has been advertising cabin bag fees on their website starting at £5.99 – sounds great right?! However, they couldn’t actually provide any evidence of these low prices when questioned by consumer group Which? or advertising watchdog, the ASA.
Now this is a bit naughty from easyJet, as it can be so expensive to travel with hand luggage these days. So displaying low cabin bag fees to passengers is a good tactic to get more customers interested in flying with them.
And I know I know, we could all pack a bit lighter – but that isn’t always practical, or preferable (and I can personally say this after my city break shenanigans with the viral uniqlo bags).
So whilst £5.99 for a cabin bag remains a distant dream for most of us, let’s look at ways we can still save on hand luggage when flying a budget airline like easyJet.
7 Ways To Save Money on Your Hand Luggage With easyJet
Here are seven ways to save money when you want to add a cabin bag to your easyJet flight.
1. Book hand luggage when it suits you
Now the cost of adding hand luggage to your flight will fluctuate, over the period of time from booking the flight to it departing.
If you add a bag to your booking when you book, this should be the cheapest time to do it – but it isn’t always. My tip is – if you can stomach the large cabin bag fees you see when you’re booking the flight, add the bag then.
If you don’t like the hand luggage fees at this point, then you need to make the choice whether you suck them up and pay anyway, or you wait and check bag prices further down the line.
Just make sure you add the bag before you check in, if that’s your final decision – paying to add luggage at the airport is always eye-wateringly expensive.
2. Share hand luggage
It might sound like a faff, but sharing hand luggage is a great way to keep bag fees low. Especially on easyJet, as their large cabin bag allowance is more generous than Ryanair and WizzAir.
So you might find one bag can fit the belongings needed by you AND your travel companion – especially if it’s a short trip like a city break.
3. Check prices on all devices
4. Don’t go for a bundle
Airlines really like to package up extras for you into a bundle. You might think they’re making it easier for you – in one click you can add things like priority boarding and hand luggage together – but they’re crucially making more money for them! So if you don’t want all the other extras, then you don’t pay for them – just click through the options till you find the option to add a bag only.
Airlines can make it quite hard to do this – they usually advertise the bundles very prominently, and sometimes you have to dig around a bit to find the bag-only option. But persevere, it’s cheaper!
5. Compare flight costs across airlines
When you’ve got a total flight price and you’re ready to hit checkout, it’s worth checking other airlines for the same route. You might find that even though you’ve chosen a cheaper base fare, the hand luggage costs mean it’s working out more expensive than a competitor airline.
One of my favourite cabin bag hacks is to travel with a suitcase with removable wheels. It means you get the convenience of a roller case, but you don’t have to worry about the wheels when calculating the overall dimensions – they just pop off! it Luggage have this easyJet sized one that’s perfect for eeking out all the space you can!
6. Consider checked luggage
If you don’t like the look of the price for a large cabin bag, or maybe that option is sold out, then check the price of a checked bag. It can sometimes be cheaper (because these days, so many passengers prefer to keep their bag with them in the cabin). You can get more space this way too, and depending on which airports you’re using, a better liquid allowance.
7. Check easyJet packages
Remember easyJet does package holidays, so if you’re booking accommodation as well as a flight, it’s worth checking easyJet Holidays. Some packages will include large cabin bags (or checked luggage) so when you tot everything up, it can work out cheaper. Especially if there’s a promo code running!
Still set on a small cabin bag?
If you’re dead set on travelling with a small cabin bag only, then you’ll want to be maximising all the space you have. Check out my packing hacks for ingenious ways to hack your free cabin bag allowance!
Alternatively, grab a Uniqlo viral bag and challenge yourself to some seriously stripped-back packing!
Save Money on Your Hand Luggage With easyJet on Your Next Trip With These Booking Hacks
Cabin bag fees don’t look set to come down any time soon, but there are ways you can spend a bit less on adding a bag to your booking if you’re smart about it.
From seeking out only the extras you want, to checking prices across devices before you book, you can save money on your hand luggage on your next easyJet trip.
