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Renew TSA PreCheck or get Global Entry?


SoccerMom#3
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My TSA PreCheck expires in May so I will need to renew it then (I love PreCheck!).  I've got a few international trips planned for the next year starting late summer so I was thinking of getting Global Entry.  If I do that should I wait till my PreCheck is about to expire or should I apply for Global Entry now?

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Because they keep the interviews 'in house' rather than outsourcing the background checks like PreCheck does, there can be long delays in getting an interview set up after you apply for Global Entry in many parts of the country. (And the interview on arrival option can be hit or miss in many airports these days)  So look at available interview times for GE at locations that are reasonable for you to reach and use that as your guide in how to try to time it. 

 

Me, I'd probably just go ahead and get GE as soon as realistically possible even if it means overlapping a bit with your old Pre time frame. 

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4 minutes ago, sumiandkage said:

Me, I'd probably just go ahead and get GE as soon as realistically possible even if it means overlapping a bit with your old Pre time frame. 

That's what I'm thinking too.  I live in Denver so getting to the airport for an interview is easy (usually 🙂)

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We couldn’t get an appt for GE for months in TN, but were visiting our kids in IL the following week.  Looked under ORD and could get an interview the next week while in IL.  Waited about 30 minutes for our interview, answered questions and got fingerprints taken.  We left with a number we could add to our airline reservations and card came within 10 days.  When flying from Spain to Dulles, found hundreds in line for customs and 0 in GE line.  Worth the $100 for 5 years. 

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Get the GE.  It can also serve in everyday life as a legal form of government ID.  And, it doesn't have much personal info on it (no address, etc,) so it is a relatively safe ID.  Mine is in my wallet at all times. 

As far as the interview:  if the wait time is too long at DEN, check for LAS and SLC and make a weekend out of it.  When I got mine the first time, SLC did not have station.  I could get into LAS pretty fast, so I did a weekend trip.  Made enough money at the craps table to pay for the trip!

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The advice you received is solid.

 

Apply for Global Entry and glad you are doing it now.  Interview intervals do vary by location (when we applied we couldn't get a time at the airport that we use regularly and had to travel to another airport for the interview) and the entire interval does vary.  Be sure before you apply that you have a complete listing of all countries you have visited the past five years.

 

Keith

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On 11/11/2019 at 4:21 PM, SoccerMom#3 said:

Thank you all so much for your advice.  I applied for Global Entry today so hopefully I get it by this summer.

 

Congratulations.  Global Entry is the best investment in time I have ever made!  I have had it for almost 10 years now and can't imagine life without it.  As was stated above, it pays for itself the first time out.  As long as you keep your record clean, you'll likely be able to renew your card in 5 years without an additional interview.

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Got the email today that I can set up an interview time.  Unfortunately the first appointment available in Denver is in August.  Ugh.  Should I set up an appointment at another airport (PHX, LAS, SLC) or should I just keep checking to see if there are any openings at DIA?   Or can I do both and then cancel my appointment at the out of town airport? 

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It's only about a $20 price difference so I'd go for Global Entry.  Plus check with your credit card, they may cover the cost as a benefit. (My global entry renewal was covered as a benefit by citibank on one of my credit cards).  But don't wait, start the process now, my GE expires in Jan and I did my online stuff in early Oct and it is still (as of 30 seconds ago) "in progress" 🙄.   Not that I have any flights planned for the next few months anyway, but I might have to actually fly to either Atlanta or Charlotte to actually do the final interview as Charleston doesn't have a place to do it.

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On 11/17/2019 at 3:12 PM, TruckerDave said:

It's only about a $20 price difference so I'd go for Global Entry.  Plus check with your credit card, they may cover the cost as a benefit. (My global entry renewal was covered as a benefit by citibank on one of my credit cards).  But don't wait, start the process now, my GE expires in Jan and I did my online stuff in early Oct and it is still (as of 30 seconds ago) "in progress" 🙄.   Not that I have any flights planned for the next few months anyway, but I might have to actually fly to either Atlanta or Charlotte to actually do the final interview as Charleston doesn't have a place to do it.

 

The cheapest way of getting Pre-check is to get Nexus (which includes Precheck), and oddly costs less than pre-check.

 

Nexus is the expedited Canada/US crossing card, and gets you expedited clearance at US/Canada border crossings, as well as access to fast track security in the US (TSA) and Canada (CATSA)

 

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On 11/16/2019 at 8:20 AM, SoccerMom#3 said:

Got the email today that I can set up an interview time.  Unfortunately the first appointment available in Denver is in August.  Ugh.  Should I set up an appointment at another airport (PHX, LAS, SLC) or should I just keep checking to see if there are any openings at DIA?   Or can I do both and then cancel my appointment at the out of town airport? 

Make an appointment, then if you are going to the airport or any of the others, stop in and see if you can do a walk in interview.  We applied a couple of years back, got the email for an appointment 4 months later, like September.  Had a flight out of that airport in May at 3 pm.  We went ahead and went to the airport at 9am to see if we could do a walk-in.  We were interviewed about noon, in time to make our flight.    Much better than waiting.

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19 hours ago, Algebralovr said:

Make an appointment, then if you are going to the airport or any of the others, stop in and see if you can do a walk in interview.  We applied a couple of years back, got the email for an appointment 4 months later, like September.  Had a flight out of that airport in May at 3 pm.  We went ahead and went to the airport at 9am to see if we could do a walk-in.  We were interviewed about noon, in time to make our flight.    Much better than waiting.

That's a good idea.  I was able to get an appointment at DIA for early June but I've got a flight out of there in May so I'll check then to see if I can do a walk in appointment although on line it says they don't do walk in appointments at DIA.  I've been checking on line daily to see if I can get an earlier appointment at DIA but early June will work if nothing else opens up.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Look at where you are going in May and see if that is a place you get do your interview.  If it is just see if you can get your appointment there.

 

A side note, we just renewed our GE online this week.  It only took two days to get our approvals and there is nothing about needing a new interview so I guess it pays to behave when we travel.   Now lets see if the new cards low up in the next week or so.

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9 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

Look at where you are going in May and see if that is a place you get do your interview.  If it is just see if you can get your appointment there.

 

 

I kept checking to see if I could get an earlier appointment and a few weeks ago I was able to get an appointment for January 28 so I snagged it.  Of course as luck would have it , the next day I got an email that I could have my interview upon return from our cruise in May also 😂

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/13/2019 at 12:31 PM, SelectSys said:

 

Congratulations.  Global Entry is the best investment in time I have ever made!  I have had it for almost 10 years now and can't imagine life without it.  As was stated above, it pays for itself the first time out.  As long as you keep your record clean, you'll likely be able to renew your card in 5 years without an additional interview.

 

On 12/11/2019 at 10:01 PM, Mr. Click said:

Look at where you are going in May and see if that is a place you get do your interview.  If it is just see if you can get your appointment there.

 

A side note, we just renewed our GE online this week.  It only took two days to get our approvals and there is nothing about needing a new interview so I guess it pays to behave when we travel.   Now lets see if the new cards low up in the next week or so.


My Global Entry expires on my birthday next April, so I applied online for renewal on August 5. Meanwhile, my husband applied for his GE renewal right after Thanksgiving (his GE expires in Nov. 2020), and his application was approved 5 days later, with no interview required!  My application from early August was STILL pending review 4 months later! 
 

My GE renewal application was finally conditionally approved yesterday, and I do need another interview. The earliest appt. I could get in Chicago was March 18.  Then I checked Washington, D.C.,  as I’ll be there next month. I had my pick of time slots in D.C.! 

 

I think the reason my GE renewal application required more scrutiny and an interview was due to some of the countries I’ve been to recently that my husband hasn’t visited.  

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1 hour ago, NancyIL said:

 


My Global Entry expires on my birthday next April, so I applied online for renewal on August 5. Meanwhile, my husband applied for his GE renewal right after Thanksgiving (his GE expires in Nov. 2020), and his application was approved 5 days later, with no interview required!  My application from early August was STILL pending review 4 months later! 
 

My GE renewal application was finally conditionally approved yesterday, and I do need another interview. The earliest appt. I could get in Chicago was March 18.  Then I checked Washington, D.C.,  as I’ll be there next month. I had my pick of time slots in D.C.! 

 

I think the reason my GE renewal application required more scrutiny and an interview was due to some of the countries I’ve been to recently that my husband hasn’t visited.  

That could be but we have been to China, Russia and all over Europe in the past 4 years and we still got approved in a few days and no interview and the cards did come in the mail 10 days later.  Clean living i guess 🙂

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23 hours ago, NancyIL said:

 


My Global Entry expires on my birthday next April, so I applied online for renewal on August 5. Meanwhile, my husband applied for his GE renewal right after Thanksgiving (his GE expires in Nov. 2020), and his application was approved 5 days later, with no interview required!  My application from early August was STILL pending review 4 months later! 
 

My GE renewal application was finally conditionally approved yesterday, and I do need another interview. The earliest appt. I could get in Chicago was March 18.  Then I checked Washington, D.C.,  as I’ll be there next month. I had my pick of time slots in D.C.! 

 

I think the reason my GE renewal application required more scrutiny and an interview was due to some of the countries I’ve been to recently that my husband hasn’t visited.  

Likely random.  I have been to the same countries that my DW has been plus more.  Hers had an interview and mine no interview. Only difference was hers was first renewal and mine was second renewal.  I had to do an interview on thy 1st renewal 6 years ago. 

 

CBP will do an interview on arrival at most international arrival points.  No appointment but have heard it is hit miss and depends how busy they are.  Also have popped in at CBP in Orlando to get a change (new drivers license) - at the time you could not do this on line.

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