Free TSA PreCheck: Certain Veterans Now Qualify for Faster Airport Screening at No Extra Cost

Navigating airport security is often one of the most stressful parts of traveling. For years, active-duty service members have enjoyed the perk of free, expedited security screening through TSA PreCheck. However, once a service member transitioned to civilian veteran status, that benefit disappeared—leaving them to pay the standard application fees out of pocket.

Thanks to a vital update under the Veterans Expedited TSA Screening (VETS) Safe Travel Act, that is changing. A new initiative officially allows thousands of veterans to enroll in or renew their TSA PreCheck membership completely free of charge.

If you or a loved one served in the military, here is a breakdown of who qualifies for this free travel benefit and how to claim it.

What is the VETS Safe Travel Act?

Passed to reduce physical stress and travel hurdles for wounded warriors, the VETS Safe Travel Act removes the financial barrier to expedited airport security.

With TSA PreCheck, qualifying travelers can utilize dedicated airport lanes where the average wait time is under five minutes. Even better, you get to skip the most tedious parts of the security line:

• Keep your shoes, belts, and light jackets on.
• Leave laptops and electronics inside your carry-on bag.
• Keep compliant 3-1-1 liquids packed away instead of placing them in a separate bin.

Who is Eligible for the Free TSA PreCheck Waiver?

The fee waiver is specifically designed to assist veterans who have service-connected disabilities that make standard airport screening physically challenging. To qualify for the free application or renewal code, a veteran must be enrolled in the VA health care system and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• The loss or loss of use of an extremity (such as an arm or leg).
• Full or partial paralysis.
• Permanent blindness.
• A service-connected injury requiring the use of a VA-issued wheelchair, prosthetic limb, or other mobility assist device.

Note: While the program waives the standard enrollment fee, applicants must still complete the standard TSA background check and in-person fingerprinting appointment to receive their Known Traveler Number (KTN).

How to Claim Your Free PreCheck Code

The Department of Veterans Affairs and TSA enrollment partners have established a digital process so eligible veterans do not have to pay upfront and wait for a reimbursement. Here is how to apply:

1. Get Your VA Letter: Log into your account on VA.gov. Navigate to your benefit letters dashboard and download your official TSA PreCheck Application Fee Waiver Letter.
2. Request Your Code: Email a copy of this PDF letter to the official processing partner at tsaenrollmentbyidemia@ps-idemia.com. Use the subject line “VETS Safe”.
3. Apply Securely: Once your letter is verified, you will receive a unique authorization code via email. Enter this code when submitting your TSA PreCheck application online or present it during your in-person appointment to bypass the fee entirely.

Alternative Free Options for Other Veterans

If you are a veteran who does not meet the specific disability criteria of the VETS Safe Travel Act, you can still avoid paying for PreCheck out of pocket.

Many popular travel rewards and premium credit cards offer a statement credit that covers the fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry every 4 to 5 years. By using one of these cards to pay for your application, the bank will automatically credit the amount back to your account.

Safe travels, and thank you for your service!

How to Score a Major Discount on Priority Pass Airport Lounges

Airport lounges used to be an exclusive luxury reserved for first-class flyers and million-mile road warriors. But today, programs like Priority Pass have opened those doors to the rest of us, offering free food, drinks, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a quiet escape from terminal chaos.

The only catch? Retail memberships can be pricey. If you want luxury comfort without the luxury price tag, here are the absolute best ways to score a massive discount on a Priority Pass membership.

1. Look for Seasonal Retail Sales (Up to 30% Off)

If you want to buy a membership directly from Priority Pass, never pay full retail price right away.

Priority Pass frequently runs promotional discounts throughout the year. You can regularly find sales offering 20% to 30% off standard retail rates during major holidays and shopping events, such as:

• Black Friday and Cyber Monday
• Summer travel kick-off sales
• End-of-year holiday promotions

Pro-Tip: Before clicking buy, always do a quick search for active promo codes or check their official offers page.

2. Check Your Premium Credit Cards (The "Free" Route)

The absolute cheapest way to get Priority Pass is when it's bundled into a credit card you might already own (or are thinking about getting). Many premium travel credit cards offer a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership as a core benefit.

While these cards carry annual fees, the value of the lounge access—combined with other travel credits—easily outweighs the cost. Popular cards include:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Free membership + 2 guests
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Free membership + 2 guests (Enrollment required)
• Capital One Venture X: Free membership + 2 guests

Note: Be sure to log into your credit card dashboard and physically click "Enroll" to activate your pass before your next trip!

3. Leverage Existing Travel Loyalty Programs

Are you a frequent flyer or a hotel loyalist? You might have a discount hiding right in your inbox.

Certain airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies partner with Priority Pass to offer exclusive member discounts. For example, some elite status tiers or airline loyalty programs allow you to redeem frequent flyer miles for a membership, or offer a flat 10–15% discount just for being a registered member of their ecosystem.

4. Utilize Corporate or Group Discounts

If you travel frequently for business, check with your company’s HR or travel department. Many large corporations have corporate wellness or travel perks that include heavily discounted—or entirely subsidized—Priority Pass memberships.

Similarly, some alumni associations, professional organizations, and specialized union groups offer member benefit portals that feature travel discounts.

Summary: Which Option Is Best For You?

• If you travel multiple times a year: Getting a premium travel credit card is the smartest financial move, as the lounge perks easily cancel out the annual fee.
• If you travel occasionally: Wait for a Black Friday or summer retail flash sale to lock in a Standard or Standard Plus membership at a 30% discount.

Happy lounging!

Hidden City Ticketing: The Travel Hack Airlines Don't Want You To Use

Katia Hetter and Jeff Simon, CNN

(CNN) — Nobody who sold you that instant oatmeal, jar of multivitamins, bar of soap, perfume-free laundry detergent, latest best-seller, NASCAR tickets or whatever Gwyneth Paltrow sells on her website will come after you to make sure you used your purchases.

But the world's biggest airlines might.

They require that you fly all the flights you've booked or pay the price. They might take away your frequent flier miles, ban you from the airline or even sue you.

"So, if I don't eat all my steak at Peter Luger's, are they going to sue me now?" Delta Air Lines frequent flier Billy Stocklin says. "It's my ticket and seat. I bought it. If I use it or not is none of your business."

The airlines beg to differ.

What is hidden city ticketing?

"Hidden city ticketing" is a longtime, under-the-radar practice of the most astute, rule-breaking fliers. It's now taking center stage in a lawsuit filed by Lufthansa, one of the world's largest airlines.

Lufthansa is suing a passenger who skipped out on the last leg of his ticketed purchase, demanding the money he would have paid for his actual journey. (The case was dismissed, but the airline has appealed.)

It can get complicated. Let's say you need to fly from New York City to Los Angeles, and the cheapest ticket you can find is selling for $500. There's another flight from New York to Reno, Nevada -- with a layover in Los Angeles -- that only costs $350.

If you get off the plane in Los Angeles -- throwing away the second flight from Los Angeles to Reno -- you'll get to La La Land at a "discount."

Airlines generally prohibit it in the fine print most passengers don't read, because they'd rather you pay $500 than $350 for your flight.

Hidden city ticketing may have remained hidden but for a 20-something named Aktarer Zaman. Zaman launched Skiplagged, a website designed to take advantage of the complicated ways airlines price their tickets.

United Airlines promptly sued him, but the case was dismissed in 2015, and the site is still operational.

Airlines charge more when they can

It's an issue because of the way airlines price their flights, says aviation expert Benét J. Wilson, owner and editor of Aviation Queen.

"Fares tend to be higher in general for more popular cities or ones where airlines don't have a lot of competition," she says. "For example, fortress hubs such as Frankfurt for Lufthansa, Atlanta for Delta, Dallas/Fort Worth for American and Newark for United fares have higher fares because more passengers fly through them to get where they need to go."

"Flights that don't have as many passengers are priced lower, and flights where the airline is just relocating the plane and trying to make some money to offset the costs will typically be priced lower," says Jeffrey C. Price, owner of Leading Edge Strategies and an aviation professor at Metropolitan State University Denver.

"Cities where there isn't a high demand can actually be priced higher due to the limited amount of flights in and out," says Price. "When there's only one or two flights a day out of some of these small airports, the airlines will charge what the market will bear."

It's not about the specific fare

Lufthansa, which made $41.5 billion last fiscal year, is suing the unnamed passenger for $2,392 for using the technique. While he's fighting back, others may not be able to finance a defense against a major airline.

Lufthansa spokesman Tal Muscal declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.

The airline alleges that their customer booked a roundtrip from Oslo to Seattle with a layover in Frankfurt. On the return trip, the customer got off in Frankfurt, didn't fly to Oslo and instead booked a separate Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Berlin. (He did show his hand by booking the second flight on the same airline as his first flight.)

It's against the airline's contract of carriage (PDF), which is often hard to find on an airline's website.

"If carriage is not used on all individual legs or not used in the sequence anticipated on the ticket with otherwise unchanged travel data, we will recalculate the fare according to your altered routing," reads the Lufthansa contract.

"The fare will thereby be determined which you would have had to pay for your actual routing in your price group on the day of your reservation. This fare may be higher or lower than the fare you originally paid."

There is a price to pay

Even if the airline loses on appeal, it's sending a message to fliers willing to game the system that there may be a cost.

At the same time, the suit highlights how airlines can charge customers more to fly less.

"It's easy to understand why some travelers are tempted to risk it, especially if you live in a city where you don't have a lot of airline choices," Wilson says.

But she warns that you could be penalized if you're caught. "That can range from forcing you to pay the full fare you tried to avoid or even taking away your frequent flier miles."

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