For travelers enrolled in TSA PreCheck, getting through airport security without ever pulling out an ID is becoming a little more straightforward.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has partnered with Google Wallet, Google’s digital wallet app that can be used for storing credit cards, boarding passes, and digital ID on Android devices, to simplify enrollment in its growing Touchless ID program. The program uses facial recognition to quickly verify the identity of TSA PreCheck members at airport security checkpoints instead of requiring them to hand over a driver’s license or passport.
The update doesn’t change what happens at the checkpoint, but it does streamline one of the more confusing parts of using Touchless ID.
Until now, travelers generally had to enroll through each participating airline by uploading their passport information to a frequent flier account or airline app. If you flew multiple carriers, you often had to repeat the process.
With the new integration, eligible travelers can instead use a passport-based digital ID stored in Google Wallet as a single credential across more than 100 airlines participating in the TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program.
The move reflects TSA’s broader push toward a more digital airport experience. Over the past several years, the agency has expanded support for mobile driver’s licenses, biometric screening, and digital identity verification.
How TSA Touchless ID works
For those unfamiliar with Touchless ID, the name is fairly literal. At participating TSA PreCheck security checkpoints, travelers enter a dedicated line for Touchless ID where a camera compares a live image of their face with the passport information they’ve previously shared. If the images match, they are cleared to continue through security without presenting a physical ID. Participation is voluntary, and travelers can opt for a traditional ID check instead.
Touchless ID is now available at more than 65 airports nationwide, but despite its growing footprint, enrollment has remained surprisingly fragmented. Prior to this Google Wallet option (and if you don’t have Google Wallet), you had to actively opt into Touchless ID to access the Touchless ID security lines, which are often much shorter than regular TSA PreCheck lines. To opt in, you need to adjust your personal settings within the frequent flier account of each participating airline.
Touchless ID is available to those who are already enrolled in TSA PreCheck and who are flying with a participating airline—Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, or United Airlines. (JetBlue is not a participating airline as of press time.)
Once enrolled, a (sometimes minuscule) logo indicating access to Touchless ID appears on your boarding pass, the same way your TSA PreCheck indicator does.
How the new Google Wallet feature works
The new partnership is meant to make that process easier. To take advantage of the feature, travelers first need to add their U.S. passport to Google Wallet as a digital ID. In the Google Wallet app (which comes preinstalled on many Android devices and can also be downloaded), tap “Add to Wallet,” select “ID,” then choose “Create an ID pass with your U.S. passport.” You’ll be prompted to scan your passport’s security chip using your phone and record a short selfie video to verify your identity.
Once that’s complete, travelers with an active TSA PreCheck membership and a valid U.S. passport can opt into Touchless ID during flight check-in with a participating airline. After consenting to share their digital passport with TSA, eligible travelers will receive a Touchless ID designation on their boarding pass.
What about Apple Wallet?
For now, the streamlined enrollment process is limited to Google Wallet users, meaning it’s aimed at Android users. Travelers who own an iPhone can still use Touchless ID, but they’ll need to enroll directly through participating airlines rather than through Apple Wallet. While Apple Wallet already supports digital IDs for identity verification at select TSA checkpoints, it doesn’t yet offer the same universal enrollment option for Touchless ID.
TSA says the facial images captured during the identity verification process are used only to confirm a traveler’s identity and are generally deleted within 24 hours of the scheduled flight departure. Travelers are still encouraged to carry a Real ID–compliant driver’s license or other acceptable identification, as TSA officers may request to see a physical ID in certain circumstances.
