Getting a REAL ID in Massachusetts?

[id77]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

If you rarely travel by air, maybe. For folks like me who do it once / month (or more)...I would not dream of taking a clunky passport with me for domestic travel and risk losing it somewhere.

I actually found it easier to use passport even for domestic travel. I keep it in a pocket on my shoulder bag and can usually have it out in the 10 seconds or so it takes to get to the front of the PreCheck line. Already have pockets emptied except for phone (boarding pass) so as soon as they clear me I toss phone and passport back in pocket and walk right through. I ended up getting into this habit about 7 years ago when my frequent flying was more international than domestic, but even when it swung back to being more domestic I kept the habit going and it's been convenient.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by id77

I actually found it easier to use passport even for domestic travel. I keep it in a pocket on my shoulder bag and can usually have it out in the 10 seconds or so it takes to get to the front of the PreCheck line. Already have pockets emptied except for phone (boarding pass) so as soon as they clear me I toss phone and passport back in pocket and walk right through. I ended up getting into this habit about 7 years ago when my frequent flying was more international than domestic, but even when it swung back to being more domestic I kept the habit going and it's been convenient.

I think all Logan TSA checkpoints have gone over to the CAT (Credential Authentication Technology) system, which means they just run your license into the machine (no need for your phone/boarding pass). All the more reason to go for the Real ID IMO.

[id77]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

I think all Logan TSA checkpoints have gone over to the CAT (Credential Authentication Technology) system, which means they just run your license into the machine (no need for your phone/boarding pass). All the more reason to go for the Real ID IMO.

I've had a REAL ID since 2018; I just find handing them a passport to be more convenient than digging my DL out of the wallet and then putting it back in.

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by ben young

When the imagrints from Guatemala show up to collect others stipend of food clothing and shelter. Will they show their licence.You know the FREE one given to them ?

You still have to pass a road test to get a license and last I checked people could drive in other countries.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by id77

I actually found it easier to use passport even for domestic travel. I keep it in a pocket on my shoulder bag and can usually have it out in the 10 seconds or so it takes to get to the front of the PreCheck line. Already have pockets emptied except for phone (boarding pass) so as soon as they clear me I toss phone and passport back in pocket and walk right through. I ended up getting into this habit about 7 years ago when my frequent flying was more international than domestic, but even when it swung back to being more domestic I kept the habit going and it's been convenient.

But why couldn't you do the same exact thing with the driver's license and just leave the extra item at home? That's essentially my process. When I go through the PreCheck line, I only have my wallet out and everything else (phone, keys, sunglasses, physical boarding pass, etc.) is in my personal item. I put the license into the machine and get the OK from the agent, toss the wallet with my license into the bag and proceed. Most airports I transit in the U.S. use similar technology - no scanning tickets or passports, so I'm not sure what the advantage to carrying your passport over the license would be?

*edit* just saw your latest post - personal preference. Perfectly fair.

[id77]

Originally Posted by lrfox

But why couldn't you do the same exact thing with the driver's license and just leave the extra item at home? That's essentially my process. When I go through the PreCheck line, I only have my wallet out and everything else (phone, keys, sunglasses, physical boarding pass, etc.) is in my personal item. I put the license into the machine and get the OK from the agent, toss the wallet with my license into the bag and proceed. Most airports I transit in the U.S. use similar technology - no scanning tickets or passports, so I'm not sure what the advantage to carrying your passport over the license would be?

*edit* just saw your latest post - personal preference. Perfectly fair.

The difference is I can store a passport in an easy to access place (that shoulder bag) and I only really ever need it when I'm also lugging that shoulder bag so it can always stay in the shoulder bag. I'm not remembering to grab it for an international trip (like I frequently forget to do with my reserves of foreign currency) because it's always in my travel bag.

A driver's license, on the other hand, is something I have to carry whenever I operate a car or buy liquor or any number of other things, so it goes in my wallet. If I were to put just it in my shoulder bag, sooner or later I'd forget to put it back in my wallet. If I put my wallet in the pocket, it's now getting a wallet out of the pocket, followed by getting the DL out of the wallet, then reversing the process.

When I fly (which is frequently), I usually store my wallet deeper within my bag as I don't need it (most stores/restaurants at the airport now take Apple Pay) so I also don't have to deal with it going through PreCheck. The ideal is that the only thing in my pocket at the airport is my phone.