January 16, 2025
Everyone loves to take a vacation … but no one loves the airport hassles that go along with it. Long security lines, TSA agents brusquely telling you to take off your shoes, holding up the line when you accidentally forget to slip out your Kindle—that’s not the start to a relaxing escape! Then, when you get back to the U.S., tired and ready for your own bed, you often end the trip with an hours-long wait in the passport line.
Luckily, there’s an easy way around the hassles that bookend your trip: Global Entry. Chances are, you’ve heard of Global Entry before—it’s a (paid) program by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection that helps you bypass the lines when you come back from international trips.
Here’s the must-know low down on Global Entry:
- The cost: As of Dec 2024, the program costs $120 per traveler, and it’s good for 5 years
- How it works: You apply for Global Entry via an online application, followed by a quick in-person interview. If approved, then you’ll be able to head straight to expedited lanes just for Global Entry members. Global Entry has also rolled out an app that saves you even more time; just fill out the app-based form as soon as you land—this also involves uploading a quick selfie—and you can sail past the Global Entry kiosks too! Get all the program details here.
- Additional perks: Global Entry also comes with TSA Precheck—this is what will save you time when you arrive at the airport. You’ll be able to enter the TSA Precheck lanes (which are almost always shorter than regular security lanes) AND you’ll get through the security check more quickly because you can keep on your shoes and leave everything in your luggage.
Yes, Global Entry does have a price tag—so how do you know if you should invest in it?
Our rule of thumb: If you think you’ll take at least one (yes, just one!) international trip per year, we think it’s definitely worth it.
The cost breaks down to just $24 per year, and it gives you a much more stress-free airport experience, both coming and going.
But really, there’s a high probability that Global Entry will end up paying for itself. It’s happened to us, multiple times.
We’ve been Global Entry members since the program rolled out in 2008, and it has saved us when struck by flight delays twice now. Funny enough, both of our delays happened in Miami’s airport. We were coming home from a Caribbean vacation, transiting through Miami to get home in Nashville. Our vacations had been restful—until flight delays threatened to have us miss our connecting flights. The LAST thing we wanted to do was spend more hours stuck in the airport, standing in line trying to rebook with our airline.
So, we grabbed our carry-ons, ran through the airport, and made it to passport control—only to see a line that snaked all the way past the rope barriers. Waiting in that line would have taken us an hour, minimum, and we would have missed our connections.
But Global Entry saved the day. We sailed past the line and got through Global Entry in no time. All in all, we got from our first plane to our next in just 20 minutes flat (yes, we were running!)—instead of 2+ hours.
Travel can be unpredictable—you never know if your own flight will be delayed, or if multiple full flights are arriving at the same time, creating extra-long lines. Global Entry gives you back some control. For even infrequent international travelers, we think the cost is so worth it.
One final tip: if you decide against getting Global Entry, there’s another way you can decrease your wait time at Customs. Download the Mobile Passport Control app for free, and fill it out upon arrival. When you arrive you’ll be able to use the Mobile Passport lanes, instead of the (almost always longer) regular lanes. Mobile Passport lanes aren’t open all of the time, and the service isn’t as quick as Global Entry—but hey, since it’s free, it’s worth trying on your next trip!
Want more expert guidance on how to maximize your vacation experience? We’d love to partner up—connect with us on a complimentary consultation call to start planning your next authentic escape.
