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Few things are as easy on the eyes as the following two magical words printed on your boarding pass: “TSA PreCheck.” The phrase means a smoother, and oftentimes faster, security procedure, which is usually one of the most painful airport experiences (besides buying the most expensive bottled water you’ve ever seen).
However, time is money, after all, and the option to save time doesn’t come for free.
What is TSA PreCheck?
TSA PreCheck is a Trusted Traveler program run by the Transportation Security Administration that allows you to go through a dedicated security line at more than 200 U.S. airports. When going through this line, you can keep the following items in your carry-on bag or on your person:
- 3-1-1 liquids.
- Belts.
- Laptops.
- Light jackets.
Now that travelers are returning to the skies after pandemic lockdowns, TSA lines are getting longer, and many have decided that TSA PreCheck membership is worth paying money for. How much money? In the grand scheme of things, not that much.
» Learn more: A quick guide on TSA PreCheck
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How much does TSA PreCheck cost?
TSA PreCheck costs up to $85, depending on where you get it. It's valid for five years. Children ages 12 and younger can join their parents in the PreCheck line at no cost with no restrictions, while teenagers aged 13-17 can accompany parents or guardians when traveling on the same reservation so long as the TSA PreCheck indicator appears on the child's boarding pass.
If you’re a member of another trusted traveler program, such as Global Entry, Nexus or Sentri, TSA PreCheck is included in your membership, so you might already have access to it and don’t know it yet.
» Learn more: What is Global Entry and how do I get it?
TSA PreCheck benefits
There are several TSA PreCheck benefits, and when combined, they’re quite valuable to a frequent traveler. Examples include:
- Security lines are often shorter. Just how much time does TSA PreCheck save? TSA estimates that 95% of TSA PreCheck passengers wait less than five minutes in the security line. This is a small amount of time separating you from the back of the security line to the terminal, meaning the most useful benefit is, of course, saving time.
- Your laptop and liquids don’t need separate security bins. You know how sometimes you pack your carry-on bag so flawlessly, any disturbance will mess up the entire Tetris-style order inside? Being a TSA PreCheck member allows you to keep your laptop and liquids perfectly packed.
How to know if TSA PreCheck is right for you
You can never predict your post-PreCheck future, but following these steps can help you make the best possible choice.
Step 1: Compare different Trusted Traveler programs versus skipping such services altogether
Familiarize yourself with what Trusted Traveler programs are and what they do.
- Fast (for commercial truck drivers).
They’re designed for different kinds of travelers, but many also include TSA PreCheck. Are you a globetrotter? Do you cross the border between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico often? It’s possible that one of these programs works better than the other for your personal travel patterns.
Step 2: Assess the upsides
What it comes down to is this — how much time are you willing to spend at the airport? The upside of having access to a PreCheck line is less time waiting and more time doing the things you actually enjoy (like kicking back in an airport lounge or sipping on your latte while people-watching at the gate).
If you take early morning flights, you also get more opportunities to hit the snooze button.
» Learn more: The best credit cards with airport lounge access
Step 3: Understand the costs
Although TSA PreCheck membership isn’t free, up to $85 for five years isn’t an outrageous sum of money. That's less than $20 a year.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Make sure to calculate how many times per year you go to the airport and how important it is for you to be able to go through a shorter and quicker security line every trip. Step 4: Make a plan for use
Do you travel domestically or internationally? Does your home airport have a TSA PreCheck line? How many trips per year do you think you’ll make?
The more you travel, the lower the per-trip cost of membership drops.
Get TSA PreCheck for free
If you hold certain travel cards, you can get reimbursed for TSA PreCheck. Simply use one of the cards below to pay for your application fee and receive a statement credit from the card issuer.
Cards with TSA benefits
Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $150.
$795.
$95.
Benefit
Statement credit of up to $100 as reimbursement when you charge the application fee for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS to the card. Available once every 4 years.
Statement credit of up to $120 as reimbursement when you charge the application fee for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS to the card. Available once every 4 years.
Statement credit of up to $120 as reimbursement when you charge the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry to the card. Available once every 4 years.
Learn more
A more extensive list of cards that reimburse the cost of TSA PreCheck can be found in the dropdown below:
Cards that reimburse TSA PreCheck® fees
Terms apply.
Another option to get the $78 fee waived is to become an Orbitz Rewards Platinum member. If you have the top status in the Orbitz loyalty program and enroll in TSA PreCheck, Orbitz will cover the cost.
Terms apply.
» Learn more: How to skip lines at the airport
So, is TSA PreCheck worth it?
The short answer is yes, it is worth getting TSA PreCheck, especially if you can get the cost covered as part of a credit card or loyalty program benefit.
Who doesn’t love saving time at the airport?
For a frequent traveler, that extra free time adds up to minutes, days and months of sleeping in, remembering to pack the final items or spending more time at home with loved ones.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Explore more on
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