TSA PreCheck? Global Entry? Which should you get? Is either option for you? Hopefully this post will help you decide.

What's the Difference?

You know when you're standing in the security line at the airport and there's that empty line next to the long line you're standing in? That's the TSA PreCheck line. At the most basic level, TSA PreCheck is beneficial for domestic travel and Global Entry is beneficial for domestic and international travel.

TSA PreCheck grants you access to a separate security line that is typically never more than a 5-10 minute wait and allows you to keep your shoes, belt & jacket on, as well as keeping your laptop and liquids in your bag. In all my times traveling I've never seen more than 4 or 5 people in the PreCheck line at one time. This service costs $85 for five years. When you apply you pay that $85 up front as an application fee and it is nonrefundable.

Global Entry includes everything listed above for TSA PreCheck as well as a separate security line with kiosks at customs when you re-enter the U.S. from travelling internationally. This service costs $100 for five years. If you apply for Global Entry it's $100 up front and is also nonrefundable, so make sure you check the list of eligibility requirements first!

You've decided you want to apply. Here's what you need:

A list of every country you've visited in the past five years

Your passport or a permanent resident card

Your employment history

$85/$100 dollars

Now What?

You wait. You'll get an email letting you know whether you've been approved or not, and if you've been approved your next step will be to schedule an appointment for an interview. I submitted an application on December 1st and got my approval email on December 14th, so if you're expecting to get this done last minute before a trip like I did, think again. Interviews are held at most major international airports which are listed on the GOES (Global Online Enrollment System) website when you go to schedule your appointment. I immediately tried to schedule an interview as soon as I got the approval email and the earliest available appointment at the 2 closest airports to me were in June 2017 and September 2017. I called the homeland security office at one of the airports to ask if that was normal, and was advised to go ahead and schedule an appointment (because if you don't schedule within 30 days of approval you'll have to apply all over again) and to routinely check the site for an earlier date because they have a lot of cancellations and rescheduling. In the time it took to make that phone call, multiple appointments had opened up for the next few days and I was able to reschedule with no problems.

The Interview

Bring your passport, one other form of ID and your approval email (they did indeed ask to see all three items). I was asked many of the same questions that I answered on the online application, got my fingerprints & picture taken and was done in about 3 minutes. I got a physical card in the mail about a week later.

You got approved and got your card, now you're ready to go!

Almost. You don't need to take that card with you unless you're entering a country by land. Otherwise if you're flying you'll need your Known Traveler Number that's on the back of your card in the upper left-hand corner. For Global Entry you'll still need your passport at the kiosks when re-entering the country. In order to use TSA PreCheck you'll need to enter your Known Traveler Number when booking your flight. This will print a notation on your boarding pass marking you for PreCheck, and if you don't have it you'll have to line up in the normal security line.

At the airport keep an eye out for TSA PreCheck signs and Global Entry signs- in my experience they've all been very visible. For PreCheck you show your boarding pass and ID like usual; for Global Entry you'll scan your passport at a kiosk, answer a couple questions, have your picture taken, then take the receipt that the kiosk gives you to a customs agent.

Good to Know

Not every airport and airline participates in TSA PreCheck and/or Global Entry. Currently there are 180 airports and 30 airlines that participate and you can find those lists on the TSA's website.

Shorter lines and happier travel await!

#tsa #precheck #globalentry