Can you take a power bank on a plane? The 2026 rules for UK and US flights

The short version: cabin bag only

You can take a power bank on a plane, but it has to travel with you in the cabin. The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says power banks containing a lithium-ion battery must be packed in carry-on bags, and that spare lithium batteries, including power banks and phone chargers, are prohibited in checked luggage. The UK rules say the same: a power bank must be carried in your hand luggage.

The reason is fire safety. Lithium batteries can overheat, and if that happens in the cabin, the crew can see it and deal with it. In the hold, nobody would know until it was too late.

So the power bank goes in your backpack, handbag or cabin case, not in the suitcase you check in. The same goes for spare camera batteries and any loose lithium batteries.

What changed in the UK on 27 March 2026

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) introduced new rules for power banks on flights, effective from 27 March 2026. They apply to airlines regulated in the UK, and other airlines flying from the UK publish similar limits in their own conditions.

• A maximum of two power banks per person
• They must be carried in your hand luggage
• Power banks up to 100 Wh are allowed without the airline’s approval
• Power banks over 100 Wh and up to 160 Wh need the airline’s approval
• They must not be recharged on board the aircraft
• They should not be used to charge other devices on board
• Each one must be individually protected when not in use, so the terminals can’t short-circuit

How to work out watt-hours from mAh

The limits are in watt-hours (Wh), but most power banks are sold by milliamp-hours (mAh). Many power banks print the Wh rating on the case, usually in small text next to the input and output details. If yours does, use that figure.

If it only shows mAh, you can work it out: multiply the mAh by the battery’s voltage, then divide by 1,000. Most power banks use cells rated at 3.6 or 3.7 volts, and the voltage is usually printed on the label too.

UK and US rules side by side

The broad rules are the same on both sides of the Atlantic: cabin only, with limits at 100 Wh and 160 Wh. The details differ a little, mainly on how many you can take.

Can you use a power bank during the flight?

Under the CAA rules, you must not recharge a power bank on board, for example from the seat’s USB socket, and you shouldn’t use it to charge your phone or other devices during the flight either. Some airlines go further and ask you not to use power banks at all once you’re on board, or to keep them where you can see them rather than in the overhead locker.

In the US, there is no single federal rule on using a power bank in your seat, so it depends on your airline’s policy. Listen to the cabin crew’s announcements: if they ask you to stop using or charging a device, do so.

The simple way round it is to charge your phone fully before you board and use the seat power, where there is some, for the phone itself rather than the power bank.

Packing a power bank safely

A few habits make it easy at security and safe on board.

• Keep it in your hand luggage, somewhere you can get to it quickly if security asks to see it
• Cover the ports or keep it in its own pouch, so nothing metal can touch the terminals
• Don’t pack a power bank that is damaged, swollen or gets hot when you use it
• Switch off any power bank with an on/off button before you board
• Take no more than two, and leave the oversized ones at home

If your cabin bag is taken at the gate

On busy flights, the crew may ask to put some cabin bags in the hold when the overhead lockers are full. If that happens, take the power bank and any spare batteries out first and keep them with you, because they aren’t allowed in the hold. Do the same with your passport, medicines, keys and valuables. Our carry-on only checklist has more on packing so this takes seconds rather than minutes.

Other batteries: laptops, cameras and vapes

Laptops, tablets, phones and cameras contain lithium batteries too. When the battery is inside the device, keep the device in your hand luggage where you can; some airlines also accept devices in checked bags if they’re switched off and protected, so check yours. Spare camera and drone batteries count as spare lithium batteries, so they follow the power bank rules: hand luggage only, with the terminals protected.

Electronic cigarettes and vapes must also travel in your hand luggage, and you mustn’t use them on board.

For liquids, the other rule that catches people out at security, see our guide to liquids rules at UK airports.

Questions people ask