Power banks on a plane: carry-on only, 100 Wh or less.

A power bank never goes in a checked bag. Under U.S. rules, one rated at 100 watt-hours (Wh) or less can ride in your carry-on with no airline OK. Over 100 and up to 160 Wh needs the airline’s approval, and anything bigger stays home. International rules added a two-per-person cap in March 2026, and some airlines are stricter still.

Our take: find the Wh number on the label before you pack. If the label only gives mAh, multiply by the battery voltage and divide by 1,000. Keep power banks in your carry-on or personal item, and if your bag gets checked at the gate, take them out first. Bring two or fewer, stay at 100 Wh or under, and read your airline’s battery page, because some allow only one. [S1] [S2] [S5] [S9]

Find your band

mAh÷ 1,000 ×V=Wh

Example: 25,000 mAh ÷ 1,000 × 3.6 V = 90 Wh

Original schematic, not any brand’s label. Bands from FAA guidance and 49 CFR 175.10; formula from FAA; the 90 Wh example matches Anker’s listed rating for its 25,000 mAh A1695. [S2] [S3] [S10]

The U.S. rules, line by line

The FAA treats a power bank as a spare lithium battery. The rules come from a federal regulation, 49 CFR 175.10, and FAA’s PackSafe pages put them in plain terms. TSA’s own list says the same thing: carry-on yes, checked no. [S1] [S3] [S4]

Checked bag: no

Power banks, phone charging cases and other spare lithium batteries go in carry-on bags only. If your carry-on is checked at the gate or planeside, FAA says to take out every power bank and spare lithium battery and keep them with you in the cabin. [S1] [S4]

100 Wh or less

Allowed in carry-on. FAA sets no count limit at this size, as long as the batteries are for your own use; batteries carried to sell or hand out aren’t allowed. Airlines and international rules can set lower counts, covered below. [S2]

Over 100, up to 160 Wh

Needs the airline’s approval, and no more than two of these spares per person. [S2] [S3]

Over 160 Wh

Forbidden on passenger planes. FAA’s chart puts lithium battery generators in this group, including backup generators and those that are part of a solar power system. [S2]

Cover the ends

Each spare has to be protected from short circuits. FAA lists the ways: the original retail packaging, tape over the terminals, a battery case or sleeve, or a snug plastic bag or pouch. [S1] [S3]

Damaged or recalled

A damaged or recalled battery that could spark or overheat can’t fly in carry-on or checked bags unless it has been removed or made safe. FAA points to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the maker for recall lookups. [S1] [S2]

The regulation also requires every lithium battery to be a type that passed the UN 38.3 transport tests. You can’t check that at the airport, and IATA, the airline trade group, names low-quality power banks from makers that skip those tests as a growing worry. [S3] [S7]

Find your watt-hours

Newer lithium-ion batteries have the Wh rating printed on them, so look at the label first. If it only lists mAh, FAA’s formula is volts × amp-hours: divide the mAh by 1,000, then multiply by the battery’s voltage. [S1] [S2]

Use the battery’s own voltage, not a USB output line. Anker lists its 25,000 mAh A1695 at 90 Wh, which works out to 3.6 V. Run the same pack at the 5 V USB output and you get 125 Wh, which isn’t its rating. [S10]

Capacity on the label (mAh)Battery voltage on the label (V)

Enter both numbers to see the watt-hours and which band they fall in.

The math at two voltages
mAh on the label	At 3.6 V	At 3.7 V
10,000	36 Wh	37 Wh
20,000	72 Wh	74 Wh
25,000	90 Wh	92.5 Wh
27,000	97.2 Wh	99.9 Wh
30,000	108 Wh	111 Wh

Arithmetic examples, not ratings for any product. If your battery prints a Wh number, that number wins.

International flights: two power banks, and don’t top them up

On March 27, 2026, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN aviation agency that writes the international rules for carrying dangerous goods by air, added two power bank limits and one recommendation, all effective the same day. [S5] [S6]

No more than two power banks per person, whatever their size. ICAO calls that cap absolute.
No recharging a power bank while on board.
A recommendation, not a ban: don’t use a power bank to charge your phone or other devices on board.

ICAO says the push came from a rise in cabin fires tied to lithium batteries, including a January 2025 fire that destroyed an aircraft and likely started with a battery short circuit in an overhead bin. [S6]

Each country decides how fast to adopt the change. IATA notes that some apply it right away and others need a rule change first. IATA also says the 2027 edition of its Dangerous Goods Regulations, the industry manual many airlines use, which takes effect January 1, 2027, won’t keep the option to carry a power bank over 100 Wh, up to 160 Wh, with airline approval. [S7]

Where sources differ

FAA’s passenger page, updated October 2, 2026, still says there’s no count limit for batteries of 100 Wh or less. eCFR, current through October 19, 2026, shows the U.S. rule was last amended in May 2024. ICAO’s cap is two power banks. Since you can’t always tell which rule your airline follows, we’d pack two or fewer. [S2] [S3] [S5]

Your airline can be stricter

FAA warns that many airlines, domestic and international, set tighter limits on how many power banks you can bring and how big they can be, and tells you to check with your airline before you fly. [S2]

Southwest is one example. Its battery page says that since April 20, 2026, each customer may bring one power bank of no more than 100 Wh. It can’t go in an overhead bin or be charged from seat power, and it must be in view while in use. [S9]

In August 2025, FAA urged airlines to tell passengers to carry lithium batteries where a problem would be easy to see and reach. It named overhead bins and carry-on bags as places where a battery can be hidden and hard to get to. [S8]

Packing it right

Read the label. Find the Wh number, or work it out from mAh and the battery voltage.
Count. Two or fewer power banks covers the ICAO cap; check whether your airline allows only one.
Bag it. Put it in your carry-on or personal item, never a checked bag. We’d keep it in the personal item under the seat, where you can see it.
Cover loose spares. Use a case, a pouch or tape over the terminals so nothing metal touches them.
Leave bad ones home. Skip any damaged or recalled battery.

If a battery or device starts overheating, expanding, smoking or burning in flight, FAA says to tell the flight crew right away. Crews are trained to deal with lithium battery fires. [S1] [S2]

Shopping for one? Our power bank buying guide covers one 25,000 mAh laptop model, which Anker rates at 90 Wh. [S10]

Before you leave for the airport

I found each power bank’s Wh rating, and it’s 100 Wh or less.I’m bringing two power banks or fewer, and I checked my airline’s limit.Every power bank and spare battery is in my carry-on or personal item.Loose spares have covered terminals or their own case or pouch.None of them is damaged or recalled.

Quick answers

Can a power bank go in my checked bag?

No. FAA and TSA both say power banks are carry-on only. [S1] [S4]

Is a 20,000 mAh power bank allowed?

If its battery is rated 3.6 to 3.7 V, that works out to 72 to 74 Wh, under the 100 Wh line. Check the Wh printed on yours to be sure. [S2]

Can I use my power bank during the flight?

The FAA passenger pages we checked don’t ban it, but airlines set their own conditions; Southwest, for one, wants it in view while in use. Under ICAO’s 2026 rules you can’t recharge the power bank on board, and ICAO recommends against charging devices from it. [S6] [S9]

Does a phone charging case count as a power bank?

FAA lists cell phone battery charging cases with power banks and spare batteries, so it’s carry-on only. [S1]

What about the laptop or phone itself?

Apart from very small ones, such as luggage trackers of 2.7 Wh or less, devices with the battery installed can be checked only if they’re fully powered off and protected from turning on by accident, and the same Wh limits apply. FAA recommends carrying all lithium-ion batteries in the cabin. [S2] [S3]

Who decides at security?

TSA says the final decision on whether an item gets through the checkpoint rests with the TSA officer. [S4]

Are brands ranked here?

No. This guide covers the flight rules and the label math. We don’t rank or endorse power banks here, and we didn’t test any. [S2]

Sources

FAA, eCFR, TSA, ICAO, IATA, Southwest and Anker pages, checked October 21, 2026. Recommendations here are our editorial reading of those pages; no hands-on results are claimed.