Is Global Entry Worth It?
Yes — for any US citizen who takes two or more international trips per year, Global Entry is one of the best $120 investments in travel you can make. It includes TSA PreCheck, allows you to skip the immigration line entirely on return from international travel, and the card serves as valid federal ID.
We've been using Global Entry for years, and the last time we flew home from Spain, I was through immigration and in the Uber line before most of my fellow passengers had even reached the immigration queue. Here's how to get one of the very best international travel benefits out there.
Once you have it, here’s how it works. In most points of entry at US airports, there are electronic kiosks off to the side of the main immigration line. You step up to the machine and look at the camera. Almost instantly a message will flash that says “Done.” From the kiosk you proceed to a booth at the end of the line of kiosks where a Customs and Immigration officer may look at your passport – but these days often just addresses you by your first name (that has appeared on his screen.) The officer will then hand you a customs slip that identifies you as a Global Entry holder. From there proceed to pick up your luggage, if you've checked, and then out of the customs checkpoint where you'll hand the slip to the officer there and be on your way.
Unless you are randomly picked for additional screening, you should be able to exit the customs area without stopping.
How to apply for Global Entry
How long does Global Entry take? The application itself takes 20–30 minutes online. Approval can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months; DHS currently estimates up to nine months, though many applicants hear back much faster.
The process for getting your Global Entry Trusted Traveler status is fairly simple. You apply online via this web site. It will take you about 20 to 30 minutes to fill out a fairly extensive questionnaire, and you need to have your passport and driver’s license handy to complete it. Before you log on, you might also make a list of all the countries you have traveled to in the last five years, because they will ask you that. Also, you’ll need accurate information on your addresses for the past ten years.
The application costs a non-refundable $120, which you can pay by credit card, so you should review the eligibility requirements before you ante up. You should check with your credit card company, too. Some credit cards, such as the the Capital One Venture X, American Express Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve and Preferred, and airline credit cards from Delta and United will refund your Global Entry fee once every four years as part of your card benefits. Some cards offer this benefit once per year, so if you can stagger family member enrollments into another year, you'll save their fee, too.
Once you’ve successfully filled out this questionnaire, (and, they’ll remind you when you get to the end if you’ve missed anything) you’ll go into an approval queue. After submitting your application, vetting typically takes about two weeks. However, if your application requires manual review, this waiting period can stretch anywhere from two weeks up to 16 months depending on your background and program volume. To check your application, you have to re-login to the Global Entry application site to check your messages. You will receive no email. Eventually, if you are provisionally approved, you will receive a message that tells you to schedule a personal interview to complete the process. Scheduling that interview can take another few months, depending on availability in your area.
At the site, you are offered locations for your personal interview. These are usually Homeland Security Department offices at major US international airports and other border crossing sites, particularly from Canada. The waiting time to get a personal interview varies, but it seems to be scheduling out as long as a month or two, so make your appointment as soon as possible. If you're in a big rush, look for smaller U.S. points of entry that may have shorter wait times.
The Department of Homeland Security is also doing “on the spot” interviews the next time you enter the United States. When you're provisionally approved, watch for the option to complete your interview the next time you re-enter the US. I did this on my last renewal and it took about five minutes including waiting for the person ahead of me in line.
What to Expect at the Global Entry Interview
The interview itself is relatively painless…or as painless as being interviewed by a uniformed Homeland Security agent who has a gun on his hip can be. My interviewer was a courteous young man who asked me a few questions about my work, what traveling I’ve done, what were my favorite countries to visit, and so forth. My guess is the answers didn’t matter as much as his watching me for signs of any evasions. I got the feeling after it was done that this officer really knew his business and his apparent youth was a clever disguise for someone who was exceptionally competent. Honestly, I felt better after the interview that such people are on the job.
After the interview, he took my fingerprints and submitted them via computer to some database in the cloud and within a couple of minutes, he told me I had been approved and could begin using the program immediately.
He then took me over to a demonstration kiosk and showed me how the kiosk worked. The whole process took about twenty minutes.
He also told me a Global Entry ID card would be mailed to me within two weeks. (It actually took only one.) The card is an extra benefit of the Global Entry in that it serves as a valid federal government ID. As of May 2025, all travelers must present a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or passport for domestic air travel. Your Global Entry card counts as valid REAL ID compliant federal ID.
After you receive your card, btw, you have to go back to the Global Entry site yet again to register it.
Here are some helpful Frequently Asked Questions on the Global Entry process and eligibility.
And here are the places where you can have your Global Entry personal interview.
How to Set Up Your TSA PreCheck After Approval
Finally, to take advantage of the TSA Pre status that comes with Global Entry, you have to go to every one of your airline frequent flyer programs and enter your new Trusted Traveler number into your profile. From then on, all your boarding passes should display a TSA Pre notation. That will get you into the TSA Pre security line so you can skip some of the TSA rigamarole, such as removing your laptop, belt, and liquids from your carryon.
Easier leaving and easier coming home. Well worth the $120 every five years, if you ask me. Especially if your credit card is picking up the tab.
TSA Touchless ID: The Fastest Security Lane in 2026
If you thought TSA PreCheck was fast, there's a new option that's even faster: TSA Touchless ID. We've been using it for a while now, and the difference is noticeable. Instead of handing your ID to a TSA officer for manual inspection, you simply look at a camera at the checkpoint. The face-scan takes seconds — sometimes literally two or three — and you're waved through. The lines for Touchless ID lanes are also shorter than standard PreCheck lanes because fewer travelers have set it up.
To use it, you need to register with each airline you fly. The process and the app vary slightly by carrier — some require you to enroll through their own app, others through a separate portal — but the setup is a small one-time effort that pays off every time you travel. You'll need TSA PreCheck (which comes with your Global Entry) and a valid passport to qualify. Once enrolled, look for the Touchless ID lanes at security. Not every airport or checkpoint has them yet, but the network is expanding steadily. Once you're registered for Touchless ID with your airline, an icon denoting that will appear on your boarding pass. And that will get you into the Touchless ID line, which will be much shorter than the standard TSA Pre line.
Between Global Entry on the way home and Touchless ID on the way out, clearing the airport has never been faster. That's a good thing at any age, but it's a particularly welcome development when you're managing carry-ons, medications, and the general indignity of modern air travel.
NEXUS and SENTRI: Specialized Alternatives Worth Knowing
Global Entry is the right program for most international travelers, but two sibling programs in the Trusted Traveler family are worth knowing about depending on where you travel most.
NEXUS is the more interesting of the two alternatives now that it costs the same $120 as Global Entry — because it actually includes all of Global Entry's benefits plus additional ones. NEXUS members use the same Global Entry kiosks at US airports when returning from any international trip. But NEXUS also gives you dedicated fast lanes at the 21 US–Canada land border crossings, where regular wait times can stretch to two hours on a busy summer weekend and NEXUS lanes typically move in under five minutes. If you cross into Canada even two or three times a year — by car, ferry, or at a Canadian airport — NEXUS is the better program at the same price.
The catch is the interview. NEXUS requires approval from both US and Canadian authorities, and the enrollment centers are located at or near the US–Canada border and at a handful of Canadian airports. If you don't live reasonably close to the border, getting to the interview is a logistical hurdle. In that case, Global Entry's more widespread enrollment centers make it the practical choice.
SENTRI is the equivalent program for frequent US–Mexico land border crossers, also now priced at $120. It provides dedicated fast lanes at US–Mexico crossing points and includes Global Entry and TSA PreCheck benefits. For most TP50 readers who travel internationally but cross the Mexican border by air rather than land, Global Entry serves you better — but if you drive across the border regularly, SENTRI is worth the application.
Alternatives to Global Entry for Occasional Travelers
At certain airports and other points of entry, separate entry lines are provided for users of the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app. Use of the app probably won't get you through the entry process as fast as Global Entry, but at the entry points it is used, it will save you the longest lines.
How to Keep Your Global Entry Status
Once you get your Global Entry status, there are three basic ways you can lose it.
1) Don't let it expire. Global Entry expires on your birthday of the fifth year after you get it. Be sure you apply for renewal before that date. You are supposed to receive a notice six months and also 90 days before your renewal date at the email address on file, but don't count on it. The expiration date is on the Global Entry card. If you have applied for renewal before the expiration date, even if the renewal process is not completed, your status is renewed for a year. If you forget to apply before the expiration date, you lose your status and have to apply all over again.
2) Avoid customs mistakes. You can lose your status by arriving in the U.S. with an apple in your carry on. You must declare any fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy – pretty much anything you can eat – when you arrive. Also, declare if you've been near any agricultural animals, e.g. pigs, chickens, cows, even if you haven't been to a farm, per se. Don't screw this up. Customs are particularly strict about agricultural violations. If the sniffing dog finds your apple, you're done, will probably get fined, and you'll definitely lose your Global Entry status.
3) Don't commit a crime. This should be a no-brainer, but you get Global Entry status because you are a “trusted traveler.” Conviction for a criminal offense will cost you your trusted status.
Check this post for some more tips to make your flying more comfortable.
Frequently Asked Questions: Global Entry Program
Is Global Entry worth it for travelers over 50?
Yes — absolutely. For any American who takes two or more international trips per year, Global Entry is one of the best $120 investments in travel you can make. It lets you skip the immigration line entirely on returning to the US from abroad — stepping up to a kiosk, scanning your face, and walking out in minutes rather than standing in a line that can stretch to an hour or more after a long flight. It also includes TSA PreCheck, which speeds up your outbound security experience. If your travel credit card reimburses the fee, it costs you nothing at all.
How long does it take to get Global Entry?
The timeline has two parts. After submitting your application online, approval can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months — DHS estimates up to nine months in some cases, though many applicants hear back much faster. Once provisionally approved, you'll need to schedule a personal interview at an enrollment center, which can add another few weeks to months depending on availability near you. One shortcut: if you're provisionally approved and returning to the US from an international trip, you can often complete your interview on the spot at the airport with a DHS officer, which is how Tom completed his last renewal.
Does Global Entry include TSA PreCheck?
Yes — Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck as part of the program. After you're approved, you need to add your Trusted Traveler number to each of your airline frequent flyer accounts, and from that point on your boarding passes will display the TSA Pre notation. This gets you into the dedicated TSA PreCheck security lane, where you don't need to remove your laptop, shoes, belt, or liquids from your carry-on — a significant time and stress saver, especially on domestic flights.
How much does Global Entry cost in 2026?
Global Entry costs $120 per person as of October 2024, paid by credit card when you apply. The fee is non-refundable whether or not you are approved, so review the eligibility requirements before applying. Many travel credit cards — including the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture, and American Express Platinum — reimburse the Global Entry application fee as a card benefit, typically once every four or five years. If your card offers this benefit, use it: the program effectively becomes free.
What happens at the Global Entry interview?
The interview is shorter and more straightforward than most people expect. A Customs and Border Protection officer will ask you a few questions about your work, your travel history, and your favorite countries to visit. Tom's experience: “My interviewer was a courteous young man who asked me a few questions. I got the feeling the answers didn't matter as much as his watching for signs of evasions — and he clearly knew his business.” After the questions, the officer takes your fingerprints, submits them electronically, and — if approved — tells you immediately. The whole process took about 20 minutes, including a demonstration of the kiosk.
How do you renew Global Entry?
Global Entry expires on your birthday in the fifth year after you receive it. You can apply for renewal before the expiration date through the same TTP (Trusted Traveler Programs) website where you originally applied. If you apply before your card expires, your status remains active for an additional year while the renewal processes — even if the renewal isn't complete by your expiration date. If you miss the expiration date, you lose your status and must start the full application process again. One handy option: if you're provisionally approved for renewal and returning to the US from an international trip, you may be able to complete your renewal interview on the spot with a DHS officer at the airport.
Can you lose your Global Entry status?
Yes — there are three main ways. First, let it expire without renewing in time and you'll need to reapply from scratch. Second, make a customs violation — even something as innocent as arriving with an apple or undeclared food in your bag. Customs officers are particularly strict about agricultural violations, and the sniffing dogs are very good at their job. Declare everything edible — fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy — and declare if you've been near agricultural animals anywhere on your trip. Third, a criminal conviction will cost you your Trusted Traveler status. Don't commit a crime.
What is an alternative to Global Entry for occasional international travelers?
The Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app is a free alternative available at many US airports and ports of entry. It won't get you through as quickly as Global Entry, but it creates a separate, shorter line that's significantly faster than the standard immigration queue. Download the CBP One app (which has replaced the standalone MPC app) before your trip, complete your entry form on the plane, and look for the Mobile Passport Control lane when you land. It's not a substitute for Global Entry if you travel internationally more than once or twice a year, but it's a useful free option for occasional travelers.
