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Airline passengers no longer need to remove their shoes when going through TSA checkpoints. It sounds like liquid restrictions may be relaxed or eliminated. (Thoughts and prayers for Coke, Pepsi, and their various bottled water brands.)
Hooray! many might say. I don’t need to pay for TSA PreCheck anymore! (Or, Finally! The joke’s on those entitled people who pay to cut the line!) By the way, don’t pay for TSA PreCheck. Oodles of travel rewards credit cards that offer statement credits for your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry (which includes PreCheck) application fees.
But I’m in no hurry to ditch PreCheck. Here’s why.
The Liquid Restrictions Are Still Here
Much like the Chase Sapphire Lounge in Las Vegas that we’ve heard about for years, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Laptops and Tablets
PreCheck members (usually) don’t need to remove laptops or tablets from their carry-on bags.
I’m an electronic device geek who travels with both a laptop and a tablet. Despite sometimes getting flagged for having both and my bag getting searched — even with PreCheck! — I love not having to unpack anything from my briefcase.
I understand that Analogic bag screeners, like the ones pictured above, are popping up across United States airports. You don’t need to take out your laptops or tablets when those machines scan your bags. (Though. Scanning. Takes. For. Ev. Er.) Folks in general TSA lines (i.e., not PreCheck) with Analogic scanners don’t have to remove their electronics or liquids.
But Analogic machines aren’t everywhere yet.
There Will Still Be Confusion
At least 10-20% of TSA PreCheck members don’t know the ropes. They remove their belts. They hold up the lines because they’re busy removing their shoes. Then they’re told to keep their shoes on. So, they put their shoes back on, which takes more time.
These are travelers who should know the score. But they’re completely clueless.
Imagine that confusion but much, much worse. That’s what I foresee happening in the general screening lines when the liquid ban is relaxed or eliminated.
Nonetheless, I’m happy that restrictions are apparently being relaxed.
I’ll reevaluate in a few years when my membership is due for renewal. But for now, I’m still using PreCheck.
What do you think?
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I remove one of my belts but know the ropes. Some belts set it off.
I bought a couple of belts with non-metal buckles. They work great!
Unless you go through a body scanner vs metal detector 🙂
I have one too, it’s great, although they do make you remove it at Heathrow.
Ugh, Heathrow.
My belt will set off the metal detector every time. I remove it. Also, on rare occasions I travel wearing my cowboy boots which also always sets off the metal detector so I preemptively remove them. So if you see me removing my belt or boots, it’s because I’m a well experienced traveler and know what sets off the detecor and what doesn’t.
I keep it because it is part of my global entry. And it doesn’t cost me extra as it is a card benefit to pay the fee.
Having TSA Precheck goes beyond not having to remove your shoes and laptop/tablet. I look at it as a “cut the line” pass, and I would gladly pay for that (although I haven’t had to pay for it years, thanks to CCs). And now with Clear and Delta’s Digital ID options, it goes even faster.
Have you ever seen the non-precheck lines? Yeah, no thanks. If you fly with any regularity, then this shouldn’t even be a debate.
Yeah but that’s not equitable. 😉
Anyway to figure out when our TSA Precheck expires?
If you have it through Global Entry, log in to your Global Entry account.
If you have it through TSA, log in to your TSA PreCheck account.
Global Entry is sooooo great that the Pre-Check bonus seems insignificant. I wish it would work when traveling to another country instead of just when returning. Clear, on the other hand, I use only occasionally. Someplaces (Denver) the Clear precheck line takes longer than the Pre-Check line