quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:
When I asked about getting Global Entry (twice at TSA office in the airport) I was told they are not tied together. That l had to go to a different place to get Global Entry period. Not sure if this was bad information or if something has changed as I also understood them to be available together.
This was when I was looking to renew Pre. I did find out that you can renew Pre online. Just reaffirm some information and pay the fee.

Global Entry is done by Customs and Border Protection. They do the paperwork, background check, an interview. TSA is not part of the process even though Global Entry gets you Precheck. It's all done through Customs and Border Protection.

Most interviews are done at major airports but at the CBP office with CBP agents.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/tru...rograms/global-entry

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:
When I asked about getting Global Entry (twice at TSA office in the airport) I was told they are not tied together. That l had to go to a different place to get Global Entry period. Not sure if this was bad information or if something has changed as I also understood them to be available together.
This was when I was looking to renew Pre. I did find out that you can renew Pre online. Just reaffirm some information and pay the fee.

If you went to the precheck location and asked about global entry, they were correct; there is a different application process to get global entry.

Once you have global entry, however, you also have precheck. In other words, precheck does not come with global entry.

Global entry automatically generates precheck. If you have global entry, when you check in for a flight online, you can enter your pass ID under traver information, and you'll have precheck. The process for getting global entry is considerably longer and a bigger pain in the butt.

https://www.usatoday.com/story...security/1490777001/

Interested in TSA PreCheck? It might soon be cheaper and easier to sign up

Dawn Gilbertson, USA TODAY
Published 8:09 p.m. ET June 19, 2019 | Updated 11:19 a.m. ET June 23, 2019

The Transportation Security Administration is weighing a variety of options, including a new fee structure and mobile enrollment, to attract more travelers to its PreCheck program.

"We want to get people into the program and so we'd like to make it easier,'' TSA Acting Deputy Administrator Patricia Cogswell said in an interview with USA TODAY in Chicago this month. "And that means not only make it easier for them to sign up, but also if they just want to try it out, they don't have to feel like, 'Oh, I spent five years' worth of my money.''

Enrollment in the expedited screening program, which is $85 for five years and allows vetted travelers to keep on their shoes, coats and belts and leave laptops and eligible liquids in their bags, has fallen far short of projections of 5 million new enrollments a year.

Enrollment began in 2013 and peaked at 2.2 million new enrollees in 2016. The total fell to 1.64 million enrollees in 2017 and last year totaled 1.8 million, according to TSA figures. There are currently 8.54 million PreCheck members, compared with previous projections as high as 25 million.

Renewal rates aren't where TSA officials would like to see them either, at 68%.

Love PreCheck?Don't let your membership lapse

The TSA and travel industry officials want more people in PreCheck because they are lower-risk travelers and the screening process is streamlined and generally quicker. During a record travel day on the Friday before Memorial Day, 91.5% of PreCheck members waited less than five minutes in a checkpoint line, the TSA says.

"The more people who are in that environment,'' Cogswell said, "(is) the best place that we could be.''

Why aren't some travelers signing up for PreCheck?

Cogswell said traditional frequent flyers have flocked to the fast-pass through security, with more than 60% of the travelers going through security at Washington's Reagan National Airport enrolled in PreCheck, for example.

But other airports and regions with high passenger volumes don't have as many PreCheck passengers as you'd expect, she said.

Cogswell cited Florida and its vast number of traveling retirees as an example, calling it the "perfect population" that would benefit from PreCheck.

Would a cheaper, shorter PreCheck membership work?

One option: a PreCheck membership that doesn't run five years, which would presumably be cheaper.

Cogswell said a common refrain among some travelers who haven't signed up for PreCheck is: "I have to commit to five years? What if in three years it's a totally different ballgame and I don't want to be in this program?''

The price of PreCheck is also an issue for some travelers, though there are plenty of frequent flyers who would argue $85 is a bargain.

The U.S. Travel Association earlier this year recommended that the TSA offer volume discounts or a subscription model for PreCheck, where the $85 fee would be paid in annual installments. That would make it easier for a family of four to sign up, association spokeswoman Cathy Reynolds said.

Cogswell said the TSA is studying a variety of fee options and is expected to make recommendations in the next couple months. The key will be to make sure the agency covers its costs, most of which are up front.

"I think our perspective is very much, 'Let's look at a couple different options to see if they're feasible' and if they're not then at least we looked at it,'' she said.

The TSA is also studying ways to make it easier to enroll in PreCheck, which requires an application, a background check and fingerprinting at one of the enrollment centers around the country. One possible option, Cogswell said: Give travelers already at the airport a taste of the PreCheck line (though not the expedited screening) if they sign up for PreCheck on the spot.

Also, beginning this summer, the agency will test mobile enrollment at two airports. The pilot program will begin within a few weeks at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Nashville International Airport.

Cogswell said travelers will be signed up at a table near the entrance to the security checkpoint.

Just renewed my passport, paid $60 for expedited processing and about $16 for speedy shipping, total cost was $186. Time: 10 days door to door.

Here’s where I started:

https://travel.state.gov/conte...t/renew-by-mail.html

Before you hit “save” or “print” for the application form you can select the standard 26 visa pages or 52 (no extra charge).

I mailed a 6x9” envelope to a Philadelphia PO Box via USPS priority which included tracking, total cost was $8 and their tracking is now close to UPS level. Yes, way!

I now have to add the new number to my profile with the airlines, Global Entry, and our travel agent.

If you're in a rush, use one of those passport expediting companies. I used one last renewal and it was super easy. You pay more depending on how fast you need it back. I did 5 day turn around and it was about $99. You fill out the paperwork they send you, fedex it to them, and they fedex the passport back to you. I got mine back in 4 days and really not much more than expedited service through the normal route.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
If you're in a rush, use one of those passport expediting companies. I used one last renewal and it was super easy. You pay more depending on how fast you need it back. I did 5 day turn around and it was about $99. You fill out the paperwork they send you, fedex it to them, and they fedex the passport back to you. I got mine back in 4 days and really not much more than expedited service through the normal route.

Sounds just like the post office here with a $40 surcharge added.

Post office charges $60 (as noted previously) and has a 4 working day turnaround, just like your noted place which charges $100 for the same service.