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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
Teens may now accompany parents through the PreCheck lane and more TSA tips for families
Summer Hull has been covering (and using) travel tips, rewards credit cards and loyalty programs for over a decade. She has flown close to a million miles, often on points and miles and with her family in tow.
May 23, 2023 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
TSA PreCheck allows travelers to use expedited security lanes at airports, offering a faster and less stressful screening process, especially for families with children.
Children 12 and under can typically accompany a parent or guardian with TSA PreCheck through the expedited lane without enrolling, while those 13 to 17 may be eligible if their boarding pass displays the PreCheck indicator.
Enrollment requires an online application and an in-person appointment for background checks and fingerprinting, with the option to apply separately or through related trusted traveler programs.
Many travel-focused credit cards reimburse the TSA PreCheck application fee as a cardholder benefit, and some loyalty programs allow members to use miles to cover the fee.
What to consider
TSA PreCheck is available at select airports and hours, so travelers should confirm availability and look for signage.
Teens aged 13 to 17 may not always receive the PreCheck indicator on their boarding pass, even if traveling with an eligible adult, so it's important to verify before entering the lane.
The offer may no longer be available.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step instructions for adding your Trusted Traveler number to airline profiles and troubleshooting tips if PreCheck does not appear on your boarding pass.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
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The process of waiting in a long airport security line is a drag for anyone. But if you have kids with you in that “long boring line,” it’s worse by several orders of magnitude. Multiply that by a million if your kids are overtired and just done with travel by that point in the trip.
Once you get through the line and arrive at the actual screening area, you still need to sprout octopus arms to hold your kid(s), take off your shoes, take the liquids out of your bag, remove any coats or belts, take the laptop out of your bag, fold up the stroller, get milk/formula/juice out for inspection, and on and on.
Thankfully, there is a solution to many of these issues.
With TSA PreCheck, your family can use a dedicated lane for screening that is not only generally quicker than the standard line but has the added benefits of keeping your shoes on, laptops and tablets in their places and 3-1-1 compliant liquids in carry-on bags. This is always a win, but an especially huge help when traveling with kids. You also get to go through the walk-through metal detector instead of the body scanner. That’s standard when traveling with little kids, but it is an extra perk for PreCheck even when you’re without your kids.
Where does TSA PreCheck work?
TSA PreCheck qualifies you for expedited screening on both domestic and international flights, with more than 85 airlines currently offering TSA PreCheck expedited screening lanes.
Once you enroll in TSA PreCheck (or Global Entry), you’ll get a Trusted Traveler number. Here’s how to add your Trusted Traveler number to your profile for each airline that participates in TSA PreCheck screening.
To use all of your PreCheck benefits, you need to use specific TSA PreCheck lines that are limited in location and operating hours at some airports, so pay attention to signage or ask for directions to the PreCheck line.
How do I sign up for TSA PreCheck?
You can apply online for TSA PreCheck or apply for one of Customs and Border Patrol’s (CBP) other entry programs, like Global Entry, SENTRI or NEXUS, which also confer TSA PreCheck privileges.
The online application process for these programs will only take a few minutes to complete, but you will then need to schedule an in-person appointment at an enrollment center for a background check and fingerprinting. If you don’t plan to apply for Global Entry or any of the other CBP programs, you can apply separately for TSA PreCheck and likely have your choice of more enrollment centers and a much faster appointment time.
Do kids need TSA PreCheck?
Children of all ages are eligible to apply for TSA PreCheck — or have it conferred by having Global Entry or similar. But unlike Global Entry, children 17 and under can often piggyback through the TSA PreCheck lines with their guardian.
It's been a standard operating procedure that children aged 12 and under who are traveling with a parent or guardian who has the TSA PreCheck indicator on their boarding pass can join their parent/guardian in the TSA PreCheck lane without applying for the program.
The TSA also recently announced that children between the ages of 13 and 17 traveling on the same reservation with an eligible parent or guardian with TSA PreCheck may also access the PreCheck lane, but only if the teen's boarding pass has the TSA PreCheck indicator.
The main difference here is that children age 13 to 17 may be randomly excluded from receiving the TSA PreCheck indicator and will then have to go through the standard security line. Be sure you check your boarding pass — and your children's — every time you fly so you don't accidentally get in the wrong lane. Kids can go through the PreCheck line with their parents. SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY
Also note that if you have Clear, a for-fee privatized security lane at airports and other public places like stadiums, your kids 18 and under can use Clear with you for free. (And some Clear lines are specifically for those with PreCheck).
The best credit card for PreCheck
The application fee for a five-year membership to TSA PreCheck is $78 per person. However, you don’t necessarily have to pay cash from your own pocket. Many credit cards will cover the application fee for TSA PreCheck (or Global Entry- Up to $120) as a member benefit. If you have an eligible card, just charge the application fee to that card and you’ll get a statement credit to cover the cost. Some cards that offer this benefit include:
If you have multiple eligible cards, you can use different cards to pay for different family members’ application fees and have them reimbursed. Just remember to keep track of which family member uses what reimbursement benefit since you’ll want to use that credit again in four or five years when you need to re-enroll. Here are tips to keep track of your credit cards’ Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credits.
You can also use 11,000 United MileagePlus miles to cover the application fee, though frankly, taking advantage of a credit card’s application fee benefit is the better choice.
If you have PreCheck for your flight, it will be printed on your boarding pass. Even if you are approved for the program, you won’t necessarily get approved for expedited screening for every single flight. However, your odds of using it should be pretty good if you follow a few key steps.
BRIAN BIROS/THE POINTS GUY
First, you need to make sure that the name on your ticket and/or frequent flyer account matches exactly the name on your government Trusted Traveler account. If your names aren’t exactly the same, you may not get to use PreCheck on a given flight. You also need to be sure that your Known Traveler number is included on your reservation and/or in your frequent flyer account.
Having or not having TSA PreCheck when traveling with a family is a difference between night and day.
With so many credit cards now covering the TSA PreCheck application fee as a cardholder benefit, it’s worth it to enroll yourself, your partner and any kids ages 12 and up in this program. Even if you have to pay the $78 fee out of pocket, that is more than worth it for five years of a much-improved security screening process for your family.
Here’s more advice about expedited airport screening:
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
