I am going to be flying out of IAD with my family of four. Each of us is going to have a roll-aboard bag (that is sizer compliant) and a personal item, along with some car seats we need to check. We have no status, and I suspect we'll end up in a high number boarding group and be asked to check our bags for free when we get to the gate.

My question is this: rather than schlep the bags through the airport, has anyone had luck essentially "gate checking" their bags at the ticket counter, and getting them to waive the $25 fee on the grounds that the bags would ultimately end up checked for free anyway? In a rational world, it seems they'd want to do this, as it saves them time and hassle at the gate, but we all know that United is not a rational airline.

Thanks for any thoughts.