Seven months ago, I went online to renew my Global Entry for another 5 years and sign up for a re-enrollment interview. The earliest interview I could get was January 10th, 7 months in the future (unless I wanted to go somewhere other than the Bay Area). So I took BART from North Berkeley to SFO this morning — a one-hour trip and quite the bargain if you have a Senior Clipper Pass.
If you travel internationally, you should get Global Entry. It will make your US immigration much quicker. You get to bypass the long lines snaking up to the desks and go straight to the kiosks. Scan your passport, give them your fingerprints, and the kiosk spits out a receipt that you show at the door when you leave. There's even a separate exit through Customs for Global Entry customers. Here's the link to apply... and some credit cards will reimburse the $100 it costs. A great value, even if it weren't free.
And you get TSA Pre-Check as part of the bargain! No need to take off your shoes, remove your bag of liquids, or take your computer out of your carryon.
And you get TSA Pre-Check as part of the bargain! No need to take off your shoes, remove your bag of liquids, or take your computer out of your carryon.
Good for five years of expedited travel, be sure to watch the expiration date of your Global Entry membership. Be sure to renew before it expires!
copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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