Global Entry / TSA Pre - Better have an IT staff on hand

rookhawk

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Just did the application for Global Entry so I can whisk through customs and TSA in some instances with less delays. $100 for 5 years.

Unfortunately, due to the horrible TSA lines as of late everyone is jumping on the Global Entry bandwagon. The processing time for people with no red flags was typically 8 days until early May when 70,000 people missed their flights in one day. Then, the processing time has continued to expand with mine being 18 days and rumor has it that new applicants may now wait at least a month.

That's the easy part: apply, pay, wait.

Once you're "conditionally approved" you get to print out that letter and select your in person interview date. In many major US hubs those interviews are booked solid up to 6 months out!

Enter the IT geeks - There is a bit of sourcecode out there on the internet that requires you to install several scripts, run cron jobs, phantomjs and a bunch of other jargon you probably don't know about. The result? Your computer logs into the website every 5 minutes 24 hours a day and tries to change your appointment from 6 months out to a cancellation that may be sooner. Since so many people are looking on their website all day for any cancellations it is nearly impossible to click a mouse button fast enough to grab a better interview appointment.

The scripts work faster than a human can to grab you the better interview times before one of the tens of thousands of other visitors grabs it. My interview was August 29th, then August 17th, Then August 5th, then July 28th, Then June 24th, then June 16th with the final one being only 72 hours after I received my notice of approval.

It's a telling commentary that people are willing to go to such lengths to receive basic service. Thought you might want to know about the scripts.

If you're not a techie and you want me to setup the scripts for you I'd be willing to do it for a one hour consult charge. You'll have your appointment almost immediately.
 
Does this work on Apple computer?
 
And your consult fee would be?

Also how quickly did it cycle thru to the final interview date?
 
@PHOENIX PHIL I'd do it for $150, or we could barter, or we could agree that you make a $250 donation to charity of our mutual interest.

It cycled through to the better dates throughout each and every day. It took a full 36 hours to trade from a 6 month out interview to a 72 hour after initial approval interview. It just keeps upgrading your spot until you tell it to stop working.
 
Will give it some thought, thanks for the info.
 
I did mine last year and had to change the interview center to get an appointment but it's worth it!
 
Also, depending on where you live, often times there may be a somewhat "off the beaten track" enrollment location in your vicinity. These have much better availability than the major hub airports.

In my case, I can go to Tucson or Phoenix and deal with long lead times and waiting many months. Or I can go to Douglas, AZ, right on the border with Mexico, and get an appointment tomorrow. Almost every border crossing location will have a GOES entry center, so for people in TX, NM, AZ, NV, CA, etc... head south!
 
Well I had my interview and got my GE approval. I have to say I was nervous I was going to blow the interview on two fronts.

One, they asked me if I'd been to Mexico and Canada in the last 5 years and I couldn't recall! I said I didn't think to Canada and I wasn't sure about Mexico. Correct answer: I'd been hunting in Canada last summer and fishing in Canada the year prior! (memory isn't what it used to be!) Mexico a couple times in what seems like decades ago but was actually 4 and 5 years ago.

Thankfully they didn't bust me for the other irony. You have to state all the countries you've visited online other than Canada and Mexico. To make sure you are lying they leave a bunch of countries off the drop down list so you can't answer Curacao, Bonaire or Martinique for example.

At any rate, 12 minutes later and I was done with the process and approved in spite of my bad memory and omissions due to their poorly written website.
 
Good for you rookhawk! You are set now!
 
I thought I'd apply since the last trip over and back, we waited in line for two hours to get through customs. The GE line was empty.
I jut got conditionally approved and went online to schedule an appointment. Nearest places here in Texas are along the border.
Why can't I do it in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, or even Dallas? They aren't even an option and I looked all the way out to November.
 
I thought I'd apply since the last trip over and back, we waited in line for two hours to get through customs. The GE line was empty.
I jut got conditionally approved and went online to schedule an appointment. Nearest places here in Texas are along the border.
Why can't I do it in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, or even Dallas? They aren't even an option and I looked all the way out to November.
It is stacking up because people are booking international travel again and making up for lost covid time. It is worth it, if you can sort it out - cuts reentry time to nothing.
 
I get that, but but why aren't the big boys open for business? I can get in as early as the 15th, at any of the ones along the border, but the bigger cities in Texas aren't even showing to be an option.
 
I get that, but but why aren't the big boys open for business? I can get in as early as the 15th, at any of the ones along the border, but the bigger cities in Texas aren't even showing to be an option.

Ding ding ding ding, and the answer is…….

Because the Government is top heavy, dishonest, lazy, incompetent and mean spirited.
 
I thought I'd apply since the last trip over and back, we waited in line for two hours to get through customs. The GE line was empty.
I jut got conditionally approved and went online to schedule an appointment. Nearest places here in Texas are along the border.
Why can't I do it in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, or even Dallas? They aren't even an option and I looked all the way out to November.

I'm glad I have it. I got it a couple of years ago. It's worth having and works as TSA Pre-check for domestic travel. The so called interview is a joke, at least it was for me. It seemed more of a chance for CBP to ensure that your face matches your passport and if it does they take a picture of you that goes on your GE card. The "interview" lasted about 60 seconds, 1/2 of which was the picture taking process.

The one thing that GE is not going to help you with is getting through customs. This is an immigration short cut only. Once you pass through immigration, you're still going to have to clear customs after retrieving your luggage and of course this will likely include a rifle case. And that of course means some extra time with customs.

That said, my GE card expires late next year, I plan to renew it. If I were you I think I'd just bite the bullet and schedule an appt and plan to take a day off from work to make it happen.
 
I get that, but but why aren't the big boys open for business? I can get in as early as the 15th, at any of the ones along the border, but the bigger cities in Texas aren't even showing to be an option.

That’s correct, officially closed for Covid, I had to drive to Laredo to renew mine.
 
Just came back from Israel and Egypt. Love GE. Didn't even need to scan our passport - facial recognition, print the receipt, go to exit, done. Pick up bags and got wisked through customs. Couldn't be easier.

Preserve through the interview schedule hassle. It will pay off in the end.
 
I use the mobile passport app. I already have pre check so I don’t need that benefit from global entry. Mobile passport is free and doesn’t require an interview or appointment. I my experience the lines to use mobile passport are as quick (or quicker in some cases) than global entry. I have only traveled a couple times internationally since COViD so perhaps things have changed.
 
I had one heck of a time getting an interview during Covid. I'm a 2 hour drive from Pittsburgh International. Over the course of 10 months, my appointments were cancelled in Pittsburgh, Toledo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh again and finally I had to settle for a border crossing in Niagara Falls, NY. A nice 6 hour drive one way.
 
I'm glad I have it. I got it a couple of years ago. It's worth having and works as TSA Pre-check for domestic travel. The so called interview is a joke, at least it was for me. It seemed more of a chance for CBP to ensure that your face matches your passport and if it does they take a picture of you that goes on your GE card. The "interview" lasted about 60 seconds, 1/2 of which was the picture taking process.

The one thing that GE is not going to help you with is getting through customs. This is an immigration short cut only. Once you pass through immigration, you're still going to have to clear customs after retrieving your luggage and of course this will likely include a rifle case. And that of course means some extra time with customs.

That said, my GE card expires late next year, I plan to renew it. If I were you I think I'd just bite the bullet and schedule an appt and plan to take a day off from work to make it happen.
Luckily, you can do the renewal online without another in person interview. Wife and I just did ours this year.
 

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