I hope you have made your New Year's resolutions and one of them is to TRAVEL MORE; to finally start working on your Travel Bucket List.
Okay, that's great! Now have you gotten your Global Entry? Even if you don't have an international trip booked right now, that could be in your future. Even if you only fly domestically, don't you want to waltz down that TSA Precheck lane, shoes on, no unpacking your carry-on and not walking through that bizarre x-ray machine? Of course, you do. For $15 more (for 5 years, that's $3/year) than just TSA PreCheck, you can have Global Entry waltzing too.
As a "Public Service Announcement" I'm re-posting the information on how to apply for Global Entry. It's really a great deal and fairly painless to do. Everyone who has done it has told me how thrilled they are to have it. Here you go:
By now, many of you may have had a chance to be randomly selected for TSA PreCheck when you have flown on a domestic flight. You didn’t have to take off your shoes, your jacket, unpack your computer, and take out your baggies of liquids. Then you walk through a metal detector, not the new machines with radiation exposure. The line moves quickly and you are off to your gate. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could do that all the time?
Well, you can for a relatively small price (depends on how frequently you fly) and 1 minor inconvenience. It’s the US Global Entry program. If you apply for US Global Entry you are then automatically approved for TSA Pre-Check and you have the added benefit of quickly going through customs when you return from an international flight.
It was super easy in Miami coming back from Cuba, landing at JFK from London and recently clearing customs in Abu Dhabi on the way back from India. Who knew we had US customs in the UAE? No line to wait on at all. There is a TSA PreCheck only program, but it has restrictions and you don’t get the international return benefit that comes with Global Entry.
So what’s the deal and how does it work?
1. First, you must be an honest and upstanding U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, Dutch citizen, South Korean citizen or Mexican national. Canadian citizens and residents may enjoy Global Entry benefits through membership in the NEXUS program.
2. You apply online. You must pay a $100 nonrefundable application fee (and be sure you meet the criteria in #1). If you are approved the fee is applied to your 5-year membership ($20 a year for all these benefits!!! This is the relatively small price).
3. Now, this is the inconvenient part. Once your application is reviewed, you will receive a message in your GOES account instructing you to schedule an interview at one of the locations. The centers are located at an international airport. There are many all over the country. SFO has one.
4. The interview is easy; you have an appointment, so no waiting a long time. You answer a few questions, get your picture taken and get fingerprinted. Your card will arrive shortly after that.
Now you have a Global Entry number and are a known traveler. The next time you book a flight online, you can put that Global Entry number in the known traveler box and you are TSA Pre-Check for your flights. The Global Entry link above does explain the program in more details. However, if you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 415-931-1945 let's talk! Prefer to email info@WeMakeTravelEasy.com
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