Complete guide to TSA PreCheck. How to enroll, what it costs, which airports and airlines participate, and how to keep your shoes on.
Benefits of TSA PreCheck
Keep your shoes, belt, and light jacket on
Leave laptops and liquids in your bag
Use a dedicated, shorter screening line
Available at 200+ airports and 80+ airlines
How to Enroll
Apply online at the TSA PreCheck website
Schedule an in-person appointment for fingerprinting
Cost: $76.75–$85 for 5 years, depending on the enrollment provider
Approval typically takes 3-5 days
TSA PreCheck costs $76.75 to $85 for five years depending on the enrollment provider, requires one in-person appointment, and is usually approved within three to five days. It speeds up the security checkpoint only — it does not change what you can pack, and the 3-1-1 rule still applies.
How to enroll in TSA PreCheck
Check whether you already qualify — Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI members already receive PreCheck benefits and should not pay for PreCheck separately. Active-duty U.S. military members use their DoD ID number as a Known Traveler Number at no cost.
Submit the online application — The pre-enrollment form on the official TSA site takes about five minutes and asks for your legal name, date of birth, and address history. Choose an enrollment provider — TSA uses several, and the fee differs slightly between them.
Book the in-person appointment — The appointment takes roughly ten minutes and covers fingerprinting, document verification, and payment. Bring proof of identity and citizenship, such as a valid U.S. passport, or a birth certificate plus a state-issued photo ID.
Wait for your Known Traveler Number — Most applicants get a KTN in three to five days; some cases take up to 60 days if the background check needs review. You can check status online with your application number.
Add the KTN to every reservation — PreCheck does nothing until the KTN is in the booking. Save it in each airline frequent-flyer profile, and confirm the words "TSA PreCheck" appear on the boarding pass before you head to the checkpoint.
Renewal timing and lapses
Membership runs five years from the approval date, not from the date of your appointment.
You can renew online up to six months before expiration; renewing early does not shorten the new term.
Most renewals are handled entirely online with no second appointment required.
If membership lapses, you keep your KTN but lose lane access until the renewal is approved, so renew before a trip rather than after.
Update your legal name with TSA after a marriage or name change — a mismatch between the booking and the record is a common reason PreCheck stops printing on boarding passes.
Who PreCheck fits, and who should skip it
Good fit: domestic flyers, a few trips a year and up
If most of your flying is inside the U.S., PreCheck is the cheapest program that shortens the physical screening lane and lets laptops and compliant liquids stay in the bag.
Skip it: you also travel internationally
Global Entry costs $120 and includes PreCheck, so paying for PreCheck first and Global Entry later wastes money. Frequent U.S.–Canada travelers should look at NEXUS, which is cheaper than both and includes PreCheck.
Check your cards first
Many travel credit cards and airline loyalty programs reimburse the application fee once every four to five years. Confirm the credit before paying out of pocket.
Not a substitute for packing correctly
PreCheck changes the procedure, not the rules. Prohibited items are still prohibited, liquid medication rules are unchanged, and officers can send any traveler for additional screening.
What goes wrong at the checkpoint
Booking without the KTN and assuming the lane will still be open — PreCheck is granted per boarding pass.
Expecting PreCheck at every airport; smaller airports and some airlines do not run dedicated lanes at all hours.
Packing full-size toiletries because "liquids stay in the bag" — the 3-1-1 rule still limits container size.
Bringing a pocket knife on the assumption that trusted traveler status covers it. It does not.
Letting the five-year term lapse mid-trip and being routed into the standard lane on the return leg.
U.S.–Canada border crossings by land, air, and sea
The ID and boarding-pass check only
Cost
$76.75–$85 / 5 years
$120 / 5 years
$50 / 5 years
$219 / year
Includes TSA PreCheck
Yes (it is PreCheck)
Yes
Yes
No — sold separately or bundled
Shoes, belt, light jacket stay on
Yes
Yes, via PreCheck
Yes, via PreCheck
Only if you also have PreCheck
Laptops and 3-1-1 liquids stay in the bag
Yes
Yes, via PreCheck
Yes, via PreCheck
Only if you also have PreCheck
In-person appointment required
Yes — enrollment center visit
Yes — interview, or Enrollment on Arrival
Yes — interview with U.S. and Canadian officers
Yes — biometric enrollment, often at the airport
Availability
200+ U.S. airports, 90+ airlines
Major U.S. international arrival airports
U.S.–Canada land, marine, and air ports of entry
Roughly 55 U.S. airports plus stadiums
Changes what you can pack
No
No
No
No
Which program fits your travel
You only fly domestically — TSA PreCheck alone covers it. It is the cheapest program that changes the checkpoint itself, and it is the benefit most credit cards reimburse.
You leave the country even once every few years — Global Entry is the better buy at $120. It includes full TSA PreCheck benefits, so you are paying about $9 a year more for expedited customs on the way home.
You cross into Canada regularly — NEXUS is $50 for five years and carries both Global Entry and TSA PreCheck benefits — the lowest-cost path to PreCheck if you qualify and can reach an enrollment center.
Your home airport has long ID-check lines — CLEAR+ shortens the document-check wait but does not replace screening. It pays off mainly when paired with PreCheck at a busy airport, or when a card or airline status covers the fee.
You mostly want to bring more through security — No program changes the prohibited items list or the 3-1-1 liquids limit. Those rules apply identically in every lane.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does TSA PreCheck cost?
New enrollment is $76.75 to $85 for five years, depending on which TSA-approved enrollment provider you use. Renewal is generally priced at or slightly below the new-enrollment fee.
How long does TSA PreCheck approval take?
Most applicants receive a Known Traveler Number within three to five days of the in-person appointment. TSA advises allowing up to 60 days because some background checks require additional review.
Do children need their own TSA PreCheck membership?
Children 12 and under may use the PreCheck lane with an enrolled parent or guardian. Travelers 13 and older need their own membership or a Known Traveler Number on the reservation.
Does TSA PreCheck let me bring more liquids?
No. PreCheck means compliant liquids can stay inside your bag during screening, but the 3-1-1 rule still limits carry-on containers to 3.4 ounces in one quart-sized bag.
Is TSA PreCheck or Global Entry better?
Global Entry costs $120 for five years and includes TSA PreCheck benefits, while PreCheck alone runs $76.75–$85 for five years. If you take even one international trip in that window, Global Entry is the better value. If you never fly internationally, PreCheck is enough.
Does CLEAR replace TSA PreCheck?
No. CLEAR verifies your identity so you can skip the document-check line, but you still go through the same physical screening. Without PreCheck you will remove shoes, belts, laptops, and liquids as usual.
Do any of these programs change what you can bring on a plane?
No. Prohibited items stay prohibited and the 3-1-1 liquids rule still applies in every lane. The programs change how you are screened, not what may pass through the checkpoint.
What is the cheapest way to get TSA PreCheck benefits?
NEXUS at $50 for five years is the least expensive program that carries PreCheck benefits, though it requires eligibility for U.S.–Canada travel and an interview with officers from both countries. Many travel credit cards also reimburse a PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
Can you be pulled aside for extra screening with PreCheck?
Yes. TSA officers may run additional screening at any time, and PreCheck eligibility is confirmed per flight rather than guaranteed. Random and unpredictable measures are part of the layered security approach.