TSA PreCheck

Not sure that's accurate re EWR. It's a HUGE departure/arrival point for United's European flights. You may be thinking of ISP (Islip) or HPN (White Plains), but certainly not Newark.
Yeah, EWR is also where UA flies to Asia from. UA flies out of EWR, while AA and DL fly out of JFK on substantially the same routes.
 
My wife and I got TSA Pre two months ago and chose Pre over GE for a few reasons. First was application location, nearest Pre location was 30 miles away, GE was 75. For GE we would have to pay for parking, go through security and then hope they were on time. Because I was arrested as a juvenile 25 years ago it might have caused issues that would have delayed getting approved. We currently have no plans to leave the country but that may change since we did get passports, but we certainly won't leave the country often enough to really get the max benefits of GE. We also got our Pre reimbursed by one of our credit cards, in our case a Flagship Rewards from Navy Federal Credit Union.
 
My wife and I have global entry. One of the best travel related expenses I've ever bought. We only fly two or three times a year, still 110% worth it. No stress going through security, and more importantly no stripping at security.
 
It is the best money we ever spent! So worth it! Just a little warning, in March they were closing the Pre-Check line at MCO at 8 pm so if you had a late flight and got there at 8 or later you had to go through the full line.
 


Not sure that's accurate re EWR. It's a HUGE departure/arrival point for United's European flights. You may be thinking of ISP (Islip) or HPN (White Plains), but certainly not Newark.

I meant DCA (matching the PP's comments comparing LGA and DCA). I've corrected it. I fly internationally into Newark all the time - most definitely has CBP.
 
In fact, go for Global Entry instead if you plan on any international travel in the next 5 years. Its only $15 more than PreCheck.

And again, if you’re near an interview center, nexus is cheaper.

$50 for nexus, which gives you GE, which gives you precheck.

And it’s free for your minor children.


But as someone else alluded to, Canada is very strict about DUI/DWIs, so if you have one of those in your past Canada might not let you in anyway, so nexus probably won’t work for you.
 
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We use PreCheck at SeaTac because the regular lines are very long. It was free using Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit card.
 
I did TSA PreCheck because I could accomplish it at my home airport. The nearest Global Entry application location was 200 miles away. Of course, Global Entry added application services at my airport only a few months after I purchased TSA PreCheck. I have not had long waits re-entering the US even without Global Entry but I'd gladly pay the extra $15.

According to the US Customs and Border Protection site:
The NEXUS card will be recognized by the Global Entry kiosks in Canada Preclearance locations only. When using the Global Entry kiosks in Canada Preclearance locations you can use your passport, U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident card or NEXUS card. You cannot use your NEXUS card at Global Entry kiosks outside of Canadian Preclearance locations. At all other ports, you will need to use your passport or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident card.

Anyone know if this is accurate? I got the impression from some that NEXUS could be used for any US entry point that had Global Entry.

ETA: Just explained by SirDuff in post below that my quote above references the NEXUS card and not NEXUS system with use of a passport.
 
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You can
According to the US Customs and Border Protection site:

The NEXUS card will be recognized by the Global Entry kiosks in Canada Preclearance locations only. When using the Global Entry kiosks in Canada Preclearance locations you can use your passport, U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident card or NEXUS card. You cannot use your NEXUS card at Global Entry kiosks outside of Canadian Preclearance locations. At all other ports, you will need to use your passport or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident card.

Anyone know if this is accurate? I got the impression from some that NEXUS could be used for any US entry point that had Global Entry.

You can use NEXUS, but you cannot use the NEXUS card. When I fly into the US from Europe, I can use the Global Entry kiosk but have to use my passport rather than the NEXUS card. If I'm flying out of most Canadian airports (going to the US), I could use the card (though, actually, I also use the passport, just because I associate Global Entry kiosks with using passports). You use the NEXUS card in NEXUS machines (I don't think that they'd accept the passport - though, I admit, that I've never tried).
 
You can


You can use NEXUS, but you cannot use the NEXUS card. When I fly into the US from Europe, I can use the Global Entry kiosk but have to use my passport rather than the NEXUS card. If I'm flying out of most Canadian airports (going to the US), I could use the card (though, actually, I also use the passport, just because I associate Global Entry kiosks with using passports). You use the NEXUS card in NEXUS machines (I don't think that they'd accept the passport - though, I admit, that I've never tried).

Thanks. Another item I searched and read too fast while missing a key point...
 
We have had TSA Precheck for 2 years and loved it.
This last trip we had a weird thing happen.
I booked our tickets and added the known traveler number. Flying out, our tickets were marked TSA Precheck.
Coming back, flying out of Orlando, the boarding passes didn't have the TSA Precheck. So we went to a kiosk and reprinted them and added the known traveler numbers again.
The new tickets still didn't have TSA Precheck on them. The line to check in was too long to wait.
Luckily, the Security line was under 5 minutes, so going through the normal line wasn't bad,e xept having to take everything out of the bags and takin goff your shoes.

Any idea why the TSA Precheck number didn't show up this time? I know its still valid for another 2 years.
 
We typically only fly maybe 2 times a year, maybe 3, and find it totally worth it.
 
We have it (and CLEAR) and won't travel without it. Living in Denver makes for serious TSA lines so that is part of the necessity. But it's just nice to not have to remove shoes/liquids/jackets/computers/etc. at any airport. We did just have to get our 13-year old his own number but it is absolutely worth it.

Agree that Global Entry is a good idea for the additional $15 if you ever fly internationally. My husband has it (and flat leaves me in the long lines and waits on the other side!) and I am upgrading to it when my pre-check expires.

CLEAR covers you and children under 18 so only adults need that one. DIA pre-check lines can be 20 minutes on a busy day (when regular lines are 45-60 minutes or more) and CLEAR helps us skip that. But it's only necessary if your home airport is crazy busy.
 
TSA Pre isn't guaranteed.
Even though you have enrolled in the program there is a chance that you'll be sent for regular screening.
I've gotten the full search a few times. There's an algorithm that determines how many Pre slots are available at an airport, and sometimes you just don't get it. It's been about a 5% rate for me so far, mostly on tickets booked last minute and one way, but it has happened other times too.

The trick to all of it is to smile, be nice and polite (wish everyone a good day, don't get frustrated, etc.) and just relax as if you owned the place. It keeps you out of secondary screening most of the time, and just makes everything more pleasant anyway. :)
 
Coming back, flying out of Orlando, the boarding passes didn't have the TSA Precheck. So we went to a kiosk and reprinted them and added the known traveler numbers again.

One other note, in addition to the folks that have commented that it's not guaranteed (which is correct). I'm pretty sure that the determination of whether you get pre on your boarding pass is run at a time period that's a day or two ahead of your flight. Adding the KTN at the last minute won't trigger pre being added. (So if you don't get it, adding it again won't get it for you either.)
 
I fly a couple of times a year and I find TSA Pre very worth it. I would've gotten GE but I'm in NYC where the wait time for an appointment can be up to a couple of months and when I finally decided to apply, my flight was only about 6 weeks away. So I did TSA Pre instead and went to the Manhattan location--it's on West 35th Street, I think, but check the site--without an appointment and was out of there in maybe 45 minutes, max. My DH got GE and actually didn't have to wait all that long for an appointment. I wish they'd let you "convert" the TSA Pre to GE for a fee less than the $100 cost of GE, but they do not.
 
I have PreCheck, but when this one expires, I plan to go with GE in case I fly internationally. When I setup my PreCheck, I had a short timeframe and had no international flight plans.
 
I've gotten the full search a few times. There's an algorithm that determines how many Pre slots are available at an airport, and sometimes you just don't get it. It's been about a 5% rate for me so far, mostly on tickets booked last minute and one way, but it has happened other times too.

The trick to all of it is to smile, be nice and polite (wish everyone a good day, don't get frustrated, etc.) and just relax as if you owned the place. It keeps you out of secondary screening most of the time, and just makes everything more pleasant anyway. :)

Absolutely. While it was annoying not to get the precheck, we were very nice going through the main line and breeaed through quickly.
Causing problems there does not go well.
As the main line was only 5 minutes, it wasn't a big deal.
 

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