# How do you pack electronics and power banks in a carry-on?

> OneBag Kit · https://onebagkit.com/packing-electronics-carry-on/  
> Updated: 2026-10-08 · Published: 2026-10-08

Carry one power bank of 100 Wh or less in your personal item, with any spare batteries beside it, and pack the laptop where it slides out at security. One bank passes the US and ICAO rules and all three airlines we checked on 8 Oct 2026, including Southwest, which allows only one. That's our pick; the trade-off is less spare charge on a long trip.

A heavy laptop user can take a second bank under the US and ICAO rules and on Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, but those two airlines don't let you use either bank on board, so the extra charge is for the ground.

Batteries are the only electronics on a one-bag trip with hard limits. Phones, laptops, chargers and cables travel in either cabin bag, and the [personal item vs carry-on guide](https://onebagkit.com/personal-item-vs-carry-on/index.md) covers the rest of that split. Power banks and spare batteries have rules on four things: where they go, their size, how many you take and whether you use them in the air. The table sets those rules side by side, each with its official source.

## Power bank and battery rules, side by side

![An open sling bag at the foot of two airplane seats with a power bank and phone inside, a coiled cable and two tape-capped camera batteries in front, and a laptop propped against a backpack.](https://onebagkit.com/img/brick-spot-packing-electronics-carry-on-640.webp)

| Rule | US (FAA, PHMSA, TSA) | International (ICAO) | Singapore Airlines | Lufthansa | Southwest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where power banks go | Cabin only; remove them from any bag checked at the gate | Carry-on only | Cabin only; seat-back pocket or under the seat, never the overhead bin | Under the seat, in the seat pocket, on you or in hand luggage; never the overhead bin | Cabin only; in a personal item under the seat, never the overhead bin |
| Size without approval | Up to 100 Wh per battery | Up to 100 Wh | Up to 100 Wh | Up to 100 Wh | Up to 100 Wh |
| 100–160 Wh | Airline approval, two spares at most | Operator approval, two spares at most | Prior approval through Singapore Airlines' form | Approval through the Lufthansa Help Center | Not allowed for power banks |
| How many power banks | No federal limit for most batteries | Two per person | Two per passenger | Two per passenger | One per customer, from 20 April 2026 |
| Using or charging in flight | No ban on the FAA page; airline rules apply | Recharging the bank is banned; using it to charge devices is advised against | Neither use nor charging allowed | Neither charging nor use allowed | Can't be charged from seat power; must be visible when in use |
| Source, checked | [FAA PackSafe](https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/lithium-batteries), [49 CFR 175.10](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-175/subpart-A/section-175.10), [TSA](https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/power-banks), all 8 Oct 2026 | [ICAO](https://www.icao.int/news/new-power-bank-restrictions-will-safeguard-international-aviation) via [ICAO bulletin text](https://www.philippineairlines.com/content/dam/palportal/media/pdf/addendum-no-1-of-the-technical-instructions-for-the-safe-transport-of-dangerous-goods-by-air.pdf) and [IATA guidance](https://www.iata.org/contentassets/90f8038b0eea42069554b2f4530f49ea/guidance-to-operators---power-banks.pdf), 8 Oct 2026 | [Singapore Airlines](https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/baggage/baggage-restrictions/), 8 Oct 2026 | [Lufthansa](https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/prepare-for-your-trip/baggage/electronic-devices-and-batteries.html), 8 Oct 2026 | [Southwest](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/article/Traveling-with-lithium-batteries-e-cigarettes-and-lighters), 8 Oct 2026 |

The US rows come from three places. The FAA page, last updated 11 August 2026, keeps spare batteries and power banks in carry-on bags and doesn't set a quantity limit "for most batteries". It also warns that many airlines have "stricter quantity and Wh limits". The regulation behind it is PHMSA's 49 CFR 175.10, which treats any battery whose main job is to power another device as a spare. TSA's power bank page says the same thing from the checkpoint side: "Portable chargers or power banks containing a lithium ion battery must be packed in carry-on bags."

ICAO's own site didn't load for us on 8 Oct 2026. The ICAO column comes from two copies of its text. Philippine Airlines publishes ICAO Electronic Bulletin EB 2026/10, dated 7 April 2026, with Addendum No. 1 to the Technical Instructions. The bulletin says the Council approved the change on 27 March 2026 and that it "limits the number of power banks that can be carried by each person to no more than two". IATA's guidance for operators, dated 31 March 2026, lists the same changes. It adds that the 100–160 Wh power bank allowance "will not be carried into" the 68th edition of its Dangerous Goods Regulations, which takes effect on 1 January 2027.

## Worked example: one laptop and a 99.75 Wh bank on three airlines

The kit here is our own assumption, built from maker specs: a 13-inch MacBook Air, rated by Apple at 53.8 Wh and 1.23 kg, and an Anker Prime 26K power bank, which Anker lists at 26,250 mAh, 99.75 Wh and 600 g ([Apple](https://www.apple.com/macbook-air/specs/), [Anker](https://www.anker.com/products/a110a-anker-prime-26k-300w-power-bank), both checked 8 Oct 2026). Add a small second bank for the phone and see what each airline allows.

On Southwest the small bank stays home, because the limit is one. The Anker goes in the personal item under the seat. It's allowed to charge the phone mid-flight if it's in view, outside the bag, but it mustn't be topped up from the seat's power outlet. On Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines both banks are allowed on board and neither may be used. The phone charges from the seat's power outlet, where the plane has one, or arrives charged. Both airlines keep the banks out of the overhead bin. If the cabin bag goes in the overhead bin, the banks belong in the bag under the seat.

The laptop counts as a device and stays out of the power bank count on all three airlines. Lufthansa allows up to 15 devices with lithium batteries per passenger, each up to 100 Wh. Apple lists the 16-inch MacBook Pro's battery as 100 Wh, with an actual rating of 99.6 Wh in its footnotes ([Apple](https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/), checked 8 Oct 2026), which puts even the largest MacBook inside the line without approval.

Weight matters on the two airlines with cabin caps. The laptop and the Anker come to 1.83 kg, which is 26% of Singapore Airlines' 7 kg Economy allowance and 23% of Lufthansa's 8 kg ([Singapore Airlines](https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/baggage/cabin-baggage/), [Lufthansa](https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/carry-on-baggage), checked 8 Oct 2026).

## What goes in the personal item

Two rules decide it. Under the FAA rule, a carry-on that gets tagged for the hold at the gate or the aircraft door has to lose its power banks and spares first, and those stay in the cabin with you. Lufthansa's carry-on page asks for the same at its gates, naming "laptops, power banks or e-cigarettes" among the things to take out. On top of that, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa and Southwest all keep power banks out of the overhead bin. A bank packed in the main bag has to come out either way: at the gate if that bag is checked, or at your seat when the bag goes in the overhead bin on those three airlines.

So the power banks go in the personal item, along with spare camera or drone batteries, the phone, earbuds and the one cable you'll use on board. Spare batteries need their terminals covered. The FAA accepts the retail packaging, tape over the terminals, a battery case or a snug plastic bag, and the ICAO addendum lists packaging, tape and a separate bag or pouch. For camera batteries in a sling, the [camera gear guide](https://onebagkit.com/one-bag-camera-gear/index.md) has the detail.

The laptop can go in either bag, so put it where it comes out fastest. At US checkpoints the laptop comes out of the bag and goes through the X-ray in its own tray, unless you have TSA PreCheck ([TSA laptops](https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/laptops), page updated 15 July 2026, checked 8 Oct 2026). A sleeve against the back panel of the main bag works if the personal item is small. Lufthansa's personal item is only 40 × 30 × 15 cm.

## Chargers, adapters and cables

A wall charger, a plug adapter and the cables have no battery in them, so none of the rules above apply. They can go in the main bag. The decision is how much to take. In an r/onebag thread on [whether a magnetic power bank is worth the bulk](https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/1uophe0/is_a_magnetic_power_bank_worth_the_extra_bulk_in/), most replies came back to cables. One commenter said magnetic banks are "generally too small, charge slow, and get super hot. I'd rather a use a cable" ([kientran](https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/1uophe0/is_a_magnetic_power_bank_worth_the_extra_bulk_in/ovu08eo/)). Another pointed out that headphones and a shaver need a cabled output anyway ([grendelone](https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/1uophe0/is_a_magnetic_power_bank_worth_the_extra_bulk_in/ovu0ytf/)).

The same thread had a reminder about weight. "Batteries are dead weight for traveling," wrote a commenter who carries a 10,000 mAh bank on every trip and a 25,000 mAh one on longer trips ([Robotpharm](https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/1uophe0/is_a_magnetic_power_bank_worth_the_extra_bulk_in/ovuckyo/)). A multi-port USB-C wall charger that runs the laptop and the phone together replaces two bricks, and one plug adapter for the countries on the route is enough.

On the plane, use a short cable and leave the bank where crew can see it. In a [thread on flight-safe power banks](https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/1tkaw6g/flight_safe_power_bank/), a commenter noted airlines "requiring them to be within reach and visible if using to charge another device" ([piercedhsky](https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/1tkaw6g/flight_safe_power_bank/onb8e1h/)). Lufthansa asks the same of devices plugged into the aircraft's power: they "must always be visible and accessible".

## FAQ

### My power bank only shows mAh. How do I work out the Wh?

Multiply the mAh by the voltage and divide by 1,000, which is the formula Lufthansa prints on its battery page. Use the cell voltage printed on the label and skip the 5 V USB output figure. Anker's 26,250 mAh bank at 99.75 Wh implies a 3.8 V cell. In the flight-safe thread, one commenter's advice was to "Make sure the capacity is stated clearly on the battery itself and doesn't exceed 100 Wh" ([StressSuspicious6956](https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/1tkaw6g/flight_safe_power_bank/on7bso6/)). A bank with no Wh or voltage on it gives staff nothing to check.

### Does a battery case for a phone count as a power bank?

Our reading of the international rules is that it counts as a spare battery rather than a power bank. IATA's guidance defines a power bank as a "universal external power source" and a spare battery as one "designed to be inserted into or directly affixed to a specific device", which describes a case built for one phone model ([IATA](https://www.iata.org/contentassets/90f8038b0eea42069554b2f4530f49ea/guidance-to-operators---power-banks.pdf), 31 March 2026). The FAA lists "cell phone battery charging cases" among the spares that stay in the cabin. Keep the case out of any checked bag. Southwest's page doesn't mention cases by name; it defines spare batteries as "up to 2 removable batteries form-fitted to each personal electronic device", which comes close but doesn't settle it, so ask the airline if you carry a case and a bank.

### Will a power bank be taken off me in China?

On a domestic flight within mainland China it can be, if it has no 3C (CCC) mark, an unclear mark, or comes from a recalled model or batch. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has banned those on domestic flights since 28 June 2025 ([CAAC](https://www.caac.gov.cn/English/News/202507/t20250709_227894.html), checked 8 Oct 2026). A poster in r/travel had a 20,000 mAh bank taken at [Xiamen airport in September 2026](https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1wg35sq/power_bank_confiscated_at_xiamen_airport_can_i/) before a domestic flight on to Kunming, after travelling with it to other parts of China without trouble. Singapore Airlines adds that on flights to and from China, a bank with no clear power rating printed on it isn't allowed at all ([Singapore Airlines](https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/baggage/baggage-restrictions/), checked 8 Oct 2026).

## Related OneBag Kit guides

- [What goes in your personal item vs carry-on?](https://onebagkit.com/personal-item-vs-carry-on/index.md): the rest of the split once the electronics are sorted
- [How do you fit camera gear into a one-bag setup?](https://onebagkit.com/one-bag-camera-gear/index.md): spare camera and drone batteries in a sling
- [How to pack under a 7 kg carry-on limit](https://onebagkit.com/carry-on-weight-limit-7kg/index.md): where the rest of the 7 kg goes after a 1.83 kg laptop and bank
- [Free printable carry-on checklist (PDF)](https://onebagkit.com/checklist/index.md): the tech group to tick off the night before

HTML: https://onebagkit.com/packing-electronics-carry-on/