 TITLE: How to Get TSA Precheck for Free CONTENT: How Do You Apply for TSA Precheck?\n----------------------------------\nTo be accepted into the TSA Precheck program, you must submit an online application with information including your physical characteristics, criminal history, and the date and location of your birth. Once you complete the application, which should only take a few minutes, the TSA will then perform a background check on you. You can check the status of your application online, and once you're conditionally approved, you can schedule an appointment at one of the over 380 enrollment centers around the country.\nBring a few forms of identification along to your interview from the list the TSA provides, such as a valid U.S. passport or driver's license. A TSA officer will ask you questions to verify your identity and the information you provided with your application, fingerprint you, and then charge the non-refundable $85 application fee. While most applicants are notified of the outcome within a few days, it can take several weeks to receive final, written notification. In the meantime you can check your status online and find out your Known Traveler Number if you are approved. Once you have that information, be sure to enter it into all your airline frequent-flier account profile pages so that you are designated as a TSA Precheck passenger automatically when you check in for your next flight.\nTSA Precheck membership lasts for five years, though you can renew your membership online up to six months before your current status expires. Each time you renew, you have to pay the $85 fee again. The good news is, there are a few ways to get TSA Precheck for free or at a discount.\nCertain active members of the U.S. Armed Forces can use TSA Precheck by entering their Department of Defense ID number from the back of their common access card into the Known Traveler Number field on their flight reservation. Department of Defense federal civilians are eligible to participate via a program called Mile Connect.\nFor the rest of us, though, over a dozen travel credit cards currently available offer a statement credit to cover the cost of a TSA Precheck application once every four or five years. So if you already carry one of them, or intend to open one, you might be able to use it to get the $85 fee taken off your tab. END