How to Add TSA PreCheck to Your Airline Ticket

Traveling through airport security can be a hassle. TSA PreCheck is a membership program offered through the Transportation Security Administration. With it, travelers get access to an expedited screening lane at participating airports.

Unlike travelers in the standard screening lane, those with TSA PreCheck can keep their shoes, belts, and light jackets on. Plus, they can leave electronics and and 3-1-1 liquids in carry-on bags during screening.

Access to the TSA PreCheck line is only granted if you have a TSA PreCheck logo on your boarding pass indicating that you're clear for access. That means you're first have to apply for TSA PreCheck. And once you have it, you'll have to submit your TSA PreCheck information to your airline at the booking stage.

But if you forgot — or just didn't have a TSA PreCheck number at the time of booking — no worries. You can add TSA PreCheck to your airline ticket after the fact. Here's your ultimate guide to adding TSA PreCheck to your airline ticket, including adding TSA PreCheck after booking:

NerdWallet has spelled out the specific steps for adding PreCheck to your reservation on four major airlines — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines — but the process is largely similar no matter what airline you fly.

To apply for TSA PreCheck, you'll pay a fee, submit personal information for a background check and attend an in-person interview. The application fee is $78, and membership is good for five years, which breaks down to $15.60 per year.

However, many travel credit cards reimburse the application fee simply for charging the application fee to that charge.

After the initial application fee to join the program, TSA PreCheck renewal — which is every five years to continue membership — costs $70 if completed online.

WANT TSA PRECHECK FOR FREE?

A number of popular travel credit cards reimburse you for the application fee for trusted traveler programs like TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. Among them:

» SEE the best credit cards that pay for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry

Each airline has its own process for adding TSA PreCheck to a ticket or to your frequent flyer profile. But no matter the airline, you'll need your your Known Traveler Number (KTN), which is the string of 9 or 10 digit-long numbers or letters unique to you if approved for TSA PreCheck. Note that adding your KTN to a ticket does not necessarily guarantee that it will be automatically applied to your next reservation.

That said, here's a step-by-step guide to how to add TSA PreCheck to American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines:

The easiest way to add PreCheck to a ticket on American Airlines is to update your AAdvantage profile with your Known Traveler Number (KTN).

Log in and go to "Your Account." Choose "Information and Password," then add your PreCheck number in the KTN field in the "Secure Traveler" section.

Adding your Known Traveler Number to new AA bookings

American Airlines allows travelers to add their TSA PreCheck number at booking. After you've chosen your flight date and time, you'll enter your passenger details.

If you're not logged in to your AAdvantage account, you'll need to enter your PreCheck number manually in the Known Traveler Number field. Otherwise American Airlines AAdvantage can enter their KTN once and opt for American Airlines to 'remember' it, thus automatically adding it to future bookings.

Adding your Known Traveler Number to existing AA reservations

You can also add TSA PreCheck to your existing reservation on American Airlines. To do so, click on "Manage Trip" for each reservation. Then, click on "Add/Edit Passenger Information" to add your PreCheck number.

You can also call American Airlines customer service to have them update your information, but the online self-service option is generally quicker.

To add PreCheck to Delta, after your PreCheck application has been approved, log in to your Delta SkyMiles account to update your profile. The TSA PreCheck/Known Traveler ID field can be found under "Personal Details."

Adding your Known Traveler Number to new Delta bookings

To add your PreCheck KTN to a new reservation, the best way is to first log in to your Delta SkyMiles account. This will automatically populate most of your personal information necessary to complete your purchase, including adding your PreCheck number to your reservation.

If you don't have a Delta SkyMiles account or aren't logged in, you can add your Known Traveler Number manually during the booking process when entering your passenger information.

Adding your Known Traveler Number to existing Delta reservations

Can you add TSA PreCheck to an existing reservation Delta? Yes, those reservations can also be updated to add your PreCheck number.

Find your reservation on Delta's website, then edit your passenger details to update your information.

Southwest flyers can add their PreCheck membership information at several steps.

Adding your Known Traveler Number to new Southwest bookings

Enter your PreCheck KTN during the booking process. After you've chosen your flight dates and times, you'll enter your name in the "Who's Flying?" section. Below that, there is a dropdown menu for "Secure Traveler Information."

Click that button, then enter your PreCheck number in the "Known Traveler #" field. This will make sure that your PreCheck number will be submitted along with your information to TSA's Secure Flight system for processing.

Adding your Known Traveler Number to existing Southwest reservations

Adding TSA PreCheck to an existing Southwest reservation is pretty straightforward.

After you log in to your Southwest account, you can manually edit each flight to add your PreCheck number before check-in or call customer service and ask that they do it for you.

You can also add your PreCheck KTN to your Southwest Rapid Rewards member profile. This allows your information to be automatically sent to TSA when booking reservations when you're logged in to your account.

Finally, here's how to add TSA PreCheck to a United ticket.

Adding your Known Traveler Number to new United bookings

When booking a reservation, your PreCheck number will automatically populate when you're logged in to your United MileagePlus account. You can also manually add it to a reservation during the booking process.

After entering your personal information, click on the "Known Traveler Number and Redress Number" dropdown menu.

Enter your PreCheck number in the "Known Traveler Number/PASS ID" field.

Adding your Known Traveler Number to United after booking

You can also update existing reservations with your TSA PreCheck number. Go to "Edit Traveler Information" in the "Manage Reservations" section on the website, at an airport kiosk or in the United app.

To add your PreCheck number to your United MileagePlus profile, log in and view your personal information. Click on "Profile and Preferences" and find the "Saved Travel Documents and Numbers" section. You'll be able to update your profile with your PreCheck number here.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Global Entry is a membership program offered by the Department of Homeland Security that offers all the same benefits as TSA PreCheck — and then some.

With it, you get not just the TSA PreCheck benefits, but also faster entry at eligible U.S. Customs locations. It's slightly more expensive, but it can be worth it for folks who travel internationally. Plus many of the same credit cards that offer TSA PreCheck statement credits also reimburse Global Entry fees.

» Learn more: TSA PreCheck vs. Global Entry: which is better?

So how do you add your Global Entry information to your boarding pass? If you have a physical Global Entry card, you can find your Known Traveler Number on the back. From there, follow the steps above to share that number with your airline.

And no, even if you have a trusted traveler card, that alone won't grant you access to TSA PreCheck lanes. Instead, you must add your PASS ID number in the KTN field when making airline reservations to ensure the TSA PreCheck indicator appears on your boarding pass.

Once you're approved for TSA PreCheck, your benefits are not automatically applied to your flight reservations. You'll have to share your Known Traveler Number with your airline. Only then does the TSA PreCheck logo get added to your boarding pass so you can go through the speedy lane.

But even if you forgot to add your Known Traveler Number at booking, you're not out of luck. Yes, you can add TSA PreCheck to an existing reservation.

In most cases, you must update existing flights and your airline loyalty program profiles to be able to use the dedicated airport security lanes for PreCheck members.

And be sure to reprint boarding passes that don't have the "TSA PRE" stamp on them. If your boarding pass doesn't show your PreCheck status, you cannot use the TSA PreCheck security lanes.

For future reservations, log in to your airline account before booking your flight. Booking flights while logged in allows your PreCheck number to be added to reservations automatically. Or, you need to manually enter it yourself.