Every time I line up at airport security, I perform a routine that looks like a hand jive from a movie. I pat various pockets to make sure I have everything (ID, boarding pass, phone) and nothing (empty pockets!) all at once.
I’d feel ridiculous if I was the only one performing this ritual, but I’m not. We all have our own version of it.
Wouldn’t it be nice, though, if we could just walk into security, smile for a camera, and keep on walking? The thing is, you essentially can.
It’s a program called TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, and if you qualify to participate, all you have to do is opt in—and you’ll never have to perform the passport shuffle again. Here’s how it works.
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What Is TSA PreCheck Touchless ID?
TSA PreCheck Touchless ID is an optional program for vetted travelers. It replaces the need to present travel documents with a quick facial scan.
Instead of showing your passport or state ID and boarding pass, you simply walk up to a biometric camera, hold still for a moment, and move on through.
The technology captures an image of your face and matches it against the biometric data associated with your passport, verifying your identity and flight details in a matter of seconds and moving you quickly through security.
There is no extra cost to join.
Who Is Eligible for TSA PreCheck Touchless ID?
To access these fast-tracked security lines, you'll first need an active TSA PreCheck or Global Entry membership, or participation in an equivalent trusted traveler program, such as a valid Known Traveler Number (KTN).
You'll also need a valid, unexpired U.S. passport, since the Touchless ID system uses the photo on your passport to validate your identity. (Check out these important passport rules if yours is close to expiring.)
Importantly, a driver's license alone will not work. Many carriers have a minimum age requirement for participation; some allow younger children to participate if they opt in with a parent, but primary account holders generally need to be adults.
Enroll Through Your Airline or Google Wallet
Interestingly, you don’t sign up for TSA PreCheck Touchless ID through TSA or the Department of Transportation. Instead, you opt into the program through a participating air carrier or your Google Wallet.
All three U.S. legacy carriers, United, Delta, and American, offer ways for loyalty program members to opt into the Touchless ID initiative. Southwest, Hawaiian, and Alaska Airlines also participate.
Typically, you save your (valid) U.S. passport information and KTN to your loyalty profile and then toggle a slider or check a box to join.
To join with Google Wallet, create a Google ID pass using your passport. When you check in for your next flight on a participating carrier, save your boarding pass to your Wallet. If you’re eligible for TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, a green “Get started” button will appear on the pass and direct you to TSA for enrollment.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be enrolled for all future trips with your preferred airline (unless you choose to opt out) or on a trip-by-trip basis through your Google Wallet. Just know that you can only use it at airports utilizing Touchless ID. Currently, more than 65 U.S. airports offer it.
Confirming Your Enrollment
To make sure your enrollment worked, check in for your flight online through your airline’s site or its official app.
Once you have your boarding pass (unless you are using the Google Wallet method), look for an indicator on the pass itself.
Delta, for example, displays a green badge labeled “Touchless” on the face of your digital boarding pass.
If you don’t see anything on your boarding pass indicating you’re approved for Touchless ID, your enrollment may not be active, or you may be flying out of an airport that doesn’t participate in the program. In the case of the former, contact your airline for further assistance.
Privacy and Opting Out
As with any program that collects and stores biometric data for an indefinite period, like the European Union’s EES, privacy is a major concern.
So far, however, TSA PreCheck Touchless ID is completely voluntary, so you can choose not to opt in, or, if you do and no longer wish to participate, you can easily opt out by unchecking a box or toggling a slider.
According to the TSA, photos taken to compare with your stored data (your passport photo) are deleted within 24 hours of your flight and are not used for surveillance or law enforcement purposes. If you opt out of facial recognition, you’ll just continue to use the standard TSA PreCheck lane as you always have.
The Shortcut
A driver's license won't get you in. Touchless ID matches your face to your passport photo, so you'll need a valid U.S. passport plus PreCheck, Global Entry, or another trusted traveler membership.
You don't sign up through TSA. It's a toggle in your airline's loyalty profile or a pass in Google Wallet, not a new application, and there's no extra fee.
Check your boarding pass before you leave for the airport. If you enrolled through your airline and there's no Touchless marker on the pass, either your enrollment didn't go through or your airport isn't participating.
Changed your mind? Switch it off, and you're back in the regular PreCheck lane. TSA says it deletes the scan photos within 24 hours of your flight.
