Why TSA PreCheck is the Best Investment I Ever Made
Every time I fly, I use PreCheck. For those of you unfamiliar with the program, it gives you access to an expedited security lane at airports, and you don’t have to take off your shoes or take your laptop out of your bag when you go through screening.
I’ve had PreCheck for a year now, and I can’t imagine flying without it. It’s probably the best investment I ever made.
Here’s the catch — I almost didn’t sign up for it. I put it off for months because it was kind of a pain to set up. It involves several steps, costs about $100 (which many credit card companies will reimburse, BTW), and it requires filling out an application and going to the airport for an in-person interview. All of this sounded daunting enough that I put off applying for months, despite my friends and family telling me repeatedly that PreCheck was the best decision they ever made.
Finally, after I almost missed a flight because of an extremely long security line, I decided it was time.
I applied, then waited 8 months for my appointment (some airports have a shorter waiting time, but SFO was totally booked up).
On the day of my appointment, I showed up to the PreCheck / Global Entry office, signed in, and my name was called very quickly. My appointment lasted only 5 minutes. They ask you a few questions, take your picture and then…you have PreCheck! Once I got my “known traveler” number, I spent ~30 minutes adding it to all my frequent flyer programs so it’d be automatically added to my ticket when I booked in the future.
So…it took a bit of work and time to set up, but the payoff has been astronomical.
I generally breeze through security in 5 minutes or less. In terms of time saved, I would estimate that PreCheck has shaved off ~30 minutes each time I fly. And I fly a fair amount; about 50 times in the past year.
That’s 50 flights * 30 minutes saved = 25 HOURS saved in the past year! A full day of my life (!) not spent waiting in line.
I’m also way less stressed when I fly. I can cut it close to my flight without freaking out. I avoid the hassle of removing my shoes and laptop. Airports no longer fill me with (as much) dread.
To recap: 1.5 hours of initial setup resulted in 25 hours (and counting) of saved time. I got an entire day of my life back.
Totally worth it.
The best part is that PreCheck is like an annuity — it keeps paying out every year until it expires.
Time is our most valuable resource, and anything that can save us time (and reduce anxiety and stress in the process) is incredibly worthwhile.
This got me thinking: what are some other ways you can invest your energy now to save a disproportionate amount of time later?
Here are some ideas:
- Setting up auto-pay on my credit cards
- Learning Excel shortcuts
- Buying a second charger (keep one by my bed and one in my work bag)
- Charging portable chargers the night before traveling
- Getting Fast-Track for the highway (device that lets you go through the tolls and use the fast lane)
- Picking travel outfits ahead of time to pack more efficiently (this one will be hard)
I’m going to look for more opportunities to invest time up front for maximum rewards later! What are some of your ideas?
