relangford

Going to a "gentlemen's club" in LAS?

nrr

I don't think tipping with just $1 would get you very far in most of the gcs in LAS anymore.

FredAnderssen

As the saying goes, It doesn't matter how much you tip: they're still taking it all off, and they're still not going to go home with you.

Though it would be lots of fun watching TSA count $2,000 in $1 bills. Then THEY would have to remove their shoes and socks to get at least up to twenty!

chollie

The thing is, even if it looks suspicious on the xray, it would be pretty easy to riffle through a monster wad of cash ($2K in $1 bills) to determine that there are no razor blades or water bottles concealed inside.

But IMHO there is absolutely no legitimate reason for a TSO to ask a pax on a domestic flight how much money is there or, worse, why the pax wants to carry 2000 $1 bills.

I suppose they might go all BDO and ask how much, then count it to make sure that there are no undeclared $100 bills 'artfully concealed' in the bundle.

skba1

Flying domestic there is no need to declare cash. As such TSA shouldn't give a toss what you are carrying. However they may do, and if so - politely tell them that they have no right to do so or call a supervisor over. Also, to save the potential headache it is a good idea to split the cash up. Some in the laptop bag, some in your wallet, some in the pocket of the jacket, some in the carry-on etc.

FredAnderssen

That's like babysitting five undisciplined kids at the same time. How do you keep control of all of them so they don't do something naughty? I think I'd rather keep my cash all in one place and my eye on that wad of cash at all times.

Blogndog

Have any of their agents been trained to count this high?

janetdoe

There is no legitmate reason for TSA to ask and questions about money, ever. Their only mandate is to ensure no WEI make it on to a plane. The can (as you mentioned) riffle through or X-ray the money to make sure no weapons are concealed in it.

They cannot count the money or ask you any questions about it. They can't detain you until you answer the questions.

The most they can do is suspect there is a crime and call the FBI/CBP, but even then, they cannot detain you until law enforcement arrives.

baccarat_king

This is a common problem for gamblers.

Unfortunately, the TSA can alert the DEA. While unlikely, it can still happen. IIRC, the TSA in San Juan alerted the DEA in Atlanta with regard to seeing an excessive amount of cash on this couple during security screening in San Juan.

One LINK, but there are quite a few more, with regard to this case.

One's biggest fear when traveling with large sums of money; is being identified (incorrectly) as one who is involved in the illicit drug business.

chollie

They most certainly can leaf through the bills, one by one, taking their time, using the excuse that you may have hidden contraband like a razor between the bills.

They "can't" detain you, except, as Ron Paul found out, good luck if you try to go before they say you can. A sitting US Senator found that he was detained and there was absolutely nothing he, with all his connections, could do about it.

bchandler02

If you aren't a fan of credit cards (and debit cards/bank accounts), perhaps for times like this it would be good to get a few prepaid visa cards and travel with them instead? Then, nobody would know how much "money" you had on you, even if they saw them.

chollie

Or perhaps the TSOs could stop trying to make up laws and act outside their mission.

It is not illegal to travel domestically with unlimited sums of cash. It is not illegal to travel internationally with cash over $10K, as long as it is declared. That declaration is made to CBP, not TSA.

TSA's responsibility is aircraft safety. Large bundles of cash, even if one is boarding an international flight, are not a threat to aviation safety.

Loren Pechtel

I still think their real mission is bypassing the 4th in the drug war.

TSAPressSec

We posted this many years ago, and it still stands today.

If we have a concern, will contact law enforcement and/or the National Bulk Cash Smuggling Center for further investigation.

chollie

Exactly, and it is why the challenges continue today.

Per your link: 'concern' includes "whether a passenger appears to be cooperative and forthcoming in responding."

Meaning a TSO can demand to know how much money, where it came from, what the purpose is, why the pax chooses to carry that much cash, etc. Nothing has changed in TSA's OP since Bierfeldt, where his lack of cooperation was used to justify a punitive reaction.

It was internal knowledge of TSA's SOP regarding the carrying of cash that was behind BUF BDO Minetta Walter's actions - knowledge that we pax don't have and that you aren't at liberty to fully disclose here. She knew the drug dealers (traveling domestically) would be challenged based solely on the fact that they routinely traveled with large amounts of cash so she helped them bypass the checkpoint to avoid that challenge.