Applying for TSA pre-check and I have questions

[Clay Clayton]

20 hours ago, Voelfgar said:

 

However, that will not change any existing bookings. You would have to go into that booking and add the KTN manually.

And depending on the airline that may not work.  When I first got GE, I tried unsuccessfully on the phone to have the Trusted Traveler number added to my reservation before my outbound flight.  Once I was through security, the gate agent was able to add it so I had precheck for the return flight. This was on Southwest I think. 

[Voelfgar]

3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

And depending on the airline that may not work.  When I first got GE, I tried unsuccessfully on the phone to have the Trusted Traveler number added to my reservation before my outbound flight.  Once I was through security, the gate agent was able to add it so I had precheck for the return flight. This was on Southwest I think. 

The airlines won't let you add a KTN to an existing booking within 2 days of flying.

[Zach1213]

6 minutes ago, Voelfgar said:

The airlines won't let you add a KTN to an existing booking within 2 days of flying.

 

Is this a recent change? About ten months ago, I checked in on Southwest and noticed Pre-Check wasn't on there...so I called and they said my KTN had never been entered (although it had my Rapid Rewards number so I don't get it) and she added it. I refreshed my boarding pass online and, poof, Pre-Check.

[Voelfgar]

16 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Is this a recent change? About ten months ago, I checked in on Southwest and noticed Pre-Check wasn't on there...so I called and they said my KTN had never been entered (although it had my Rapid Rewards number so I don't get it) and she added it. I refreshed my boarding pass online and, poof, Pre-Check.

We just flew at the end of June, and my wife forgot to enter hers in. So the website and app would not let you add that within 2 days of flight. She had to physically go to the checkin desk and have someone there enter it.  The key thing with all this is that the booking was done prior to receiving the KTN and adding it to your profile with the airlines you use. Just adding it to the profile does not change existing bookings. The benefit of having it in your profile is that it will populate any new booking.

[the mice]

This article explains the differences of TSA Pre, Global Entry, CLEAR and Mobile Passport: 

https://www.afar.com/magazine/tsa-precheck-versus-global-entry   

 

Since it can be more difficult to arrange for a Global Entry interview, possibly TSA Pre and Mobile Passport might be all the OP needs.

[bbtondo]

On 7/31/2019 at 9:14 AM, Voelfgar said:

We just flew at the end of June, and my wife forgot to enter hers in. So the website and app would not let you add that within 2 days of flight. She had to physically go to the checkin desk and have someone there enter it.  The key thing with all this is that the booking was done prior to receiving the KTN and adding it to your profile with the airlines you use. Just adding it to the profile does not change existing bookings. The benefit of having it in your profile is that it will populate any new booking.

Thanks soo much for this advice.  Just got Global Entry and went to all my airline accounts and added my KTN number.  Also had to add it to flights that I had booked before I had Global Entry.  

[Voelfgar]

4 hours ago, bbtondo said:

Thanks soo much for this advice.  Just got Global Entry and went to all my airline accounts and added my KTN number.  Also had to add it to flights that I had booked before I had Global Entry.  

Congrats.

 

The thing I learned about Global Entry is you don't need your passport. You go up to a kiosk, it takes a picture of your face and if there's no issues, you get the printout and go right to an agent.

[waterbug123]

16 hours ago, Voelfgar said:

Congrats.

 

The thing I learned about Global Entry is you don't need your passport. You go up to a kiosk, it takes a picture of your face and if there's no issues, you get the printout and go right to an agent.

 

Of course, one still needs to have their passport with them. It's usually needed upon check-in on the front end of an international flight.

[cmich068]

On 7/24/2019 at 12:27 AM, smplybcause said:

Well that's interesting because every Global Entry kiosk I've seen requires scanning your passport and fingerprints but as far as I was told Nexus used the card and retina scan and were on different kiosks. I definitely remember when I got GE they stated it was only for going between US and Canada plus precheck. And I can't use Nexus kiosks because GE doesn't do the retina scan.  

 

ETA clicked on the link and it was updated in 2015. I first got GE before then and I distinctly remember it being Nexus kiosks only because that was a deciding factor for choosing GE. They must have changed it in 2015 to let Nexus use GE kiosks.

 

At one point they were different, but NEXUS kiosks no longer exist to enter the United States as that aspect of the program was combined with Global Entry. 

 

NEXUS cardholders travelling by air use a NEXUS kiosk (with card and retina scan) to enter Canada and a Global Entry kiosk (with passport and fingerprints) to enter the United States. The only distinction is that Global Entry kiosks in Canadian pre-clearance facilities will accept a NEXUS card instead of a passport, but Global Entry kiosks elsewhere will not. 

 

 

[*Miss G*]

On 8/1/2019 at 3:31 PM, Voelfgar said:

Congrats.

 

The thing I learned about Global Entry is you don't need your passport. You go up to a kiosk, it takes a picture of your face and if there's no issues, you get the printout and go right to an agent.

 

The kiosk requires a passport (or PR card) to initiate the verification process.

[waterbug123]

On 8/3/2019 at 8:33 AM, *Miss G* said:

 

The kiosk requires a passport (or PR card) to initiate the verification process.

 

I'm wondering the poster meant that you don't need your GE card, because that is true- you insert a passport into the kiosk instead, not your GE card.

[Voelfgar]

On 8/3/2019 at 7:33 AM, *Miss G* said:

 

The kiosk requires a passport (or PR card) to initiate the verification process.

Not anymore. Went through at Detroit, did not need passport to initiate kiosk on July 15th.

[*Miss G*]

5 minutes ago, Voelfgar said:

Not anymore. Went through at Detroit, did not need passport to initiate kiosk on July 15th.

 

Interesting.  I wonder if this has been rolled out to all airports or just some.  Guess I am soon to find out.

[waterbug123]

14 hours ago, Voelfgar said:

Not anymore. Went through at Detroit, did not need passport to initiate kiosk on July 15th.

 

Be that as it may, I would never advise that one doesn't need to travel with their passport.  As mentioned earlier, at the very least it generally needs to be shown at check-in/boarding for an international flight.

[Voelfgar]

5 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Be that as it may, I would never advise that one doesn't need to travel with their passport.  As mentioned earlier, at the very least it generally needs to be shown at check-in/boarding for an international flight.

That's not what i was saying. All i'm saying is you don't need to have your passport out to do the kiosk.

[waterbug123]

19 hours ago, Voelfgar said:

That's not what i was saying. All i'm saying is you don't need to have your passport out to do the kiosk.

 

Ah, that's a different thing entirely.  The way your earlier post read, I could envision some novice flyer thinking they didn't think they would need their passport with them period.