TSA PreCheck Renewal: Everything You Need to Know

A nationally recognized reporter, writer, and consumer advocate, Ed Perkins focuses on how travelers can find the best deals and avoid scams.

He is the author of "Online Travel" (2000) and "Business Travel: When It's Your Money" (2004), the first step-by-step guide specifically written for small business and self-employed professional travelers. He was also the co-author of the annual "Best Travel Deals" series from Consumers Union.

Perkins' advice for business travelers is featured on MyBusinessTravel.com, a website devoted to helping small business and self-employed professional travelers find the best value for their travel dollars.

Perkins was founding editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, one of the country's most influential travel publications, from which he retired in 1998. He has also written for Business Traveller magazine (London).

Perkins' travel expertise has led to frequent television appearances, including ABC's "Good Morning America" and "This Week with David Brinkley," "The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," CNN, and numerous local TV and radio stations.

Before editing Consumer Reports Travel Letter, Perkins spent 25 years in travel research and consulting with assignments ranging from national tourism development strategies to the design of computer-based tourism models.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Perkins lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife.

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Are you one of the thousands of air travelers who joined Precheck or Global Entry when it was new five years ago? The initial five-year enrollment is about to expire for a lot of people. But the good news is that TSA PreCheck renewal is generally a lot easier than getting in the first time around—it’s mostly all done online.

Here’s how the process works.

When to Start TSA PreCheck Renewal

TSA PreCheck members can renew their status starting six months before their membership expires. And there’s no reason not to do so—your new expiration date will still be five years from the originally assigned expiration. In other words, there’s no loss of value for renewing early.

If you have Global Entry and are considering letting it expire to instead enroll in just TSA PreCheck, the Department of Homeland Security says the process for TSA PreCheck renewal is “likely faster” than Global Entry.

How to Renew TSA PreCheck

If you initially enrolled in just TSA Precheck (not Global Entry), start by logging on to the TSA PreCheck renewal homepage with your Known Traveler Number. You can find out how to look it up here if you forgot it. Your Known Traveler Number will remain the same with your renewed membership.

TSA precheck homepage — TSA Universal Enroll Renewal Page

Once into the system, just follow the series of prompts to enter the personal information required to renew, and pay the $85 required for TSA PreCheck renewal. You will not need to provide a new photo. In most cases, that’s all it takes. In due time you’ll get a confirmation of renewal; the approval process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. But TSA does note that “some members may be directed to renew in person at an enrollment center.”

“New potential disqualifying factors that arise after someone’s initial enrollment have no bearing on whether that person is called in to renew in person,” a TSA spokesperson told SmarterTravel. “Some individuals may need to renew in person, for example, if the fingerprints provided during their initial enrollment were deemed low quality at the time of enrollment, or if they have changed their name and have not gone through TSA’s data update process.”

Renewals can be paid for by credit card or electronic debit. Several premium credit cards with annual fees can absorb the renewal charge—so make sure you pay with one if you have it to get reimbursed.

What About Global Entry?

If you have TSA PreCheck because you initially enrolled in Global Entry, and don’t wish to renew Global Entry but do want TSA PreCheck, you’ll need to start at your Trusted Traveler Program dashboard here instead and click on the “Manage my membership” button. From there, you need to enter your email address and password—which you can also look up if you don’t have it. See our guide to Global Entry Renewal for more.

Editor’s Note: SmarterTravel’s Shannon McMahon contributed reporting to this story.

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Consumer advocate Ed Perkins has been writing about travel for more than three decades. The founding editor of the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, he continues to inform travelers and fight consumer abuse every day at SmarterTravel.

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