Just so you know, We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. We have a full affiliate disclosure that you can find under here.
TSA Precheck in my opinion is worth every penny (as of May 2018 it costs $95) if you fly a couple times each year. Even with taking early flights or red eye flights the lines can be pretty stacked up to try getting through.
What is TSA Precheck?
TSA Precheck is a government program that started in 2011. This program allows you expedite your security experience. There are some added bonuses as well such as not having to remove electronics and shoes. All of these things allow for a faster and in my opinion better security experience at the airports.
Is it really worth it?
YES…. not convinced… ok… how about an example. The example I like to use is our trip to Orlando last year. I have TSA Precheck, and Joni at that time did not. If one of the parents have TSA Precheck, they can bring their children with them through the Precheck line if they are under the age of 12. Cheyenne was able to go through with me but Joni had to go through the normal line. Cheyenne and I were through in under 15 minutes. We had told Joni we would meet her at the gate. Cheyenne and I were able to look at the shops, had lunch at McDonalds and head to our gate. Even though we arrived almost two hours prior to departure, Joni just got to the gate as they had boarded half the plane. Needless to say that this experience, she finally determined the $95 cost for a 5 year period is worth it.
Is it hard to get?
The TSA Precheck process is easy to go through but can be a pain for finding a place to go through to get it done if you don’t live by a main hub. I had to drive over an hour and sit at a regional airport they decided to open up for sign up for a week. Otherwise the nearest location to us that has regular appointments is two hours away. They will do a background check along with finger prints for this process. You will need to make sure to do this in plenty time before your trips as the process can take 6-8 weeks before you receive your TSA Precheck number. Also make sure to add this manually with each airline on their website and to any flights you have not taken but have already purchased the tickets for.
The sign up though is looking to get easier. They are starting to roll out an option for signing up at select Staples office supply stores. Hopefully they will continue to roll this out to others in the future.
Check out some of my other travel tips here:
- What is Travel Hacking?
- How to save money shopping at Target
- Do you Amazon?
- Travel Essentials: Carry on Luggage
Leave a Reply