Google Wallet Becomes First Wallet to Support TSA PreCheck Touchless ID Opt-In

Travelers enrolled in TSA PreCheck can now opt into facial-comparison screening directly from Google Wallet, which the Transportation Security Administration says is the first digital wallet to support enrollment in its PreCheck Touchless ID program. The feature lets eligible passengers turn on the screening from the same place they keep their boarding pass, rather than signing up separately with an airline.

Touchless ID lets PreCheck members verify their identity using facial comparison in dedicated lanes, without handing over a physical document, a step the agency says reduces wait times. In the Google Wallet flow, a traveler checks in with a participating airline and adds the boarding pass to the wallet. Eligible travelers who also hold an eligible digital ID see a prompt to get started, are redirected to a TSA consent page, and authorize sharing their digital ID and boarding pass with TSA. The agency then confirms enrollment and sends a success code, and Google Wallet marks the boarding pass with a Touchless ID indicator.

The agency says Touchless ID is available at 65 airports, and that the Google Wallet rollout lets passengers use it with any of the more than 100 airlines that participate in TSA PreCheck at those airports. Travelers also still have the option to save a valid passport to their profile with one of six airlines, including Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, and United, and opt in for each one individually.

TSA’s modernization office cast the tie-up as a way to move trusted PreCheck travelers through checkpoints faster by leaning on technology and industry partnerships, the same rationale behind the agency’s wider push to let passengers verify themselves with digital credentials rather than physical documents.

The integration extends Google Wallet’s existing role at airport checkpoints, where the wallet already supports digital driver’s licenses accepted at select TSA checkpoints and has added a digital US passport option for domestic air travel. Touchless ID is one of several biometric screening options TSA has rolled out for PreCheck members in recent years as it works to expand facial comparison across more airports and airlines.

“We’re excited that Google Wallet technology is helping make TSA airport checkpoints faster and easier for travelers,” said P.J. Linarducci, vice president of product management for consumer payments at Google, who pointed to the start of the summer travel season.

Sources: Transportation Security Administration

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team