Ryanair Baggage Allowance: What a Hold Bag Costs in 2026

Last updated: August 2026

Your Ryanair baggage allowance starts at one small bag under the seat, and on three of the five fare bundles it stops there. Everything else you pay for, and you won’t pay the same price twice: the 20kg case that costs £18.99 alongside a cheap ticket is £59.99 flat once you’re standing at the bag drop desk. Flexi Plus, the dearest fare on sale, still puts nothing in the hold. Plus costs less and includes a 20kg case.

Ryanair hold baggage: the three options

Ryanair sells three sizes of checked bag. They differ by weight, price and how many you can buy. Every price below is per bag, per one-way flight, and it moves with the route and the date you pick.

On the 20kg bag, the gap between booking and bag drop is where the money goes. On the cheapest routes it is £18.99 with the ticket and £59.99 at the desk, a £41 penalty for changing your mind. On the dearest routes the two prices meet and there’s no penalty at all. The 10kg bag does not work that way: at £35.99 to £40 the desk can undercut both the other columns.

What your fare bundle already includes

Ryanair sells five bundles. Only two of them put anything in the hold, and the dearest one is not among them.

Read the two Plus bundles carefully, because moving from Regular to Plus isn’t an upgrade, it’s a trade: you gain a 20kg bag in the hold and you lose the 10kg cabin bag and the priority boarding that came with Regular. Flexi Plus earns its price on flight changes, not on luggage. Our guide to Ryanair seat selection covers the seating side of the same bundles.

“Ryanair gave two different bags almost the same name, and only one of them goes in the locker above your seat. Work out the weight you need before you look at the price, because a 20kg bag you half fill costs more than a 10kg one you pack properly. That’s the whole decision on this page.”

Kate Acaster, Chief Editor, Flight Tribe

The 10kg bag that never reaches the cabin

Ryanair sells two different 10kg bags and gives them almost the same name. The 10kg Cabin Bag comes with Priority and rides in the overhead locker. The 10kg Check-in Bag is hold luggage, has to be dropped at the check-in desk before security, and you won’t see it again until the belt at the other end.

• Both measure 55 x 40 x 20cm, which is why the two are easy to mix up.
• Priority & 2 Cabin Bags costs £12 to £36 when you book, and £20 to £60 afterwards.
• If Priority has sold out on your flight, Ryanair advises buying the 10kg Check-in Bag and dropping it before security.
• Carry a 10kg Check-in Bag to the gate and Ryanair either refuses it or loads it for £46 to £60.

Only the small 40 x 30 x 20cm bag under the seat is free, on every fare. Our guide to Ryanair hand luggage size has the cabin measurements and the gate checks in full.

Hold bag size limits and the 32kg ceiling

One size limit applies to every checked bag, the 10kg included.

• Maximum 80cm high, 120cm wide and 120cm deep.
• No single item may weigh more than 32kg. That’s a handling limit for the people loading the aircraft, so paying more won’t move it.
• The 32kg cap does not apply to mobility equipment.
• A bag beyond those dimensions goes to the Oversize Baggage Desk, and Ryanair does not publish that charge in its Table of Fees.

What getting it wrong at the airport costs

Ryanair runs a separate price list at the airport. It isn’t the online price with something added.

• Overweight bag at the check-in desk: £13 for every extra kilo, on top of what you already paid.
• A cabin bag over 55 x 40 x 20cm at the boarding gate: refused, or put in the hold for £70 to £75.
• Turn up with nothing pre-booked and a 20kg bag at the bag drop desk is £59.99.
• Missing online check-in: £55 at the airport, or £30 from Spain and £40 from Austria, where local rules cap what an airline may charge.

Bags are non-refundable. Once you’ve bought one, Ryanair won’t take it off the booking. Buy the size you need, not the size you might need. If the whole trip is in doubt, read our guide to cancelling a Ryanair flight.

Bag pooling: share the weight across the booking

Ryanair allows bag pooling between passengers who have checked bags on the same booking. Your allowance is the total across the booking, so you can pack unevenly.

• Two 20kg bags on one booking give you 40kg. One can weigh 15kg and the other 25kg without a charge.
• The 32kg limit still applies to each bag, no matter how you split the total.
• Everyone has to be on the same flight reservation. Two separate bookings on the same flight can’t pool.

British Airways says the opposite in its baggage rules, where allowances can’t be pooled or shared even within one party. On Ryanair, weigh the cases together and check the total. On British Airways, weigh each one. Our British Airways baggage allowance guide sets out that side.

Bikes, instruments, skis and golf clubs

Ryanair charges sports gear and large instruments as separate hold items. They don’t eat into a checked bag. Each price is per item, per one-way flight, and each is cheaper bought with the booking.

Children, infants and pushchairs

Ryanair charges for the infant, then carries most of the equipment free.

• Two items per child at no charge: a pushchair, plus one of a car seat, a booster seat or a travel cot.
• Anything beyond those two costs £15 booked in advance and £20 later, with a 20kg limit per item.
• An infant has no cabin bag allowance of their own, though you may carry a 5kg baby bag for them, measuring 45 x 35 x 20cm.
• The infant fee itself is £25 per infant, per one-way flight, for children under two.
• Ryanair asks families with baby equipment to reach the bag drop desk two hours before departure.

More on flying with Ryanair

A hold bag means a trip to the bag drop desk, which changes what time you need to leave home. Our guide to Ryanair airport check in covers the deadlines and the desk closing times.

• Read how strict Ryanair is with hand luggage before you decide to travel with the free bag alone.
• Our pick of the best carry-on bag for Ryanair covers cases that fit the free 40 x 30 x 20cm slot.
• Comparing airlines before you book? The airline luggage checker puts Ryanair’s allowances beside eight other carriers.

Ryanair baggage allowance: FAQs

What is the Ryanair hold baggage allowance?

There is no free hold allowance. You buy a 10kg, 20kg or 23kg Check-in Bag, or you book a Plus or Family Plus fare that includes one. You can buy up to three 20kg bags per passenger, or one 23kg bag.

Can you put your 10kg bag in the hold on Ryanair?

Only if you bought the 10kg Check-in Bag, which is hold luggage and goes to the check-in desk before security. The 10kg Cabin Bag sold with Priority is meant for the overhead locker and stays with you. Take a 10kg Check-in Bag to the gate and Ryanair either refuses it or charges £46 to £60 to load it.

How strict is Ryanair with hold luggage?

Strict on weight, because the desk weighs every bag and charges £13 for each kilo over. Size is checked less often, but a bag beyond 80 x 120 x 120cm is sent to the Oversize Baggage Desk, and nothing over 32kg is accepted at any price except mobility equipment.

What is not allowed in hold luggage on Ryanair?

Ryanair publishes a list of items it won’t carry in a Check-in Bag, and it includes lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles such as hoverboards and Segways. Spare batteries and power banks belong in the cabin, not the hold. Read Ryanair’s own bag rules against your packing list before you travel, because the list changes.

What size bag can you take on Ryanair for free?

One small bag measuring 40 x 30 x 20cm, on every fare including the cheapest. It has to fit under the seat in front of you, and anything larger is a paid extra whether it’s going in the locker or the hold.

Can I share my baggage allowance with someone on my booking?

Yes. Ryanair allows bag pooling across passengers on the same flight reservation, so two 20kg bags become 40kg to split as you like. No single bag may exceed 32kg.

Is it cheaper to add a Ryanair bag online or at the airport?

Online, and by a wide margin on cheap routes. A 20kg bag added with the booking starts at £18.99. The same bag at the bag drop desk is £59.99 flat. Adding it online after booking starts at £39.99.

← Back to: Flying with Ryanair

Kate Acaster

Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.

Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.

How Kate works
Kate checks the details that can change the value of a trip, including cabin-bag rules, airline fees, hotel location, seasonality, travel dates and booking conditions. She is especially interested in offers that look useful on the surface but need a proper reader-first check before they are worth recommending.

Editorial standards
Flight Tribe covers deals and travel advice for readers first. Affiliate links do not decide whether an offer is worth writing about.