y-curious 7 days ago

As a followup: 1. Global Entry (international travel precheck for American permanent residents and citizens) is $120 and includes TSA precheck. 2. The high-tier credit cards (Amex Plat, Chase Sapphire Reserve) give you credits for Global Entry and/or TSA Precheck. They cost in ~$600, but my Amex Plat pays for itself with:

  - Global Entry for wife, parents (as authorized users)
  - Uber credit $15/month
  - Clear at the airport- I stacked a coupon and got my wife and I Clear for the price of one
  - Streaming app reimbursement
I am not a paid shill, I just like saving people money (Getting a fancy credit card is more of a break-even venture honestly)
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  • evilduck 7 days ago

    A fancy credit card is pretty worth it if you travel more than once or twice a year. Airport lounge access, travel insurance for sufficient delays or overnights, longer purchase warranties, cell phone insurance, rental car perks and so on. It’s not really about the money so much as the quality of life and peace of mind perks it offers. And seconding precheck or GE, it’s the best extortion money I’ve ever paid.

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mjevans 7 days ago

Global Entry counts too (for most airports) and includes TSA Precheck for domestic (at most airports).

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jcalx 7 days ago

For people unwilling to invest in Global Entry, Mobile Passport Control [0] is a free program almost as fast as GE at the airports that support it. At the moment it's still sort of a lesser-known "travel hack" but it's becoming increasingly popular.

In my opinion though GE + TSA Pre is still worth it — the only thing better than the shorter preflight security screening is the even shorter GE kiosk line re-entering the US.

[0] https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-contr...

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bkandel 7 days ago

Yes! Especially if you have kids -- minors go through TSA pre-check lines with parents with pre-check, even if the kids don't have pre-check on their own.

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  • gabrielrdz 7 days ago

    they just made Global Entry free for kids under a certain age, I think, as long as their parent(s) have GE.

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ashconnor 7 days ago

Ditto Nexus. Best $50 and has paid for itself many times over crossing the Mexico-US border.

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  • wrs 7 days ago

    Note that Nexus includes Global Entry and TSA Precheck. If you live near the border, it's the cheapest way to get all of them.

    Also, your Nexus card is a REAL ID, so no need to pay extra for an enhanced drivers license.

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thoughtpalette 7 days ago

Echoing this! It has made traveling sooooo much more enjoyable and reduces stress.

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