diff --git a/channeldb/graph.go b/channeldb/graph.go
index 19a19439..dba5108c 100644
--- a/channeldb/graph.go
+++ b/channeldb/graph.go
@@ -3372,7 +3372,7 @@ func serializeChanEdgePolicy(w io.Writer, edge *ChannelEdgePolicy,
 	// of the opaque data.
 	// TODO(halseth): clean up when moving to TLV.
 	var opaqueBuf bytes.Buffer
-	if edge.MessageFlags&lnwire.ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc != 0 {
+	if edge.MessageFlags.HasMaxHtlc() {
 		err := binary.Write(&opaqueBuf, byteOrder, uint64(edge.MaxHTLC))
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -3465,7 +3465,7 @@ func deserializeChanEdgePolicy(r io.Reader,
 	}
 
 	// See if optional fields are present.
-	if edge.MessageFlags&lnwire.ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc != 0 {
+	if edge.MessageFlags.HasMaxHtlc() {
 		// The max_htlc field should be at the beginning of the opaque
 		// bytes.
 		opq := edge.ExtraOpaqueData
diff --git a/discovery/gossiper.go b/discovery/gossiper.go
index 1cd405d0..a8f15440 100644
--- a/discovery/gossiper.go
+++ b/discovery/gossiper.go
@@ -1324,7 +1324,7 @@ func (d *AuthenticatedGossiper) retransmitStaleChannels() error {
 		// If this edge has a ChannelUpdate that was created before the
 		// introduction of the MaxHTLC field, then we'll update this
 		// edge to propagate this information in the network.
-		if edge.MessageFlags&lnwire.ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc == 0 {
+		if !edge.MessageFlags.HasMaxHtlc() {
 			edgesToUpdate = append(edgesToUpdate, updateTuple{
 				info: info,
 				edge: edge,
@@ -2520,7 +2520,7 @@ func (d *AuthenticatedGossiper) updateChannel(info *channeldb.ChannelEdgeInfo,
 
 	// We'll make sure we support the new max_htlc field if not already
 	// present.
-	if edge.MessageFlags&lnwire.ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc == 0 {
+	if !edge.MessageFlags.HasMaxHtlc() {
 		edge.MessageFlags |= lnwire.ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc
 		edge.MaxHTLC = lnwire.NewMSatFromSatoshis(info.Capacity)
 	}
diff --git a/lnwire/channel_update.go b/lnwire/channel_update.go
index 1788cdc7..fd627646 100644
--- a/lnwire/channel_update.go
+++ b/lnwire/channel_update.go
@@ -24,6 +24,12 @@ func (c ChanUpdateMsgFlags) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%08b", c)
 }
 
+// HasMaxHtlc returns true if the htlc_maximum_msat option bit is set in the
+// message flags.
+func (c ChanUpdateMsgFlags) HasMaxHtlc() bool {
+	return c&ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc != 0
+}
+
 // ChanUpdateChanFlags is a bitfield that signals various options concerning a
 // particular channel edge. Each bit is to be examined in order to determine
 // how the ChannelUpdate message is to be interpreted.
@@ -139,7 +145,7 @@ func (a *ChannelUpdate) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 	}
 
 	// Now check whether the max HTLC field is present and read it if so.
-	if a.MessageFlags&ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc != 0 {
+	if a.MessageFlags.HasMaxHtlc() {
 		if err := ReadElements(r, &a.HtlcMaximumMsat); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -183,7 +189,7 @@ func (a *ChannelUpdate) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
 
 	// Now append optional fields if they are set. Currently, the only
 	// optional field is max HTLC.
-	if a.MessageFlags&ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc != 0 {
+	if a.MessageFlags.HasMaxHtlc() {
 		if err := WriteElements(w, a.HtlcMaximumMsat); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -232,7 +238,7 @@ func (a *ChannelUpdate) DataToSign() ([]byte, error) {
 
 	// Now append optional fields if they are set. Currently, the only
 	// optional field is max HTLC.
-	if a.MessageFlags&ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc != 0 {
+	if a.MessageFlags.HasMaxHtlc() {
 		if err := WriteElements(&w, a.HtlcMaximumMsat); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
diff --git a/routing/ann_validation.go b/routing/ann_validation.go
index 5c70dd86..4b304b5a 100644
--- a/routing/ann_validation.go
+++ b/routing/ann_validation.go
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ func ValidateChannelUpdateAnn(pubKey *btcec.PublicKey, capacity btcutil.Amount,
 func validateOptionalFields(capacity btcutil.Amount,
 	msg *lnwire.ChannelUpdate) error {
 
-	if msg.MessageFlags&lnwire.ChanUpdateOptionMaxHtlc != 0 {
+	if msg.MessageFlags.HasMaxHtlc() {
 		maxHtlc := msg.HtlcMaximumMsat
 		if maxHtlc == 0 || maxHtlc < msg.HtlcMinimumMsat {
 			return errors.Errorf("invalid max htlc for channel "+