I was just thinking about a friend who had her identity stolen, and had no backup beyond her driver’s license which was the one document that had been stolen. If she had a passport, she would not have had her life ruined. It has cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
The average American makes $31,133 a year, or around $15.56 per hour if they work full time. The median earning of working people was $41,535 in 2020 or $20.77 per hour.
A passport costs $130, (plus $35 for the execution fee for new applicants) and a passport card costs $30. Both last for 10 years.
This means getting both a passport book and a passport card costs $195 for a new applicant. This adds up to $19.50 per year or $1.63 per month. 40 cents per week, 8 cents per day.
Having both means that when you apply for any job in the United States you just need to bring one of these two documents, which means that you still have your birth certificate, naturalization certificate (if applicable), marriage certificate (if applicable), driver’s license (most likely), and the one remaining document safe at home so you can still prove your identity if need be.
It also means that you will never have your identity fully stolen to the point where you won’t be able to prove who you are.
Is that worth 8 cents per day for you?
References:
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.pdf