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I'm a huge fan of global entry, only $15 more than TSA precheck ($3 more a year) and includes TSA pre-check and Sentri. TSA IS $85 but everything comes with global for $100 for 5 years and global gets you to breeze through customs. In little airports it's not as big of a deal but we live between 4 international airports (LAX, San Diego, Ontario and Orange County) and the international prices are usually best at LAX, sometimes by 30% but customs is atrocious (we've been in line for 2-3 hours after a 20 hour flight). While TSA/global is nice at regional or medium sized airports, total game changer at top ten in the world airport https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic

7 of the 10 are in the US, of course pandemic travel skewed things but atlanta, chicago, los angeles were pre pandemic powerhouses. Looking at the top 20 its all US and china plus mexico city, I was in mexico city a few weeks ago, its pretty efficient as are most of the top 20, phoenix, houston and vegas I think are great. But if you have to travel through Chicago, Atlanta or LA, get global entry. It's worth the in person interview to acquire it.

But i live close to mexico and have crossed via car and on foot at least once a year, sentri is a godsend, also included in global but not included with TSA. So if you only travel domestically then I guess TSA by itself saves you $3 a year, go for it, bit it's not for me as an a la carte purchase.

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5 hours ago, Temeculaguy said:

I'm a huge fan of global entry, only $15 more than TSA precheck ($3 more a year) and includes TSA pre-check and Sentri. TSA IS $85 but everything comes with global for $100 for 5 years and global gets you to breeze through customs. In little airports it's not as big of a deal but we live between 4 international airports (LAX, San Diego, Ontario and Orange County) and the international prices are usually best at LAX, sometimes by 30% but customs is atrocious (we've been in line for 2-3 hours after a 20 hour flight). While TSA/global is nice at regional or medium sized airports, total game changer at top ten in the world airport https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic

7 of the 10 are in the US, of course pandemic travel skewed things but atlanta, chicago, los angeles were pre pandemic powerhouses. Looking at the top 20 its all US and china plus mexico city, I was in mexico city a few weeks ago, its pretty efficient as are most of the top 20, phoenix, houston and vegas I think are great. But if you have to travel through Chicago, Atlanta or LA, get global entry. It's worth the in person interview to acquire it.

But i live close to mexico and have crossed via car and on foot at least once a year, sentri is a godsend, also included in global but not included with TSA. So if you only travel domestically then I guess TSA by itself saves you $3 a year, go for it, bit it's not for me as an a la carte purchase.

I've had GE for many years and I've never heard of Sentri !!  Is that something for the US/Mex border (kinda like Nexus) ?

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29 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I've had GE for many years and I've never heard of Sentri !!  Is that something for the US/Mex border (kinda like Nexus) ?

Sort of with some minor differences.  Sentri is associated with the Southern border.  Nexus is for the Northern border.  Technically Sentri doesn't include travel by sea while Nexus does.  CBP recognizes both but the other nation doesn't.  i.e. Sentri means nothing to Canada CBSA while Nexus does mean something to CBSA.

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8 minutes ago, Mark_A said:

definitely.  I travel a lot both for work and personally so the lounge access is a big plus!

Yep, my daughter and her husband utilize theirs a lot, too.  I don't think it is American Express though.  Whatever works though.

I'm the kinda guy that has to have the "latest and greatest", the most up to date electronic gadgets, etc.  I really wanted to get the Platinum card but I just don't travel enough by air to make it worth the $$$.  I try to drive EVERYWHERE!   

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On 7/15/2022 at 4:48 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I've had GE for many years and I've never heard of Sentri !!  Is that something for the US/Mex border (kinda like Nexus) ?

Sentri is the VIP of the southern border with Mexico, comes free with GE but not with TSA precheck. Only applies to land crossing on foot or by car so not everyone will benefit. In San Diego it's a big deal, but outside of border towns it's probably not that big of a deal. For us, El Valle de guadelupe is a foodie and wine region we like to visit and just an hour or so drive, if you go with another couple and you don't have sentri, you literally cant go in their car or all of you have to go in the regular lanes and wait hours. Same as on foot, non sentri people aren't invited or they slow up the group. It is hard to explain to people who don't live on a border. You get invited to events on both sides, botox is half the price, people without dental insurance or rx benefits go there for the deals, then there's just the weekend  or day trips. I realize it freaks some people out if you don't speak Spanish or only know what you read, but we live in a region with 3 million people on one side and another 2 million on the other, all within a few miles of each other. It's a region, yet two countries, its a New Jersey/New York or a Minneapolis/St paul or a Vancouver/Seattle. Being able to move between the two without hassle is a real convenience to locals but not to everyone else. Yet I still wonder why anyone would get TSA pre check and not spend the extra $15 to get GE, if just for the customs benefit for international flights.

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I travel for work frequently enough that having Global Entry (comes with TSA Pre) makes sense for the once or twice a year international trip and skipping the customs lines when coming back into the US (and for $15 extra, its a no-brainer).  The TSA Pre is valuable to me because, as a stocky gent, going through the body scanners has always flagged something that requires me to get the full frisk treatment pretty much every time I flew, not to mention, the lines stink in MCO, my home airport.

Now, I just take my phone and wallet and put them in my bag, take off my watch as well and drop my carry-on and back-pack on the belt.  Walk through the scanner (make sure to avoid bumping the sides as that makes it go off every time) and collect my things.  As people have been complaining about 45-60 min waits, I am frequently at the gate 20 mins after I park the car in the garage.  Time savings is huge and worth the $$!

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