Also note that some credit cards will reimburse you for the Precheck application fees, or you might be able to submit it to your employer as a business expense.
(Though I regret advocating that others get Precheck because the lines for that are getting longer as more people sign up.)
Whereas i urge everyone to do it. Our security theater is a massive waste of time and resources. Expanding the number of people who go through rational security checks means less waste. And i believe that resources are moved to the TSA pre lines as the number of people there grows.
Sounds logical, plus the Precheck itself is just a faster process, is it not?
It is; no shoes or belt off, computer stays in the bag and usually those in line are experienced enough to have their pockets empty so they can just walk through the metal detector (meaning no manual wand check).
My state is another one that was late to the RealID bandwagon. And I think it’s still optional, as in I could renew my old-style license.
The deadline for flying without RealID has been extended several times; no clue what it is, at present.
I’d suggest going through the process of getting that RealID license anyway, at your leisure, if you can lay hands on the needed documentation. For me: since I changed my name when we got married, I’m not sure if I need to find proof of that!
Just went through airport security an hour ago.
I had to take off my shoes anyway because I wasn’t thinking and walked through the metal detector with one hand in a pocket, which apparently is a no-no. So, I guess, I was punished for my lack of compliance with an arbitrary rule, but it kept us all safe, which is totally what freedom is about. Or something.
May 7, 2025, but it’s been extended so many times that I wouldn’t put any faith in that date.
Clear uses biometrics (face recognition, fingerprints) to identify you for a faster security process. It can be combined with TSA pre-check and has some other benefits. Most major airports seem to have the setup for them.
Huh. They wouldn’t let me do that because my ticket says “Pre-Check,” but Nexus has my biometrics, so I wonder why not? I suspect it’s because United’s software isn’t coded to deal with Nexus, and TSA isn’t set up to allow thinking at all by anyone.
Clear is substantially more expensive than the other options; I think it’s something like $200 per year.
Huh. I forgot to take my phone out of my pocket, and set off the alarms. But they just made me go back out and walk through again, and send the phone through the X-ray machine.
I did need that when I got my RealID in California. Good thing I have a copy of the state-issued marriage certificate. 
Clear is a private company that basically provides “concierge service” at the TSA checkpoints. They use biometrics to verify the individuals and then walk them to the head of the Pre Check line where they are just passed through to the same security process as Pre Check. Nothing “includes” Clear, you pay extra for it.
It’s a novelty for me. So is the passport itself: I don’t have any travel or other needs planned. I wanted to try the newly offered virtu-renew and my window to do so (within 15 years of an existing passport issue date) would be closed soon.
An associate of mine has pointed out some possible benefits. The passport card doesn’t have an address for the holder. This might be useful to show to a dodgy bouncer or clerk for age verification but they don’t need to know where you live.
Some purchases have restrictions/privileges based on residency and the people doing the checking often only need a shell of plausible deniability to give the discount. Being able to show a valid Fed ID is said to loosen some other requirements at times for those with an eye for fraud.
Passport books don’t have your address. There is a page in the passport for “Personal Data and Emergency Contact”, but no requirement that you fill the page out. I’ve used my passport many times in the past few years and never even had anyone glance at that page, let alone note that it is blank.
I did not need that when i finally got a real id drivers license, but i brought my passport as my proof of identity and legal residency, and it has my current name on it. I was worried about documentation, and actually had a lot of trouble gathering what i needed. But i got by with a passport, a print out of my electronic bank statement (i printed it in color and folded it in third so it looked like I’d been mailed a paper copy), an old “explanation of [health insurance] benefits”, a brand new social security card that i obtained just to get real id, and my existing driver’s license.
Also, i went to AAA, which i hoped would be more “customer friendly” than the DMV.
I don’t have a passport (not interested in travel that would require it).
Of course but passport books lack the convenience of not carrying around a book. One more card is pretty much negligible.
You may even be able to discontinue carrying a DL for day to day stuff. Off the top of my head, you’d need a hard DL for, say, renting a car but I don’t do that too often.
Another benefit over a DL is the 10 year life. If you’re the type that moves around a lot AND is challenged by authorities for ID, having a current US ID is better than one from a place you haven’t stayed in a while.
In pretty much all states, you need a physical DL for driving. A photo of one will do in a pinch, and cops don’t generally charge you for it if your license is valid, but the law states that you need your physical DL.
For a lot of people , “day to day” doesn’t include driving.
I’m not allowed to recommend otherwise. But I’ll say that there are a lot of so-called required items that are trouble to maintain and, in fact, easy to do without. Library card, store club card, health insurance or toll road collection devices come to mind. Even a passport lost/stolen/incinerated overseas isn’t the end of the world, but I wouldn’t push it.
Anyhow, I don’t even have one, just pointing out some reasons someone might want a Passport Card that aren’t immediately apparent.