Getting a REAL ID in Massachusetts? (Dedham: price, vs, renewal)

[Williepaws]

Originally Posted by robr2

What's lost in all of this banter - WE'VE HAD SINCE MARCH 2018 TO GET A REAL ID!!

Now the deadline of 5/3/23 is getting closer, people are panicking. Get it done and stop bellyaching about AAA privilege.

you dont need one. i dont see anyone panicking. Go online and get your license renewed with your passport. Easy peasy!

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Willing and able. It's really a discrimination based on wealth. Which seems accepted in our society.

Someone is paying to be bumped ahead of someone else.

Personally, I have problems with government doing so. It shouldn't be like a private for profit theme park where people pay extra to cut ahead in line.

There should be existing staffing in government functions where such rush services aren't needed at all; and everyone is treated the same no matter how much money they may have.

CLEAR is the one that I still really can't believe. A private company that charges a "discounted rate" of $180 per year to allow people to skip the security lines at airports.

That said, I'm not sure what the major advantage to using AAA is that makes it so much better for processing a Real ID than the RMV?. The biggest endorsements I've heard are "I did mine through AAA and didn't have any issues." Great. Several folks here, myself included (and I'm an AAA member), have said the same thing about going through the RMV. Some people have said that they've had an easier time getting a reservation through AAA. That wasn't my experience - the RMV had appointments sooner than AAA when I did mine, so I reserved at the RMV and was out in under and hour. In checking reservations for both this morning, the bulk of the AAA locations simply said "no availability within the next two weeks." The AAA locations that did have availability were mostly for 9/2 and later. One or two had something middle/end of next week. By comparison, most RMV locations had availability the week of 9/12, a few had some next week, and one (Taunton) had appointments tomorrow. While walking into an RMV is hit or miss (as evidenced by the OP's experience), I don't think it's even an option for AAA. So again, I'm not really sure what the major benefit to using AAA over the RMV would even be.

[Chris92881]

After I was turned away as a walk-in this morning I went home and figured I'd check the mass.gov/rmv website for any last minute appointments for today or tomorrow hoping someone possibly cancelled last minute or some were added late morning. I was lucky to get a slot around noon. The RMV appeared to add about six midday appointments from what I could tell from the website. I grabbed the latest one and headed down. I still had to wait two hours past my slotted appointment time, but it is what it is. I was just happy to get it done and over with. New picture, eye exam, presented documents. It all took about two minutes and I paid and was on my way. Bottom line: you've gotta check the website several times a day as there doesn't appear to be much rhyme or reason to home these appointments get added to the schedule.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by lrfox

CLEAR is the one that I still really can't believe. A private company that charges a "discounted rate" of $180 per year to allow people to skip the security lines at airports.

I know this is off-topic, but I don't see what's wrong with that? As long as the government accepts the private company's ID methodology (in this case, retinal scans) as being consistent with standard identity verification. This is just capitalism at work!

[mdovell]

Eh.. I have TSA Pre approval which is great although I did get the SSSS at one point. I did do an appeal and received a redress number and it has been fine since. The odd thing is the redress is more domestic rather than overseas. I don't get it but whatever.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

I know this is off-topic, but I don't see what's wrong with that? As long as the government accepts the private company's ID methodology (in this case, retinal scans) as being consistent with standard identity verification. This is just capitalism at work!

The idea of a private company expediting a standard government procedure for those able to pay a not-so-insignificant amount of money, and profiting from it, feels a little bit wrong to me. I have Global Entry, so I'm not opposed to Homeland Security expediting the security process for trusted travelers. But when you introduce a privatized, for-profit element to it, I struggle with that a bit. Don't get me wrong, it's not a hill I'll die on and my viewpoint could change with a compelling enough argument, but my initial reaction is not positive.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by lrfox

CLEAR is the one that I still really can't believe. A private company that charges a "discounted rate" of $180 per year to allow people to skip the security lines at airports.

That said, I'm not sure what the major advantage to using AAA is that makes it so much better for processing a Real ID than the RMV?. The biggest endorsements I've heard are "I did mine through AAA and didn't have any issues." Great. Several folks here, myself included (and I'm an AAA member), have said the same thing about going through the RMV. Some people have said that they've had an easier time getting a reservation through AAA. That wasn't my experience - the RMV had appointments sooner than AAA when I did mine, so I reserved at the RMV and was out in under and hour. In checking reservations for both this morning, the bulk of the AAA locations simply said "no availability within the next two weeks." The AAA locations that did have availability were mostly for 9/2 and later. One or two had something middle/end of next week. By comparison, most RMV locations had availability the week of 9/12, a few had some next week, and one (Taunton) had appointments tomorrow. While walking into an RMV is hit or miss (as evidenced by the OP's experience), I don't think it's even an option for AAA. So again, I'm not really sure what the major benefit to using AAA over the RMV would even be.

Clear is also available for use at some arenas and stadiums to quicken entry. They also partnered with Resy and Open Table which allowed users to connect their vaccine cards to their Clear profile saving precious seconds when dining.

If you don't have TSA PreCheck, you still have to go through the security line even with Clear.

I can understand that if you are a road warrior, it makes sense to have both Clear and TSA PreCheck. I'm considering the latter for the dozen or so flights a year I take simply to avoid having that part of flying.

As for AAA, I had to wait a couple of weeks back in April to get my REAL ID. The real benefit to me was not having to go to the RMV office, sit in a room with a few hundred people who I just fought with for a parking space, and deal with a possible surly clerk.

To be fair, when I renewed my license in 2017, I used a kiosk at the local RMV office to get a new dumb license. I was in and out in 10 minutes. IIRC, it took my old license, took a new photo, printed out a temp license, and gave me a receipt.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by robr2

If you don't have TSA PreCheck, you still have to go through the security line even with Clear.

Not really. With CLEAR, you skip the longest part of the security line - the winding/maze-like part leading up to the TSA agent who scans your boarding pass/driver's license and verifies your identity and then points you to a screening lane. You only have to wait in the screening line (where you put your stuff in bins and go through the scanner/x-ray machine) which is really the tail end of the security wait and no more than a few minutes usually. When you combine it with PreCheck, you're allowed to do the same thing, just in the PreCheck screening line which moves faster and you can keep your shoes/coat on.

If you're considering PreCheck, it's really worth the $15 more and do Global Entry. You get the PreCheck benefit, but you also get the perk of expedited U.S. customs during international travel. Since it's valid for 5 years, you really don't have to travel much to get your money's worth and if you leave the country only once during that span of time, the $15 is well worth it. We have GE and, without checking a bag, it never takes more than 5 minutes from the time we walk into the airport to the time we've cleared security at Logan (except Terminal E which doesn't always have a separate PreCheck line) thanks to the PreCheck benefit. Customs is just as easy - take the Global Entry line to the kiosk, answer the questions, and check in with the CBP agent and you're on your way (never more than 10 minutes, and usually less, at Logan). Well worth it.

Originally Posted by robr2

As for AAA, I had to wait a couple of weeks back in April to get my REAL ID. The real benefit to me was not having to go to the RMV office, sit in a room with a few hundred people who I just fought with for a parking space, and deal with a possible surly clerk.

That makes sense. But with the RMV reservation, application started online, and the right documentation, the process is fairly quick too. Walk-ins are probably a nightmare, but at least it's an option (sometimes, anyway) with the RMV. I don't doubt that AAA employees are generally more pleasant than RMV employees, but that's still a luck of the draw scenario. I see those more as personal preferences than real advantages since there's not much of a quantifiable difference.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Not really. With CLEAR, you skip the longest part of the security line - the winding/maze-like part leading up to the TSA agent who scans your boarding pass/driver's license and verifies your identity and then points you to a screening lane. You only have to wait in the screening line (where you put your stuff in bins and go through the scanner/x-ray machine) which is really the tail end of the security wait and no more than a few minutes usually. When you combine it with PreCheck, you're allowed to do the same thing, just in the PreCheck screening line which moves faster and you can keep your shoes/coat on.

If you're considering PreCheck, it's really worth the $15 more and do Global Entry. You get the PreCheck benefit, but you also get the perk of expedited U.S. customs during international travel. Since it's valid for 5 years, you really don't have to travel much to get your money's worth and if you leave the country only once during that span of time, the $15 is well worth it. We have GE and, without checking a bag, it never takes more than 5 minutes from the time we walk into the airport to the time we've cleared security at Logan (except Terminal E which doesn't always have a separate PreCheck line) thanks to the PreCheck benefit. Customs is just as easy - take the Global Entry line to the kiosk, answer the questions, and check in with the CBP agent and you're on your way (never more than 10 minutes, and usually less, at Logan). Well worth it.

^^THIS. I've been in Global Entry since 2010, and there are times I would have literally missed my domestic connections after an international trip, had I not had this. And yeah, I can't imagine traveling without PreCheck...forgotten what it's like to have to take my shoes off!

I'm thinking about getting CLEAR as well. Due to my airline status, I can get it for $109 but still not 100% convinced.

[simplexsimon]

Were any of you at the Dedham Costco earlier today? A customer was asked for ID for buying alcohol and she whipped out a U.S. passport.