Can I Buy Extra Baggage Allowance With Emirates? | Smart Savings

Emirates uses two baggage models. Most routes follow the weight concept, where you buy extra kilograms. Trips to and from the Americas and many journeys into Africa use the piece concept, where you buy extra bags. Buying online before check-in closes is cheaper than paying at the counter, and you can even use Cash+Miles to trim the total.

Emirates Extra Baggage Options At A Glance

On weight routes you can check several bags, so long as the combined weight stays within your allowance. On piece routes, the number of bags matters. Oversize items and heavy pieces add fees. If you’re tight on time or traveling on a mixed ticket, plan a little buffer at check-in.

For the official breakdown, Emirates lists discounts, airport rates, and limits in its buy extra baggage allowance page. You can also scan the latest checked baggage dimensions before you pack.

Packing a tight suitcase? Many travelers double-check size limits on checked baggage before buying extra kilos or pieces. That quick step helps avoid surprise oversize fees at the desk.

Can You Buy Extra Baggage Allowance With Emirates Online?

Yes. Log in with your booking reference and last name, open Manage Your Booking, and add extra weight or extra pieces. You pay in the ticket currency and see the exact charge for your flights. Online sales remain open until four hours before departure. The same flow works in the Emirates app. You can also add extras by phone or at retail desks.

Weight Concept: How Extra Kilograms Work

On most routes, extras are priced per kilogram. Online you buy in five-kilogram blocks, up to fifty kilograms beyond your ticketed allowance. Discounts grow with larger blocks. At the airport the rate is a flat price per kilogram that varies by region. You pay in local currency when you settle at the counter.

Practical Limits You Should Know

Any single bag can’t exceed thirty-two kilograms. If your total allowance is high, split items across bags. A bag can measure up to three hundred centimeters in total dimensions on most routes, and two hundred fifteen centimeters when departing Dammam. Bags over the hard limit move to cargo. Sports gear and instruments usually follow the same dimensions unless the special items list states otherwise.

Piece Concept: How Extra Bags Work

Flights to and from the Americas, and many trips into Africa, use pieces. You buy extra bags on top of your base allowance. Up to five extra pieces can be added online to a single ticket. Each extra bag in Economy and Premium Economy is capped at twenty-three kilograms. In Business and First, the cap per piece is thirty-two kilograms. Oversize and overweight fees can stack on top of the extra piece cost when a bag crosses thresholds.

Discounts, Timing, And Where You Save

Buying early pays off. On weight routes, advance purchases show around fifty to sixty percent off the desk rate. On piece routes, online discounts sit near thirty-five to fifty percent and don’t apply to trips to or from Canada. The discount window closes four hours before departure. If you wait until check-in, you’ll pay the full per-kilogram or per-piece price shown for your region.

Where To Add Extra Baggage

Use Manage Your Booking on the website, the Emirates app, or a retail desk. If a third-party agency issued your ticket, you can still use the airline’s tools as long as the ticket number starts with 176 and the flights are marketed and operated by Emirates. Mixed tickets with other airlines may be restricted to desk payments.

Payment Options And Currencies

You can pay by card in the same currency used to buy the ticket. Cash acceptance at airports varies by location. When available, Cash+Miles appears at checkout to reduce the charge.

Oversize, Overweight, And Special Items

Two fee layers show up on piece routes. First is the extra piece price. Then there are add-ons for bags that are too heavy or too large. On the Americas and Africa network, set fees apply for overweight, oversize, and items that are both. The exact figures depend on whether your trip touches Canada. On weight routes, oversize is handled at check-in if a bag breaks the dimension limit shown on the rules page.

Sports Gear And Fragile Items

Skis, golf clubs, and similar gear ride as checked bags within your allowance. If a bag goes over the size or weight limit, the agent applies the oversize or overweight charge. Musical instruments can travel as checked baggage or, if fragile, in a paid cabin seat. Use hard shells and internal padding. Airlines limit liability for poorly packed items.

When Your Bags Travel Later

Checking more than fifteen pieces triggers a space rule. Extra bags may follow on a later flight when loads are tight. Emirates aims to deliver them within five days after landing.

Sample Costs And What To Expect

Desk rates per kilogram vary by region. Middle East and South Asia can start near fifteen dollars per kilogram, while Europe and Australia can run thirty to fifty dollars per kilogram. That’s the counter price. Online discounts on weight routes can cut that roughly in half, sometimes more, when you buy larger blocks. On piece routes, desk prices per extra bag sit in the one hundred to two hundred fifty dollar range, or one hundred twenty-five to three hundred Canadian dollars for trips involving Canada. Buying online trims those numbers on eligible routes.

Changes, Refunds, And Edge Cases

Prepaid extras stick to the flights and dates shown on your receipt. If you move to a new time on the same sector and the product is still offered, the purchase carries over. Refunds are limited. You can claim when the airline changes or cancels your flight and the product is unavailable, in cases of death or serious illness in your immediate family, or when a US rule grants a penalty-free refund within twenty-four hours of booking on eligible itineraries. Voluntary changes that break availability, upgrades, or canceling by choice don’t qualify.

Who Can Buy Extra Baggage

Adult and child tickets qualify. Infant tickets do not. Tickets must be issued by Emirates with a 176 ticket number. Flights need to be both marketed and operated by Emirates for online discounts to apply. Code-shares, interline trips, and tickets starting on another airline can fall under the other carrier’s policy.

Tips To Save And Avoid Surprises

Weigh your bags at home. If you’re near a break point, shift items into an extra bag to avoid a single heavy piece fee on piece routes. Buy online once your pack list is final. Keep screenshots of your purchase page and receipt. At the airport, reach the counter early if you plan to pay there, since card-only locations still exist in some terminals.

What Happens If Your Plan Changes

Plans shift. If your date moves on the same sector and the product still exists, your prepaid baggage remains valid. If your flight is rerouted or canceled by the airline and the product disappears on the new plan, you can request a refund. Keep the receipt and submit the claim within three months of the last flight on your ticket. For trips that include a US segment and were booked direct a week or more before travel, the twenty-four hour rule can trigger an automatic refund.

Need cabin rules too? Try our carry-on sizes by airline for a quick size check before you head out.