America the Beautiful national park lifetime pass cards can now be saved online

[zangbao]

Thanks for this post!

I wondered if there would be a name mismatch as I distinctly remember the park ranger giving me a lifetime pass without taking down my name. I thought it was weird at the time. Maybe he had a photographic memory.

 

[wmc1000]

Great, got my senior lifetime pass linked!

 

[Dawg52]

I have an old card - no second barcode or alphanumeric code. My card starts 182 (but was issued in early 2017...) and it linked the way described by the OP so that is not the problem.

Same. I’m glad it worked as my physical card is starting to crack. Now I just have to get motivated to go use it.

 

[TALF]

awesome news, thanks

 

[sparky08]

Thanks for this post!

I wondered if there would be a name mismatch as I distinctly remember the park ranger giving me a lifetime pass without taking down my name. I thought it was weird at the time. Maybe he had a photographic memory.

I think you remembered right. I left thinking I could let some other senior borrow it and how would they know?

But now it's tied to my email address.

 

[omni550]

Thanks, Gromit! That was easy-peasy.

For some who may be having issues registering their pass...make sure you are choosing the Senior LIFETIME pass (not the Senior Annual Pass) from the drop-down menu.

FWIW, mine was issued in 2013 (number beneath barcode begins with 132.......) so older passes are easily registered in this system.

omni

 

[cathy63]

Thanks for this post!

I wondered if there would be a name mismatch as I distinctly remember the park ranger giving me a lifetime pass without taking down my name. I thought it was weird at the time. Maybe he had a photographic memory.

The government has no idea who does or doesn't have a senior pass. They don't record your name when you buy one. They just check your ID to make sure you meet the age requirement. The first time you use the pass, you have to sign it and after that they check the signature against the one on your photo ID so nobody else can use it.

If you add a pass to your recreation.gov account, it will show up in the app and in Google/Apple wallet with the name from your recreation.gov account, even if that's different than the name on your photo ID.

 

[Ronstar]

Thanks! Easy peasy!

 

[freedomatlast]

Worked for me. Thank you!

 

[audreyh1]

Great - we’re all set.

Our existing recreation.gov account was set up with DH’s info, and his older pass linked.

I had to create my own recreation.gov account, and then linked my newer pass.

Now we both have our lifetime passes in our Apple wallet. That’s great. Plus can print PDFs if ever needed.

Thanks much!

 

[audreyh1]

The government has no idea who does or doesn't have a senior pass. They don't record your name when you buy one. They just check your ID to make sure you meet the age requirement. The first time you use the pass, you have to sign it and after that they check the signature against the one on your photo ID so nobody else can use it.

If you add a pass to your recreation.gov account, it will show up in the app and in Google/Apple wallet with the name from your recreation.gov account, even if that's different than the name on your photo ID.

If you buy a senior lifetime pass online they do take your name. My name was printed on my pass before it was mailed to me.

What they are often checking at entry is your photo ID against your reservation. When you made the reservation you did it through recreation.gov and gave them your lifetime passes number so you didn’t have to pay a fee.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Very helpful. Thank you!

 

[Sunset]

The government has no idea who does or doesn't have a senior pass. They don't record your name when you buy one. They just check your ID to make sure you meet the age requirement. The first time you use the pass, you have to sign it and after that they check the signature against the one on your photo ID so nobody else can use it.

...

And they were strict. We showed up at a National Park 1 week before the birthday, and asked to buy the pass early as we were then going home and don't live anywhere near one....... Nope.

 

[TALF]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated

 

[TheWizard]

It may depend on when your pass was issued. My Senior Lifetime pass is less than a year old and it worked fine.

I got my Senior Lifetime after I turned 62 in 2012 and it worked fine adding it to recreation.gov a couple hours ago...

 

[EastWest Gal]

You need a recreation.gov account if you visit national parks that require timed entry reservations which most of the very popular ones do these days. Your pass means no entry fee, but you still need a reservation.

For example, so many people go to see the sunrise at the top of Haleakalā on Maui that you have to make reservations.

 

[Dave J]

Thanks, just linked my lifetime senior pass!

 

[FIYes]

Thanks for this information. I just created a recreation.gov account. Downloaded the app and linked my senior pass. My pass is old but it linked with no problems. I’m thrilled because I’ve been concerned that I would lose the pass. I purchased it before the price increased to the current amount.

 

[Koolau]

Thanks for this information. I just created a recreation.gov account. Downloaded the app and linked my senior pass. My pass is old but it linked with no problems. I’m thrilled because I’ve been concerned that I would lose the pass. I purchased it before the price increased to the current amount.

Yeah, mine dates from 2012!

 

[djsander]

Thanks! Set up an account and entered the number. Mine is a lifetime veterans pass and had picked it up at the visitors booth at Petroglyphs national monument. It took it. Was concerned as they just put my name on a list they had. I guess they logged the serial number and my name.

 

[Chuckanut]

Warning: I was a data security person in a past life, and therefore tend to think about security weaknesses. I have no evidence the below activity has actually happened.

I noticed that my senior pass has its number displayed on the pass. Anybody who sees it on my dashboard could copy the number and register the pass in his/her own name. As I understand it the Feds may or may not have a record of ownership for past physical passes.

So, make sure you register your pass with Recreation.gov ASAP to keep the bad guys and gals from stealing it from you.

 

[djsander]

Warning: I was a data security person in a past life, and therefore tend to think about security weaknesses. I have no evidence the below activity has actually happened.

I noticed that my senior pass has its number displayed on the pass. Anybody who sees it on my dashboard could copy the number and register the pass in his/her own name. As I understand it the Feds may or may not have a record of ownership for past physical passes.

So, make sure you register your pass with Recreation.gov ASAP to keep the bad guys and gals from stealing it from you.

Didn’t know that the pass had to be displayed for the number to be showing. Last time I used mine I just hung it in the window. I think the front of the card was showing. Nice to know.

 

[Chuckanut]

Didn’t know that the pass had to be displayed for the number to be showing. Last time I used mine I just hung it in the window. I think the front of the card was showing. Nice to know.

My card has the number on the front and back. It's small, but readable, especially if one photographs it and then zooms in on the number.

I don't know if the newer cards are the same. Mine is about a decade old.

Some Federal land areas seem to require a display of the card. Or at least used to do so.

 

[djsander]

My card has the number on the front and back. It's small, but readable, especially if one photographs it and then zooms in on the number.

I don't know if the newer cards are the same. Mine is about a decade old.

Some Federal land areas seem to require a display of the card. Or at least used to do so.

Mine doesn't have the serial number on the front just the back. On the front the America the beautiful and then military lifetime in big letters and then gold star and veterans in the corner.

 

[RunningBum]

Warning: I was a data security person in a past life, and therefore tend to think about security weaknesses. I have no evidence the below activity has actually happened.

I noticed that my senior pass has its number displayed on the pass. Anybody who sees it on my dashboard could copy the number and register the pass in his/her own name. As I understand it the Feds may or may not have a record of ownership for past physical passes.

So, make sure you register your pass with Recreation.gov ASAP to keep the bad guys and gals from stealing it from you.

Seems like NPS has the exposure, not me. If I'm in physical possession of the card, I can still use it even if someone else is. Do they record my card number and at some point see that on the same day I used mine in VA that someone else used it on CA?

I don't see how this could cost me money. It's not like stealing credit card info. There's no way they can charge me for park entry or purchases made by someone else. And it can only be used for park entry fees, so I don't believe there would be that big of a market for stolen pass numbers.

Someone using my card would need to at least look to be 62.

If I show my card at an entrance, I don't need to display it in my car. I know there are some unattended places where you do, but how common are they? And if I use my app and don't happen to have my card on me, how does that work at these places? I guess I'd leave a handwritten note with my name and card # and say that I've registered it.

I've registered my pass (thank you to the OP!) for my convenience. I hope someone does try to steal my number and find out that it's been registered and they can't. Maybe they'll give up and just pay their fair share.