Tsa precheck not on boarding pass united

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Other reasons you might not see TSA Pre on your boarding pass are if your name is spelled differently on your boarding pass than it was in your PreCheck account, or if your TSA PreCheck access has expired. If you’re flying internationally, the airline you’ve chosen also might not participate in the program. In super rare circumstances, it could be because you’ve been selected for enhanced security screening. You’ll know that happened if you see an SSSS on your boarding pass.

Also, you should know that having TSA PreCheck doesn’t guarantee expedited screening. Per the TSA website:

TSA uses unpredictable security measures, both seen and unseen, throughout the airport. All travelers will be screened, and no individual is guaranteed expedited screening.

In other words, sometimes the magical “TSA Pre” won’t be printed on your boarding pass and if it’s because of one of their “unpredictable security measures,” there’s no much you can do about it. Fortunately, those occurrences are rare.

What to do

Again, the easiest solution is to log into your airline’s website and just add your TSA Pre number and then get a new boarding pass. That said, I’ve definitely tried that a few times and gotten shot down because I was too close to boarding time and/or my pass had already been issued.

In that case, your best bet is to go to a desk agent and ask him or her to add it for you. I’ve had great results personally by handing over my Global Entry card at check-in. If you don’t have a Global Entry card but you do have a Known Traveler Number, make sure you have that handy when you go up to the counter, so you’re not holding up the line scrolling through your email looking for your number. If that line is too long, you can also try having it added over the phone and then refreshing your digital boarding pass or reprinting a pass at one of the kiosks.

A few Points Guy readers have said they have complained about the issue on Twitter and had a rep fix it for them that way, which seems like an annoying way to go, but still worth keeping in mind.

And if you don’t get that “TSA Pre” added to your pass, it might not be the absolute worst thing. Depending on the airport you’re flying out of, in some cases, the PreCheck line is even a bit longer than the general boarding line at times. Yes, you’ll still have to take your shoes off and haul all your electronics and liquids out of your bag, but you might not lose quite as much time as you think.

This story was originally published in 2018 and updated with new information on 2/26/2020.

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