40x30x20 bag on Ryanair and Wizz Air: free, and what if it is a few cm bigger?

A 40x30x20 cm bag is the free under-seat bag size on both Ryanair and Wizz Air: every fare includes one, and it has to fit under the seat in front of you. That makes it the most useful bag size for anyone flying low cost from Budapest, and the only bag you need for a one-day trip.

What is free and what is paid

• Ryanair, free: one small personal bag up to 40x30x20 cm. Ryanair states a size, not a weight limit, for this bag. The size has applied since 4 September 2025, when Ryanair installed the bigger sizers at all its airports.
• Ryanair, paid: Priority & 2 Cabin Bags adds a 10 kg cabin bag up to 55x40x20 cm for the overhead locker, together with priority boarding.
• Wizz Air, free: one under-seat bag up to 40x30x20 cm and 10 kg.
• Wizz Air, paid: WIZZ Priority adds a trolley up to 55x40x23 cm and 10 kg, plus priority boarding.

Prices for the paid options change by route and date, so check them when you book. Not sure about your own bag? Type its size into our hand luggage size checker.

My bag is a few centimetres bigger. Can I still take it free?

Officially, no. Neither airline publishes any tolerance: the limit is the limit, and it includes wheels, handles and outside pockets. At the gate, the test is the metal sizer frame. Ryanair puts it bluntly: a bag that does not fit the sizer does not go in the cabin, and it either stays behind or goes in the hold for a fee. Wizz Air charges an extra fee at the gate for an oversized bag as well.

Now the part most guides leave out. The sizer measures the bag as it is on the day, not the number on its label. A soft backpack or duffel that is listed at 42 cm but is not stuffed full can usually be pressed into a 40 cm frame, because the fabric gives. A hard-shell case cannot: if it is 2 cm over, it is 2 cm over. So the honest answer is that a few centimetres can work with a soft bag, if you pack it so it squeezes, and it is never guaranteed. The staff at the gate decide.

How to pass the sizer with a soft bag

• Measure the bag packed, not empty, with a tape measure along all three sides.
• Leave the outside pockets flat. A full side pocket adds centimetres you cannot press away.
• Pack soft items at the edges and keep anything rigid, like a laptop or a power bank case, in the middle.
• Test it at home: a cardboard box or a marked-out 40x30x20 cm space on the floor shows you quickly whether it compresses enough.
• If it only fits when you lean on it, buy the paid bag online. It is always cheaper than paying at the gate.

Why it matters for a one-day trip

On a day trip you need almost nothing: documents, phone, charger, a light layer and a water bottle you fill after security. A 40x30x20 cm bag holds all of that with room to spare, so there is no reason to pay for a cabin bag. The Daytrip app builds the whole day around that: an early flight out, a full day in the city, and the same evening back home with nothing to check in. For what you can pack, see what you can bring in hand luggage.