Tag Archives: Global Entry

How to Update Passport & Driver’s License Info with Global Entry

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Good afternoon everyone.  After our wedding in July, Laura went through the necessary steps to change her legal name (she is now Laura Thomas).  Since then, she has been working hard updating her name on everything: credit cards, bank accounts, airline programs, hotel programs, passport, driver’s license, social security, etc.  The last thing she needed to update was her Global Entry / TSA PreCheck account.  I thought this would be an easy process to do online, but she was required to go in person to a Global Entry Enrollment Center (locations).  In this post, I will show you what information you can change / update online and what information can only be changed by going to a Global Entry Enrollment Center.

To get started, sign into your Global Entry online account.  The first 2 places to look are the Edit Profile link and Update Documents link.

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Why Did I Upgrade my Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa Signature to JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite?

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Good morning everyone.  With last week’s news about the demise of the City National Bank CNB Crystal Visa Infinite Credit Card, I needed to find a replacement credit card that offered the $100 Visa Infinite Discount Air Benefit.  With this benefit, you get $100 off roundtrip, domestic flights for 2 or more passengers on select airlines (excludes low cost airlines).  This benefit can be used an unlimited amount of times.  I used to have this benefit when I had the JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card, but I downgraded to the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa Signature Credit Card a few years ago.  The good news is that the JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card is still available, but only as an upgrade option from the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa Signature Credit Card.

$100 off 2 roundtrip domestic tickets with the Visa Infinite Discount Air Benefit

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How to Renew your Global Entry Card & Membership Online ($100 Fee Every 5 Years)

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Good morning everyone.  A few years ago, I wrote how to sign up for Global Entry, and now I am writing about how to renew your Global Entry membership (most of the process is the same).  I didn’t know my Global Entry membership was expiring in November 2019 until I received this email from Global Entry with the cryptic subject line “Program Expiry”.  I have several credit cards that reimburse the $100 fee for Global Entry (including my Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card), so it was a no brainer to renew my Global Entry membership.  To get started, I went to the Trusted Travel Program website.

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Reality Check: Traveling with Non-TSA PreCheck Travelers Sucks

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Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. This past weekend, I was reminded how great TSA PreCheck is and how terribly regular airport security is. You are only as fast as your slowest non-TSA PreCheck traveler. For example, I sped through TSA PreCheck (barely slowing down to put my iPhone in my backpack, putting my backpack on the conveyor belt, putting my carry on bag on the conveyor belt, walking through the metal detector, and picking up my bags) then I waited 15-20 minutes on the other side of security for the non-TSA PreCheck travelers to go through security.  In that 15-20 minute window of time, I realized how much I take for granted having TSA PreCheck.  It is a total game changer for me, especially at SFO when I go through security twice, first to visit the SFO Centurion Lounge, and then again to get to my departure terminal.

Image source: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/tsa-airport-long-lines-223666

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New Tool to Snag Earliest Available Global Entry Appointment

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Global Entry is an incredibly valuable tool for those of us that travel outside of the US relatively frequently. And better yet, many credit cards, including the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige, American Express Platinum card, and others, offer to reimburse your $100 Global Entry application fee every 4 to 5 years.  The downside has become actually getting a Global Entry interview appointment. With more and more people having access to free Global Entry, sometimes the next available appointment at a given airport is MONTHS away. That’s not very helpful if you have trips coming up in the meantime.

Of course, you can check nearby airports or login a couple of times per day to see if anyone has cancelled an appointment, but there’s a better way. Get Me Global Entry is a new service that will send alerts to your phone, via text, when an appointment opens up so you can login and book it right away. It costs $9.99 for 14 days worth of notifications, which I think is a great value!

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