Trusted Traveler Programs

[Honeyfill]

Mrs Honeyfill and I are getting ready to start our post retirement travel. We thought that we might look into TSA Pre. I used to get it when I traveled a lot for work and it is a great perk. It only costs 85$ and if you plan to fly a lot during retirement it is worth every penny.
However, today I learned about something even better: "Global Entry" This gives you TSA Pre in the States and lets you jump to the head of the Customs lines when you are traveling internationally!! It only costs 100$ and they throw in the TSA Pre for free.
The moral of the story is: If you are looking into TSA Pre, get the Global entry instead.
Hopefully, fellow travelers can learn from my mistake and safe themselves some time and money!

If anyone has any other helpful hints about trusted traveler programs or related subjects, please post them here.

 

[Clone]

You can go with a Nexus card which only costs $50. We spend summers in a reasonable proximity to a Canada entry point, so the visit was no big deal. Includes the TSA pre, and it works very well.


https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/nexus

 

[fosterscik]

Global entry is wonderful. I strongly recommend it. The Nexus card would have been our choice if we lived anywhere near Canada, but for us the interview would have been a huge hassle.

 

[braumeister]

Yes, NEXUS gives you 100% of the benefit of Global Entry at half the price. It also gives you priority when entering/leaving Canada (providing there is a NEXUS lane open, which isn't always true) which can be another huge timesaver.

A few years ago we were driving back from Canada across the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit and having our NEXUS cards with us saved a minimum of an hour in line, probably more.

But if you can't get to an interview station on the US/Canada border, then definitely go with Global Entry.

 

[Red Badger]

If you happen to have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, they'll comp the Global Entry fee for any cardholder. Since DW is cardholder, free for her as well.

DW and I will interview later this month upon return to US. If you no longer see me posting, well....

 

[Go-NoGo]

+1 on Global entry.
You get to the use the Kiosks and bypass Immigration completely (on an bad day at JFK, EWR or MIA that will save you an hour or more) and THEN you have a separate late for customs.

I have gone from disembarking the plane to curbside in 10 minutes!

Nexus will get you TSA-Pre but will not work for International (Canada excepted) flights
Use this DHS link to find the one best for you:
https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-traveler-programs

 

[braumeister]

Nexus will get you TSA-Pre but will not work for International (Canada excepted) flights

Actually, that's not true.
Nexus gives you ALL the benefits of Global Entry.
There are basically three differences between the two programs:

• Nexus costs $50 for five years instead of $100
• Nexus is a little harder to get because you need to do the interview at the border, and to get the full benefit you need to have the iris scan which not all border stations offer.
• Nexus gives you much better treatment when flying into Canada from another country.

 

[Go-NoGo]

Actually, that's not true.
Nexus gives you ALL the benefits of Global Entry.
There are basically three differences between the two programs:

• Nexus costs $50 for five years instead of $100
• Nexus is a little harder to get because you need to do the interview at the border, and to get the full benefit you need to have the iris scan which not all border stations offer.
• Nexus gives you much better treatment when flying into Canada from another country.

Thanks Braumeister - I stand corrected. After reading the fine print, NEXUS will give you the benefits of Global entry.

Global Entry has interview centers all across the US, whereas Nexus has far fewer interview centers *and* they are all mostly located along the US/Canada border. So if you happen to be near border go for it, otherwise the $50 fee for convenient access to the interview center may be worth it.

 

[Aerides]

I have been using TSA-Pre for a few years now and LOVE it. Only I have it, but when we travel I purchase the tickets together, so DH and I are on the sale record locator, so he gets to Pre along with me every time.

When it expires next year I'm going GE (not near a Nexus site). Having spent over 2 hours going thru regular-entry back in from grand cayman last year, GE is the way to go even if you only think you'll use it once (vs regular TSA-Pre).

 

[braumeister]

Having spent over 2 hours going thru regular-entry back in from grand cayman last year, GE is the way to go even if you only think you'll use it once (vs regular TSA-Pre).

On all our recent trips back from overseas, there were GE kiosks standing idle and we got through the reentry process in about a minute compared to the long, long lines going through the regular process. Incredible difference.

When you get up at daybreak, make the trek to the airport, slog through their security screening, wait for your flight, fly for eight or more hours, and still have another hour or two before you can even get home, it's priceless!

 

[Bestwifeever]

We've never done any of these programs although we fly a lot, as we have never encountered too much delay at entry points. We are going to Europe next week with two other couple who are both GE certified (even though one of them rarely travels ) so will be interesting to see if we're through the unwashed slums of regular immigration before all of our luggage gets off the carousel, which has never happened. If not, we'll let our elite friends grab our bags for us.

 

[6miths]

DW and I have Nexus which does give us Global Entry. Very good in US and Canada (have not tried in Mexico) but when traveling to Europe we found that Heathrow and Gatwick were not yet set up to use it. There were markings for it but it was not in use which is unfortunate as both airports have very long queues for immigration.

 

[HI Bill]

Not having to take off our shoes, our jackets, and empty our bags of laptops and liquid bags, along with usually shorter lines, makes it all worth it for us!

 

[braumeister]

DW and I have Nexus which does give us Global Entry. Very good in US and Canada (have not tried in Mexico) but when traveling to Europe we found that Heathrow and Gatwick were not yet set up to use it. There were markings for it but it was not in use which is unfortunate as both airports have very long queues for immigration.

Not sure, but I think you may be confusing different programs.

Global Entry is for travelers coming into the US. Nexus is for travelers coming into either Canada or the US.

For North Americans traveling to Europe, neither of those programs will get you anywhere.

In the case of the UK, there is a similar program called Registered Traveller, and if you are in GE or Nexus you can buy entry into it, provided you meet the other requirements (basically, that means visiting the UK often). The cost is £70 the first year and £50 in subsequent years.
Registered Traveller: faster entry through the UK border

 

[gayl]

I'm going to put in my 2c:

Somehow I'm always TSA PreCheck. Never paid for it but then I'm retired government so maybe I got it through them? Anyway that gets me through most of the lines to board immediately

Then I have mobile passport from CBT on my phone. As I land at SFO I bring up the app and complete the four questions. That gives me a barcode to scan. I go to the same line as global entry skipping the kiosks completely and they scan the barcode. I'm done. Better yet, it's free

 

[braumeister]

Yes, the Mobile Passport app is an excellent alternative to Global Entry. It doesn't give you all the benefits (like automatic TSA Pre-Check) but it does save time (and money).

 

[cathy63]

If you happen to have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, they'll comp the Global Entry fee for any cardholder. Since DW is cardholder, free for her as well.

DW and I will interview later this month upon return to US. If you no longer see me posting, well....

We also got our Global Entry fees comped on a Visa Signature card. If anyone is about to pay for GE, it might be worthwhile to google the latest list of cards that are offering this perk (I know some of the airline mileage cards do) and see if there's one that might be worth getting for a year.

In addition to airports, we were also able to use our GE cards when returning through the Fort Lauderdale cruise port earlier this year, which saved quite a lot of time in line.

 

[DektolMan]

My wife got approval for Global Entry in 2 days, mine took 6 weeks but we have our interviews in December and with 2 major trips next year we are looking forward to the convenience.

 

[Bamaman]

On our April repositioning cruise to Azores, France, Ireland and England, we went to the front of every line. We also got front row seating in airplanes and immediate seating in every restaurant. And we also went through airport security lines immediately.

My wife talks about traveling permanently in her wheelchair, even after her knee gets back to normal after a replacement. She's never been treated better.

 

[Souschef]

My wife talks about traveling permanently in her wheelchair, even after her knee gets back to normal after a replacement. She's never been treated better.

I was going to bring that up. DW has a bad knee and cannot handle the long distances in airports, so she gets a wheelchair. I will admit it does make things easier, as the pushers know all the shortcuts, elevators, etc. I always tip them for their help.

 

[Alectoris]

Love my Global Entry and the TSA Pre-check that comes with it!

My process was so simple, just a little bit of time involved with the interview. I had some tinfoil hat moments prior to the interview, like what did they know about me, but the interview process seemed like a formality. They (CBP) seemed to spend more time on how to use the system than my details. Maybe I am a good person after all?

On my first term of service and will renew next year. So much easier when traveling abroad with nothing to declare. And also easy travel within CONUS.

 

[Red Badger]

Thanks for your service!

For the non-veterans here, CONUS is a military term for Continental United States.

 

[samclem]

Just a minor rant: "Too bad for everyone that we don't have enough TSA screeners on duty at the airport and that the procedures aren't efficient. Yes, we know that you already paid a tax on the price of your ticket to help pay for the TSA services. Tell you what--pay some EXTRA money and we'll be less inefficient to you."
It is a shakedown.
What next? Pay the IRS a "gratuity" of $100 to reduce the chance of an audit?



If having a bunch of my info on file helps TSA to expedite the screening process, then TSA should want to do that and provide the service for free---it makes their jobs easier, helps move everyone along faster, and they claim it makes the skies safer. It should be encouraged, not discouraged wth an added fee.


Rant off.

 

[6miths]

DW and I have Nexus which does give us Global Entry. Very good in US and Canada (have not tried in Mexico) but when traveling to Europe we found that Heathrow and Gatwick were not yet set up to use it. There were markings for it but it was not in use which is unfortunate as both airports have very long queues for immigration.

Not sure, but I think you may be confusing different programs.

Global Entry is for travelers coming into the US. Nexus is for travelers coming into either Canada or the US.

For North Americans traveling to Europe, neither of those programs will get you anywhere.

In the case of the UK, there is a similar program called Registered Traveller, and if you are in GE or Nexus you can buy entry into it, provided you meet the other requirements (basically, that means visiting the UK often). The cost is £70 the first year and £50 in subsequent years.
Registered Traveller: faster entry through the UK border

It's possible but I believe the plan is to link the systems. The UK entry points have rapid entry kiosks that are marked with the same logo that are on the cover of the new Canadian passports. The kiosks were not active the last time we passed through Heathrow and Gatwick. At this point it seems that one has to register separately but according to the UK Immigration people we talked to the plan is to link them. Whether this is a UK-Canada initiative only, I am not sure.

 

[CaliKid]

We have had Pre for about 5 years and switched to Global this time. It was a bit more of a pain to get as had to go to one of the major international airports and appointments at this airport were a few months out. However, got it done and have used it domestically and internationally this summer. Works perfect. Definitely worth the extra cost if you ever travel internationally.