TSA PreCheck Travelers Can Now Use Google Wallet for Touchless ID — But There’s a Catch

Airport security may be getting a little easier for some TSA PreCheck travelers, especially those already using Google Wallet.

The Transportation Security Administration announced a new partnership with Google Wallet that allows eligible travelers to opt in to TSA PreCheck Touchless ID directly through the digital wallet. Google Wallet is the first digital wallet to offer this feature, according to TSA.

That sounds convenient, and for many travelers, it probably will be. But this is not quite a “leave your ID at home and glide through security” situation.

TSA PreCheck Touchless ID uses facial comparison technology to verify a traveler’s identity in dedicated lanes. Instead of presenting a physical ID at the checkpoint, eligible travelers can use the Touchless ID process after opting in.

According to TSA, the feature is currently available at 65 airports nationwide. With the Google Wallet rollout, travelers can use TSA PreCheck Touchless ID with more than 100 TSA PreCheck airlines at participating airports.

How the Google Wallet TSA PreCheck Feature Works

The process starts when travelers check in for a flight with a participating airline and add their boarding pass to Google Wallet.

Eligible travelers with an eligible digital ID may then see a “Get started” prompt. From there, they are redirected to a TSA consent page, where they can authorize Google Wallet to share their digital ID and boarding pass information with TSA.

Once TSA confirms the enrollment, Google Wallet updates the traveler’s boarding pass with a TSA PreCheck Touchless ID indicator.

That indicator is the important part. It tells the traveler they can use the dedicated Touchless ID lane at participating airports.

The Fine Print Travelers Should Know

This is where the announcement gets a little less simple.

Travelers need to be eligible for TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, have the right digital ID set up in Google Wallet, check in with a participating airline, and be traveling through a participating airport.

In other words, this is not automatically available to every TSA PreCheck member on every trip.

Before this Google Wallet update, travelers could still opt in to TSA PreCheck Touchless ID by saving a valid passport to their profile with one of six airlines: Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, or United. But that process had to be handled airline by airline.

The Google Wallet rollout is designed to make the opt-in process easier, especially for travelers who do not always fly the same airline.

Should You Still Bring Your Physical ID?

Yes. Absolutely.

Even though TSA PreCheck Touchless ID is designed to reduce the need to show physical documents at participating checkpoints, I would not personally head to the airport without a backup ID.

Phones die. Apps glitch. Boarding passes disappear at the worst possible moment. And TSA’s acceptable ID rules still matter if you are asked to verify your identity another way.

What About Privacy?

The privacy angle is worth noting because this feature uses facial comparison technology.

Google says travelers must opt in before information is shared with TSA. The process also requires authentication on the traveler’s device, and Google says digital IDs in Google Wallet are encrypted and stored on the phone.

Travelers who are uncomfortable with facial comparison technology can skip the feature and continue using standard TSA PreCheck screening.

That is probably the most important part: this is optional.

Is It Worth Using?

For frequent travelers who already use TSA PreCheck and Google Wallet, this could be a helpful upgrade.

But I would treat it as a nice bonus, not something to build your entire airport plan around.

Check your boarding pass for the Touchless ID indicator. Make sure your airport participates. Give yourself normal airport buffer time. And bring your physical ID anyway.

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