Is Global Entry worthwhile?

Old Apr 8, 2015, 9:25 pm
  #3451  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
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Originally Posted by MADPhil
If all goes well the conditional approval takes a few days and you may be able to get an interview slot in a matter of days from that, but you do have to get to a center. GE becomes effective immediately. Pre-Check requires you to provide the Known Traveler number to the airline and may require a refresh of existing reservations.

GE saved us some time at ORD recently when an unplanned bunching of international arrivals happened. The resulting slow baggage delay undid some of the gain though!
Went in for my "interview" yesterday - was there for 5 minutes, if that. Very happy with the process overall, couldn't have been easier. Approved and on my way home faster than expected! I was even 40 minutes early for my appointment and they took my right when I arrived.
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Old Apr 8, 2015, 9:32 pm
  #3452  
 
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Originally Posted by FlyingSky
Went in for my "interview" yesterday - was there for 5 minutes, if that. Very happy with the process overall, couldn't have been easier. Approved and on my way home faster than expected! I was even 40 minutes early for my appointment and they took my right when I arrived.
I'm glad it worked out well, it does seem to be pretty straightforward. I hope your GE and TSA Pre experiences are as good.
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Old Apr 8, 2015, 9:54 pm
  #3453  
 
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Originally Posted by MADPhil
I'm glad it worked out well, it does seem to be pretty straightforward. I hope your GE and TSA Pre experiences are as good.
Thank you! Looking forward to using it in a few weeks!
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Old Apr 20, 2015, 7:17 pm
  #3454  
 
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Originally Posted by GenevaFlyer
Must have been a recent change then. Last time I did, it was the X .... but maybe it comes from not being a US citizen/permanent resident.

I'll just have to try again in the future :P
Originally Posted by zer0k1
They told me that with recent policy change certain groups of people will automatically get an x every time, like me. Since people with visas were "forgetting" to tell them their visas expired.

Might be....not a US resident and today got:
ER: report to passport control
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 9:21 am
  #3455  
 
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GE - customs

Could someone educate me on GE and customs (not immigration). The last few times I have gone through LAX and JFK immigration has sucked but customs has sucked even more so.

I travel internationally just enough that getting GE might be worth it if GE will also expedite customs. I am getting mixed info on what is does for one. Thanks.
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 12:40 pm
  #3456  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
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With GE you do Immigration & your customs declaration at the kiosk. You scan your passport, scan your fingerprints and confirm the flight you arrived on and then answer the customs declaration info. It's a list of "yes" or "no" questions. After completing that a receipt is printed out. You get your bags and head to the exit where you handover your receipt. If you get selected for secondary you'll have a large X printed on your receipt and the agent will question you and/or inspect your bags. On a trip back from Mexico with my family my parents didn't have GE yet but my Brother, Sister in Law and I did. I was back in my apartment in Manhattan (from EWR) before my parents were done with Immigration & Customs.

http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/video-ga...s-global-entry

Edit: Some airline programs & credit cards cover the cost of GE. Nexus is 50$ for a 5 year enrollment but you have to do the interview at a border location & have to be able to pass the Canadian requirements too (no DUI ect).

Last edited by Yoshi212; Apr 25, 2015 at 12:57 pm
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 1:27 pm
  #3457  
 
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Thanks … when you say exit, obviously that is the exit from customs. Is that the same exit that everyone else uses? Or is there usually a GE exit from customs? The last time I came through LAX there was a single exit from customs (that I saw). So having GE would not seemed to have helped.
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 1:35 pm
  #3458  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
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It's typically the same exit but you don't wait in the line. There is usually a sign that says Global Entry Exit and the agents give GE recipients priority in my experiences.

I'd say my average time from plane door to airport exit is under 20 minutes. Without checked bags that time is drastically reduced.
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 2:02 pm
  #3459  
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
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Originally Posted by FlyingUnderTheRadar
Thanks when you say exit, obviously that is the exit from customs. Is that the same exit that everyone else uses?
At BOS there is a separate line (signed for GE and crew) that feeds to the same exit. It's saved me a lot of time.
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 3:25 pm
  #3460  
 
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Originally Posted by FlyingUnderTheRadar
The last time I came through LAX there was a single exit from customs (that I saw). So having GE would not seemed to have helped.
Just hold your receipt up, walk to the front of the line, and try to ignore the scourge and dirty looks from everyone else.
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 5:05 pm
  #3461  
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At $100 for 5 years, GE is worth it if you fly 1x/year. It has the additional benefit of acting as a KTN for TSA pre-check access and that makes it doubly worth it.
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 10:18 pm
  #3462  
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Originally Posted by FlyingUnderTheRadar
Could someone educate me on GE and customs (not immigration). The last few times I have gone through LAX and JFK immigration has sucked but customs has sucked even more so.

I travel internationally just enough that getting GE might be worth it if GE will also expedite customs. I am getting mixed info on what is does for one. Thanks.
Arriving in LAX with checked luggage it has been: walk up to kiosk, feed passport, fingerprints and data, go to carousel, retrieve bags , proceed to clearly marked GE exit and bypass the huge queues, give the customs officer my kiosk receipt and am out of there shortly.
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Old Apr 26, 2015, 7:37 am
  #3463  
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
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Thanks for the replies - it is the line skipping that option that I was mainly wondering about. Of course if I get GE so will the wife as it is one thing to walk past other line and another thing to leave the wife in the other line .
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Old May 23, 2015, 12:02 am
  #3464  
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
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So now that I signed up I have some options with my interview. How long do they typically take. I want to schedule it on my way to the airport so need to leave time enough time for everything.
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Old May 23, 2015, 7:52 am
  #3465  
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
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Originally Posted by FlyingUnderTheRadar
So now that I signed up I have some options with my interview. How long do they typically take. I want to schedule it on my way to the airport so need to leave time enough time for everything.
Now that you've made the decision I wouldn't repeat my reasoning as to why I went GE other than it was the best solution for me. As for the interview I can say it couldn't have gone quicker or smoother, taking all of about 10 minutes. With our extensive travel to Europe, mostly the Med, over the pass three years our list of visited countries was long and included many off and on hotspot non-EU countries. Never came up. The agent asked "You still live at the same address on your application?", "You still semi-retired/working for the Army?", and "Any questions about GE?". Hard to say that's typical but we are pretty "dull" folks without any previous arrests, DUIs, or run-ins with TSA or CBP so nothing in our backgrounds to raise any read flags.
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