After procrastinating for months, I finally applied for Global Entry, at a cost of $100, which my Executive Platinum American Express Business * card will reimburse me for. Why?
Because a good friend was flying yesterday and she told me that security had been a nightmare. They had to remove all food and electronics and even books from their carry-ons and place them each in a separate bin. I guess I missed this, but back in July the Department of Homeland Security announced it would be piloting these stricter security measures, and now they must be beginning the nationwide roll-out.
The reason this has to do with Global Entry, a system that is supposed to make it quicker for you to re-enter the United States after international travel? Because Global Entry comes with free TSA Precheck, and the new rules do not apply to the expedited Precheck lanes (where you also don’t have to take off shoes and belts, or most of the other security line silliness).
A warning: My friend reported that at her airport, TSA agents were subjecting the Precheck lines to the same stepped-up scrutiny. But according to the TSA, they are not supposed to, so hopefully this was just a mistake as the officers learn the new policy.
At any rate, I filled out the Global Entry application for myself and The Miles Dad this week, and paid the $100 with my Plat card. It hasn’t shown up yet, but I am expecting a statement credit to reimburse that $100, which is one of the AmEx Platinum benefits.
I had The Miles Dad pay his $100 with his employee card (he occasionally does tech support for my company). It’s not verified, but the phone support staff at American Express told me that an employee might get their fee waived as well if they used that card. If you get the consumer version of this card, you can pay $175 to add up to three authorized users, who can each get a $100 Global Entry fee reimbursed on their own cards.
Now, I am wondering if I should pay another $100 to get our 13-year-old signed up for Global Entry as well. This is because we will be allowed to take our younger kids through the TSA Precheck line with us once we have our interviews and get set for Global Entry, but 13 and up are supposed to have their own membership. I am thinking that TSA agents will probably just wave us through without asking our oldest child her age, but who knows? I’d hate to go to the trouble of getting Global Entry, and end up getting diverted to the slow lane anyway.
Anyone out there have experience with the parents having Precheck or Global Entry, but a young teen child not having it?
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The Miles Mom 