TSA and money belts

That has become much harder. With the old metal scanners (which have been reintroduced for "pre-checked" travelers), you could easily wear your moneybelt through. Now, with full-body imaging, you cannot even keep a Kleenex in your pocket and they will make you remove your moneybelt. You might start out with it in your smallest carry-on bag, which you know will be carried on and not gate-checked, and then rearrange things in the restrooms after security.

Jim,

I've found that it's not a good idea to wear a Money Belt while going through security. Some airports still have passengers walk through a metal detector as well as being waved over by "the Wand". Even something like a metal zipper pull on a Money Belt could cause a problem, in which case you'll have to go through the awkward procedure of removing your Belt (possibly in full view of all), and then both you and the Money Belt will have to go through the process again.

Should the airport be using either Backscatter X-Ray or Millimetre Wave full-body Scanners, they can almost detect something as small as a toothpick so a Money Belt would definitely cause the alarm bells to ring! Once again you'll be subject to jumping through more hoops, which could be embarrassing.

I'd suggest putting the Money Belt and anything else that you normally pack on your person inside your carry-on and send that through the X-Ray along with your other luggage, belt, shoes, etc. Shortly before your plane lands, use the WC and put the Money Belt on.

Jim,

Yes you can get through security wearing your $$ belt.

BUT. You will be patted down since it will show up on the scanner and they will want to physically feel whats there.

I had accidentally left my passport/$$/necklace pouch on and they patted/felt where it was. I could have easily pulled it out but they just felt what it was.

happy trails.

Consider yourself lucky. My wife forgot to remove her money belt. It was detected on a secondary pat down which resulted in a trip to the little room and very close to a strip search. You cannot wear a money belt through security.

Why would you think you can wear a money belt when you have to empty your pockets?

Why do you need a money belt on a plane?

Why do you need a money belt?

Why do you need a money belt?

Amen.

Thank you for posting this. You just made my trip a bit smoother. I never would have thought of the money belt. I would have just put it on before I left home so that when I stepped off the airplane all would be safe. I agree, when you think about it the money belt would be a no go at security. The problem is I would not have thought about it.

I don't think you have to worry too much about security at the airport when you are behind security. We tend to get the airport, use the restroom to rearrange what we are carrying. For example - I will take the belt, heavy metal watch, billfold, money belt, etc. and put all in the day bag. Once through security, hit another restroom and reassemble myself. The one time we were caught was when the security check point showed up much sooner than expected.

Always remove neck wallet and money belt and place both in your carry on bag BEFORE you get inside Security lines.

Once I still had on my neck wallet, and my carry on bag was already moving to XRay. The Officer told me to put my neck wallet on the belt, so i put it in a little bowl and put it on the conveyor belt. It was all by itself in plain view.

I still had to go thru the body scanner, then they wanded me 'cause a "glitch" showed on the scanner, then they called me into a corner for a hand swab! WTF!

Im 68, female, gray hair. My neck wallet with money inside is sitting alone on the belt, all by itself, in plain sight, unattended! I told the hand swabber that I HAD to get my neck wallet off the belt NOW! She let me go.

The neck wallet was still there. But i got lucky that time. I never forget anymore.

Take off your money belt well before Security and place it in your carry on bag. Just going through that body scanner or metal detector leaves your money unattended. If they wand you, you still cannot get to your money belt.
If they choose to hand swab you off to the side, you are farther yet from your money belt. It just takes a second to lose it.

I put my money belt in my day bag or backpack until I land in Europe. Then I find a bathroom in the airport and put the belt on.

I put my money belt (neck pouch) on at home but keep my passport our for check-in and the TSA. I put my money pouch into my carry-on bag, shoving it down to the bottom, before I enter the security machines. Since I have an implanted mechanical device, I get the "pat-down" treatment always. When I am traveling by myself, I will not send my carry-on thru the x-ray machine until someone on the other side acknowledges that they are ready to pat me down and are willing to take control of that carry-on until they are finished with me. That action has occasionally gotten me in some heated discussions with the TSA front liners but when I ask to speak to a supervisor everything seems to work out OK. I go to the bathroom upon exiting the security area and put my money pouch back on. I just printed my boarding pass for a flight tomorrow and to my surprise, there in the upper right hand corner was this symbol: "TSA Pre-Check" and I have not even paid my 85$ yet! You just never know when things might be going your way. aloha

Agreed. It is reasonable to want to keep an eye on where your carry on floats to. If your bag is gotten ahead of you for some reason, maybe you cannot see it so clearly while waiting for the pat down. What if someone else may grab your bag - either by accident or otherwise? You can always knot a piece of brightly colored material on each handle to distinguish it.

I do what Sarah does, put my money belt or neck wallet in my daypack with my other "flight" stuff, then put the money belt on at my pitstop before leaving the airport in Europe.

They don't want you to wear a money belt or neck wallet through the scanner. If you do, the least you can expect is a pat down of the area. They may have you take it out to inspect. Either way it will slow you down, but most likely only briefly.

@Marie B....if you lose sight of your bags as they go through the x-ray machine and you are being held for additional screening, tell the TSO immediately that you have lost sight of your bags and want them brought to you. Politely, of course. In most cases, they will do just that. They may be kept out of your reach, but you will be able to see them.

It's one thing to be prudent in controlling your stuff and another thing to be so paranoid that travel is no longer fun.

First, the body scanners seem to have a low search trigger threshold because some tourist freaked out about scanners being too revealing in terms of details. TSA had to make the equipment less revealing. That means whenever the scanner shows an anomaly, be it just a thicker part of your clothing or something else like a wad of cash, expect a wanding or pat down.

Second, the security lines have all kinds of CCTVs and human eyes (hopefully not asleep). In every case where the Xray scan of my bag caused an alert, the agent asked permission open and search my bag.

So put your valuables and documents in your secured bag, stay alert and be happy. After all you are on a holiday.

It's one thing to be prudent in controlling your stuff and another thing to be so paranoid that travel is no longer fun.

First, the body scanners seem to have a low search trigger threshold because some tourist freaked out about scanners being too revealing in terms of details. TSA had to make the equipment less revealing. That means whenever the scanner shows an anomaly, be it just a thicker part of your clothing or something else like a wad of cash, expect a wanding or pat down.

Second, the security lines have all kinds of CCTVs and human eyes (hopefully not asleep). In every case where the Xray scan of my bag caused an alert, the agent asked my permission for them to open and search my bag all on my sight.

So put your valuables and documents in your secured bag, stay alert and be happy. After all you are on a holiday.

@ Lisaew -The security lines are just as secure in European airports as they are in America.

Security lines are not good places for thieves. For one, you have to pay (for a plane ticket) to be there. And second, thieves rely on chaos and confusion to make a swipe. And sure, sometimes going through the line WE feel like it is chaos but security personnel are watching everything and making sure nothing seems suspicious. And they keep things orderly. They make you wait in line. They keep people from bunching up and overcrowding the area. They make you stay with your bags until they go through the scanner. I always beat my bags to the other side.

I also do not buy the "shady TSA agent" theory. At any given security line there are at least 4-5 agents with different jobs. The only place they have access to the bags is that little opening right after they go through scanner. In order to rifle through a bag, this would hold up the whole scanner. This would be noticed quickly. If they take a bag away from the scanner to look through it, they have to being the passenger with. If a TSA agent was going through a bag off to the side without a passenger there, this would also be noticed. You would have to have several TSA agents working together.

In the security line, I always put my money belt or wallet in my personal item and don't fret. I keep my boarding pass and ID or passport in my hand. Some airports want to look at it before you go through the body scanner so I have just gotten into that habit of hanging on to it. No one has ever given me grief about it.

Thankyou, Kristen, for breathing a little reality into this discussion.

Yeah, I'm with the "wait until you get to Europe and then put on the money belt" crew.

A bit off-topic, but be aware with these full-body scanners. Just went through MCO (Orlando) for business. The day before, I had surgery on my back to remove a cancerous mole, and was sporting a brand new 6-inch incision with attendant stitches. It was very very sore, and I had about 10 pounds of gauze and tape patching me up.

My origin airport (PHL), I had TSA Pre-Check and was put through the old-fashioned metal detector with no issues. Well...coming back at MCO, I had to go through the scanner, and this patch naturally shows up. TSA agent says "one moment sir" and a split second later pats down that area of my back. ZING!!!! After they peeled me off the ceiling, I was on my way. Naturally, TSA could care less. While he might have been a bit more prudent, he deals with 10,000 passengers a day and it's really my job to speak up.

Lesson: be it a money belt, a personal medical device, or anything out of the ordinary, try to be proactive and say something to the screener.

I treat my money belt as I would a wallet in my purse at home. I don't wear it on the plane or at the airport or depending on the situation even necessarily en route to the airport, but I do take it with me when I walk back to the galley or to the lav on the plane. It does have my ID, bills, and credit cards, so I just carry it In my hands along with my ziploc of toothbrush, toothpaste or whatever I'm taking to the bathroom. No big deal, and I'm not paranoid about it.

I'd suggest not overthinking this stuff. Think of it like a wallet--either put it in your carry on or put it in the plastic bowl and thru the scanner.

Thanks, everyone. I decided to check my one piece of luggage so I will just have a boarding bag to handle through security. I will put a purse in the boarding bag and use it for my money, credit cards or anything I need to take to the bathroom on the plane. I also will keep the money belt in the purse and then put it on when I am in Europe.

Why do you need a money belt??? Whoever said this must not travel much. A belt or waist pack is essential
for your passport, credit cards, and big cash. The world is full of clever pickpockets. I never leave the US
without one, but they can be essential even here at sporting events, festivals, etc.. Yes, I go through the
security machine without it and put it on in the restroom BEFORE boarding my plane.

'Why do you need a money belt??? Whoever said this must not travel much.'

Ahem!

Bad guess.

Emily said it. I echoed her.

She lives in Austria.

I've spent more than half my life outside the United States and stumbled through more than a hundred and thirty countries.

I've never had one. Apparently she hasn't either.

Why do you need a money belt??? Whoever said this must not travel much.

Or perhaps they travel a lot more than you and can put relative risks in a better perspective.

Last touched a money belt 10 years ago, and no plan to buy another one.

We both had ours on through the full body check last May going from PHL to Heathrow to Bologna and in June from Venice to London, and then London to Philadelphia and no problem, we don't put any change in there just our credit cards and large Euro bills. Never a problem. PS my husband was pick pocketed getting on a train in Nice Fr and while he only had small bills (thanks to the money belt) my husband threw the guy in a train compartment and the guy threw the money under the seat and ran out of the train before I even knew what was happening.

I admit it sounds tempting to attack back when you're pickpocketed, it's not worth the risk. He's a local and you're not; he knows the ropes of the cops and legal system and you need to be on your way. Think how quickly this could go so wrong.

They're not threatening your life, just trying to liberate you of some of your property. The courts will not look favorably on you.

Another person who doesn't feel the need to bother with a money belt. If I have to carry something valuable in a theft-prone area, easy enough to stash it in my (zippered cross-body) purse in an interior zippered pocket underneath the emergency feminine hygiene supplies.

Nope.
In Canada, while en route to Europe, I was okay, but once I hit Europe, nope. nope. and nope. I had to take it off each and every time. I wore an under the arm one and most times they offered to let me go into a room and let me remove it in private, but I was worried about a strip search, so I ripped it off in public under my shirt and handed it to them. Most times they accompanied it to the scanner and waited for it. But it was always a worry for me that someone would snag it.

(PS, for women, the scanners are also so sensitive, that if you wear a wire in your bra, you will also buzz each and every time and they will use the wand and pat down on you).

As an aside to this discussion, I would like to add a comment agreeing with Betty who said on 9/8 that wires in lady's bras can and will set off the TSA X-ray and full body scan machines. Since I modified my undergarments I have not been patted down. I too wait to put on my neck pouch until just before landing at my desitination.

Absolutely Not. TSA won't let us wear a money belt or neck wallet thru their lines. Take both off before you enter Security and put them inside your carry-on bag or tote.

Otherwise TSA will order you to remove them and put them in a bowl on the conveyor belt which exposes them to all around.

Learned the hard way, now i remember to remove them, or better yet I put them in my carry-on tote at home or hotel, before I leave for airport.

Remember your pockets have to be emptied too.

Last summer I was going through inspection at Boston. I put my wallet, money belt,etc in my jacket zipped pocket. After I went through inspection, they pulled me off to the side to check me further. By the time they finished with me a number of people that were behind me had passed through and picked up their bags. It was very busy and they wanted me to hurry up. When I could not find my wallet and complained the inspectors were not happy. Supervisor was not available and it was indicated I was causing a scene and slowing things down. After several minutes a woman from the inspected end of the line came to me and asked if this was my wallet. It was! She said it was given to her after she went through inspection. I did have several hundred dollars in it. If I had not been causing a ruckus I question if I would have gotten it back. Remember I had placed it in a zippered pocket. Because they were busy I would have to come back on another day to file a complaint.
How would that make you feel? You cannot be too careful!!!

I put my money belt in my day bag before I go through security. It stays in my bag during the flight(s) and then I put it on in the bathroom in the airport at my arrival city.