I just wanted to add my experience here since the program is going a wider now. I am not a F&F of a Gov employee, just a standard civilian. The original post is
here but condensed for this post below:
I signed up in Aug for the Sept openings. I submitted my application on 9/19 and the book arrived on 10/19 exactly. I did pay for expedited service. The passport card arrived about a week later. On a travel TikTok acct, some people were reporting they got their book in 10 days which seems like it's not possible but who knows. Overall it was a very easy process. The longest wait time was going from submitted/received to Reviewing. Basically it eliminated probably 1-2 weeks of USPS and having your application opened by someone. But the real benefit is eliminating the anxiety of your application to actually arrive and not be lost in the mail and knowing when that clock actually starts for processing.
Timeline is this:
mid-Aug - can't remember exact date but it was maybe a day or two after the Aug submission window closed. I started prepping my digital photo at this point so it was ready in time. I used an online service, which was a waste of $$.
9/19 - received email that online applications were now open to those who registered in Aug. Application completed & submitted for book & card w/ expedited service.
10/12 - received email saying my application was now being reviewed by a DOS employee.
10/17 - received email saying passport book has been shipped cannot use it for international travel.
10/19 - Passport book received.
10/25 - Passport card received.
I noted on my original post that there was no option for a large book, which didn't even register to me until today. My old book was a large w/ extra pages so it was a thick book. Did others have the option to order a large passport book?