 |
| via |
Are You A “Trusted Traveler”?
you find the airport security screening process your least favorite
part about traveling? I think pretty much everyone does, so why not make
your life easier and become a “trusted traveler”? By participating in
the TSA Pre-check program, you proceed to your own security line, you
don’t need to remove your shoes or your jacket and you don’t have to
take your toiletries or your laptop out of your bag. The average wait
time for the TSA PreCheck line is two minutes! I can hear all of you
saying “sign me up”, so I am here to tell you how it all works!
 |
| via |
a program offered through US Customs and Border Patrol, which offers
expedited passage through immigration when re-entering the United
States, as well as automatically enrolling you in TSA Precheck.
PreCheck costs $85 for five years. You initially fill out an online
application, followed by an appointment at an enrollment center where
you will be fingerprinted and provide the necessary documentation (valid
ID and proof of citizenship).
Entry costs $100 for five years. The process is similar to TSA
Precheck, but following your initial application, you schedule an
interview with a customs agent, where they will also fingerprint you and
verify your documentation. If
you anticipate traveling internationally at all, it is worth the extra
$15 to do Global Entry to receive expedited passage through customs upon
re-entering the United States. Also, if you have an American Express
Platinum card, they will credit back the $100 fee to join Global Entry,
if you charge it on your Amex card.
 |
| via |
the successful completion of the above steps you will be provided with a
“known traveler” number. When you book your plane ticket there is a
place to enter this number and when your boarding pass is issued, it
will be marked TSA Pre-Check and you will receive all of the benefits
mentioned above.
recently went through the process of joining Global Entry and I can
tell you the process was incredibly easy. We scheduled our interview at
JFK airport for a day when we were flying, so we simply arrived at the
airport a bit early. The interview took about 10 minutes and we were on
our way.
is well worth the time involved in filling out the application and
going for the interview to not have to deal with long security lines. I
haven’t tested to the Customs aspect of the Global Entry program, but
judging from the long lines at JFK whenever I come back from an
international trip, I can imagine it will be a pleasure to simply scan
my fingerprints at a kiosk rather than waiting in those lines!
Update as of 2016:
I have now returned to the US several times using the Global Entry fast track and it is a dream – there is nothing worse than landing after a 12 hour flight only to stand in line for an hour at customs/immigration!
The following countries have reciprocal privileges with Global Entry allowing you faster customs and immigration processing when arriving: UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Korea. If you have plans to visit any of those countries and have Global Entry, go here for more information on fast tracking the entry process.
I use the TSA PreCheck line every time I fly and 95% of the time it is a huge
difference. If you fly during times when there are a lot of business
travelers, you might find the TSA PreCheck line longer (yes, businessmen are on to this already). It still tends to move faster because you do not have to take your shoes off or remove liquids.
As much as I hate to let
the secret out of the bag for fear my “special” line will grow longer, knowing that I can make just one person’s travels a little more comfortable is worth it!
This is the part I no longer enjoy about traveling; call it age (I HOPE NOT, GOSH!) or a result of our times, but this part just bores me, irritates me, and makes me nervous!!!!! But a great destination IS worth the extra caution especially when perfectly planned. HI, SANDY! Anita
Great post Sandy. Sometimes I get TSA precheck and sometimes I don't. It's always a good day when I get it. Have a wonderful week, sweet Sandy.
I've been TSA Precheck for a while. If it's not available for some reason (like when I traveled on Frontier Airlines who doesn't participate), I really, really miss the easy path through security. We just got Global Access and look forward to using it on our upcoming trip.
Our husbands swear by these quick ways to get through security as they travel so much! Thanks for the tips and we'll make sure we sign our sons up so that travelling to college won;t be such a hassle.
xxoo
C + C
im in the process of getting mine now! perfect timing 🙂