# How You Pay For Your Airline Ticket Tags You For Increased Security Measures? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2001, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-pay-for-your-airline-ticket-tags-you-for-increased-security-measures/93710 "2001-11-16T13:18:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-pay-for-your-airline-ticket-tags-you-for-increased-security-measures/93710/1 "2001-11-16T13:18:01Z")
According to [this article](http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/oden.htm) at Snopes, you can be tagged for additional security scrutiny at an aiprort based on how you paid for your ticket. This concerns me, because though I have nothing to hide, I don’t have a credit card, so any airline purchases I make will have to be done in cash. I think that would raise a red flag in the FBI’s database… So what’s the Straight Dope? What means of paying for an airline ticket flag one for additional security? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-pay-for-your-airline-ticket-tags-you-for-increased-security-measures/93710/2 "2001-11-16T13:54:06Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by rastahomie_: > > I think that would raise a red flag in the FBI’s database… I don’t think that the FBI receives an alarm whenever somebody buys a ticket with cash money, but it may be helpful for the airlines to be able to develop a **profile** of passengers who’s bags they might want to dig into a little more deeply. The profile seems to be that people who are likely to commit crimes will also be more likely to carry their assets in as liquid a form as possible. Drug pushers & push-ees being one example that springs to mind. If the deal falls through, you still have cash in your pocket that can be used anywhere, as opposed to a credit card that can be used only with law-abiding businesses. The aforementioned ugly “P” word usually comes with a stigma of violated civil liberties. Not so in this case- it is a profile of habits or behaviors that any race or religion can exhibit. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-pay-for-your-airline-ticket-tags-you-for-increased-security-measures/93710/3 "2001-11-16T14:05:53Z")
A friend of mine takes odd jobs since his wife is a “travel nurse” and they change cities every three months. He has worked booking flights. We were chatting about how I would move my vehicles to Washington and I said I may have to leave one and then fly down to get it. He told me to look into return tickets, as they can be cheaper than one-way tickets. (Don’t tell the booking agent though, as they often won’t sell you a return ticket if you intend to use only half of it.) I joked that I should buy a one-way ticket with cash and with no luggage. He said I could also wear robes and dark glasses and try to carry weapons on board. He said that cash/one way/no luggage is a flag.