A little over a month after the TSA stopped accepting non-REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses at airport checkpoints, travelers are still confused. The controversial, decades-long, messy rollout of REAL ID finally took effect on May 7, 2025. Over the course of twenty years, the deadline was pushed back repeatedly, so it's not surprising that passengers are still trying to figure out the new rules.
Last week, the TSA issued this clarification about acceptable forms of identification on X/Twitter:
We love hotdogs & 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.
The idea of using a Costco card seems to have originated from a Chowhound article titled "How Your Costco Card Could Save You At The Airport." The article was inspired by a Reddit post in which multiple commenters claimed to have used their Costco cards to board planes. Random Redditors and Chowhound articles are not necessarily the best source of information about dealing with a government agency, but to be fair, the TSA isn't exactly known for its consistency.
The Chowhound article, which already contained the caveat that "is not meant to be advice on how to fly without a valid ID," has now been updated. The article now explains that the TSA does not "explicitly" recognize a Costco card as ID and that with the implementation of REAL ID, the wholesaler's card "is even less likely to get you through TSA quickly or successfully."
The Transportation Security Administration website has a list of alternatives if you don't have, or want, a REAL ID.
Previously:
• U.S. Government demands new internal passport for citizens and it's giving off major dystopian vibes
• Montana Governor explains why Real ID sucks
• One day left to fight the US national ID card – ACT NOW!
