Using a Costco card as valid ID

Gotta love the expiration date thing, especially since an expired passport - had to use one of mine to fly when I managed to be simultaneously waiting for a new DL in Texas and be waiting for added passport pages - is considered valid ID to either prove citizenship or get a new passport. Eventually succeeded, but that was more pain than it was worth .

Of course, it is probably only a matter of time before the President I used to like and the boneheads in Congress (pick any party) find a way to justify forcing everyone to use a passport to travel domestically . Just need to get five justices to 'zeig heil' .

It is not, however, valid ID to get a Social Security number. When my daughter went to the Consulate in Haifa to get her passport renewed, she asked for a Social Security number.

It was refused on the basis that her passport was expired and therefore could not serve as identification.

After the Consulate had the passport renewed, they were happy to use her new passport to issue the Social Security number.

Does anyone besides me see a slight lack of logic here?

I use my company issued photo ID when I fly within the US. No one has ever said anything about it or asked for anything else. It makes no claim to being in any way official or government issued. I'm really important (not) so mine has a red border. It has a pin click so I can wear it. A really big deal!

At about any flea market in Texas you can get a photo ID made for a few bucks. I'm thinking of getting a variety of them. Queen of England for a start.

To answer the question: haven't tried to use my COSCO card as yet.

I have been told by a few colleagues from Nashville that driver's licenses issued by TN to legal residents, but who are not US citizens, actually say "cannot be used for identification".

As for the Costco card, I have used it twice so far - once at ATL airport and once to open a PO box account

You should know that for the last few months the LOC folks have been issuing their IDs with new text on the back. They now say something like "This is not a government-issued ID" on the back.

thats only true if you cant prove legal right to be in the US. so doesnt apply to perm residents or other visas. ie, no SSN.

Who said that the government always makes sense (i.e., government-issued ID claiming not to be government-issued ID).

I ran into a similar problem when I moved to Texas. I fly every week, so I asked them before surrendering my Oklahoma driver's license how I could get a picture ID immediately. I was told to get a Texas state ID, not a driver's license but a legal government ID. This ID still takes aboutt 30 days, then come in and surrender my OK driver's license. I just went back to Oklahoma on a business trip and told them I had lost my DL and got a duplicate. Then went to Texas and surrendered my older (but still valid) Oklahoma driver's license. They were right, it took 30 days. I know the Oklahoma driver's license isn't valid anymore, but it hasn't expired on the face so I keep it for a back up. I am constantly amazed at the rental car agents and hotel clerks that have to be prompted to return my DL. This happens on a regular basis, I have to be very vigilant to make sure my DL has been returned.

When we moved to CA, my wife was not entitled to an SSN (H4 visa), and getting a DL was a lot of hassle. Half way though the (very long) process they gave her a paper permit (no photo); instaed of taking her WA license, they just punched a hole in it, and let her keep it.

In WA, we got our DLs there and then - fill out the forms, have your passport checked for valid visa, pass the test, have your picture taken, get your DL; why can't other states be that efficient ?

thats what i initially felt. whats the point in proving a point to these counter/ticket checkers when they have absolutely no power over what their job is. theyre simply being told what the procedure is. if you want change, you should go to where the policy/instruction is taken place. telling one or two checkers off isnt going to do anything.

It's obvious why a Costco card passes muster: only a government agency would issue ID cards with such hideous photos!

TSA specifically allows CostCo and Sam's Club cards as id, but you have to pass through the id check 144 times.

The OP (or rather the article qioted) is mistakenly mixing up Airline rules and TSA procedures.

Tha airline want to see id to prevent violations of the terms under which you bought the ticket. As an air ticket is a contract between private parties, the airline should be (and as far as I know is) free to decide what id is acceptable to them. Thats aid, it is bizarre that you can OLCI with no id at all, or at a mchine with just a credit card - yet they want to see photo id when you check in at the desk.

As far as the TSA is concerned, I am totally in agreement with the OP. It's alarming that almost all of us have been willing to accept the practice of demanding id to pass through security - there is no law requiring it. I always arrive at the airport in the nick of time, so I go along with it like everyone else, as I don't have time for SSSS lines. But the fact is that you are NOT required to show id, and this should be clearly posted at every TSA checkpoint.

The number of "don't stand up for your rights because it inconvencies those of us who don't care" sentiments expressed here is very disturbing. How would you feel if others took that attitude towards rights that you wanted to excercise ?

Help! I just realised that I will not have my foreign passport with me (sent off to an embassy to apply for a visa) when I travel domestically (DTW-TUS) this weekend and next week. I don't have a Driver's License or any US government-issued photo ID, although I do have photo ID issued by a foreign government. I've been using my passport all this while, so not sure whether this ID would work. Does anybody know?

If it doesn't, what can I expect at security and how much extra time should I budget for this?

Both CostCo and Wal-Mart have been efficient enough over the years to wind up multi-billion dollars in the black.

Which ID would you trust more? One issued by them or one given by the government?