TSA pre-check or global entry? WWYD?

[Lewisc]

It's easy to say GE is worth the nominal price difference, over 5 years.
How long a drive for GE enrollment visit? How long for TSA enrollment visit?

Do you have to drive 3 hours each way for a GE enrolment interview? It's going to take a lot of international trips to get back that 6 hours.
YMMV

Edited to add anecdotal reports suggest the passport app reduces entry time, not much longer then GE.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's easy to say GE is worth the nominal price difference, over 5 years.
How long a drive for GE enrollment visit? How long for TSA enrollment visit?

Do you have to drive 3 hours each way for a GE enrolment interview? It's going to take a lot of international trips to get back that 6 hours.
YMMV

The OP made it clear their CC will pay for either/or (TSA pre or Global Entry) for one person. That should be factored in as well.

In our situation my husband's work paid for his and our CC paid for mine both for Global Entry. For us it made a difference last year coming back into the U.S. through Chicago as the Global Entry line was bad enough the regular line was horrendous. And we breezed through coming back into the U.S. from Mexico. It was a decent amount faster than the others in our traveling party who did not have Global Entry.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I would not give up a year of TSA-Pre for GE.

How soon a can you get a GE appt? This might help estimate. Idk its accuracy. https://appointmentscanner.com/locations/global-entry

You don’t get your GE # until after the interview so no tsa pre. But you have to pick one you say. TSA Pre now, unless you can easily interview for GE. You already have 2 cc’s with TSA/GE credits so you’re dipping your toes in that world… meaning you have good odds of acquiring 2 more cc between now and your international travel dates that will have TSA/GE credits so you could apply for GE with those. It’s a very common benefit among the higher end travel cards.

What I did-
My nearest GE interview places were 8 hours away round trip and 1 year out schedule wise. So I did pre-check. When I had an international trip finally coming up I did the GE app and did interview on arrival program where they do your interview while clearing you back into the country. So easy. https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/enrollment-arrival

If you’re dead set you’re not getting anymore cc’s in the next 18 months between you or DH, GE. But I don’t know many folks who get a taste of cc bonuses covering travel expenses who then go cold turkey in the year before their big trip…

 

[AgentMama]

I'm not sure using the current aappointment times is a good judge of what you should pick as they can change in a day, and you cannot sign up for an appointment until your application is conditionally approved. If you're conditionally approved as new appointments release, you could get approved quickly. You could also look for day of cancelations and see if you could get one quickly at nearby airport. Some of the larger airports have quite a few day of available.

Personally, we picked pre-check and then moved to GE as we could get appointments. We travel enough domestically and internationally that the convience was worth the overlapping costs.

Also, anecdotally, we had a couple of trips when the pre-check did not extend to our kids on the same reservation.

 

[umalum99]

I think it depends on how much you really want the pre-check for your upcoming domestic flights. If you think you can live without pre-check for your upcoming domestic flights then I would try for the global entry. When we first got global entry it was practically a year wait for the interview at our local airport. So we drove 10 hours to Albuquerque and also spent some time at the balloon festival and got an extra trip out of it. Albuquerque had interviews available only a month out. What takes the longest with global entry is waiting to even get that conditional approval. Right now it seems to be all over the place. I'm aware of some people who have applied and gotten their conditional approval within a month or so and then I know that people who had to reapply because it expired and they're still waiting almost a year out. Edited to add that we also had an experience where my 4-year-old daughter was approved and there were no interviews for about 9 months. But they opened a new slate of interviews on Saturdays and Sundays that are local airport and we were then able to get in within about a week. It can be a crap shoot but it's really convenient if you're able to get it.

 

[EACarlson]

Also, anecdotally, we had a couple of trips when the pre-check did not extend to our kids on the same reservation.

As it is supposed to be. If they are 12 or under they don't need it and can go through with an adult that does have it. If they are 13+ it's likely that they will get it but far from guaranteed. One of the reasons I will be getting my son Pre as soon as he turns 13.

 

[AgentMama]

As it is supposed to be. If they are 12 or under they don't need it and can go through with an adult that does have it. If they are 13+ it's likely that they will get it but far from guaranteed. One of the reasons I will be getting my son Pre as soon as he turns 13.

Actually, we had kids under 12 refused by TSA, but thanks anyway for your comment.

 

[Jimsig]

Actually, we had kids under 12 refused by TSA, but thanks anyway for your comment.

Do you mean you were told by a TSA agent that you 12 and under child could not go through? Or that they would not let you apply for your 12 or under child?

If it was that they would not let your child go through the precheck line then the agent was wrong and you should have 1. Asked for a supervisor and 2. Had the TSA website on your phone with the rule direct from their website which says
"Children 12 and under may accompany an enrolled parent or guardian in the TSA PreCheck lanes without restriction."

Do children need to apply for TSA PreCheck®?

 

[ParrotBill]

I wanted GE but the wait was months and required travel to a TSA interview location.

PreCheck was a local interview scheduled the week after I applied, and I had my KTN later that day. Super fast and easy.

Now if we can stop Precheck for families with 2 strollers and 4 kids who do not know how to go through security... LOL my last experience at MCO... I was third in line and it took 15 minutes.

 

[tony67]

Now if we can stop Precheck for families with 2 strollers and 4 kids who do not know how to go through security... LOL my last experience at MCO... I was third in line and it took 15 minutes.

Yeah - this is one of the problems with pre check and people getting it for free with a CC - if they only travel once a year the slow they whole thing down as they have no idea what to do and I always seem to be stuck behind them

 

[EACarlson]

I wanted GE but the wait was months and required travel to a TSA interview location.

PreCheck was a local interview scheduled the week after I applied, and I had my KTN later that day. Super fast and easy.

Now if we can stop Precheck for families with 2 strollers and 4 kids who do not know how to go through security... LOL my last experience at MCO... I was third in line and it took 15 minutes.

I would be fully on board with getting rid of the childrens' exemption to having TSA Pre on the boarding pass. You travel enough for your kids to have Pre, they should have it, just like with Global Entry.