Philip Pragados thought he'd discovered a perfect travel hack: sharing his TSA PreCheck number, also called a "Known Traveler Number," with a friend.
"She used it and was sent to the PreCheck line," says Pragados, an IT consultant who lives in Washington.
People probe the system every day, looking for shortcuts. If Pragados had been right, this would have been a clever insider tip. Imagine saving the $85 and application process and being able to use one of the faster lines, which allow you to avoid the invasive full-body scanners and having to remove your shoes and laptop computers.
But it wasn't a hack. Turns out a number isn't enough to give you a PreCheck mark on your boarding pass. Travelers without PreCheck status can be sent to the preferred lines.
"Individuals may get TSA PreCheck via other mechanisms, where TSA uses intelligence information and Secure Flight passenger and itinerary information to determine if a traveler is low-risk on any given flight," says Bruce Anderson, a TSA spokesman.
And no, you can't share your Known Traveler Number, the same way you may share the password to your favorite entertainment site.
When it comes to travel, everyone wants to be a hacker. Problem is, most of the hacks don't work and may hurt travelers more than they help. Maybe we should try to be smarter consumers instead.
Bogus travel hacks are so numerous, it's hard to know where to start. How about with this one: You can find a cheaper hotel rate by phoning the property directly, bypassing the website or online agency? Nah, says Marcy Schackne, who works for a luggage company and is a very frequent traveler.
"I've tried this many times," she says. "Never works. When the property is part of a national brand, there is an immediate redirect to the reservations call center and no room to be negotiated."
Here's another popular hotel "hack": bribing the front desk guy for an upgrade.
"When you present your credit card and driver's license up front, you slip a $20 or even a $100 in between," says Mitch Goldstone, who works for an Irvine, Calif., technology company. Truth is, the clerk will often keep the money and give you the assigned room, thinking you just gave him a tip. "And you're left with nothing," he says.
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