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If you have an iPhone, you can use Apple's new Digital ID to go through TSA checkpoints, offering a seamless and hands-free way to get through security. Here's what you need to know about this new feature.
Page Contents
What Is Apple Digital ID?
Apple Digital ID is a way for users to create an ID stored in their Apple Wallet using information from a U.S. passport. You'll then be able to present it at a TSA checkpoint using your iPhone or Apple Watch.
It's currently rolling out to more than 250 airports for use during domestic travel, but Apple says there will be additional opportunities for use in the future at select businesses and organizations for identity and age verification.
If you don't have a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or state ID, you can use Apple's Digital ID instead. You'll still need your physical passport, as Apple Digital ID is not yet valid for international travel or border crossings.
This news comes a few years after Apple added the ability to store your driver's license or state ID in Apple Wallet. However, only a handful of states have opted in so far. With Digital ID, anyone with a U.S. passport will be able to access the feature.
Related: How to Track Your Passport Details (Including Expiration Date) Using AwardWallet
How to Add Your Digital ID to Apple Wallet
To create your Digital ID, open your Wallet and tap the “Add” button at the top right of the screen. Then, select “Driver's License and ID Cards.” On the next screen, click “Digital ID.”
You'll then be prompted through the steps to add your passport and verify your identity:
- Scan the photo page of your physical passport.
- There is a chip implanted in the back cover of your passport. Place your iPhone on the inside of the back cover so it can read the chip.
- Verify your identity by taking a selfie and completing a series of facial and head movements.
When I created my Digital ID, the whole process took under a minute, and then my information was verified in under 30 seconds. Now, my Digital ID lives at the top of my wallet, above all of my credit cards.
How to Use Apple's Digital ID
You'll follow the same steps to use your Digital ID as you would to pay using a credit card stored in your Apple Wallet. When you are at the TSA checkpoint, double-click the side button of your phone and select Digital ID. Then, simply hold your phone near an identity reader, review the requested information, and use Face ID to approve.
Digital ID data is encrypted, so you don't need to worry about storing your passport information on your phone. Apple can't see when or where you present your ID.
This isn't the first kind of technology that allows you to go through a TSA checkpoint without presenting your physical ID. A CLEAR Plus membership allows you to skip to the front of the TSA line by verifying your identity using biometric data. However, CLEAR is only available at around 60 airports, and also costs $209 per year — unless you get it complimentary through a card like the American Express Platinum Card® (Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.).
Similarly, Delta offers Delta Digital ID — now called TSA PreCheck Touchless ID — at select airports, which also uses your biometric information to verify your identity. However, you have to be enrolled in TSA PreCheck, and you must be flying Delta.
Final Thoughts
We're always looking for ways to make our airport experience faster and more efficient. Apple Digital ID is a great step toward that goal — your phone holds your REAL ID, and you tap to verify your identity the same way you'd tap to pay for a coffee.
Although CLEAR and Touchless ID are both effective ways to verify your identity without showing your physical ID, they each have their limitations. Apple Digital ID is free, accessible to anyone with an iPhone, and available at many more airports. Still, you'll want to use Digital ID in conjunction with TSA PreCheck, as it won't allow you to skip to the front of the line or qualify for expedited security screening. It's simply a more efficient way of verifying your identity.
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