One of the most essential gadgets to pack in your carry-on for travel is a portable charger, along with charging adapter and cable. As your phone battery slowly depletes, you never know when there might be a long flight delay at the airport — and a portable charger allows you to keep your devices powered up without the need of a wall outlet. While the latest phones boast improved battery life, if you’ll be out all day and night exploring or attending meetings, a portable charging bank can be a lifesaver. Meanwhile, a cable and adapter keeps it recharged back at the hotel.
As much of a godsend a power bank can be while traveling, you might be wondering how much of an inconvenience they might be when going through TSA inspection at the airport — and specifically whether you need to take it out of your bag. While there are exceptions, like airports with very specific rules or chargers that have particularly large batteries, the short answer is no, you don’t. More often than not, you can leave your power bank safely inside of your bag while it goes through the scanner.
The stated TSA rules for chargers
When it comes to chargers, you must bring them in your carry on — as per TSA guidelines, they are not permitted in checked luggage due to potential fire hazards. This pertains to all of the best portable chargers and power banks that contain lithium-ion batteries, which is pretty much any consumer-level model. However, there are rules regarding the sizes and capacities of battery packs as well.
The FAA notes that battery packs and other products with batteries brought as carry-on cannot exceed two grams of lithium per battery and a 100 watt hours (Wh) rating. To confirm whether the Wh of your portable charger meets this criterion, multiply the milliamp-hours rating by voltage, then divide by 1000. However, many power banks are advertised as being TSA approved, which makes it easy.
You can travel with spare larger batteries that afford up to 101 to 160Wh, like an extra battery pack for your laptop, drone, or pro AV gear. But this requires airline approval, so be sure to check with your specific airline prior to flying. Either way, all these items should be packed in your carry on and can stay there when going through TSA.
Do you need to remove them?
While, unless you have TSA PreCheck, you must remove a laptop from a bag before it runs through the scanner, there are no apparent rules indicating you need to remove a portable charger. Based on my own extensive travel experience, I have never had to remove a portable charger or charging adapter from my carry-on bag, nor has one ever been removed for inspection.
When I travel for work, I often have at least two 10,000 mAh+ chargers with me. With larger items, like portable Bluetooth speakers, I have asked TSA agents who have confirmed they don’t need to come out of the bag either. With that said, every airport and airline has its own rules. For example, some travelers have said they were told to remove batteries and chargers from their carry-on bags at Manchester airport in England.
If you’re worried, make sure your portable charger and any other questionable TSA electronics are easily accessible, like in your backpack versus a zippered carry-on suitcase. You might want them there anyway to use on the plane. As you lay everything out, simply let the agent know you have a portable charger and ask if you need to remove it. Chances are, the answer will be no. Then, you can be on your merry way to the gate.
