The One Item You Should Never Put in a TSA Bin

Ah, the confusing world of TSA rules. Are we meant to remove our shoes or aren’t we, and do electronic devices stay in our luggage or go in the bin? The answer seems to change frequently and perhaps arbitrarily, but there are some airport security tips that never go out of style. Chief among them, according to a conversation-starting viral video, is to never put a certain item directly in the TSA bin. Find out more about this important travel tip below.

Ring, Ring

Travel vlogger Tiffany, who publishes under the name Travel.by.the.Books, recounted in a viral TikTok video an incident that occurred at a TSA checkpoint during a recent trip. After she placed her cellphone in the bin, the TSA agent on duty looked at her and said, “You don’t like your phone?” After Tiffany replied that she did indeed, the agent told her that putting it directly in the bin on its own is “the fastest way to get it stolen.”

It’s easy to see why: Depending on how many people are going through security at the same time as you, there’s no telling whether you’ll make it through before your bag is scanned. If you don’t, there’s nothing stopping a quick-fingered traveler on the other side from swiping a loose phone and bringing it along to their final destination while you’re stuck frantically looking for it. 

“The number-one thing [TSA agents] see stolen on a regular basis is phones,” Tiffany claims. “They’re left out and available, the lines get backed up, and people don’t notice until it’s too late.”

A Simple Solution

To avoid sending your phone on a different flight, simply put it inside your bag before your luggage goes through the scanner — and be sure to zip it up. The odds of theft are considerably lower when the would-be thief in question has to unzip other travelers’ bags in the hopes of finding a phone to plunder, especially with so many other people — including and especially TSA agents — around. Putting away your phone gives you one less thing to worry about. 

Even if your device isn’t stolen, you may accidentally leave it behind. You won’t be alone: The TSA estimates that 90,000 to 100,000 items are left behind at security checkpoints each year. If you notice your device is missing, you have 30 days to make a claim with the TSA by visiting the TSA’s Lost and Found section of its website.

And now, there’s one less thing for travelers to worry about with security screening: taking off their shoes. In July 2025, the TSA amended this long-standing rule, first introduced in 2006, citing new security technology. The agency hopes that the move — along with several others like the addition of dedicated family lines and new eGates — will speed up security processing times. Just be sure to do your part and avoid these seven common mistakes travelers make at the TSA checkpoint. 

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