Even at its new higher fee for its 5-year term, Global Entry is still a bargain and a game changer. It gives international travelers expedited entry into the US.
Global Entry is a U.S. Trusted Traveler Program run by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP). Primarily, Global Entry — still a bargain — provides expedited entry into the U.S. for pre-qualified, low-risk U.S. nationals traveling to the United States from another country.
Instead of waiting in a long line at immigration to be checked for entry into the U.S. by an immigration officer, you can proceed to a Global Entry kiosk or use Global Entry to verify your identity via biometric data, then quickly see an immigration officer who will clear you without waiting in line.
Over time, I’ve had readers, friends and relatives tell me that they’ve waited in line at U.S. Immigration for as long as two hours when multiple planes landed from foreign nations at the airport within a short time period. Global entry is still a bargain, now at a slightly higher fee. Since obtaining Global Entry membership, it’s never taken me more than five minutes to get through the Global Entry line at immigration.
Global Entry membership is a game changer for international travelers.
As far as I’m concerned, for U.S. nationals traveling internationally, Global Entry membership is a game changer.
On a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Newark Liberty International Airport my wife and I were in the sixth wide-body aircraft that landed from a foreign country within a half hour of each other. Friends we met on our trip told us that it took them an hour and 50 minutes to get through immigration and customs. Thanks to Global Entry, we were almost home in Philadelphia by the time they finally were able to retrieve their luggage at U.S. Customs.
Global Entry membership works when entering the U.S. regardless of the airline you fly.
While programs like TSA PreCheck depend, in part, on that the airline you’re flying participates in the TSA PreCheck program, the same is not true with Global Entry. No matter what airline you’re on to fly to the U.S., you’ll be able to use Global Entry at the airport.
Using Global Entry is easier than ever. U.S. CBP introduced a Global Entry smartphone app last year. It can be downloaded from the Apple App and Google Play stores. To use the app, travelers take a selfie on their smartphone instead of taking their photo at the Global Entry kiosk at the airport. The image is matched with the photo on file to verify the traveler’s identity. You even answer the standard customs’ questions on the app instead of in the kiosk.
Twenty-five percent of U.S. travelers flying internationally have Global Entry. The other 75 percent could benefit from it.
According to data from Air Travelers in America, approximately 49 percent of the U.S. population flew at least once in 2023. That’s about 163 million Americans. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, about 13.8 percent of Americans flew internationally in 2023. That’s about 46 million Americans. It’s been reported that in 2023, Global Entry membership increased by 22 percent to a total of more than 12 million Americans. That means that only little more than 25 percent of Americans traveling internationally already use Global Entry when they return to the U.S.
Many travel credit cards will reimburse card holders for the full Global Entry fee, making the program free for them.
In my opinion, if you travel internationally a couple of times every five years, enroll in Global Entry despite its new membership fee of $120 for a five-year term ($24 per year of membership). That’s a 20 percent increase. Moreover, many travel credit cards will pay the fee in full every five years, making Global Entry membership free. From my first application, through each renewal, my American Express Platinum Business card has paid for my Global Entry membership, in full. Other credit cards do the same, including some Chase, and Capital One cards.
Children of Global Entry members can enroll in the program for free.
Children under the age of 18, if their parent or guardian is applying for Global Entry membership simultaneously or already has a membership, can join Global Entry for free. So, for families with children, the price of Global Entry membership just dropped.
In addition to expedited entry into the U.S. upon arrival from a foreign nation, Global Entry members obtain a TSA PreCheck membership.
TSA PreCheck membership’s six primary benefits are included in Global Entry membership at no additional cost.
With TSA PreCheck, you get numerous benefits that help expedite getting through TSA airport security at U.S. airports for both domestic and international flights.
1. About 99 percent of TSA PreCheck passengers wait in line to enter TSA airport security in less than 10 minutes.
2. Global Entry members can use their TSA PreCheck benefits at more than 200 airports while flying on more than 90 airlines.
3. TSA PreCheck permits travelers to keep their shoes, belts and light jackets on when going through TSA airport security.
4. TSA PreCheck permits travelers to leave their laptops and other electronics in their carry-on, rather than dig it out and put it in a tray.
5. TSA PreCheck permits travelers to leave their liquids baggie in their carry-on, rather than dig it out and place it in a tray.
6. In many airports, the TSA PreCheck lines use magnetometers, not full-body scanners.
Each of those TSA PreCheck perks allows Global Entry members to much more easily and rapidly get through TSA airport security.
TSA PreCheck costs from $68.95 and up. Therefore, since Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck, that means that Global Entry is even more of a bargain, as it only costs an additional $50 — or $5 per year — more than TSA PreCheck alone.
The Global Entry membership card is a Real ID.
In addition to the above benefits, Global Entry members can use their Global Entry membership card as a Real ID in the U.S. wherever a Real ID is required, once its requirements go into effect.
In addition to U.S. nationals, some other countries participate in the Global Entry membership program.
It’s easy to apply online for Global Entry. Once you have conditional approval you will have to have an interview with a CBP agent.
To become a Global Entry member, travelers must fill out an online application detailing considerable personal information. At the end of the application process they have to pay the fee. It’s due whether or not you’re approved. Once applicants get conditional approval, they must be interviewed by a CBP officer. Final approval is almost automatic at the interview. Once approved you will be photographed for facial recognition now installed at Global Entry kiosks, plus digitally fingerprinted.
Once you have Global Entry, you can lose it. If you violate the program’s rules, or immigration and custom’s rules you can lose your membership. Accidentally bringing in fruit in your bag from abroad that you forgot abut could end your membership.
If you’re trying to decide whether to apply for Global Entry, don’t forget that with that fee you get extras. Expedited entry into the U.S. at immigration and customs, TSA PreCheck whenever you travel. You also get a Real ID identification card for U.S. domestic air travel whenever Real ID is finally enforced. For $120 for a five-year membership, even without a credit card to pay the fee, it’s a bargain. If you plan to travel internationally, even if just a couple of times every five years, it is well worth it.
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After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. Visit Ned’s Photography Blog and Galleries.
