TSA Will Walk You to the Gate Again. You Need PreCheck and One of 13 Airports.
The TSA launched a program called Gateside by TSA PreCheck on September 9, 2026. It lets PreCheck members without a plane ticket clear security and walk to the gate at 13 airports. The pass is free, and you apply online one to three days before your visit.
This is the first broad return of gate access for non-travelers since 2001.
The short version
Live at 13 airports as of September 9, 2026, including LAX, DFW, LAS, SAN and SLC.
Free, with no fee beyond the PreCheck membership you already hold.
Apply 1 to 3 days ahead through Login.gov and wait for approval.
A pass covers one calendar day, with re-entry allowed on that day.
Requires TSA PreCheck or another trusted traveler program with a Known Traveler Number.
What is Gateside by TSA PreCheck?
Gateside by TSA PreCheck is a free day pass that lets a TSA PreCheck member with no boarding pass go through a PreCheck security lane and into the gate area. The TSA says the program makes it easier "to return to the gate for welcomes and send-offs, meet friends during a layover, and enjoy dining and shopping along the way."
Practically, it means you walk your kid to their seat assignment, meet your mother at her arrival gate, or eat at the one good restaurant your airport keeps on the wrong side of security.
Which airports have it?
Gateside by TSA PreCheck runs at 13 airports as of September 9, 2026: Mesa Gateway (AZA), Columbus (CMH), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Wichita (ICT), Indianapolis (IND), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Little Rock (LIT), Oklahoma City (OKC), Omaha (OMA), San Diego (SAN) and Salt Lake City (SLC). The TSA has said more are coming, without naming them or giving a date.
Two of those, Detroit and San Diego, already run their own visitor pass programs. Both airports told The Points Guy their existing programs continue unchanged.
How do you apply for a Gateside pass?
Applying for Gateside by TSA PreCheck takes a Login.gov account and a form submitted one to three days before your airport visit. You enter your own details plus the details of any children coming with you, then wait for approval. At the airport you bring a Real ID, go to a PreCheck lane, and log in to the portal in front of the officer.
One detail worth writing down. The TSA will not accept a screenshot or a printout of your approval. You log in live, at the checkpoint, which means you want a charged phone and a signal.
How is this different from an airport gate pass?
At least 20 U.S. airports already issue their own visitor passes, under names like the Hopkins Hang Out Pass at Cleveland and the Wingmate Pass at Philadelphia. Those programs are open to anyone who passes a name check, not only PreCheck members, and they often allow same-day applications. They also send you through the regular security line.
Gateside flips both of those. The eligibility is narrower and the line is faster. San Diego takes applications as early as seven days out and as late as the day of the visit, and its public information officer said the two programs operate independently of one another.
Which credit cards pay for TSA PreCheck?
TSA PreCheck costs $78 for five years when you enroll directly, and dozens of travel credit cards reimburse it as a statement credit. Cards carrying a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application credit include the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the American Express Platinum, the Capital One Venture X and the Chase IHG One Rewards Premier. The credit generally runs once every four years.
Global Entry includes PreCheck, so putting a card credit toward the $120 Global Entry fee is the better use of the same benefit. Our best travel credit cards guide lists which cards include the credit and what else they carry.
What this means for you
If you already have PreCheck and live near one of the 13 airports, this is free and takes five minutes. Apply a few days before your next airport run.
Nobody should buy PreCheck for this alone. Get a card that reimburses the fee, use the credit on Global Entry, and treat Gateside as a bonus. Thirteen airports is a pilot, so use it while the rules are generous.
FAQ
Does Gateside by TSA PreCheck cost anything?
Gateside by TSA PreCheck is free. You pay nothing beyond the TSA PreCheck or trusted traveler membership you already hold, which runs $78 for five years when you apply directly.
How far in advance do you apply?
You apply for a Gateside pass one to three days before your planned visit. Same-day applications are not accepted, which is the main way this program is stricter than the airport-run visitor passes at places like San Diego.
Can children come with you?
Yes. Kids travel on your Gateside reservation, and you enter their information on your own application form rather than filing separately for each child.
Do you get to use the PreCheck security lane?
Yes, and this is the main advantage over airport visitor passes. Gateside by TSA PreCheck sends approved visitors through the dedicated PreCheck lane. The separate airport gate pass programs prohibit using PreCheck lanes.
How long is a Gateside pass good for?
A Gateside pass covers one calendar day and allows re-entry on that day. It is tied to the visit date you were approved for, so a new visit means a new application.
The bottom line
Gateside by TSA PreCheck gives PreCheck members something the rest of the flying public cannot get at any price right now. It costs nothing, the application takes minutes, and at 13 airports you get to do the thing everyone under 40 has only seen in movies.
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