An existing station donation and an activated PBS Passport login are separate checks. Confirm the station has issued the benefit, activate it once, then use the account identity linked during activation when you open PBS.
Start with the station's membership record
If you already support a PBS station, use PBS's Passport-status lookup before making another donation or creating more accounts. Enter the email address associated with your station membership. This is the address the station holds for you; it may differ from the email ultimately linked to your viewing account.
Read the result as a decision. An active benefit calls for signing in with the activation identity shown in the result. An unactivated benefit calls for activation. An expired or disabled benefit calls for the station to check the membership record. If no email arrives, check spam and consider whether the station has another address. An empty inbox alone does not establish that you lack a benefit.
Activate once using the issued link or code
PBS says the station supplies an activation link or a unique four-word code when the benefit is ready. Processing may take time rather than happening immediately after a donation. Its activation guidance suggests allowing a business day and contacting the station if the expected message has not arrived.
Open the supplied activation route, enter the code if requested and choose your sign-in method. PBS supports the account choices shown on that screen, including PBS, Google, Facebook and Apple. Check the displayed email before confirming: only one account is linked to that benefit. Choose a different email at this stage if the screen is pointing to the wrong identity. You will not need that one-time activation code for ordinary future viewing.
Use the same identity on the viewing screen
Open PBS and sign in with the method associated with your activated benefit. If activation used Apple, choosing another provider with what appears to be the same personal address can still lead you away from the linked identity. PBS's status help specifically addresses Apple's private relay addresses: use the relevant Apple sign-in rather than treating the relay address as a new password account.
Check for the Passport compass icon beside your account name or initials. If the icon is absent, return to activation or account identity. If it is present but access has not refreshed, PBS's getting-started guidance recommends signing out and back in. This gives you a clear stopping point before asking for further help.
Match the next action to the result
Keep the station membership email, activation email and sign-in method together in your own notes. They answer different questions: which membership PBS found, which account received the benefit, and how to enter that account. A station can resolve an unissued or inactive membership benefit; a viewing-screen problem requires the exact account and error context. Programme expiry remains a separate question even after account activation succeeds.