Cheap and hassle-free: What it was like getting an expedited passport via rush service ItsEasy.com

How the expedited service ItsEasy.com works

ItsEasy.com charges a flat rate of just $39.95 for its service, which includes the online application, complimentary passport photos and 24/7 customer support.

Of course, you’ll need to pay for the actual cost of the passport and U.S. Postal Service and/or FedEx delivery fees. Still, that’s a real bargain, especially for expedited service.

The first thing you’ll do is install the app. It’s called “ItsEasy Passport Renew & Photo” in the Apple store.

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Once you’ve installed the app, it’s easiest to apply on your cellphone. You can also use the desktop version at ItsEasy.com if you prefer. I think for the passport photo, it will be easiest to make it work with your phone, but it’s up to you.

Step-by-step directions

Open the app, and you’ll first see a welcome screen.

Once that animation ends, a menu will appear. You can choose to renew your passport and/or passport card, apply for a second passport, or change your name on the passport. If you need other services — like help with a child’s passport or a travel visa — there are options in the app for that, too.

I chose to renew and clicked on the “Let’s Get Started!” button. That took me to a page to confirm I was eligible for a U.S. passport renewal. You’ll then see options under the “Which type of passport service are you seeking?” box for a renewal, an add-on passport card, a special second passport and a passport name change.

The next options will allow you to choose a passport ($130), a passport and a passport card ($160), or just a passport card ($30). I wanted both a new passport book and a passport card, so I chose the second option and hit “Continue.”

The next screens allow you to choose standard processing, expedited processing or urgent processing. (You cannot receive urgent processing through the app. You’ll get a pop-up that says you need to provide proof of urgent travel and call them at 866-487-3279 for a consultation.) Next, you choose either a 26-page passport book or a 52-page passport book for no additional fee.

Finally, choose how you want to ship the application to ItsEasy.com. There is no charge for USPS First Class. Priority mail gets a charge of $11.95 with tracking and FedEx Overnight is $24.95 with tracking.

Next, choose return shipping through either USPS Priority Mail with tracking (which is included in your application fee) or USPS Express Mail with tracking for an additional charge of $21.36. You also need to decide whether you want to pay a $12.28 convenience fee for ItsEasy.com to send the federal government a check on your behalf or if you want to make a check out to the government for the full amount of your application.

I didn’t have checks, so I paid the convenience fee; you can save the 12 bucks if you include a personal check.

Then, you’ll enter your contact information, shipping address and whether you need one or more passports.

Next comes one of the coolest features. You don’t need to go to a drugstore to get passport photos taken. You can do it all in the app for free. The app will ask for access to your camera and then guide you to take the perfect passport photo. Once you are satisfied with your photo, you hit “My Photo’s Great!” It is so easy.

After that comes your payment screen, where you enter your phone number and credit card information. Then, hit “Submit Order.” If you have any problems during or after the application, you can call 866-487-3279. It’s open all year, 24/7.

Once you’ve successfully paid for the passport, you’ll see a page confirming submission and then a page that will allow you to use your order number to check the status of your application. You’ll need to create a PIN, so be sure to write it down somewhere.

Finally, you’ll get an offer for add-on services like a document check. This is also where you can set your notification preferences. In my case, I chose to get both text message and email updates on the status of my application.

The same day you complete the application, you’ll receive an email with a PDF that you can download and print. I took mine to a print shop in Oakland, California, where I printed the documents and prepared them for mailing.

I really liked the constant text messages and emails I got with status reports on the application’s progress.

I mailed the application on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and despite the holiday, I had my passport by June 6. That’s just nine business days for a brand-new 52-page passport. I was impressed.

A few days later, I received my new passport card in a separate envelope. Eventually, I received my old passport back in the mail, too.

All in all, I was a very happy customer.

The total price came to $303.71. That includes $190 for the larger passport and expedited processing, $30 for the passport card, and $32 for faster shipping. ItsEasy.com took just $39.95 for its fee. That’s a pretty fair price to pay for all that convenience.

ItsEasy.com history

ItsEasy has been around for more than 40 years now. President and CEO David Alwadish told me that the company started as a service to help people get car registrations. Its motto was: “You name the states, we get the plates.” But when he and his team realized the high demand for passport services, they added that business — the first of its kind. Now there are competitors in the space, but Alwadish says ItsEasy is the best and cheapest.

The company added the app about nine years ago.

ItsEasy customers get a preprinted form, which Alwadish said the government loves because there is a preprinted bar code. “When they get it, they scan it, they issue the passport, and they’re done,” he said. They can knock out 20 passports in the time that it would take to process a traditional application, he added.

Alwadish told me the No. 1 reason passports are rejected is for bad passport photos. ItsEasy guarantees that the passport photos are perfect, and best of all, it’s free as part of the service. “I make sure that they’re flawless,” he said. “I’m not having a robot check each photo.” It’s done by a human.

“If your passport doesn’t come, I’m here,” he said. “You call ItsEasy. I do not rest until the passport is in your hands.” He said the bar-coded forms, prefilled and preprinted documentation, and the preapproved passport photos mean there is “nothing for you to do.”

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