I have some international trips booked this year and was thinking about signing up for one of these. Are they worth it? Unfortunately, I don't have any credit cards that would credit the cost back to me.
OT: TSA Precheck or Global Entry?
- Thread starter TheBigUglies
- Start date
You will want Global Entry if traveling international. You also get the domestic benefits of precheck, but Global Entry expedites customs.
I only have the precheck as all my flying is domestic and I love it. Great service.
Global entry for international travel. It makes a big difference clearing customs.
Both. TSA PreCheck allows for faster screening when you are boarding a plane domestically; Global Entry is used to expedite your return through customs. Have both and they're worth it if you travel a lot. The only 'issue' with TSA Pre-Check is some airports have dedicated PreCheck locations - so, the line is smaller and limited to only passengers with PreCheck (like Dulles). At others, you queue with non PreCheck passengers and are just given a card to show so you don't have to take off your belt, shoes, etc. So, it's less fussy, but not necessarily faster. Just check before you go.
EDIT: Greg is correct; you will receive TSA PreCheck benefits if you are a Global Entry card holder. So, if you travel a lot internationally, go with GE. If not, PreCheck should suffice.
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Yep. Harrisburg used to be that way, but now they have a dedicated line. Sort of. You just jump the regular line, basically, as opposed to having its own line and TSA agent, etc. State College just has one line, but that's never an issue, you get your card and get the benefits of pre-check minus the line.
Yes and yes. I can't imagine flying without precheck anymore, I consider it a requirement. Global Entry is less important only because I don't do much international travel, but on the few occasions I've used it, it was nice to have. Given the relatively low annual cost I think both are a no brainer.
Check your credit card benefits. Many major credit cards will pay for your Global Entry (or TSA Pre, but as others have said go with Global Entry) every five years. Use that credit card to pay the $100 fee and then they’ll credit you back the $100 on your next bill.
Thanks all. I was going to go for Global Entry but then I looked up Interview locations in PA seem limited to the Phila or Pitt airports. How long did it take those that have it? One trip in next month, the other in the fall. I have seen anywhere from 10 days to 6 months.
GE will reject you if you've ever been arrested... regardless if no conviction and/or how minor offense was. Also, it took me over 12 months during pandemic to get interview.
Yeah. It was crazy over the pandemic. We had three interviews canceled. We ended up driving almost 3 hours away to get an interview at border control office in northwest Ohio. I guess they patrol the lake waters or something like that from up there.
Wife and I use precheck domestically and internationally we use our DoD ID cards in military lines. Swear by the precheck. Skipping the security lines is a must
Is there anything more frustrating than standing in the TSA pre-check line and seeing that the non Pre-Check line is much shorter?
I fly out of Philly so you will NEVER see that happen - live Precheck and don’t do much international anymore but precheck is a life saver Ron the US and saved me from missing a ton of flights in the US.
It's rare, but I reassure myself that precheck is still better since I don't have to go through the shoes, laptop and liquids rodeo. What really grinds my gears is when TSA pulls people from the regular line into the precheck line when it's really crowded, which inevitably means those newbies will lollygag around with their liquids and such because they don't understand how precheck works. This situation also confirms to me that precheck is little more than an extra money grab and is more security theater, otherwise they'd never allow people that haven't gone through the background check to jump in the precheck lines.
Not just that rodeo but in my experience the non pre-checkers have a habit of being inexperienced travelers, which means you get to deal with the idiot dance. “sir please take off your watch” so back to the conveyor then back to the scanner only to have “sir please take off your belt” then back to the conveyor then back to the scanner to hear “oh I forgot my coins in my pocket”….. that dance blows my mind. If only they had 1838749273894 signs leading to security telling you what you can and cannot have on you, and if only the TSA agents made town caller style announcements telling you what you can and cannot have on you….
TSA precheck is worth it if only to get in a line with experienced travelers (MOST of the time) that help the line go faster.
Global entry is a customs life saver. Just came back from Iceland tonight at JFK. The regular line was at least a 90 minute wait. Breezed right through the Kiosk in 1 minute. Went to baggage claim. It saved us at least 3 hours coming home from Prague at O’Hara on another trip. The number you get is referred to as your Trusted Traveler number. You won’t regret it. I would never travel internationally without it.Your Global entry doubles as a pre check domestically so spend the money and have both.
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We use both and Global Entry has now updated software to use Facial Recognition. It takes 5 seconds to clear customs.
You still have to wait to get your bags after that to transfer to your domestic flight ( or leave airport) but you can stake out a choice spot at the luggage carousel.
Big Recommend.
You still have to wait to get your bags after that to transfer to your domestic flight ( or leave airport) but you can stake out a choice spot at the luggage carousel.
Big Recommend.
Quick story. Years ago when I applied for Global Entry and went for my interview at TSA in Philly the agent reviewed all my stuff but looked pensive.
He turned to me and asked, why you, why should I give you a Global Entry card?
I looked him straight in the eye and said, You know that story of the lucky guy who gets to chase the Beautiful woman around the world in her business travels? That’s me.
he said All Right Then. Let’s get this done.
On a lot of those weekend trips ( Barcelona, Munich, Paris, London, etc ) I could travel with a carry on bag so Global Entry was really super.
He turned to me and asked, why you, why should I give you a Global Entry card?
I looked him straight in the eye and said, You know that story of the lucky guy who gets to chase the Beautiful woman around the world in her business travels? That’s me.
he said All Right Then. Let’s get this done.
On a lot of those weekend trips ( Barcelona, Munich, Paris, London, etc ) I could travel with a carry on bag so Global Entry was really super.
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