What to Do If the TSA Pre-Check Is Missing on Your Boarding Pass
If you travel frequently and have not yet taken the TSA PreCheck test, what are you waiting for? TSA PreCheck, in particular Global Entry with TSA PreCheck, is consistently one of the best investments I have ever made. Even though the PreCheck lines are getting longer, I am always grateful to be in the line of people who (mostly) understand how airport security procedures work and I don’t have to take my shoes off or take electronics out of my bag.
Occasionally, however, tragedies do occur and this special “TSA Pre” designation does not appear on your boarding pass. The Points Guy has compiled some of the reasons why this might have happened and what you can do about it.
Why is the boarding pass not labeled “TSA Pre”?
The simplest answer to this question is you just haven’t added your TSA provisional number. When you sign up for the service, you are given the number of a famous traveler. To use the service, you need to provide this number to the airline. Just because you have been approved does not mean that it will be added automatically. Most airlines allow you to store your number in your frequent flyer profile, so it will automatically advance forward.
I recently met a friend of a friend of mine who was approved for the TSA Pre a year ago, but somehow missed this checklist and was disappointed that she never received benefits. If you don’t see it on your pass, make sure that number is there.
Other reasons you may not see TSA Pre on your boarding pass are if your name is spelled differently on your boarding pass than on your PreCheck account, or if your TSA PreCheck access has expired. If you are flying overseas, your chosen airline may also not be eligible for the program . In very rare cases, this could be due to the fact that you have been selected for an enhanced security check. You will know if you see the SSSS on your boarding pass .
In addition, you should be aware that having TSA PreCheck does not guarantee expedited verification. According to the TSA website :
TSA employs unpredictable security measures, both visible and invisible, throughout the airport. All travelers will be screened and no one person is guaranteed expedited screening.
In other words, sometimes the magical “TSA Pre” won’t be printed on your boarding pass, and if it’s due to one of their “unpredictable security measures,” there’s nothing you can do about it. Fortunately, such cases are rare.
What to do
Again, the simplest solution is to log into your airline’s website and simply add your provisional TSA number and then get a new boarding pass. However, I definitely tried it a few times and got knocked down because I was too close to boarding time and / or my pass had already been issued.
In this case, your best bet is to go to the front desk agent and ask him to add him for you. I have personally had great results by handing over my Global Entry card upon registration. If you do not have a Global Entry card, but have a well-known traveler number, make sure you have it handy when you walk up to the counter so you don’t get stuck scrolling through your email to find your number. … If this line is too long, you can also try adding it over the phone and then updating your digital boarding pass or re-printing it at one of the kiosks.
Several Points Guy readers said they complained about the issue on Twitter and asked a rep to fix it for them in a way that seems annoying, but worth remembering.
And if you don’t add “TSA Pre” to your ticket, it might not be the worst. Depending on the airport you are departing from, in some cases the PreCheck line is sometimes even slightly longer than the general boarding line. Yes, you still have to take off your shoes and take all the electronics and fluids out of your bag, but you may not be wasting as much time as you think.
This story was originally published in 2018 and has been updated with new information on 02/26/2020.