It’s an internet rumor that just won’t die. No, your Costco membership card isn’t an acceptable form of ID at the airport.
U.S. Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Lorie Dankers tells SFGate that the rumor crops up every year or so. And it cropped up again in a recent food blog. In response, the TSA is saying that relying on a Costco membership card could lead to delays and travel headaches.
So, what are the valid forms of identification at the airport? Will your Costco card help you at all to get through security? Here’s the truth and the latest version of the rumor.
Acceptable identification at the TSA checkpoint
According to the TSA, valid forms of ID at the airport are:
Can a Costco card get you through TSA? No
In an article titled “How Your Costco Card Could Save You At The Airport,” food blog Chowhound claims that your Costco card could save you at the airport because it’s a photo ID. The article cites Reddit, where users claimed their Costco card got them through security when they forgot or lost their regular ID.
However, TSA spokesperson Dankers told SFGate that using a Costco card as ID will create delays and potentially prevent people from making their flights. Using the membership card would be one step in an extensive process to confirm their identity.
“The TSA officer would use that as a starting point to confirm your identity, but they would still have to go through our identity verification process,” she told SFGate.
Travelers using Costco cards could be pulled from the line to be questioned about other pieces of personal information, such as two previous home addresses, she said.
Do you have an Ohio Real ID? You need one to fly. Here’s how to get one
It’s not just a Costco ID that’s not acceptable at the airport. Starting in May, a standard driver’s license was no longer acceptable as identification to fly.
Now, you need a Real ID-complaint card that meets national travel security requirements. It will be marked with a star on the upper right-hand side of the ID.
To obtain one in Ohio, a person will need to provide documentation that proves:
Visit Ohio’s BMV website for more information on how to get a Real ID.
Costco locations in Ohio, Kentucky
You can’t use a Costco membership card to get through TSA, but you can use one to get into any of the hundreds of Costco warehouses.
Costco operates 609 locations in the United States and Puerto Rico. That includes 13 in Ohio — four in the Cleveland-Akron area, one in Canton, two in Toledo, three in Greater Columbus, one in Dayton and two in Cincinnati.
In Kentucky, Costco has five stores, including one in Florence, near Cincinnati.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: No, your warehouse club card isn’t valid ID at the airport. TSA refutes rumor, reveals truth
Reporting by Chad Murphy, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
