Ahead of the holiday travel season, there’s still time to sign up for TSA PreCheck.
This program allows preapproved, low-risk travelers to expedite their way through airport security at more than 200 U.S. airports. More than 90 domestic and foreign airlines participate in the program.
TSA PreCheck users do not have to take off their shoes or belts or remove laptops or liquids from their bags. They are also usually screened with walk-through X-ray machines rather than the full-body scanners most people are subjected to.
Once enrolled, TSA PreCheck users will receive a Known Traveler Number, designating them as Trusted Traveler members through U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Trusted Traveler Program.
TSA PreCheck users must enter their KTN when booking airline reservations to ensure the green check symbol appears on their boarding pass.
Even if you are a registered TSA PreCheck user who has attached your KTN to your airline reservation, there may be times when the TSA PreCheck designation does not appear on your boarding pass.
Below are four reasons why that might happen and what steps you can take to make sure you don’t get stuck in the regular Transportation Security Administration line.
When your frequent flyer account doesn’t list your KTN
Once approved for TSA PreCheck, you’re issued a KTN, which designates you as a Trusted Traveler. This ID is your ticket to the TSA PreCheck lane — but only if airlines know you have it.
After receiving your KTN or when flying a new airline, immediately add your KTN to that airline’s frequent flyer airline profile to ensure your KTN automatically populates into the correct field in your account. This is especially important if you’re flying with a carrier you don’t frequently fly.
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If you forget to do this, you can add it at the time of booking or when checking in for your flight, both online and at the airport. Just make sure you give yourself enough time to add it to your account and reprint your boarding pass.
When the name on your ID doesn’t match your boarding pass
Any typographical discrepancies between the name on your boarding pass and the name registered with your TSA PreCheck account may cause security to note the discrepancy and flag your boarding pass for closer scrutiny. Errors include simple typos such as a misplaced period or a missing middle name, so be sure to double-check that your name on your Trusted Traveler account and boarding pass match exactly.
When your TSA PreCheck access has expired
Like the other Trusted Traveler Programs, a TSA PreCheck membership is valid for five years, and you must renew it to continue using it.
You can renew your membership up to six months before expiration, and most people can renew online, though some might have to return to an enrollment center to complete the process. Three providers manage TSA applications, and it costs approximately $70 to renew online.
It costs $78 to apply through Idemia, $85 through Telos and $77.95 through Clear. Various credit cards offer $100 statement credit reimbursements for the application fees associated with TSA PreCheck and Global Entry since membership to Global Entry also includes TSA PreCheck. Since the price of Global Entry increased to $120 in October, some credit cards have subsequently increased their statement credits.
Some of the American Express cards conveying free TSA PreCheck and/or Global Entry are:
Here is a complete list of credit cards that offer a discount for TSA PreCheck.
This credit is typically available every four to five years, but check your card’s terms for the exact frequency.
When you get the dreaded SSSS
SSSS, short for Secondary Security Screening Selection, is an arbitrary airport security measure that selects certain travelers for additional inspection. The exact reason for this designation remains largely a mystery.
Unfortunately, if you have been selected for this “privilege,” you will only be able to check in for your flight at the airline counter. You almost certainly will not be able to go through the TSA PreCheck line as you’ll receive a thorough inspection from TSA agents.
If this dreaded circumstance befalls you, there’s nothing you can do other than get to the airport earlier than you would otherwise.
This has only happened to me once, and I was abroad. They took my suitcase and those of the other selected travelers to a designated area, where they unpacked our suitcases on a separate table. This added a few extra minutes of time, but we were then escorted to the gate instead of having to wait in the gate area to board.
TSA PreCheck is not a guaranteed service perk
TSA PreCheck is not guaranteed to users every single time they travel through a participating airport or with a participating airline.
“TSA uses unpredictable security measures, both seen and unseen, throughout the airport,” per the TSA. “All travelers will be screened, and no individual is guaranteed expedited screening.”
Bottom line
There are several ways to rectify a missing TSA PreCheck designation on short notice.
If you notice the error before arriving at the airport, call your airline and give it your KTN. You can also try adding your KTN information to your frequent flyer profile; confirm it has been added by reloading your boarding pass via the airline website or mobile app.
Additionally, you can try contacting TSA via X at @TSA or @AskTSA to see if it can fix the issue for you in real time.
If you don’t find out about the missing TSA PreCheck designation until you’re at the airport, take your boarding pass back to the airline check-in counter and ask them to add your KTN to your itinerary.
If you’re already in a time crunch, the difference in time saved going through the TSA PreCheck line could make or break your chances of getting onto your plane.
Though you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of getting out of line for the ticket counter on a case-by-case basis, I always advise doing everything possible to acquire TSA PreCheck access.
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