Global Entry / TSA Pre - Better have an IT staff on hand

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Luckily, you can do the renewal online without another in person interview. Wife and I just did ours this year.

How far in advance did you do the renewal? I'm presuming you did so before the original expired.

 

[wesheltonj]

Luckily, you can do the renewal online without another in person interview. Wife and I just did ours this year.

Sometimes, this renewal period, I had to get another “interview” which was really just a new photo for the GE card.

 

[Dee S]

I'm scheduled for this Friday in Laredo. A 2.5 hour drive one way for a 5 minute interview. Unless, my contact here in San Antonio can hook me up, I just sent him an email?
Thanks for the input

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I use the mobile passport app. I already have pre check so I don’t need that benefit from global entry. Mobile passport is free and doesn’t require an interview or appointment. I my experience the lines to use mobile passport are as quick (or quicker in some cases) than global entry. I have only traveled a couple times internationally since COViD so perhaps things have changed.

So Mobile Passport is free and you get the advantages on entry back into the USA that you get with GE. But if you want the advantage of TSA PRE-check on departing USA flights, you’ll still need to purchase that, correct?

If so, not a bad way to go, a bit less expensive I think.

 

[Tanks]

Number of people that are hunters are having their Global Entry canceled out of the blue lately though.

 

[jcnelsn1]

So Mobile Passport is free and you get the advantages on entry back into the USA that you get with GE. But if you want the advantage of TSA PRE-check on departing USA flights, you’ll still need to purchase that, correct?

If so, not a bad way to go, a bit less expensive I think.

I haven’t ever had global entry so I don’t know specifically how the process differs from using mobile passport. However there are lanes and kiosks for mobile passport. Every time I use it I see the global entry lanes and don’t see them being any faster so I haven’t bothered getting it even though I have a credit card that would pay for it with a statement credit.

 

[meigsbucks]

When I got GE, a few years back, not only did it take three months to get an appointment but there wasn’t a facility close. I live in central Ohio. The two facilities where they conducted interviews were Cleveland (2.5 hrs) and Cincinnati (Northern KY) (2+ hrs). I went to Cleveland as I was able to visit friends there. When I signed in, I had to write the time. I was immediately called In. Time from sign in until I walked out the door: FOUR FRIK’N MINUTES! I was PO’ed! If I had to drive 2.5 hrs for just that…!!!!
On the plus side, when we hit sat at side, we were thru Customs In a heartbeat. I won’t travel without it.

 

[Dee S]

Looks like Atlanta doesn't use the Mobile Passport? So much for the Delta flights into Atlanta.

The MPC mobile app, is available to U.S. citizens and Canadian B1/B2 citizens visitors. MPC is currently available at the following 30 U.S. International airports and 4 seaports of entry:

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
• Dulles International Airport (IAD)
• Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
• Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
• William P. Hobby Houston International Airport (HOU)
• Kansas City International Airport (MCI)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Miami International Airport (MIA)
• Miami Seaport
• Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• Oakland International Airport (OAK)
• Orlando International Airport (MCO)
• Palm Beach Seaport
• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
• Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
• Port Everglades Seaport
• Portland International Airport (PDX)
• Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
• San Diego International Airport (SAN)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• San Jose International Airport (SJC)
• San Juan Airport (SJU)
• San Juan Seaport
• Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
• Tampa International Airport (TPA)

 

[Scott CWO]

How far in advance did you do the renewal? I'm presuming you did so before the original expired.

My GE card expired on my birthday while I was in Bots and I didn't realize that before I left. The wife and I applied for renewal after I got back, so no, we applied a little after expiration. Her birthday is the month before mine so hers was also expired. We also never received an email or any notice that our cards were expiring. Neither of us had to do another interview and this was our first renewal. The new cards showed up and are valid for 6 years. Maybe we will have to do an interview next time? Not sure.

 

[Dee S]

I was scheduled for a 9:45 AM appointment in Laredo for tomorrow. A 2.5 hour drive one way and the lady I talked to down there said it would take 10 minutes for the 'interview.'
I booked Laredo as they were showing no openings in San Antonio at all. I called them yesterday here in San Antonio and asked why there were no openings on the website. The agent told me they only book on Mondays, for that week only, but they do have cancelations, so keep checking online.
I just logged into their website to cancel tomorrows appointment in Laredo, thinking, Oh, screw it, I'm not driving down there. I happened to hit San Antonio to 'reschedule' and they had several openings for tomorrow, I took 9:45. Much happier and I'm very lucky, I hit it at the right time. Like the lottery, all luck on this one.
And by the way, once you pay that $100 fee, there is no refund if you change your mind.

 

[Philip Glass]

I have Global Entry. It was a process especially for someone like me from the sticks out west. I had to go to DFW to do the interview. Pre check is great but GE is not as valuable as it used to be. The new kiosks for re-en versus the paper forms of old has sped it all up. The advantage comes in when two or more flights land around the same time. I am on my way back from a DC spring break trip. My wife is GE but no pre check on her boarding passes either way and AA couldn’t do anything about it. No matter how prepared we are air travel is a challenge!

 

[Philip Glass]

My GE card expired on my birthday while I was in Bots and I didn't realize that before I left. The wife and I applied for renewal after I got back, so no, we applied a little after expiration. Her birthday is the month before mine so hers was also expired. We also never received an email or any notice that our cards were expiring. Neither of us had to do another interview and this was our first renewal. The new cards showed up and are valid for 6 years. Maybe we will have to do an interview next time? Not sure.

I don’t think you have to interview again.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Can't speak for any other ports but when I got off a packed A380 (500 plus passengers) at Dulles and saw the conga line for customs, I was glad I had GE.

 

[Dee S]

I might have mentioned this already, but last year upon arrival in Chicago from Botswana, my daughter and I waited in line for over two hours and the line continued to grow, all the while, two ladies were working the GE line and in that time period, might have had 20 people go through their line. All the airlines were holding their flights due to the delay. There were only four, yes FOUR, friggen' agents processing the general population, while those two ladies were dedicated to the GE line and could not come and assist.
Once we got through that, we still had to get our bow cases and luggage from the baggage claim area, then run outside to catch a shuttle bus to another terminal, and we literally were running to the boarding gate for the flight to Houston.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

We did our third GE renewal last year. My wife had to go in for an interview both renewals, but I never had to. The GE card they tell you to keep in a safe place as you will never need it, carry it with you for those times that the airline fails to stamp pre-check on your boarding pass.

Safe travels