TSA Debunks Viral Theory That Costco Cards Can Be Used as REAL IDs

The Transportation Security Administration wants travelers to stop confusing their Costco perks with actual identification.

Taking to Facebook, the official TSA account posted, “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 myth reportedly came from food site Chowhound, which claimed, “Yes, it’s true: TSA has frequently accepted Costco membership cards as a form of valid ID.” But TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers told SF Gate that the article is based on outdated information.

“Whoever wrote that story is recycling old material,” she said. Dankers explained that in rare cases—like when someone loses their ID—“a Costco card in your pocket…would help establish a baseline identity.” Still, she stressed TSA would have to go through a full identity verification process.

“It would be better than nothing,” Dankers admitted, but added, “We don’t want to oversell this as an option.”

REAL ID enforcement officially kicked in on May 7th for domestic flights. TSA urges travelers to use a compliant state-issued ID, not a wholesale club card.