Is Global Entry worth it?

[OldUser 6,167]

6 hours ago, usmsbow said:

 

 

But yes, when you have checked baggage, it often doesn't matter. Even though it took us 45 minutes to get through immigration, the bags just started coming out in baggage claim when we got there, so even if we had Global Entry, we would have had to wait quite awhile for our luggage.

 

 

After few incidents of airlines losing my bags, I mostly travel with cabin bags even internationally, as I can live off that bag for 2 weeks. I rarely travel for 2+ weeks at a time, and when I do I just go to restroom / get coffee / check emails in baggage area. So GE makes sense... Plus TSA Pre benefits it comes with are useful.

Edited September 18 by OldUser

[Bob in Boston 666]

9 hours ago, EatBulaga said:

Yes, getting GE interview is the biggest obstacle in the process. Enrollment on arrival is an option provided that your international flight arrival time and airport coincides with the GE office schedule.

I did a walk in at JFK, Was easy and no wait,

9 hours ago, EatBulaga said:

Yes, getting GE interview is the biggest obstacle in the process. Enrollment on arrival is an option provided that your international flight arrival time and airport coincides with the GE office schedule.

I did a walk in at JFK, Was easy and no wait,

[appleblossom 2,011]

Another vote for GE, it's so easy. I can be at the car in the airport car park within 10 minutes of getting off the plane, it's a breeze. 

 

If you have an Amex card then check to see if it's a benefit of it - a lot of cards reimburse you for the fee. 

 

 

[W199 322]

17 hours ago, EatBulaga said:

My wife had passport in maiden name and green card in marriage name. Global Entry was in maiden name to match passport and was told to update the Global Entry whenever the passport name is updated to marriage name. Just need to go to nearest GE office, no appointment necessary. She traveled with our marriage certificate to link the names, no different than without GE. She just needed to present the marriage certificate to GE if asked, no different than going thru CBP 

 

The GE officer who did the interview for my Wife was at first confused and said "you can't have two names, and was confused why she didn't update her passport.  He was going to deny her but then went to the backroom and came back and said "we will use your married name for the GE so you must use your GC when entering, Then when you update your passport, stop in and to update your GE to use your passport. Likewise, when you get a 10 yr GC, come in to update it.  

 

But you have a great point, thanks for posting it.  I will try to get them to change her GE to use her passport in her maiden name, since we won't update the passport until the N-400. That way she will get precheck.

 

By the way, it only took about a week or so for my wife to get approved. But there was no email. Then it took a bit of refreshing the interview schedules to get an interview just a few weeks out near us in Boston. But other than these random cancellations that you need to be fast on, there wasn;t anything available for months.

 

But there are apps (not free) that will constantly look for open appointments for you. For us, we did it manually

 

Thanks

 

 

[W199 322]

Actually correction, for the interview appointments, it was initially full except for cancellations now and then in a nearby State. But after a few weeks, Boston suddenly released a full month of open appointments out just 1-2 month, each day of the month having many available appointment slow.  They apparently do this one a month in my location. 

[W199 322]

17 hours ago, W199 said:

The GE officer who did the interview for my Wife was at first confused and said "you can't have two names, and was confused why she didn't update her passport.  He was going to deny her but then went to the backroom and came back and said "we will use your married name for the GE so you must use your GC when entering, Then when you update your passport, stop in and to update your GE to use your passport. Likewise, when you get a 10 yr GC, come in to update it.  

 

But you have a great point, thanks for posting it.  I will try to get them to change her GE to use her passport in her maiden name, since we won't update the passport until the N-400. That way she will get precheck.

 

 

Update: I emailed global entry last night. I asked them to change my Wife's global entry name from her married name to her passport name (maiden name) so that she will get both precheck.  Surprisingly, they emailed us back the very next morning and conformed they changed her global entry name to her passport name! 

 

[EatBulaga 310]

7 hours ago, W199 said:

 

Update: I emailed global entry last night. I asked them to change my Wife's global entry name from her married name to her passport name (maiden name) so that she will get both precheck.  Surprisingly, they emailed us back the very next morning and conformed they changed her global entry name to her passport name! 

 

Congratulations on the Global Entry and the name change.

Your wife should still travel with the marriage certificate to link the names along with the GE card, passport and green card. The only difference is that on return from an international travel she will go through the GE line instead of the regular CBP immigration line. The GE officer may or may not ask to see the documents. My wife has yet to be asked to show the marriage certificate or the GE card. And I've only been asked 1 time to show my GE card. Since she recently updated her foreign passport to the marriage name, we plan to update her GE with the new passport so she won't need to travel with the marriage certificate anymore 

 

Also a word of warning about customs declaration with GE. Since GE are Trusted Travelers, one condition is that you know the customs law and responsibility so you volunteer your customs declaration. In other words, the GE officer most likely will not ask you if you have anything to declare. You declare through the kiosk, or you voluntarily hand over the customs declaration form to the GE officer without them asking for it. If you do not, and you are caught with undeclared or illegal imports somewhere down the road, your GE can get revoked along with fines or even confinement by the CBP.

Edited September 20 by EatBulaga

[SL2024 44]

My fiancee has Global Entry and she said it is more convenient for her

[appleblossom 2,011]

On 9/19/2024 at 2:20 PM, W199 said:

 

Update: I emailed global entry last night. I asked them to change my Wife's global entry name from her married name to her passport name (maiden name) so that she will get both precheck.  Surprisingly, they emailed us back the very next morning and conformed they changed her global entry name to her passport name! 

 

 

What email address did you use? I need to contact them as for some reason they have me as having an O visa rather than a green card - despite me having to upload my green card for the application, and take it to the interview! It's not a big deal but I fly backwards and forwards every couple of months and usually have to stop for a little bit of extra time to explain it's wrong, so it would be better to just get it sorted I think.

[OldUser 6,167]

22 hours ago, appleblossom said:

 

What email address did you use? I need to contact them as for some reason they have me as having an O visa rather than a green card - despite me having to upload my green card for the application, and take it to the interview! It's not a big deal but I fly backwards and forwards every couple of months and usually have to stop for a little bit of extra time to explain it's wrong, so it would be better to just get it sorted I think.

I was also in the system as work visa person even after getting GC and updating them at enrollment center.

 

After conversation with CBP upon one of the entires, it seems like a note was left or something, because I haven't had an issue since.

[appleblossom 2,011]

1 minute ago, OldUser said:

I was also in the system as work visa person even after getting GC and updating them at enrollment center.

 

After conversation with CBP upon one of the entires, it seems like a note was left or something, because I haven't had an issue since.

 

I've tried that twice but they've both said they can't update it for me. It just makes no sense at all as my work visa was cancelled months before I even applied for GE, and I the only document they've ever seen from me is my green card, so no idea why they've ignored that and used an old long cancelled visa instead. 😂

[W199 322]

On 9/26/2024 at 4:44 PM, appleblossom said:

 

What email address did you use? I need to contact them as for some reason they have me as having an O visa rather than a green card - despite me having to upload my green card for the application, and take it to the interview! It's not a big deal but I fly backwards and forwards every couple of months and usually have to stop for a little bit of extra time to explain it's wrong, so it would be better to just get it sorted I think.

When I logged in to GE, there was a "need help" link under "support".   That link took me to this form where I was able to submit a ticket.

 

https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/questions?language=en_US

 

[appleblossom 2,011]

11 hours ago, W199 said:

When I logged in to GE, there was a "need help" link under "support".   That link took me to this form where I was able to submit a ticket.

 

https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/questions?language=en_US

 

 

Ah thank you, I've tried that, thought you might have an email I could try as well. 

[W199 322]

4 hours ago, appleblossom said:

 

Ah thank you, I've tried that, thought you might have an email I could try as well. 

 

4 hours ago, appleblossom said:

 

Ah thank you, I've tried that, thought you might have an email I could try as well. 

 

4 hours ago, appleblossom said:

 

Ah thank you, I've tried that, thought you might have an email I could try as well. 

They did reply back to me the next morning by email.  I suppose you could try that, but I would not recommend it.  The email reply I got had a case number attached that the form apparently added. I don't know if emailing them directly will generate a case number, and since there are so many sub-departments withing GE it might not get directed to the right one. For my issue I chose "precheck not working" in the form, in order for them to change the global entry name to her passport name rather than the greencard name.