Global entry

[Coral]

We got our cards this past Saturday. So, it took 1 week to get them. I updated our SWA profile, & called to make the info would get in the ressie we already had. Our flight is today and when I did they boarding passes yesterday "Pre" was noted on both mine and dh's. Hopefully we're all set. Thanks for all the great info on this thread.

 

One thing to note... My card expires 4/2022 and dh's will expire 9/2021. We did the whole process together, so I guess the expiration date is some how connected to our birthday? (My birthday is in April and his is in September.)

 

5 years from next birthday so some people get almost 6 years with GE.

[lstone19]

GE expiration is your next birthday plus five years. You do not need to wait to receive the mostly meaningless cards. Your number is on your preliminary approval letter and it will be live the next business day after your interview.

 

 

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[RJ2002]

Unfortunately, Pre-Check hours are variable and are not always the same hours as the overall checkpoint. Although it's poor management (IMHO) to have a long line and not have the Pre-Check line open.

 

At Las Vegas, it can be very difficult to get between concourses without going through security again. The last I knew, there were separate checkpoints for A/B, C, and D in Terminal 1 as well as a checkpoint in Terminal 3 for D and E. I think there is an inside shuttle bus between A/B and C although it may have limited hours. And D and E are connected. The big problem is getting between C and D which although the checkpoint are adjacent (and you need to be careful not to get in the wrong line), has no connection inside security except for a door marked "Do Not Enter". Some reports have said if you ask nicely, TSA will let you through although it would not surprise me if they intend that for people making connections, not for people looking for the shortest line. Other reports say that door is now normally open. But as the carrier I normally fly uses Terminal 3, I have not been through the T1 D checkpoint in a couple of years.

 

When I was through LV a couple of months ago, the glass doors after security connecting the C and D gate areas were open. No need to ask anyone for access. Don't know if it was a one-off or not.

[beg3yrs]

... You do not need to wait to receive the mostly meaningless cards. ...

 

 

The cards are a valid form of government issued photo identification and can be used for entry into places requiring that type of ID. I once lost my drivers license somehow going through a TSA checkpoint (all domestic so didn't carry a passport). It was a good backup for the rest of my trip.

[JF - retired RRT]

Just had our interview today. We live in So. Cal. and didn't really want to fight the traffic and crowds at LAX and Long Beach. So, we chose Otay Mesa near San Diego. Got the appt about 2 weeks from our approval. We could have gone earlier, but decided Aug. 2 worked for us. When we booked the appt. there were a lot of spaces available.

Got to the office about 45 minutes early and when we went to check in we were told to take a seat and wait until a minimum of 30 minutes before we could check in. So we waited a bit, checked in and waited to be called.

We were called about 15 minutes past our appt. time.

While we waited, I looked around. There were approx. 10 agents behind the desk area (sort of like most of the DMVs I've been to). There were privacy screens between each station. In addition, there seemed to be an office in the back where non-citizens were being called for their interview.

The interviewer called both of us at the same time. Asked us a few basic and very easy questions: address, travel plans for the next couple of months, etc.

Took our pictures and finger prints and we were done. Even though we were called late, we left the office at the time we would have left if our appts. had been done individually.

I mentioned to the agent that I saw in the printed information that the photo was for biometric scanning at the kiosks and wondered when they would start doing iris scanning (LOL). He told us it's being done now:cool:

Coming soon at a kiosk near you...iris scans. :D

[shellbeachjim]

We started the process on July 8th and on July 22nd we were able to schedule our appointments. We live half-way between LA and San Francisco, so all appointments take a bit of planning for us. We're scheduled for morning appointments on October 10th at LAX. SFO didn't have anything until February.

 

We plan on taking Amtrak to LA the day before, spend a night near the airport, and head back to Union Station as soon as our appointments are over so we can hop on the train back north. And yes, I really hate driving in LA. :eek:

[goofy559]

I've had nexus ( the Canadian equivalent) for many years. We've had the iris scanning for at least the past 5.

[hpeabody]

Just had our interview today. We live in So. Cal. and didn't really want to fight the traffic and crowds at LAX and Long Beach. So, we chose Otay Mesa near San Diego. Got the appt about 2 weeks from our approval. We could have gone earlier, but decided Aug. 2 worked for us. When we booked the appt. there were a lot of spaces available.

Got to the office about 45 minutes early and when we went to check in we were told to take a seat and wait until a minimum of 30 minutes before we could check in. So we waited a bit, checked in and waited to be called.

We were called about 15 minutes past our appt. time.

While we waited, I looked around. There were approx. 10 agents behind the desk area (sort of like most of the DMVs I've been to). There were privacy screens between each station. In addition, there seemed to be an office in the back where non-citizens were being called for their interview.

The interviewer called both of us at the same time. Asked us a few basic and very easy questions: address, travel plans for the next couple of months, etc.

Took our pictures and finger prints and we were done. Even though we were called late, we left the office at the time we would have left if our appts. had been done individually.

I mentioned to the agent that I saw in the printed information that the photo was for biometric scanning at the kiosks and wondered when they would start doing iris scanning (LOL). He told us it's being done now:cool:

Coming soon at a kiosk near you...iris scans. :D

 

I did my Interview yesterday too, but at LAX (I actually did think about San Diego for a minute) I arrived about 15 minutes early and was out 2 minutes before my scheduled time. Getting to Parking 3 coming in was the usual slowness, but I got a spot quickly. The Tom Bradley terminal was crazy as always with people scurrying to and fro with their big luggage. I was told to wait out in the main aisle on the other side of their barrier. They have a really small space. There was only me and 1 other person waiting. Interview was probably 8 minutes and mostly verified the info from the application, They did not show me the kiosk. But ... trying to get out of LAX, OOOO MMMM GGGG, the gridlock was so bad through the middle section (No choice from parking) it took a half an hour to get to the airport exit. I HATE LAX!!!! I did not get my email until this morning.

[Essiesmom]

I have my appt. scheduled for the 14th in Miami. I am flying down and back the same day, using points for the flights. Didn't want to drive 4+ hours to Atlanta and stay overnight. FLL had no appt. until Oct. My sister did hers in PHL while visiting family, on July 20. She already has her card. EM

Edited August 3, 2016 by Essiesmom

[Lucky TGO]

Global Entry it's great if you travel a lot you save a lot of time and less hassle at the airport.

Tony

[go fish 44]

It also saves a lot of time at the cruise port in Ft. Lauderdale as they have special lines for holders of Global entry.

[easyboy]

I guess I have to get one soon. Thanks for your inputs.

[AliceS]

We had notification that we had a number before we even left the airport after we were interviewed. That was less than two years ago. Of course, we had waited two months for the interview.

 

Global Entry has saved us hours since then. In Port Everglades, it makes B2B turnarounds bearable. I flew last week and the line for TSA was over an hour long. I walked through in less than 5 minutes.

 

 

 

J,

 

What's the difference with Global for B2B? I have Global now, but never gave a thought to turn around being better. The port in New York had no Global line after my recent Bermuda cruise.

 

Take care. Alice

[Lucky TGO]

J,

 

What's the difference with Global for B2B? I have Global now, but never gave a thought to turn around being better. The port in New York had no Global line after my recent Bermuda cruise.

 

Take care. Alice

I also would like to know how Global helps on a B2B cruise??? :confused:

Tony

[VibeGuy]

GE gives you more time in the turnaround city by reducing the lag between gangway and sidewalk. It doesn't matter for people who are only leaving the ship due to legal requirement, but if you're running errands or sightseeing or having a tryst (hey, it's your vacation!), GE eliminates queues and hassle.

[easyboy]

GE gives you more time in the turnaround city by reducing the lag between gangway and sidewalk. It doesn't matter for people who are only leaving the ship due to legal requirement, but if you're running errands or sightseeing or having a tryst (hey, it's your vacation!), GE eliminates queues and hassle.

Really for convenience.

[USN59-79]

Really for convenience.

Sorry, but I have a different take on GE. It is actually for the convenience of the TSA screeners who get paid the same amount from every airline ticket, but don't have to screen you so closely. Kind of like the old Mafia protection racket where the store owner pays for the convenience of not having a rock thrown through his store window on a regular basis. It seems ridiculous that I would have to take a day off, drive more than a hundred miles to meet a TSA person at their convenience, pay them a large sum of money and then repeat that every five years so I can save 20 minutes or so three or four times a year when I fly. I spent 20 years serving our country in the Navy. Why can't they accept my military retired ID card in lieu of their GE card?

[lstone19]

Sorry, but I have a different take on GE. It is actually for the convenience of the TSA screeners who get paid the same amount from every airline ticket, but don't have to screen you so closely. ... It seems ridiculous that I would have to take a day off, drive more than a hundred miles to meet a TSA person at their convenience, pay them a large sum of money and then repeat that every five years so I can save 20 minutes or so three or four times a year when I fly.

 

Global Entry is not a TSA program. It is a CBP (Customs and Border Protection) program for expediting entry into the U.S. from another country. However, TSA accepts it as a "known traveler program" and grants Pre-Check access based on it.

 

When you apply, you do not meet with TSA, you meet with CBP.

[VibeGuy]

GE, PreCheck, NEXUS into Canada and expedited CATSA screening when departing from Canadian airports costs me a whopping 3 cents per day over the five year $50 NEXUS subscription.

 

Cutting out an hour and change wait for US preclearance at Canada Place? Being a regular at a Chinese restaurant in another country because driving through the border takes seconds? Not having to be to the airport two hours prior in case someone decides to be petty? Never having some jackbooted blue-glove-clad clerk rub their hands over my genitals? Worth three cents a day.

 

It's totally a convenience play. Both me and my DH held substantial security clearances - it doesn't bother me to pay to keep the background check refreshed and have our fingerprints checked for outstanding warrants when the result is never ever getting stuck standing in the TSA line for two hours, nor missing an international to domestic connection because we're caught behind a parties with complex situations to explain, nor idling for an hour at the land crossing.

 

Some people spend their money on stuff and expensive real estate. I'm spending pennies to avoid standing in line behind them.

[ams cruiser]

Just finished reading all 18 pages of this thread and finding the posts very helpful.

 

My husband and I will be filling out our applications this weekend. When we eventually get approved, we will need to schedule our appointments at SFO, which I understand is quite backlogged.

 

Using the strategy of checking for cancellations, it would seem better if we could grab earlier appointments, even if they aren't on the same day. Since my husband is retired (and I'm not) he has more flexibility in his schedule than I do.

 

Is it okay if our appointments aren't on the same day? I'm a little confused by the posts that discuss family members being interviewed together. Do they want to cross-check your stories to make sure you aren't making things up?

[cubfan63]

Just finished reading all 18 pages of this thread and finding the posts very helpful.

 

 

 

My husband and I will be filling out our applications this weekend. When we eventually get approved, we will need to schedule our appointments at SFO, which I understand is quite backlogged.

 

 

 

Using the strategy of checking for cancellations, it would seem better if we could grab earlier appointments, even if they aren't on the same day. Since my husband is retired (and I'm not) he has more flexibility in his schedule than I do.

 

 

 

Is it okay if our appointments aren't on the same day? I'm a little confused by the posts that discuss family members being interviewed together. Do they want to cross-check your stories to make sure you aren't making things up?

 

 

It is not a problem that you don't go in the same day for the interview as you submitting applications for each of you and each pays the $100 fee. It is an individual application and the two of you are not tied together and required to be there at the same time.

[Coral]

Just finished reading all 18 pages of this thread and finding the posts very helpful.

 

My husband and I will be filling out our applications this weekend. When we eventually get approved, we will need to schedule our appointments at SFO, which I understand is quite backlogged.

 

Using the strategy of checking for cancellations, it would seem better if we could grab earlier appointments, even if they aren't on the same day. Since my husband is retired (and I'm not) he has more flexibility in his schedule than I do.

 

Is it okay if our appointments aren't on the same day? I'm a little confused by the posts that discuss family members being interviewed together. Do they want to cross-check your stories to make sure you aren't making things up?

 

Look over at fyertalk. It is more extensive.

 

Last I knew SFO was running 24 hour appointments and it was not difficult to get appointments as long as you are willing to go at night, etc...

 

There is also links over there - some places will take a spouse/child with you even if their appointment is another day. Others will not. Some interview family members at the same time and others do not - it probably has nothing to do with keeping stories straight, more so their preference if it is easy for them to deal with multiple people or individuals.

[lstone19]

Just finished reading all 18 pages of this thread and finding the posts very helpful.

 

 

 

My husband and I will be filling out our applications this weekend. When we eventually get approved, we will need to schedule our appointments at SFO, which I understand is quite backlogged.

 

 

 

Using the strategy of checking for cancellations, it would seem better if we could grab earlier appointments, even if they aren't on the same day. Since my husband is retired (and I'm not) he has more flexibility in his schedule than I do.

 

 

 

Is it okay if our appointments aren't on the same day? I'm a little confused by the posts that discuss family members being interviewed together. Do they want to cross-check your stories to make sure you aren't making things up?

 

 

 

There is no checking of stories. The interview

Is not like a job or immigration interview where you need to convince the interviewer that you are worthy - that was all done prior to you getting the letter to schedule the in person part. Rather, it's them verifying your documents and getting fingerprints (used by the GE kiosks) in the system. Unless you lied on your application, you will get final approval.

 

 

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[thinfool]

There is no checking of stories. The interview

Is not like a job or immigration interview where you need to convince the interviewer that you are worthy - that was all done prior to you getting the letter to schedule the in person part. Rather, it's them verifying your documents and getting fingerprints (used by the GE kiosks) in the system. Unless you lied on your application, you will get final approval.

 

 

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This is true, you are approved before you go to the interview. The CPB officer verifies you photo ID, takes your fingerprints and finalizes your account on his/her computer. You leave the interview completely equipped with your GE number, ready for use. Some days later a GE card will arrive in the mail, but it is not necessary to have the card in your possession to use GE.

 

 

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[lladage]

This is true, you are approved before you go to the interview.

 

I do not believe that is true in all cases. I read at least one post on flyertalk where the applicant received conditional approval and was denied final approval after the interview. There is a reason it is called "conditional" approval.

 

Lynn