Is TSA Precheck Worth The Hype?
If you do any amount of flying, you will always see two lines when heading to security; the normal line (usually with tons of people in it) and the TSA Precheck line that seems to never have a soul.
I know for a long time, I thought that this was just some special expensive thing that businesspeople and flight crew used and not for the average frequent traveler.
After waiting almost an hour in the security line on our way home from Disney and having to rush to our gate, we decided it was time to dig a little further into this whole TSA Precheck thing and see what it’s really about. Turns out, it is pretty easy to get and has made an absolute GAME CHANGER when it comes to our travels!
What is TSA Precheck?
The best way I can describe it is that it’s like a fastpass through TSA. Typically when going through security, you have to remove things from your bag, strip off your shoes, belts, jackets, and more and really it’s all a pretty big hassle.
TSA Precheck allows you to forgo jumping through these hoops and make your Security process altogether smoother, easier, and much MUCH faster! You do not have to remove anything from your bags and you do not have to take anything off of your person other than maybe your phone.
There will be times that you will be grabbed for random screening, but don’t worry! This is super lowkey and usually just means that you will need to pull your laptop out of your bag or they will have you go through the body scanner. (again, usually they just make you take out your phone).
The reason you are able to skip some of the normal security procedures is that you have essentially had a background check done on yourself and are deemed as not a potential threat. (Basically, you have no criminal or sketchy records) There is technically a little more that goes into it than that, but that’s the general idea.
You will also have your own specific line to go through which means that you get to skip the crazy long lines at bigger airports and during peak flight times! No more scrambling to get to your gate because the line was long or having to get to the airport hours and hours beforehand. We still like to get there early so that we can grab some food and relax a bit before our flight, but at least we aren’t as stressed about it as we once were.
Find out more in our Video:
Ok cool, that sounds great! But how do i get it?
This was the other thing that I thought would be a super complicated process, but it was actually pretty simple!
The first thing that you will need to do is submit your online application through the TSA Website. They will ask all the general personal info (name, phone number, etc) and then your next step is to set up your in person appointment.
It will walk you through the steps to find where you can finish your registration in your hometown or surrounding area. Just a heads up, since this is a background check, they do take your fingerprints and photo.
As far as documentation, we had our Passports and Driver’s License and that was all we needed. If you are not a US citizen or you need to use different forms for proof of identity you will definitely want to be sure to check the website to make sure that you have everything you need. You can find that information HERE.
You will also need your form of payment. Your TSA Precheck Application is $85 per person and it’s good for 5 years. This is a heck of a bargain if you travel a few times a year!
Next you will head to your in person appointment. This was the only part that seemed a little sketch, but I think it was because it was a part of town that we weren’t used to being in and the building seemed a little weird. I can’t say that will be the case for you, but I was a little weirded out at first cause the only thing that said we were in the right place was a little a frame sign outside the door that said “TSA Precheck”.
Don’t worry! We were in the right place, it just happened to be in a somewhat sketchy part of town for us. Just make sure you have the address correct!
They asked us all our personal info (name, phone number, social security number, address, etc) and took our fingerprints and photos. They also scanned a picture of our passports. This whole process took less than ten minutes for the two of us and we were done!
They told us that we would be receiving our KTN (Known Traveller Number) within 30 days through email. We actually received ours about 3 days after our appointment! It may vary depending on your background history, but since we had just got our passports it was probably pretty easy for them to pull our info.
How to I start using my PreCheck Status?
This is all super exciting, but don’t just show up and expect to go through the TSA Precheck line! That KTN number is super important and your airline needs to have that BEFORE you even show up that day!
When purchasing your ticket, you will need to make sure that you give them your KTN to apply to your boarding pass. Make sure that this number is accurate! If you key it in wrong, it will not show up on your boarding pass. You’ll have the little Precheck logo on your boarding pass when you check in for your flight.
If you are like us and you have already purchased your flights but received your KTN later, you can either call your airline and have them apply them to your ticket or you can sometimes even add it right inside of your airline’s app.
If your boarding pass does not have your KTN, they will NOT allow you to go through the Precheck line! So make sure that you follow all the steps!
Is it really worth it?
If you are someone who flies at leas a few times a year or your home airport is a major one, I would HIGHLY recommend getting it! It’s a pretty great price for 5 years and it really does make the whole flying experience way more enjoyable.
The process to get it was super easy and only took the time of an afternoon to take care of applying. Honestly… This was easier than renewing your Driver’s license… which is weird to say, but true!
If you rarely fly or are from a smaller airport, then this may not be worth it for you. Our home airport is pretty small and usually doesn’t have crazy lines, but we tend to fly to alot of major airports, so it really helps us out when we are on our way home.
If you have any other questions, you can check out the FAQ page on the TSA website HERE.
*photos courtesy of TSA Precheck
