I am shocked. From what I understood, sticker production had ceased at least two years ago. The enrollment centers would continue to issue them until the stock was depleted. Perhaps MSY had a large stash of stickers.

I had a "red coat" contractor hassle me at a TSA checkpoint recently, where I was clearly in the right. She stood in front of me with arms folded and said, "Do you want to fly today?" As I walked around her, I replied, "Do you want a job tomorrow?" :D

When I applied for the GE card the CBP agent made a point of telling me to leave my GE card at home when I was arriving in the US on a flight as the card was never needed. Therefore I couldn't give a dam about the instructions given to me by an airport contractor and would demand to speak to a CBP agent if they didn't let me use the kiosk. These contractors have a tendency to make up their own rules and I refuse to play that game!

Too bad CBP isn't on twitter. It would be a great place to tweet and ask about the contractors who refuse GE entry without the card (or sticker) and also refuse to summon actual CBP people to set the matter straight.

I more than understand that line of thinking, all I can say is that another passenger tried that and he ended up a few people behind me in the regular line to use the Automated Passport Kiosks that Miami (and I understand other airports have installed).

A good buddy passed through Miami D International Arrivals a few days ago and he said that if you said that you have Global Entry, the Airport Line Monitor would warn you that if you did not have it you would end up at the back of the regular line, but she did not impede anyone from attempting to access them, like I experienced.

He asked the Airport Line Monitor why she was warning people and she said people lie about having Global Entry to cut the line and the Airport was trying to crack down on that.

So I guess it is a case of your experience may vary.

Once you enter the customs section of any US airport the reigning authority is under the auspices of CBP and not some contractor. Insist on speaking to a CBP agent if you encounter a contractor who is on a power trip. If you do this in a firm but polite manner you will not have an issue. They cannot make up their own rules like this!

Personally speaking, I'd just carry the card instead of doing that.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this point as I don't believe in empowering people that make up their own rules. CBP controls the US Customs arrival area at every US airport and not some private contractors and the card is definitely not required.

Do you carry GE card?
 

Stupid me ... waited this long to get GE. Why? I have no idea.

So ... I finally got approved. Used it yesterday at SFO for the first time. It was a breeze -- I was second off the plane, first one at a kiosk. By the time I had gone thru the process, there were 50 GE folks behind me. (I was inbound on United. On my LH flights, I have noticed no more than 10-12 GE members.)

The question: is there a reason to carry the GE card with me all the time? Is it ever asked for, or needed, on domestic trips -- does it ever make the domestic Pre-Check process easier or is it needed for any verification?

Or, do you use only on international trips ... and I can pack my GE card and passport in the safe deposit box?

I keep it in my wallet but increasingly I use my new passport card as ID. I will not use my driver's license because I don't want to show my home address to TSA and other random strangers such as waiters/waitresses or wine store clerks. I've had delays when TSA employees don't want to recognize the GE card as government issued photo ID and IMO it's not worth the battle when I now have an easy alternative to use (except when I get a TSA employee who doesn't recognize the passport card either).

It doesn't help you get into the Precheck line, but it is accepted at all TSA checkpoints. With a GE card, you don't get a nosy TSA agent flipping through your passport or getting your address off of your license.

For purely domestic travel, the GE card is no better than (and may be less useful than) the passport card. For example, MA bars will accept the passport card but not NEXUS or GE cards.

Even for international travel, its usefulness is very limited; it's helpful for land entry into the US from Canada (since you can use the NEXUS lane), air entry into the US from Canada at certain airports (allows expedited security), or as proof of GE enrollment when arriving in case kiosks are down or there's a line dragon blocking the GE kiosks.

I don't carry my GE domestically and it's actually stored with my passport. I have a couple of other acceptable IDs and often use my retired DoD ID which is acceptable but has very little other information on it.

I carry my passport card at all times, whether traveling or at home. I always travel with my NEXUS card and passport book, even on purely domestic trips....you never know when you might want to re-route via another country!

It's with my passport and my passport is always with me.

But, if the question is whether it is of any value for domestic travel, the answer is no,=.