TSA Pre-check

[PasadenaDave]

We will fly Lufthansa International Business Class.  Will that ticket qualify for TSA Pre-check or should we pay $70 annual fee?

[FlyerTalker]

46 minutes ago, PasadenaDave said:

We will fly Lufthansa International Business Class.  Will that ticket qualify for TSA Pre-check or should we pay $70 annual fee?

 

Business class may get you into a priority screening lane (depending on the airport), but all that does is shorten the wait in line.  You still will need to remove laptops, liquids, shoes and the rest of the drill.  You do not get the simplified screening that comes with Pre-Check, nor can you use the Pre-Check line.

 

Also note, it's not just pay the fee to get PC.

[PasadenaDave]

Thanks do you recommend paying the $70 fee for annual TSA Pre if doing more than 4-5 boardings per year?

[FlyerTalker]

Just now, PasadenaDave said:

Thanks do you recommend paying the $70 fee for annual TSA Pre if doing more than 4-5 boardings per year?

 

It's like the question "Is a veranda worth the money?"

 

Everyone puts their own value on things.  Personally, I use Global Entry.

[mchell810]

5 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

Thanks do you recommend paying the $70 fee for annual TSA Pre if doing more than 4-5 boardings per year?

 

There is not an annual fee: Pre-Check costs $85 and is good for 5 years.  There is an application process you have to complete to get approval.  If you travel internationally, you may want to consider Global Entry instead because it speeds your clearance when returning to the US and it includes Pre-Check for the $100 application fee. It also lasts 5 years.

Edited February 27, 2022 by mchell810

[PasadenaDave]

Thanks I didn’t realize that it was good for five years…..no brainer.

 

for global entry I see an interview process, for us the closest airport is LAX, would we do the interview the next time we fly out and get there early or make a special trip?

[zdcatc12]

5 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

for global entry I see an interview process, for us the closest airport is LAX, would we do the interview the next time we fly out and get there early or make a special trip?

You would set up an appointment on-line. They may have an opening the next time that you are there. You never know until you check.

[mchell810]

12 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

Thanks I didn’t realize that it was good for five years…..no brainer.

 

for global entry I see an interview process, for us the closest airport is LAX, would we do the interview the next time we fly out and get there early or make a special trip?

 

6 hours ago, zdcatc12 said:

You would set up an appointment on-line. They may have an opening the next time that you are there. You never know until you check.

 

Both options are valid, making an appointment is the recommended method.  When you first try to make an appointment if there aren't any I suggest waiting a week and then checking back.  I did that for 2 weeks and then got a convenient time.  The "interview" literally took 5 minutes during which time you are fingerprinted, you show your ID/passport and your photo is taken.

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, mchell810 said:

The "interview" literally took 5 minutes during which time you are fingerprinted, you show your ID/passport and your photo is taken.

 

The interview can also be a much longer time, depending on what your records/history indicate.   And the decisions of the interviewing officer.  Extensive foreign travel, strange as it may seems, may trigger additional questions as to your reasons for visiting many places. Police, immigration, customs and other records also play into the interview process.  So don't make an appointment assuming a quick five minutes before you leave to catch a plane.

[Ashland]

22 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

Thanks I didn’t realize that it was good for five years…..no brainer.

 

for global entry I see an interview process, for us the closest airport is LAX, would we do the interview the next time we fly out and get there early or make a special trip?

We did the appt for our Global Entry easily...it wasn't at LAX but very close by. Took us less than 20 min in/out for the process...very easy. Make an appt OP it's an easy drive from Pasadena.

[PasadenaDave]

23 minutes ago, Ashland said:

We did the appt for our Global Entry easily...it wasn't at LAX but very close by. Took us less than 20 min in/out for the process...very easy. Make an appt OP it's an easy drive from Pasadena.

OP?

[fbgd]

10 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

The interview can also be a much longer time, depending on what your records/history indicate.   And the decisions of the interviewing officer.  Extensive foreign travel, strange as it may seems, may trigger additional questions as to your reasons for visiting many places. Police, immigration, customs and other records also play into the interview process.  So don't make an appointment assuming a quick five minutes before you leave to catch a plane.

 

My wife's renewal interview earlier in the year was pretty intensive. We had a lot of Middle Eastern and Asian countries on the history that prompted questions about purpose of visits etc.

 

The one for my 1yr old daughter was a little less so 😄

Edited February 28, 2022 by fbgd

[zdcatc12]

3 hours ago, Ashland said:

We did the appt for our Global Entry easily...it wasn't at LAX but very close by. Took us less than 20 min in/out for the process...very easy. Make an appt OP it's an easy drive from Pasadena.

Yeah, we got lucky on our initial one too. Turns out my wife graduated high school with the agent. They ended up talking more about school stuff during the interview than anything else. Neither one of us needed an interview for our renewal.

[Ashland]

20 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

OP?

OP=original poster which is you PasadenaDave...right ??

[PasadenaDave]

5 hours ago, Ashland said:

OP=original poster which is you PasadenaDave...right ??

Thank you I am no bilingual when it comes to short speak.  I know lol, but is OG Original Guy or Old Guy?.  Young people call me OG, I thought it was the short cut of Ok Boomer 

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

Thank you I am no bilingual when it comes to short speak.  I know lol, but is OG Original Guy or Old Guy?.  Young people call me OG, I thought it was the short cut of Ok Boomer 

I'm not either but this baby boomer is learning.

[Z'Loth]

Both my mother and I have Global Entry. When we were living in Sacramento, the closest Global Entry center was at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), meaning it meant spending a whole day traveling to San Francisco, have the interview, then traveling back, and we weren't traveling that much. When we moved to DFW area (job relocation), getting Global Entry was a no brainer considering that the travel options were much better. 

 

The Global Entry interview was in September, 2019. Insert punch line here. 

[MamaFej]

2 hours ago, Z'Loth said:

The Global Entry interview was in September, 2019. Insert punch line here. 

Ours were in very early 2019.

Retired in October 2019.

Youngest graduated high school in May 2020. 

Freedom!!!(?????)

 

I've got no punchline for you, but I absolutely do have empathy. 

[TMLAalum]

Keep in mind that many credit cards reimburse your for either TSA pre-check or Global Entry. When we renewed our GE last year, it was automatic. We did have to update our travel destinations since the first issue but no interview was required.

 

Friends of ours applied for initial GE in late March, got their pre-approval notice but could not be interviewed until June in Port Clinton OH.

Edited April 18, 2022 by TMLAalum

[MamaFej]

A bit of unsolicited advice: when you get a new passport, be sure to link it to your Trusted Traveler (GE) Number before you go on your next trip. 
 

if you don’t, you’ll get slowed down on reentry. 
 

Don’t ask how I know this. 😉

[fatcat04]

On 2/26/2022 at 9:25 PM, mchell810 said:

 

There is not an annual fee: Pre-Check costs $85 and is good for 5 years.  There is an application process you have to complete to get approval.  If you travel internationally, you may want to consider Global Entry instead because it speeds your clearance when returning to the US and it includes Pre-Check for the $100 application fee. It also lasts 5 years.

 

Second Global Entry, some of the best money we have spent. Love it!! 

[SpacemanSpiff]

On 4/18/2022 at 11:13 PM, fatcat04 said:

 

Second Global Entry, some of the best money we have spent. Love it!! 

I've had it for a few years, though never had the use for it (primarily due to COVID).  Had no trouble getting it then.  Wife applied for it a couple of months ago, and it's backlogged - might be something in her history (even though she has a "top secret" clearance), or it may just be like everything else these days.  The problem is you can't use it for a "family group" upon reentry unless everyone in the group (kids included) have one.  It certainly should be straight by our cruise next year.

 

OTOH, as others have noted, it did give me TSA-Precheck, which I am not arguing about!

 

And a lot of folks seem to dread the interview questions.  I  guess it's based upon what they find and what the interviewer feels like that day.  Mine simply was five minutes of discussing SEC football.  But there have been some horror stories as well.

[fbgd]

On 4/18/2022 at 11:13 PM, fatcat04 said:

 

Second Global Entry, some of the best money we have spent. Love it!! 

 

The best money American Express have ever spent on me...

[Moondogy]

Can global entry be used to go through customs when getting off a cruise in the US that originated in the US. Or is it only for air travel?

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, Moondogy said:

Can global entry be used to go through customs when getting off a cruise in the US that originated in the US. Or is it only for air travel?

It can definitely speed your way through Immigration AND Customs at ports. Immigration is always going to be the problem area, usually takes the most time . 

 

Recent switches to biometrics have smoothed this even further, but not sure this is being implemented everywhere.