Google has announced that Google Wallet is becoming the first digital wallet to integrate with TSA PreCheck Touchless ID. It is a programme that lets eligible travellers move through participating airport security checkpoints using facial recognition instead of showing a physical ID or boarding pass.
While the TSA PreCheck Touchless ID programme has been available for some time, using it hasn't always been straightforward. The programme currently operates at 65 airports across the US, but participation has largely depended on flying with a limited number of airlines. Travellers also had to upload passport information separately through participating carriers. Now, the tech giant's new integration is designed to remove some of those extra steps.
With the update rolling out in the coming weeks, travellers with TSA PreCheck membership will be able to enrol in Touchless ID through Google Wallet and use the service with any of the 100 airlines participating in the programme. Rather than repeatedly submitting identification details, users can store a digital ID in Google Wallet and use it to streamline future trips.
Setting up the feature is relatively straightforward as well. The process starts with users creating a digital ID in Google Wallet using their passport information. After checking in for a flight and saving a boarding pass to the app, eligible travellers will see a "Get started" option that directs them to the TSA enrolment process.
Once users choose to share their ID pass and boarding pass information with the TSA for a specific trip, the agency will verify the enrolment. If approved, a TSA PreCheck Touchless ID indicator will appear on the boarding pass stored in Google Wallet, signalling that the traveller can use designated express Touchless ID lanes at participating airports.
As privacy and security are likely to be key considerations for many travellers, Google says users must explicitly opt in before any information is shared with the TSA, and authentication is required through a device PIN, pattern, or biometric verification. The company also notes that digital IDs stored in Google Wallet remain encrypted and are kept on the user's device. For frequent flyers who already use TSA PreCheck, the new integration could remove a few more steps from the airport security process, making travel slightly faster and a little less cumbersome.
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