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Last Updated on January 31, 2017 by Work In My Pajamas
If you fly at least once a year, you NEED to invest in TSA Pre-Check. Best. Investment. Ever. Why, you ask?
Being pre-approved let’s you access the super fast TSA Pre-Check line, which I now believe is available at nearly all airports (yes, even Eppley Airfield in Omaha, as shown above, offers it). So not only do you not have to stand in line to have your ID checked, you also don’t have to waste time taking off your shoes and jacket and/or taking your laptop and fluids out of your carry on luggage. Yep, you can…
- Leave your shoes on
- Leave your jacket on
- Leave your laptop inside your bag
- Leave your 3 oz fluids inside your bag
Can you say time saver?!
TSA Pre-check costs only $85 and is super simple to sign up. You simply pre-enroll on the TSA.gov website (and no, that’s not a referral link) and make an appointment online at an application center. I was willing to drive to Omaha (2 hours away) for my appointment, so I was pleasantly surprised to find an application center only 15 miles away from where I live (hickville).
At my appointment, we simply reviewed the information that I already gave them online, scanned my passport (if you don’t have a passport, you can bring other forms of identification), fingerprinted me and took my $85. It literally took under five minutes.
They then do a background check on you and will let you know your status in 2-3 weeks via snail mail. But you can check your TSA Pre-check status online sooner (I was approved in about a week).
Once approved, you will be given a Known Traveler Number (KNL). You then use that number when booking your flight. There is usually a field when you book your flight near where they ask you for your frequent flyer mile program identification number to include your KNL.
The “TSA Precheck” logo will then appear above your name on your plane ticket as shown above on my last ticket. Easy peasy, mac and cheesy.
And the best part is that once approved, your status is valid for 5 years! That equates to only $17 per year which is a no brainer. That $17 will saves you HOURS in line at the TSA check points and thus more time to belly up to the airport bar. Can you say no brainer?
What’s your excuse for not signing up for TSA Pre-check?
I actually recommend Global Entry to people that travel. With Global Entry, you get expedited immigrations and customs. You also automatically get pre-check and the known traveler number. It costs $100 for 5 years, so for an extra $15, you benefit for international travel. The application process is very similar to pre-check.
Thanks for commenting Bhavik! Michael Coley actually recommended Global Travel on my Facebook post about it. Wish I would’ve known about that earlier as that sounds well worth the extra $15.
I’ve had my TSA Pre-Check for a while now and it saved me a lot of time and nerves. I always have the worst luck when I have to get through security; it’s either slip after I take my heels of or end up behind the smelliest person in the world, just name it, it has happened to me.
At first while I started reading this I thought you meant that it was $85 every time you fly and I basically went, “Um.. No. Don’t think so”. But I quickly realized you were talking about $85 overall and you use that number every time you fly. Much better! This could come in very handy if you are someone (like me) who hates having to show up at the airport 2 hours early for your flight. I would much prefer to get there, grab a drink (because I hate take-off), get on the plane, and fly! I’ll definitely be looking into this further, thanks!
Me my brother my cousin and my grandma are going to be flying southwest airlines