pinniped

Add me to the list of those who don't see the need for it. A couple of our Minnesota family members have them because they drive across the border fairly often.

I have a GE card, a passport, a driver's license, and scanned images of all of them in a location I could access from (almost) anywhere in an emergency.

I'm sure there's some bizarre set of circumstances where I managed to simultaneously lose all of my other ID and find myself in a part of the world where I couldn't access images of my ID to convince a local official that I am who I say I am, but if all of that happened it's not like I'd have this passport card in my shoe or something.

Oh, and when I travel domestically, I *don't* carry my passport. Just a DL. Am I missing something here? Say I lose my DL on a trip...other than a bit of one-time additional TSA hassle, getting probed and screened as a traveler without ID, and then the (much worse) DMV hassle, who cares? It's not worth increasing the chance that I lose the passport as well.

gobluetwo

Useless is a bit strong, although to most Americans, it can reasonably be said to be of very limited utility. If you're prone to losing/forgetting your IDs for whatever reason, then go for it. If you live in a border state and frequently leave/enter the US by land or sea, then it's useful.

Not living near a border and not having lost a government ID since, well, ever, it's just another card that serves me very little purpose.

mules

We have it.
1. My daughter (19) does not yet have a driving license and has to fly back and forth to college. This will become her primary ID.

2. We live in a state that borders Canada.

3.While our state offers enhanced driving licenses we thought the passport card would have more utility. Like many in the nations's icebox, we like to take USVI vacations. The card is easier to carry for ferries to BVI. Haven't done this yet - I should start looking at reservations!

ROCAT

I do not have a passport card, but I do have an enhanced drivers license which serves the same purpose. If I didn't have that I would definitely have a passport card as carrying a passport is far less convenient and I cross the US / Canada border weekly.

STBCypriot

This is true and this is what I do. However, the incident I was referring to where the TSA ID checker wanted to see my passport instead of the border crossing card was on an international flight out of JFK with no domestic connecting flight.

neutralist

Passport cards should be free (like social security cards) and made de facto Federal ID

Passport cards should be required to register and show up to vote

Time to stamp out illegals who vote early and often

sbm12

Not lose both at the same time. Or, in the EXTREMELY rare chance that happens while abroad, take a printout of the image I scanned of my passport photo page which is accessible to me (and the NSA) online to the nearest embassy and get a replacement. Just like I'd need to do if I had a passport card and needed to fly home.
Actually, I got GE early enough that it was before they were issuing the card. I have 2 forms of ID. That's enough for me.

Arguably having the card after already losing both other forms of ID might make it a bit easier to check in to a hotel en route to get the replacement. But I'm also really not too worried about that. I've managed to check into hotels without ID after losing it on a trip before.

What would you do if you lost all 3 IDs? The obvious answer is to have a 4th. And then what do you do when you lose that one?? At some point one must acknowledge that there is no perfect, fail-safe plan in life. There is always failure point.

I find it generally much easier and more relaxing to plan reasonable efforts to avoid the fail and reasonable back-up plans for when it does happen than to try to solve every conceivable failure. Because there are too many and I'm never going to solve them all, no matter how much I plan. If you're more comfortable with the 3rd form of ID as part of your travels, awesome. But I don't see that scenario being useful, and that's coming from someone who has lost a wallet at least twice during an international trip (most recently earlier this year) and whose wife lost her passport during one.

I have sufficient contingency plans for the challenges I'm likely to face. I don't overthink it nor over-invest in it. And I'm doing pretty well so far.

n.b. The link above is to my blog or to one which I am a regular contributor. FT rules require that I disclose that in the post.

dasanmarco

Again, I travel with 2 IDs so in case I lose one I have a backup, and keep my other IDs (used to be 1 other ID before I got GE) at home in case I lose both of the ones I'm traveling with.

If I lost all 3 IDs (not counting the GE one, since that's something I got very recently, and is not something that the average person would bother getting), then I would have to figure out how to get them replaced without having one.

I think the idea of having 2 IDs w/ you while traveling and 1 at home for safekeeping is fairly reasonable.

MSPeconomist

I like the passport card because it doesn't have my home address. When I'm obviously leaving town, I don't want some random TSA employees to see my address. Similarly, if I'm asked to prove my age in a wine and liquor store or bar, there's no need for the person to be able to see my address and it's better that they cannot just in case I'm facing a stalker. The passport card is a cheap no-hassle way to increase my personal security.

BRITINJAPAN3

Dont rely on the PP card to help in Japan, as a visitor you are legally required to have you PP on your person at all times. Of cours ethe chances of a problem is small but it does happen, and then its just a hassle .

Big4Flyer

This isn't OMNI, my friend. Also, you may want to change your username, you don't sound very neutral to me. . .

MSPeconomist

Many other countries have the same rules, although in some it's OK if you can promptly produce the passport at your hotel. You may also be required to show the passport with an international driver's license (in addition to your home driving license). Some places require the passport to change money, although I'm not sure whether a passport card would work. For duty free purchases, you should need the passport, since that's how you prove that you're not a permanent resident.

Steve M

It would not be worth the expense to do this for everyone, just to catch both of them.

Steve M

I have Global Entry and a passport card, but got GE before they issued cards, so I don't have a GE card. Had I had a GE card, I might not have gotten the passport card. But then again, a genuine US Passport is going to be universally recognized as a valid form of ID, even if the person isn't familiar with a card version (and you can escalate if the front-line person has an issue). With a GE card, it would be quite easy for a bank or someone else to have a policy of "we don't accept those."

I do find it reassuring to have a second form of gov't photo ID that fits in my wallet. I travel with it domestically, and keep it in a place separate from my wallet so that I have it as a backup should my wallet disappear. I've lost my wallet twice (once I dropped it, and another time it was stolen right out of my hand), although both were 20+ years ago, and that was before I traveled a lot.

If I were to be away from home and lose my wallet, it would be a major pain. Sure, TSA has procedures, but there are banks, hotels, and others to possibly deal with. As others pointed out, it's not a big risk, and not an insurmountable problem if it occurs, but to be able to insure against it for $3 a year, that's exceedingly inexpensive coverage for what you get. Plus, there's the added benefit of having a wallet-sized gov't ID that does not have your home address on it.

gooselee

There's a bit of discussion on here about the GE card vs. passport card. I have both.

Maybe 80% of my travel is domestic, so PreCheck is my friend and for whatever reason, when I got my GE card I decided that was what I'd carry around with me. Like others, I prefer to use that over a driver's license since it does not show my home address.

But this thread has made me realize - I never actually NEED my GE card for GE purposes, even when returning from abroad. So, given that I already have both cards, is there any meaningful reason that I should carry one over the other on a day-to-day, domestic travel basis?

+1 - Stole my comment right out of my keyboard.