Today I used GE for the third time, all through T8 (aa) at JFK. The first two times, after getting my p/o from the GE terminal, I proceeded to the exit (I don't check luggage), the agent took my slip and said to go through to the final exit. Today, after handing the CBP agent my slip, he looked at it and looked at something on his desk and then told me to just go through, but his tone was more like he was doing me a "favor". It only took 30 seconds extra. Is it possible he is new and has never seen a GE slip? [Also, my flight from ZRH arrived at the tail end of a flight from somewhere in Central or South America (one could see this from the pax:D) and maybe he didn't expect pax from my flight to get to the last step in the CBP area so soon.)

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I got the dreaded 'X' today. Very upsetting as it was a plain vanilla trip. If I keep getting these GE will quickly prove to be a waste of money for me.

You still get to cut the line so its not a total waste

Checked at ORD (where the lines were huge, making me relish GE once again!), you do not put in your first address.

Cheers,

GenevaFlyer

Ive used GE twice since joining a couple months ago, and got the X once too. honestly, it still was a pleasure with GE, because I got to cut to the front of that line as well. Even with the extra screening, time from deplaning --> getting in car was still under 30 min (quite impressive IMO, on a busy christmastime travel day)

Question about this...

I am a Nexus card holder and recently applied and was approved for Global Entry (online at GOES, took all of 30 minutes to get approved, no further paperwork or interview required). This morning I looked into the Privium/FLUX thing and it appears that in order for me to get a Privium card that I'd have to pay literally hundreds of Euros to sign up and a couple of hundred Euros per year to maintain my membership. If Germany is the next country to join FLUX, am I to assume that I'd have to pay hundreds of Euros for their program as well? Seems like a cost model that could quickly require many hundreds of Euros per year to have FLUX access to all of the EU countries that I visit regularly.

Would you please explain the X a bit more? Is this a GE "random spot check" sort of thing? What other line did you get to cut to the front of and how did you know to do that?

Thanks, I've had GE for some time now and this is a new wrinkle for me.

The dreaded "X" can mean a number of things... One that I have heard of most is a passenger arriving and getting to the kiosk before the information about incoming flights has been sent to the kiosk, thus the "X".

As far cutting to the front of the line, it is really easy.. If the kiosk spits out a receipt with an "X" on it, just hold the receipt and your passport, with the CBP sticker visible, in view of the CBP agent in the nearest booth to the kiosk. When he is done processing the passenger he is working with, he will waive you over..

Another reason - If you check off food, for example, you'd get the X and would have to talk with the agent. Pretty straightforward and still beat the rest of the flight out the door

That's how I read it as well ... although it depends on the country. For example, the French system is currently free ... so I don't know how much they would charge on top of the Flux fee ...

Cheers,

GenevaFlyer

so here is the experience in gory detail:

instead of it printing out a "pass" to clear customs, there is a black "x" through it (dont remember what it says on the paper maybe like proceed to border control or s/t? when they walked me thru GE, they showed me what this "scenario" would entail). for some reason, I guess i was randomly selected for extra screening despite the fact that I had no snails cell cultures and whatever other odd garbage they ask if you are carrying.

had I checked in bags (which I rarely if ever do), I would have had to proceed to the baggage claim and wait for my bags, and then head back toward the area where they search your bags for more questions. but since I only had a carryon, I went right over to that area. there was a line (about 10 people), but I kinda snuck up to the front and said to the CBP agent "I have global entry and it printed out this X for me," and he said just wait here til I finish with this woman and then we will process you...

so I cut the line, and then an agent asked me what I bought abroad (nothing), do I have any food (no, obviously, I already checked off no, remember?), and asked if I mind if she checked my 2 carryon bags (sure). she just opened them up and did a very cursory (IMO) search, whole thing took under 2 min, then said "I apologize for the trouble, welcome back home," and i was on my way!

this was quite a pleasure for me, before global entry, when we had been selected for "extra screening" between waiting in that second line and having them search every nook and cranny of our bags for drugs or who knows what, and then confiscated my crying infant son's formula aka "food not allowed to be brought into the country" / contraband(purchased in the US before our trip), the entire hellish ordeal took about an hour.

Be sure to drop by a GE interview site and get the CBP sticker in your passport. While the GOES site says that no interview is necessary when going from NEXUS to GE some agents will look in your passport to verify the sticker that you would have received at a GE interview, and will hassle you if it is not there. You do not need to make an appointment - just walk in and they will take you next.

I added my new passport nfo in GOES and it took it. However, when I called they said it wouldn't work until I checked it in at a Global Entry office.

Have you used yours since you did this, and did it work without checking in with an office?

My next 2 INTL returns are on Sundays, and the offices are closed according to the website.

Thanks...if I have the time I will to do that. Can you advise if you happen to know where the CBP office is at O'Hare? I'm coming in there on Saturday en-route to AMS.

GE Office
 

Located ground floor of Terminal 5-international;
by the McDonalds (not quite sure) to the left when facing the arrival doors.