Is the passport card good for air travel?

by Tina
(Indiana)

Hello, can you tell me the exact benefits of the passport card? I will be traveling frequently back and forth from the US to Canada. Most of the time I will be flying, not driving. I also might go by ship here and there. I saw on comments in forums that you can't use the passport card for flying. Then other people commented that it is good for flying to and from Canada. Thanks in advance





ANSWER:

Hi Tina,

The passport book allows you to travel by land, sea and air. The passport card on the other hand does not allow you to travel internationally by air travel. So if you are planning on going to and from Canada by flying then you should get the book instead.

I think most people should get the passport book instead of the card anyway. Seeing that the card has travel restrictions and is only slightly cheaper than the book, it doesn't have much value. Especially since the passport book will not expire for ten years.

The little bit of extra money to get the book instead of the passport card is well worth it. Over the course of those ten years, you will not have any travel restrictions so it's a good investment.

Photo provided by Matthew Grapengeiser - Flickr