Hacker News Reader

Comment by adamnemecek | Hacker News Reader

As far as I can tell, Global Entry is for re-entry to the US. Selected members of the program were offered to be in Pre-Check but they don't go hand in hand. And starting tomorrow, you will be able to apply for Pre-Check directly.

EDIT: Okay, I'm not sure about the relationship between Global Entry and Pre-Check. The TSA website says "Certain members of CBP's Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, [...] that have been invited to opt-in qualify to participate." but other sites say that they are eligible automatically.

View on HN

If you join GE you can add your Trusted Traveler Number to your airline reservations. Reports on FlyerTalk are that most get PreCheck 99% of the time after that.

The other way of joining Pre was to hold elite status on a participating airline and opt-in. This yielded far less success, anywhere from 0-90%.

As a United platinum member I was getting Pre about half the time, traveling weekly. I got GE over the summer and have gotten Pre 100% since then.

Even if you're eligible for Pre, the TSA doesn't always grant Pre as a "security measure."

Trusted Traveler is what you could call the list that Pre-Check vets you against, so Pre-Check is really just Trusted Traveler. Yes, Global Entry is only for returning to the US (you couldn't imagine it would be more, it is a US-run program), but it does also enter you into the Trusted Traveler program. The only reason I know this is a recent client of mine is a travel industry expert who spent time clarifying the programs and how they interact with each other. Their frugal recommendation is, if you travel outside the US, the smart move is to do Global Entry, more bang for your dollar.

Global Entry is actually available for entry into other countries as well. Well, at least one. I just used it in Australia.

I am part of global entry. My trusted traveler number works as the number used for pre-check, and pre-check gets printed on my boarding passes.

Global entry has some other advantages if you travel internationally. Besides faster re-entry into the US, it also gets you into reciprocal programs in a bunch of other countries (for example, privium in the netherlands).

Reply on news.ycombinator.com