TSA adds Google Wallet enrollment for PreCheck Touchless ID

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has launched a partnership with Google Wallet that will allow eligible travelers to enroll in TSA PreCheck Touchless ID directly through the digital wallet app.

The program is designed to make it easier for TSA PreCheck members to use dedicated Touchless ID lanes, where facial comparison technology verifies a traveler’s identity without requiring the routine presentation of a physical ID or boarding pass.

Google Wallet is the first digital wallet to offer the enrollment feature, according to TSA and Google.

Travelers who check in with a participating airline and add their boarding pass to Google Wallet may see a “Get started” prompt if they have an eligible digital ID.

Selecting the prompt directs the traveler to a TSA consent page, where the traveler authorizes Google Wallet to share the relevant digital ID and boarding-pass information with TSA.

After TSA confirms the enrollment, Google Wallet updates the boarding pass with a TSA PreCheck Touchless ID indicator.

“Our collaboration with Google helps our trusted TSA PreCheck travelers enjoy the fastest route through airport security,” said TSA Modernization Acting Chief Innovation Officer Shelu Patel.

TSA PreCheck Touchless ID is now available at 65 airports. The Google Wallet rollout is intended to expand access across participating airports and more than 100 TSA PreCheck airlines, rather than requiring travelers to enroll separately through an airline-specific process.

Travelers may still add a valid passport to their profile through Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest or United and manually opt in for each carrier. The Google Wallet option creates a more centralized pathway for eligible travelers who use participating airlines.

The expansion is another step in TSA’s continuing shift toward biometric and digital identity systems at airport checkpoints.

Participation remains voluntary, and availability will depend on whether a traveler is eligible, using a participating airline and departing from an airport equipped with TSA PreCheck Touchless ID lanes.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  Google  |  Google Wallet  |  identity verification  |  PreCheck Touchless ID  |  TSA