After having “non-rev” privileges with Southwest Airlines, Christy dove into the world of points and miles so she could continue traveling for free. Her other passion is personal finance, and is a cer...
Edited by: Nick Ellis
Nick’s passion for points began as a hobby and became a career. He worked for over 5 years at The Points Guy and has contributed to Business Insider and CNN. He has 14 credit cards and continues to le...
& Keri Stooksbury
With years of experience in corporate marketing and as the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Keri is now Editor-in-Chief at UP, overseeing daily content operations and r...
22 comments
Tim
December 02, 2022
Your information about canned foods is incorrect, or at least misleading. TSA would not allow a can of soup to go through since they said it contains over the 3.4 fl oz of water that are allowed. Your description suggests that they would simply need to hand check the item, but they would not let me pass with it and I had to throw it away. I read the information here before I packed and decided to keep the canned item based on the information here. It would be great if you can update the information so others don’t end up making the same mistake.
Christine Krzyszton
December 03, 2022
Hi Tim. Sorry that your canned soup did not make it through TSA. As the author mentioned, most canned foods can be carried through TSA but some can contain more than the 3.4 oz. of liquid so TSA recommends putting those in your checked luggage (not hand luggage) to be further screened.
Suellyn Garner
January 25, 2023
What if a 4 ounce jar of salve is half empty?
Chris Hassan
January 26, 2023
Hi Suellyn,
The 3.4 ounces rule is for the size of the container, so there is a chance that it will not be allowed.
Pam Payton
January 27, 2023
They will take it. It happened with us and half empty shampoo
valerie
May 18, 2023
They go by the description on the bottle or container. I asked them once because my daughter has multiple food allergies so I always have to carry food with me and they explained that for them half bottle of 6 oz. container is not allowed because there is not way they can verify the actual amount by eye is not like they have a scale. So always go by container size.
Tom Chmela
May 18, 2023
Can a small freezer pack get through the checkpoint?
Chris Hassan
May 18, 2023
Yes, as long as it is frozen solid when you pass through TSA.
Linda
June 17, 2023
Can I check 5 bottles of Ensure nutrition drinks in my checked bag?
Keri Stooksbury
June 17, 2023
Hi Linda, those shouldn’t be any issue in your checked bag. You may want to put them in a Ziploc to avoid any leaks. Thanks for reading!
Ralph mabolo
July 29, 2023
Can I check a couple of canned corn beef? Which is 380g
Keri Stooksbury
July 29, 2023
Ralph, checked should be fine. Thanks for reading!
Sosh
August 07, 2023
Can I bring a snack baggy of various chips. Not in the original bag?
Keri Stooksbury
August 07, 2023
Sosh, that should be fine. Thanks for reading!
Eleanor Marino
August 11, 2023
I would like to take small baggies with Total Cereal with me to Italy for my stomach issues….maybe 4 ..Will I be allowed?
Keri Stooksbury
August 11, 2023
Eleanor, solid food should not be a problem. Enjoy your trip!
Rhonda
August 27, 2023
Can I take pre made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
Keri Stooksbury
August 28, 2023
Hi Rhonda – PBJs should not be a problem to carry-on through TSA. If you eat them on the plane, you may just want to be aware of any nut allergies on board. Thanks for reading!
Cathy Nydick
August 27, 2023
I know I pack a box of food, including frozen meats, cheeses and bread and check it as a checked bag, with a 50# limit. I will have to declare this as food and pay the extra price for an additional checked bag. My question is, in the past, maybe talking 10 years ago, if we claimed the value of the food was less than $50, we did not have to pay duty on it. Is it that same $50 limit?
Keri Stooksbury
August 28, 2023
Cathy, are you bringing the food into the U.S. or taking it out of the U.S.? I believe you only pay duty on bringing items into the U.S. (and there are restrictions on food that you must declare), and if you’re taking food items out of the U.S. you would likely have to declare the items to customs in the arrival country. More details can be found at this link.
elsie Huneycutt
September 17, 2023
Can I take frozen boiled peanuts to New York from North Carolina if they are wrapped in a ziplock then in newspaper then in ziplock again?
Christine Krzyszton
September 17, 2023
Hi Elsie. You can take the frozen boiled peanuts through the security checkpoint in your carry-on but it would be best to take them out of your bag ahead of time in case TSA needs to inspect them. Otherwise, the peanuts might show up as a solid mass when going through the scanner and may cause delay getting them out to be inspected.
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