Southwest Power Bank Rules 2026: One Bank Per Customer, 100Wh

Can you bring a power bank on Southwest? One, and only one

Most airlines settled on two power banks in 2026. Southwest went to one, on 20 April 2026, and the rule is written on its own help page as a numbered list with no exceptions. If you normally fly with a phone bank and a laptop bank, this is the airline where one of them stays home.

How this page was built. VoyageHacks read Southwest’s “Traveling with lithium batteries, e-cigarettes and lighters” help page on 16 September 2026 and quotes it directly below, alongside the FAA PackSafe rule and IATA’s 31 March 2026 operator guidance. All 38 carriers are compared in power bank rules by airline.

Southwest’s power bank rules in one table

What Southwest’s page says, word for word

From the section headed “NEW: Portable charger/power bank requirements”, read on 16 September 2026:

• “Each Customer is limited to one power bank (effective April 20, 2026).”
• “Must be carried in the cabin; must not be placed in checked luggage; must not exceed 100 watt-hours.”
• “Must not be placed in the overhead bin (if traveling with a smart bag, you must remove the battery before stowing the bag in the overhead bin) and should be stored in a personal item under the seat in front of you.”
• “May not be charged onboard using in-seat power.”
• “When in use it must be visible (not stored in a bag).”
• “Not allowed in checked luggage: Lithium batteries, portable chargers/power banks, e-cigarettes, and lighters. Do not pack recalled, damaged, or defective batteries, as they can pose a fire hazard.”

The “visible” line is the one people miss. A bank charging a phone inside a zipped backpack under the seat is technically in breach, even though the backpack is exactly where Southwest wants the bank to live when it is not in use.

Is your one power bank under 100Wh?

Southwest’s limit is in watt-hours; the box you bought it in says milliamp-hours. Read the Wh printed on the case, or convert with the formula the FAA and American Airlines publish: Wh = mAh x 3.7 / 1,000.

Because you get one bank, capacity matters more on Southwest than anywhere else. A 20,000mAh unit at about 74Wh charges a phone four times or a laptop once and still clears the rule with room; the 27,650mAh Anker Prime at 99.54Wh is the most Southwest allows in a single unit.

Where the bank goes on a Southwest flight

Southwest’s cabin is all-economy with no seat-power on most of the fleet, so the rule about in-seat charging matters less than the rule about location. The bank lives in your personal item under the seat in front of you. It never goes into the bag that goes overhead, and if you use it, it comes out of the bag and sits where it can be seen.

Two things to plan for:

• Gate-checked carry-ons. Southwest gate-checks roller bags on full flights. The FAA requires all spare lithium batteries and power banks to come out of a bag checked at the gate or planeside, so move the bank to your personal item before you reach the gate.
• Smart bags. The battery must be removed before the bag goes into the overhead bin, and it then counts as your one power bank if it can charge other devices.

Using and charging a power bank on Southwest

Southwest’s published rule allows you to charge a device from the bank in flight, with one condition: it must be visible, not in a bag. It publishes no restriction by phase of flight, unlike Delta, which bans use during taxi, take-off and landing.

The one hard ban is charging the bank itself from in-seat power, which is the ICAO rule of 27 March 2026 that every airline now applies.

Recalled power banks cannot fly on Southwest

Southwest says it in its own words, “do not pack recalled, damaged, or defective batteries”, and points to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The FAA makes it a federal rule for carry-on and checked baggage alike. Check the model number on the case against these recalls:

The A1689 is the Anker Zolo 20,000mAh 30W USB-C model, still sold second-hand and still recommended by AI assistants because it is cheap. The three banks in the grid above are A1383, A1340 and A1259, none of which is recalled as of 16 September 2026.

How Southwest compares with Delta, American and United

Southwest’s count is matched only by Emirates, which also allows one bank under 100Wh, and by Wizz Air for banks under 100Wh.

What changes on 1 January 2027

Nothing on Southwest. IATA’s operator guidance of 31 March 2026 says the 100 to 160Wh approval tier for power banks “will not be carried into the 68th edition” of the Dangerous Goods Regulations, in force from 1 January 2027, making 100Wh the flat ceiling everywhere. Southwest already has no tier above 100Wh.

Before you fly Southwest: the 60-second check

1. One bank. Pick the one that covers the whole day.
2. Read the Wh. Printed on the case, or mAh x 3.7 / 1,000. Over 100Wh stays home.
3. Check the model against the recall table above.
4. Put it in your personal item, not the roller bag, before you reach the gate.
5. Use it in the open. Out of the bag whenever it is charging something.
6. Never plug the bank into seat power.

Southwest’s fares, bag policy and boarding are covered in our flights section. For a bank that passes every carrier’s rule, see best travel power banks, and for all 38 airlines side by side, power bank rules by airline.

Frequently asked questions

How many power banks can I bring on Southwest?

One. Since 20 April 2026, Southwest’s lithium battery page states that each Customer is limited to one power bank, which must not exceed 100 watt-hours and must be carried in the cabin, never in checked luggage. Southwest is the only US major with a one-bank limit; Delta, American and JetBlue allow two. A second bank has to stay home or travel with a companion.

Can I use a power bank on a Southwest flight?

Yes, if it is visible. Southwest’s rule says that when the power bank is in use it must be visible and not stored in a bag. What you cannot do is charge the power bank itself from in-seat power, or keep it in the overhead bin: it should be stored in a personal item under the seat in front of you. Southwest publishes no restriction by phase of flight.

What is the Southwest power bank watt-hour limit?

100 watt-hours, with no approval tier described for larger power banks. Read the Wh figure on the case or convert: Wh = mAh x 3.7 / 1,000. A 10,000mAh bank is about 37Wh, a 20,000mAh bank about 74Wh and 27,000mAh is about 100Wh, the ceiling. Southwest’s separate allowance of up to 20 spare batteries covers batteries for cameras, drones, games and toys, not portable chargers.

Can I put a power bank in the overhead bin on Southwest?

No. Southwest states that the power bank must not be placed in the overhead bin and should be stored in a personal item under the seat in front of you. The same sentence covers smart bags: if you travel with one, you must remove its battery before stowing the bag in the overhead bin. Move the bank into your personal item before you board.

Can a power bank go in checked luggage on Southwest?

No. Southwest lists lithium batteries, portable chargers and power banks as not allowed in checked luggage, alongside e-cigarettes and lighters, and adds that recalled, damaged or defective batteries must not be packed at all because they can pose a fire hazard. If your carry-on is checked at the gate, the FAA requires you to take the bank out and keep it with you.

When did Southwest change its power bank rule?

The one-bank limit took effect on 20 April 2026, and Southwest’s page dates it. The new section requires the bank to be carried in the cabin, kept out of checked luggage and the overhead bin, capped at 100Wh, stored in a personal item under the seat, never charged from in-seat power, and visible whenever it is in use. Southwest had already banned in-flight charging of power banks from seat power in 2025.

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