Can you take a power bank on a plane? The rule is watt-hours, not mAh
Airlines limit power banks by watt-hours, and the number printed on the case is usually mAh. Here is the conversion, the 100Wh line, and what actually gets confiscated.
Oohunt Deal Desk · Buying guides · August 30, 2026 · 6 min read
Yes, in your carry-on, and the limit is 100 watt-hours — not a number of mAh. Power banks are lithium batteries. They must never go in checked luggage, because a fire in the hold cannot be reached by anyone.
The confusion is that airlines regulate watt-hours and manufacturers print milliamp-hours. At the 3.7V most cells run at, 100Wh is roughly 27,000mAh, so almost every power bank sold to consumers is under the line. A 10,000mAh bank is about 37Wh. A 20,000mAh bank is about 74Wh.
The conversion, and why 26,800mAh exists
Watt-hours are volts times amp-hours. A power bank at 3.7V holding 20,000mAh is 3.7 × 20 = 74Wh. Run it the other way and the 100Wh ceiling lands at 27,027mAh.
That is why so many travel power banks are 26,800mAh, a number nobody would otherwise choose. It is the largest round capacity that clears the limit with room to spare. If you see it on a listing, it is not a coincidence — it is the manufacturer telling you the bank was designed for a carry-on.
Some banks run at 3.85V rather than 3.7V, which shifts the maths slightly. Reputable ones print the watt-hour figure directly on the case, and when they do, that number is the one that counts. Do not recalculate it yourself.
The three tiers
Under 100Wh. Carry on, no approval needed. This covers essentially the whole consumer market up to about 26,800mAh.
100Wh to 160Wh. Permitted with airline approval, and you are limited to two. This is where large laptop banks and some camera batteries sit. Approval means asking in advance, not explaining yourself at the gate.
Above 160Wh. Not allowed on passenger aircraft in either cabin or hold. Portable power stations for camping are usually here, and they are freight, not luggage.
Checked luggage: never
This is the rule people break by accident, usually by leaving a bank in a bag that then gets gate-checked because the overhead lockers filled up.
If you are asked to check a bag at the gate, take the power bank out first. It takes ten seconds and it is the difference between a legal battery and one in the one place nobody can reach if it fails.
What actually gets taken at the gate
Almost never capacity. In practice the confiscations are for unmarked batteries — a power bank whose printing has worn off, or a no-brand unit that never carried a figure at all. Crew are instructed to judge by the marking, and a battery of unknown capacity is treated as one that might be over the limit.
A visible, legible capacity marking is worth more at the gate than any specification. It is also a fair proxy for whether the manufacturer took the certification seriously at all.
Using one in the air
The rules here have tightened rather than relaxed. Several carriers now prohibit charging from a power bank during flight and require it to be stored somewhere cabin crew can see it rather than in the overhead locker, following a run of in-flight battery fires.
The policies are not uniform and they are changing, so check your own airline. If you are counting on a power bank for a long flight, that is a reason to check rather than assume.
What qualifies right now
These are power banks currently in our catalogue that clear the price checks and the rating threshold — at least 500 reviews and 3 stars, with any original price we could not verify removed rather than repeated. Prices are re-checked every six hours.
PovaseeJump Starter 5000A Car Jumper Starter, Model A30 12V Jump Box for Car Battery up to 10L Gas or 8L Diesel Engine Battery Jumper Starter Portable with Power Bank/Dual Output/LED Light (opens in a new tab)
4.5(5.8K)Coupon$59.99$99.99-40%Save $40.00
OHOVIVPortable Charger Power Bank 50000mAh,4 Built-in Cables Battery Pack (opens in a new tab)
4.4(3.3K)$30.66$51.99-41%Save $21.33
DurecopowSolar Charger Power Bank 20,000mAh, Portable Charger, 4 Cables 3 Ports Fast Charging External Battery Pack with USB C for Cell Phones, Solar Panel Charger with Dual Flashlight for Camping (opens in a new tab)
4.1(9.8K)Coupon$21.57$39.99-46%Save $18.42
ZZIPortable Charger Power Bank 60000mAh, 22.5W Pd Fast-Charge Battery Pack (opens in a new tab)
4.3(2.8K)$29.98$48.99-39%Save $19.01
UGREENNexode 25000mAh 145W 3-Port USB-C Power Bank for iPhone 17 Pro Max 3 USB-C ports, Pd fast high-capacity 25000mAh for laptops, Steam Deck, iPad, Galaxy S26, Dell Xps (opens in a new tab)
4.4(7.5K)$69.99$109.99-36%Save $40.00
UGREEN Amazon USUgreen Nexode 20000mAh 130W Portable Pd Power Bank for MacBook Pro 16 (opens in a new tab)
4.5(4.6K)$59.99$89.99-33%Save $30.00
OXILAMJump Starter 6000A for All Gas/12L Diesel, Car Battery Jumper Starter Portable, 12V Lithium Jump Box with Jumper Cables, LED Display, LED Light, Power Bank with USB, Type C Port (opens in a new tab)
4.5(3.2K)Coupon$59.98$89.99-33%Save $30.01
HELLEE15000mAh Portable Charger Power Bank, 45% Smaller Built-in 4 Cables (opens in a new tab)
4.3(5.6K)$21.82$33.99-36%Save $12.17
Check the printed capacity before you fly. We filter on price and quality, not on watt-hours — capacity lives in the product title rather than in a field we can query, so treat the list as a starting point and the marking on the case as the answer.
Common questions
Can you take a power bank on a plane?
Yes, in your carry-on. Power banks are lithium batteries and must never go in checked luggage, because a fire in the hold cannot be reached. Airlines allow them up to 100 watt-hours without asking, which covers almost every consumer power bank sold.
What is the 100Wh limit in mAh?
At the 3.7V most cells run at, 100Wh is about 27,000mAh. So a 10,000mAh bank is roughly 37Wh, a 20,000mAh bank about 74Wh, and a 26,800mAh bank about 99Wh — which is why that oddly specific number appears on so many travel power banks.
How many power banks can I bring?
Most airlines allow two spare lithium batteries per passenger, and the FAA sets no hard number below 100Wh. Between 100Wh and 160Wh you need airline approval and are limited to two. Above 160Wh they are not permitted on passenger aircraft at all.
Can you use a power bank during the flight?
Increasingly not. Several carriers now ban charging from a power bank in flight and require it to be kept where cabin crew can see it, after a series of in-flight battery fires. Check your airline before you rely on one for a long flight.
What if the capacity is not printed on it?
Assume it will be refused. Crew are instructed to judge by the marking, and an unmarked battery is a battery of unknown capacity. This is the single most common reason a perfectly legal power bank gets taken at the gate.
One thing worth ignoring while you shop: the discount badge. Batteries are a category where the struck-through price is especially unreliable, and a bank “reduced” from $89.99 to $24.99 was almost certainly always a twenty-five dollar bank. There is more on why in how to spot a fake discount. If you are working out what to plug it into, what the wattage on a USB-C charger actually buys you covers the other half. Everything else in this aisle sits in electronics, filtered on the same rules.