If it feels like more of your friends, family members and fellow travelers suddenly have access to TSA PreCheck, you're not imagining things.
The Transportation Security Agency said Thursday that the program has reached a new milestone: more than 20 million members.
It's the latest evidence of the 11-year-old program's breakneck growth. The program offers prescreened, paid members a fast track through airport security checkpoints.
TSA PreCheck is growing at a fast pace
Just how fast is TSA PreCheck growing? Consider this: The program hit 15 million active members in March 2023. This means it has grown by a third in fewer than 18 months.
And TSA leaders are happy about it.
While the program is a convenient, time-saving option for travelers, the TSA appreciates it equally; a growing pool of prescreened travelers helps the agency operate its checkpoints more efficiently.
"TSA PreCheck continues to be one of our most innovative risk-based security solutions, providing the benefit of shorter wait times under 10 minutes, greater checkpoint efficiency and improved security," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement Thursday.
What is TSA PreCheck?
Launched in 2013, TSA PreCheck allows vetted members who have paid the enrollment fee access to dedicated, shorter lines at checkpoints. Cleared members don't have to remove their shoes or small-container liquids from carry-on bags before sending belongings through the scanner.
For new members, the application fee for a five-year membership is $78. However, several travel credit cards will reimburse the fee — which itself dropped in recent years.
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It's not just the PreCheck program experiencing rapid growth.
Read more: Key things to know about TSA PreCheck
Global Entry is seeing sharp growth, too
Altogether, more than 40 million travelers are now members of Trusted Traveler Programs overseen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This includes Global Entry, members of which also get access to the PreCheck lanes.
That membership tally quadrupled since early 2022, when the DHS reported it had reached 10 million trusted travelers. This was largely due to unprecedented demand for Global Entry that's continued to bring a crush of new applicants in 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told me earlier this year.
Read more: TSA PreCheck vs. Global Entry: Which is right for you?
Enrolling in TSA PreCheck
Despite the major increase in TSA PreCheck membership, the agency says the vast majority of members wait less than 10 minutes in the expedited security lanes.
It also recently added new third-party enrollment partners, including Clear and Telos. The latter has opened dozens of enrollment locations across the country, notably at Office Depot and OfficeMax stores.
The TSA says around 90% of PreCheck applicants have just three- to five-day processing times.
TSA PreCheck vs. Global Entry
TSA PreCheck is cheaper than Global Entry, at $78 for first-time applicants for a five-year membership. Global Entry currently costs $100 for five years, and the fee will jump to $120 in October. (Certain credit cards reimburse those fees.)
For many travelers, Global Entry remains a more cost-efficient option since it comes with both a fast-track experience at CBP ports following an international flight and PreCheck lane access. The simpler PreCheck program offers only the latter.
However, if you only travel internationally on occasion — once a year, perhaps — you may prefer to simply apply for the cheaper TSA PreCheck program and just use CBP's free Mobile Passport Control app upon returning home from an international flight.
Read more: Ways to get discounted TSA PreCheck, Global Entry and Clear
Bottom line
TSA PreCheck continues to grow at a fast pace, with 20 million active members — plus millions more users who gain access to the fast-track security lanes through other programs like Global Entry.
Still, TSA PreCheck continues to be a major time-saving option, according to the agency. It is also exploring innovations for the program, like the self-service pilot program I toured earlier this year at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.
Getting access to the lanes — through PreCheck itself or through Global Entry — remains one of the best ways to save time and stress at the airport.
Related reading:
- Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a beginner or expert traveler
- The best travel credit cards
- Where to go in 2024: The 16 best places to travel
- 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
- 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
- 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
