Americans are trying to use Costco membership cards as ID at the airport
It’s unbelievable that this needs to be stated, but you cannot use your Costco membership card to get through airport security.
A Costco membership card grants access to store locations worldwide and offers some significant perks, but people in the U.S. are giving it more credit than it’s worth.
It appears that a sufficient number of Costco members have attempted to use their cards while travelling, which prompted the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to address the issue. On June 4, the agency shared a post on Facebook that now has almost 1,000 comments.
“We love hot dogs & rotisserie chickens as much as the next person, but please stop telling people their Costco card counts as a REAL ID because it absolutely does not,” reads the post.
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The internet didn’t miss a chance to join in the hilarity.
“It should, though,” someone argued.
One person pointed out, “Costco also verifies me when I leave, unlike any airport where I can just walk out with someone else’s bag.”
Another asked, “So, I can bring a rotisserie chicken on the plane as a personal item as long as there’s less than three ounces of gravy?”
“What about a Blockbuster card?” one commenter asked.
On a serious note, airport security in the United States just got stricter when it comes to identification.
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In 2005, U.S. Congress passed the REAL ID Act in response to the 9/11 attacks. The act, which went into effect on May 7, is meant to “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licences and identification cards.” This means that U.S. citizens will need to ensure their driver’s licences or state-issued photo ID cards are REAL ID-compliant.
In an email to Daily Hive, a TSA spokesperson said, “Now that REAL ID is in effect, TSA issues routine reminders to travellers that various forms of IDs are not acceptable at the TSA checkpoint, including warehouse club membership cards. A list of acceptable IDs can be found on TSA’s website.”