TSA precheck

Best money I ever spent. I will admit at my home airport, the non PreCheck can be the SHORTER line, but honestly not having to remove clothing and unpack my backpack makes it worth it! (I have a medical device that would have to be unpacked and since it's heavy it rides at the bottom of the bag)
 
For some reason I am still getting it for free, 6 flights this year. Not worth $85 IMHO. It actually helps them get people through security faster so I'm not even sure how they justify charging for it.

My mom gets it and she has not bought it. She's 73 and was told that seniors often get it as they are less of a security risk. Whether that's true I don't know but she has had PreCheck consistently for the last 3 years.
 


We have Global Entry. Mainly because it is good at some ports and we cruise out of Fort Lauderdale frequently. The GE line at the port is much shorter at disembarkation time.
 
I've never paid for it but get excited when we are "chosen." If I flew more, I'd definitely get it. We maybe take 2 flights/year.
 
We didn't pay and seem to almost always get it when flying with SW. We usually go on first or second flights of a day.
 


I have it through Global entry and will gladly pay as long as it is offered.

People who get it for free (printed on the boarding pass not just go this way type) usually have a ton of miles on that airline so the airline flags them as ok.
We almost always got it on our boarding passes for free, my husband moreso than me. We're the same age and fly the same amount...two trips per year so not a ton of miles.

Last year he got the Global Entry and I got the TSA precheck. But only because we thought we were getting the same thing, which we discovered we weren't as I was calling him from my cell phone telling him the place I had gone wasn't where he said he had gone. :rolleyes: Anyway, well worth the cost spread out over 5 years/at least 20 flights.
 
Do you still go through the scanner or just the metal detector?

Depends on the airport but in my experience, both types are typically in the TSA pre-check line. Often they just use the metal detectors, sometimes the scanners, sometimes the scanner is just used if you set off the metal detector. It varies airport to airport but it is mostly (but not always) just standard metal detectors in my experience.
 
We (DH, DD15, DS20, and I) have global entry with TSA precheck. We fly often and it is definitely worth it.
 
just $15 more will get u GE. Used it once, it was a godsend.

GE comes with TSA precheck! GE is great for international returns.

I also have Global Entry. Just used it Wednesday on our flight back from Germany. First time using it and am so happy I had it. Regular passport control line was hundreds people long but the Global Entry kiosks only had 1 person at them!! There were at least 12 kiosks at EWR so we walked up to them and a friendly agent helped us use the machine. Easy Peasy. We then had to wait for our luggage but that is nothing new lol.

I actually had TSA Precheck for a year before I got GE. I wish I got GE entry first but I didn't even know about it when I got TSA Precheck. At least my credit card picked up the fee for GE.

MJ
 
My boys are in college so I got it for them to help with busy travel times. Since I took them to the appointment, I got it too. I love it and wish DH had it. Now when we travel together, I check in the bags and take all of the carry ons. He goes and gets in the regular line. I am still through before him.
 
I also have Global Entry. Just used it Wednesday on our flight back from Germany. First time using it and am so happy I had it. Regular passport control line was hundreds people long but the Global Entry kiosks only had 1 person at them!! There were at least 12 kiosks at EWR so we walked up to them and a friendly agent helped us use the machine. Easy Peasy. We then had to wait for our luggage but that is nothing new lol.

I actually had TSA Precheck for a year before I got GE. I wish I got GE entry first but I didn't even know about it when I got TSA Precheck. At least my credit card picked up the fee for GE.

MJ

The first time we used GE we watched someone try to sneak in line because their wife had it. We didn't have to take our bags through customs any more you just grab them and walk unless you are stopped snd guess who was stopped this time! Woman couldn't understand why they were being stopped and I wanted to say well you tried to pull one off at Global Entry and then a woman dressed as nice as you claimed you bought nothing on the entire 12 day Mediterranean cruise. We learned as long as you put something down they most likely won't stop you buy 12 days abroad on a luxury liner and you put 0 haha yeah red flags will go off.
 
The first time we used GE we watched someone try to sneak in line because their wife had it. We didn't have to take our bags through customs any more you just grab them and walk unless you are stopped snd guess who was stopped this time! Woman couldn't understand why they were being stopped and I wanted to say well you tried to pull one off at Global Entry and then a woman dressed as nice as you claimed you bought nothing on the entire 12 day Mediterranean cruise. We learned as long as you put something down they most likely won't stop you buy 12 days abroad on a luxury liner and you put 0 haha yeah red flags will go off.

My friend and I both did get an "A" written on our ticket from the kiosk and had no clue what that meant but when we got to the next station we were pulled aside to have our bags checked for Agriculture products. We had nothing to claim and all they did was x-ray our bags. Very quick. There were two women though that had about 15 avocados pulled from their bag. The agents kept asking if they had declared them and they said no. Not sure if they understood English or not but it looked they were going to be there for awhile. They were going through all their bags.

MJ
 
Not having to take off shoes and belt, not having to wait in the regular line, not having to take out laptops, tablets, keyboards, camera equipment.... worth it. Completely and totally worth it. I don't know how I flew without it in the past, it's so very convenient.

If you have a good travel rewards credit card, they probably cover the fee, in which case there is no reason at all to not do it, it can be tough to find an open appointment slot if you're in a busy area, but it's worth doing. It's good for 5 years, not sure what the renewal is comprised of.

Matt
 
Depends on the airport but in my experience, both types are typically in the TSA pre-check line. Often they just use the metal detectors, sometimes the scanners, sometimes the scanner is just used if you set off the metal detector. It varies airport to airport but it is mostly (but not always) just standard metal detectors in my experience.

I had one bad experience at Boston Logan, I set off the metal detector (I think it was malfunctioning, a lot of people set it off) and every one of us that set it off was put in to the scanner line, which got huge really fast because the metal detector was acting up, and then I was stuck behind someone who was difficult and got hand searched and swabbed right there. Super irritating, but Precheck has been fantastic at several other airports, and my friends in Boston say that Logan tends to screw that stuff up fairly consistently.

Matt
 
I usually fly a few times a year. Sometimes with both of my daughters or just my toddler. And it is great to have! I don't have to worry about taking shoes off my toddler and getting all our electronics out into a separate bin. It is worth it.
 
I have pre check and love it. I've noticed that the numbers of people getting it "free" have one way down which is good, because people who don't know the differences seem to hold up the line.

I now have a CC that will pay for GE, but the closest place to go for the interview is 2 hours away, so I have to coordinate making that happen. I wish there were more places for GE interviews. My precheck prints were only 15 min away.
 
I travel frequently- about 4 flights a month- and it is definitely worth it for me. Sometimes if the airport isn't very busy the lines may be about the same in size for pre-check and regular, but the process through the scanners is definitely quicker because of nothing to take off or unpack, and usually just the metal detector to go through, not the body scanner.
 

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