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Global Entry, TSA Pre-Check, Etc. (Global Entry Is Probably What You Want)


DonRocks

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On 10/5/2016 at 3:12 PM, thessaly said:

On the off chance that your fingerprints didn't scan cleanly, you may have to go back and get them redone.  When I first got GE, I kept getting sent to secondary until a knowledgeable officer told me that was the likely issue.

An anecdote: the line to get through immigration last night at JFK was non-existent, but the line to get through customs was *brutal* - possibly 1-2 hours long.

I had Global Entry, and my traveling partner has a final-confirmation meeting scheduled, but hasn't gone yet - in other words, only conditional acceptance.

My companion had a fairly short layover, had to clear immigration (easy), then customs (impossible), and was getting mentally prepared to take a later flight. I was going to be a gentleman and wait it out, but took a chance and went up to the Global Entry Kiosk which was *empty*, and said to the gentleman, "I know this probably isn't going to work, but I have to at least ask - can you do me a favor?" I explained our situation, and that my companion had a short layover that would be missed unless we could both get through Global Entry.

His response, after thinking about it for a moment: "I'm going to do you a favor. If you can go over there and *discretely* bring your friend over, you can come through here, but I don't want half that line storming over here, so whatever you do, do it so nobody else sees it." Needless to say, my response was, "Yes, sir!" We flew through in seconds, and left customs probably two hours before the other poor people standing in that awful line. It was the difference between my companion making the flight, and not making the flight, as there was only about a two-hour layover, and there was still a re-entrance through security, and another bag check after clearing customs.

He asked us what we brought back, and we (truthfully) said we each brought back one bottle of wine, and some plastic-wrapped candy as gifts for people, and he told us to have a nice day and sent us on through.

That man did us a favor, and I wish there was a better way to thank him, but I'd probably only get him in trouble. So, I guess this is one of those instances where I'll pay it forward - and I *will* pay it forward, multiple times, in that gentleman's honor. I appreciate the strings he pulled *so much*, and he didn't have to do it - it would have been so easy for him to have played it by the book, and sent us both over to wait in that endless queue - but he was kind. We need more people like him in this world.

Dammit, if you're out there, and you ever see this note, Thank you! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

One additional note: I also had to change terminals, change airlines, recheck my bag, and go through security again. Even though I was in the TSA line, it still took a good ten minutes - this program is starting to catch on. Global Entry (for reentering the country), however, was *empty*.

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21 minutes ago, Simul Parikh said:

Went to Reagan Building. Got to Global Entry at 4.50p. Left at 4.57p. He asked what I do for a living and where I like to travel and where I went recently. Verbal approval. Email at 526p. Impressed.

And it's all automatically included in your passport swipe - no need to do anything else.

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On 9/15/2016 at 3:31 PM, DonRocks said:

I stepped into the Reagan Building at 2:31 PM, without an appointment, left at 2:39 PM, and got this email at 2:53 PM:

We are pleased to inform you that your U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Global Entry program membership has been approved. You can begin using the program immediately.

What this tells me is that the people interviewing you have the authority to approve you (or recommend to the computer that you get approved), so *be polite*. I'm sure that if you're not immediately approved, there are secondary measures to approve you, but they'll take longer. These folks *want* you to be approved - they need to be careful and thorough, of course, but they're absolutely not out to decline people.

I should add that my background is clean as a whistle, so there were absolutely *no* dings that they could have discovered - not everyone has been as lucky as I have in terms of not having a police record, etc.

---

Edit: The first thing he asked me was whether or not I had travel plans coming up soon, and I (truthfully) said yes. He asked me where, what I'd be doing there, etc.

To close the loop on this: Sometime in the past couple of weeks, I got my actual plastic Global Entry card (might have come yesterday; might have come two weeks ago). 

Important: It says to activate it within 30 days of receiving it, and if you do not activate, this card will not be usable at the border crossing. 

So make sure to visit the GOES website, enter your userid and password, click "Activate Account," and enter the security code on the back of your card - it's as simple as that, and mine is good until 2022.

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New member, figured it makes sense to not talk about food as a first post :)

For what it's worth to anyone still reading, if you don't want GE and just want Pre and happen to be near the "Alexandria strip mall" ignore the online app, appointments, etc.  Just go there with some free time as a walk-in.  That is what I did a few months ago as the TSA line hysteria was in full frenzy in the media.  Applying online gets you nothing, you still have to do a site visit anyway.  I had to wait about 15 minutes and then was helped.  I asked upon leaving what the time would be if I wanted to schedule online now and was told 3 weeks.  It was a pleasant process and I got an email notification 5-10 days later.

Just be sure when checking in that you have the number in your profile and for each ticket, different airline systems interact differently and you don't want to have Pre but end up printing a boarding pass without the number on it.

Even if it gets to a point where there are lines like normal TSA, the keep shoes, keep laptop, keep belt, and keep liquids in are like a time warp to the 1990s without all the fuss, and worth a few bucks.

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17 hours ago, DonRocks said:

To close the loop on this: Sometime in the past couple of weeks, I got my actual plastic Global Entry card (might have come yesterday; might have come two weeks ago). 

Important: It says to activate it within 30 days of receiving it, and if you do not activate, this card will not be usable at the border crossing. 

This may be noted somewhere above in this thread, but you don't need the plastic Global Entry card for international travel via the airlines.  Your GE info is linked to your passport, so just scanning your passport at a kiosk when you return to America will do the trick. 

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9 minutes ago, Bart said:

This may be noted somewhere above in this thread, but you don't need the plastic Global Entry card for international travel via the airlines.  Your GE info is linked to your passport, so just scanning your passport at a kiosk when you return to America will do the trick. 

Yes, I said it, and I *sort-of* did it.

Long story, but here goes: I had Global Entry; my companion didn't, so I swiped my passport in the "regular" machine. I could see that it was going to be a couple of hours for customs, and that my companion would miss the connecting flight, so I went up to the Global Entry guy, and pleaded my case - he was *so nice*, and let us both through (my friend has conditional acceptance, and I had both our documents) on the condition that I didn't cause a riot by pulling my friend out of the line.

So I don't think I actually used Global Entry on my passport, so much as finessed my way through. But yes, I *think* the passport itself is sufficient. Still, if you have the card, there's no reason not to use it - note: It comes with instructions to keep it inside it's paper holder because of some magnetic thing. The paper holder is small enough to fit where a regular credit-card will fit in a wallet.

I can verify that the passport itself is sufficient for security purposes; I'm just not 100% certain about customs when returning from international travel.

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You basically never need the card, as all the Global Entry info is stored with your passport #.  And, by using the GE machines to enter the immigration station you get the printed piece of paper that allows you to go to the customs line for GE.  I have never had a customs agent ask for anything other than the paper from the GE machine and I travel internationally 1-2 times/month.

That said, I do keep the little card in my wallet, mainly because it counts as a legal federal ID if you ever need more than 1 ID for something like a notary, etc.

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35 minutes ago, Simul Parikh said:

What's the card for?

Land or Sea ports of entry.  From the Global Entry site:

How are Global Entry cards used?

CBP accepts Global Entry cards for lawful U.S. entry at land and sea ports of entry. Global Entry cards have radio frequency identification, which enables their use at SENTRI and NEXUS expedited travel lanes entering the U.S. Global Entry cards are not valid for entry into Canada via the NEXUS lanes and kiosks. Global Entry cards are not accepted at Global Entry kiosks, which require passports or U.S. lawful permanent resident cards. Global Entry card holders must follow all program rules for SENTRI and NEXUS when using this card at land and sea ports of entry.

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42 minutes ago, DanielK said:

FYI - another data point - walked into the CBP office at the Reagan building today at 3:00 without an appointment, and even with a full waiting room, I was on my way back to my car by 3:20, and got the email at 3:35.

People may not realize how lucky DC is to have a non-airport location - I urge all readers to take advantage of it now rather than later. Not having Global Entry is like driving the Dulles Toll Road without an EZ-Pass.

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On 10/12/2016 at 9:43 AM, Simul Parikh said:

What's the card for?

If you're doing land entry (i.e. crossing from Mexico or Canada), the card has an RFID chip, so not only can you use the Nexis/Sentry lanes, but when you get to the window, they already have your info pulled up.

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2 hours ago, DanielK said:

If you're doing land entry (i.e. crossing from Mexico or Canada), the card has an RFID chip, so not only can you use the Nexis/Sentry lanes, but when you get to the window, they already have your info pulled up.

There was something specifically mentioned about Mexico and Canada in my Global Entry instruction package, but I don't remember what it was - I only skimmed it. Is this all the special information you need to know about Mexico and Canada relating to Global Entry?

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1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

There was something specifically mentioned about Mexico and Canada in my Global Entry instruction package, but I don't remember what it was - I only skimmed it. Is this all the special information you need to know about Mexico and Canada relating to Global Entry?

If you travel to Mexico or Canada you need to take your GE card with you in order to return through the GE lane.  You don't need to take your GE card with you to travel anywhere else because your passport has all the GE information.

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9 minutes ago, LauraB said:

If you travel to Mexico or Canada you need to take your GE card with you in order to return through the GE lane.  (This is because passports aren't required of US citizens to travel to these 2 countries.) You don't need to take your GE card with you to travel anywhere else because your passport has all the GE information.

This is not true if you are flying.  I fly back and forth to Mexico all the time with my passport and never show the GE card (although I do leave it in my wallet, just as an alternate ID).  I can't speak to the land crossing - I have never done that.

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Passports are not required for travel to Canada or Mexico, but they are highly recommended. If not, you need to carry an original birth certificate - a drivers' license is not valid ID. However, if you have a GE card, since the passport info is stored digitally in the record, you don't have to carry your passport (only to Canada/Mexico - anywhere else you still have to carry it). It works the other way as well - you could carry the passport and not the GE card, just like you do for other international travel.

The only time it really pays to have the GE card with you is LAND crossing to/from Mexico/Canada. You can't use the Nexus/Sentri lanes without the GE card.

 

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The card also has your traveler id # on the back of it. (in case you lose that little sheet of paper they give you)
You'll need this for all of domestic/international travel reservations so that you also (are eligible) for TSA pre.
I too tend to carry my card with me.  You never know where you'll be when you need to book a flight somewhere.

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I had a friend book my airline tickets for me on American Airlines for a recent trip, and she didn't know my Global Entry number, so had no way to enter it when I purchased my ticket.

I figured I'd take care of it at the counter, but it didn't work - when your Boarding Pass is printed out at the kiosk, and there's no Global Entry indicator on it, you either *must* - repeat, *must* - have your plastic Global Entry card, or have your passport (presumably), or you have to go through regular security.

Example: Last night, I went to the American Airlines counter to check a bag, and showed them my Global Entry confirmation letter (I was signed on to the GOES website and everything) - the counter agent entered it, and said it was invalid. I asked repeatedly, and showed her the confirmation letter with my number on it. To no avail.

She said I'd have to tell TSA when I got to security, but they had none of it - they looked at my Boarding Pass, saw nothing that indicated I was in Global Entry, and made me go through regular security - I got stopped at three different points, and asked each time, but was turned down. You have less than five seconds to make your case, and then you get waved through the regular line - they don't want to hear it. I guess if I was pushed for time, I would have asked for a supervisor, but I wasn't, so I didn't.

Moral of the story: Travel with your plastic Global Entry card or your passport, even domestically. I don't know what triggers the airlines to print out the Global Entry number on your Boarding Pass, but whatever it is, I didn't have it - if I'd had either my plastic card, or my passport (which I *never* take on domestic trips), I would have been able to use it.

A cautionary tale: Learn from my mistake. Fortunately, the line was only five minutes long, but I'll never, ever make this mistake again. I thought I had the darned thing - I don't know why it wasn't in my wallet.

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Don, It should be easy to enter your Global Entry details into your profile for every US airline, but you should do this ahead of time.  As you have experienced, it's not a good idea to count on an airline or TSA rep to acknowledge your credentials in real time. 

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Yes.  The airline has to vet the number with TSA so it has to be in the system at least 24 to 48 hours before the flight to allow for that process.  Also, we had our Global Entry interview last week and they told us that the plastic card only works at  the Canada and Mexico borders and only if you are entering in a car and only if everyone in the car has one.  The card does nothing at airports.

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Another Global Entry data point -- when I originally applied for our six month-old last month, the first available appointment at IAD wasn't until January.  But after a few days of checking the GOES system daily, I secured a time slot for yesterday afternoon.  Due to her age, there was no real interview -- the CBP agent took her passport, my driver's license, a quick photo of her (still strapped in the car seat), and we were out in under 2 minutes.

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5 minutes ago, silentbob said:

Another Global Entry data point -- when I originally applied for our six month-old last month, the first available appointment at IAD wasn't until January.  But after a few days of checking the GOES system daily, I secured a time slot for yesterday afternoon.  Due to her age, there was no real interview -- the CBP agent took her passport, my driver's license, a quick photo of her (still strapped in the car seat), and we were out in under 2 minutes.

Again, if you're willing to go downtown to the Reagan building, most of the audience there is walk-ins. Generally no more than a 10 minute wait.

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7 hours ago, DanielK said:

Again, if you're willing to go downtown to the Reagan building, most of the audience there is walk-ins. Generally no more than a 10 minute wait.

Understood -- we already needed to retrieve a watch that the IAD Lost & Found folks were keeping for her over the past two weeks, so this was a two-birds-one-stone situation.

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On 11/18/2016 at 4:52 AM, dcs said:

Yes.  The airline has to vet the number with TSA so it has to be in the system at least 24 to 48 hours before the flight to allow for that process.  Also, we had our Global Entry interview last week and they told us that the plastic card only works at  the Canada and Mexico borders and only if you are entering in a car and only if everyone in the car has one.  The card does nothing at airports.

Correct, *as I just found out yesterday*. 

Actually, it *does* work at the airline counters - they can type it in for you when they print out your boarding pass. However, when you have a first-day employee, as I did, and she forgets to do it, TSA is merciless. Once again, even though I had the Global Entry card itself, it did me no good, and I had to check my bag because of too much liquid. Sigh ....

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2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Once again, even though I had the Global Entry card itself, it did me no good, and I had to check my bag because of too much liquid. Sigh ....

Pre-Check does not exempt you from the liquid volume restriction. I forgot last week and tried to go through with a half-full 1 pint water bottle, and had to toss it.

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2 hours ago, Dr. Delicious said:

Tl;dr ... anyone using "Clear" at DCA? I'm considering it. I'm already a GE/Precheck member, fwiw

I fly out of DCA a couple times a month and have never seen anyone in the line.  Ever.  Except for the guy who tries to chat up the TSA Pre-check line.

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22 minutes ago, Dr. Delicious said:

And I'll be there tomorrow morning, likely up at the AA club, so say hi next time!

That AA club is too pricey for me!  I've only had real status on BA until this year, so can't contemplate paying for lounge access that should be free!  But I'll wave from outside the lounge.

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18 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

Hmm. Sounds like Clear gets you to front of line at the ID/Boarding pass ... since I've had Pre Check, that hasn't been an issue. Maybe for business travelers the pre check line is very long on Monday morning and Clear could be helpful?

One of my colleages uses Clear for precisely this reason! Given the limited number of airports with Clear now, makes sense to review them and make sure your travel is frequent enough to the covered areas.

I don't use Clear, but do have Global Entry. However I have gotten about five requests to approve expense reimbursements for Clear over the past two months - maybe they are gaining traction in DC.

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24 minutes ago, Dr. Delicious said:

My CFO denied my request for reimbursement for the annual membership cost for Clear, alas. So, I won't be able to serve as the group guinea pig. 

Bummer. I approved without a second thought. Frequent travel is hard enough, so anything that makes it easier is cool with me.

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32 minutes ago, Simul Parikh said:

Hey  - does Mobile Passport add anything to Global Entry? Does anyone have it? It's a free service. Some sites say that the Global Entry program is getting more popular and the Mobile Passport line is basically empty.

Why Mobile Passport Can Be an Even Better Option Than Global Entry, by Emily McNutt, September 5, 2016, on thepointsguy.com.

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1 hour ago, dcs said:

Why Mobile Passport Can Be an Even Better Option Than Global Entry, by Emily McNutt, September 5, 2016, on thepointsguy.com.

If Mobile Passport (or another program) can compete with Global Entry without the quinquennial charge (oh *God* how I've always wanted to use that word), Global Entry will most likely lower their price in the future, if not eliminate it altogether. 

I think it's important to note and remember that ThePointsGuy accepts payments (or might accept payments) from entities, and comes right out and says so. It's honorable of him to say so, but it's also worth noting - nowhere does he say (at least not that I'm aware of) that these payments don't influence his articles, so I find it hard to trust him for anything other than absolute fact-based sentences. I wish he'd come out and say that he makes every effort to be fair and to write without prejudice.

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He doesn't and is very obvious in his biases. It's the first thing in every article. My friend's good friend worked for him and left. Not because of personal reasons with TPG, but because of the heavy reliance on advertising and sponsorship. They seemed to have gone in a different direction. There are plenty of websites like this with far fewer sponsors. But, his is really good and useful, even when biased. 

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14 minutes ago, Simul Parikh said:

There are plenty of websites like this with far fewer sponsors. But, his is really good and useful, even when biased. 

For travel-related advice, this is why I tend to read multiple sources (the Boarding Area bloggers, TPG, FlyerTalk) even if they end up sounding mostly repetitive on certain topics.  Because each one usually ends up with a slightly different take on a product, FF program announcement, fare sale, etc. and seeing those differences (or a broad consensus where they exist) is the best way IMO to reach informed decisions.

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3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

If Mobile Passport (or another program) can compete with Global Entry without the quinquennial charge (oh *God* how I've always wanted to use that word), Global Entry will most likely lower their price in the future, if not eliminate it altogether. 

Mobile Passport just deals with the immigration line on international flights returning to the US.  Global Entry has its own separate immigration line but also gives you TSA PreCheck for a different security line on the front end for both international and domestic travel.

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For those complaining of the fee for GE or TSA pre, there are several cards (Amex and MC) that reimburse the cost/card member.  TSA Pre for a parent includes children 12 and under but GE requires everyone have approval.  DC location at Reagan building is much easier and faster than IAD (I have used both locations so I have something to base it on).  As many have stated the IAD location is booked for several months out, and I am told it comes from people travelling through airport often make appts based on travel schedules.  DC Reagan location is easy to get to, but was the parking fee was $15 for the 41 minutes we were there.

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On ‎12‎/‎7‎/‎2016 at 10:59 AM, DonRocks said:

If Mobile Passport (or another program) can compete with Global Entry without the quinquennial charge (oh *God* how I've always wanted to use that word), Global Entry will most likely lower their price in the future, if not eliminate it altogether. 

I think it's important to note and remember that ThePointsGuy accepts payments (or might accept payments) from entities, and comes right out and says so. It's honorable of him to say so, but it's also worth noting - nowhere does he say (at least not that I'm aware of) that these payments don't influence his articles, so I find it hard to trust him for anything other than absolute fact-based sentences. I wish he'd come out and say that he makes every effort to be fair and to write without prejudice.

It should be noted that ThePointsGuy is really a brand, his blog was sold years ago to Bankrate.com

https://skift.com/2014/12/01/the-blurring-lines-between-banks-and-travel-writers/

So what might feel like a personal blog is really part of a larger publishing operation. 

I personally feel Brian's brand is one of the worse as far as hobnobbing and catering to the large advertisers (credit card issuers).  One year at an industry event I sat at a table with him and the affiliate manager for Barclay's bank when they were rolling out the Arrival card line and they were thick as thieves.  There are huge opportunities to people with good credit but some people do their affiliate hawking of cards better than others, Brain's brand is very successful but his content and brand turns me off.  However I do still read content on the site at times.

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2 hours ago, iolaire said:

I personally feel Brian's brand is one of the worse as far as hobnobbing and catering to the large advertisers (credit card issuers). 

I've come to this conclusion independently over the past year myself - that said, I had *no idea* it wasn't a personal blog.

Hey! Are there any hyper-rich restaurateurs in the DC area that want to take total control over the DC restaurant scene? ;)

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