No, Costco cards don't count as airport REAL IDs, the TSA says
"Can’t fly on hotdogs and hope," the TSA quipped on social media
Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
If you’re set to fly and don’t have a REAL ID, the TSA wants you to know that, unfortunately, you can’t use your Costco (COST) membership card as an alternative.
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“We love hotdogs & rotisserie chicken as much as the next person, but plz stop telling people their Costco card counts as a REAL ID because it absolutely does not,” the Transportation Security Administration joked on social media last week.
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The TSA went on to explain, “Look for the ⭐️ on your license, that means it’s REAL ID ready. The ⭐️ on your membership card? It won’t work, no matter how elite your snack haul is.”
“You can bring the deals, but please bring a REAL ID too,” the TSA said.
The cheeky advisory came just a month after the TSA started mandating that fliers traveling domestically have a REAL ID to get through airport security.
The TSA does accept a bevy of alternatives for U.S residents, including a passport or passport card, state-issued enhanced drivers licenses, permanent resident cards, and a few others.
In April, before the REAL ID requirement went into effect following years of delays, the Department of Homeland Security said about two in 10 people passing through security didn’t have the proper documents that would soon be needed. That left tens of millions of Americans scrambling.
“Can’t fly on hotdogs and hope,” the TSA quipped.