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“How I Saved $500 on Global Entry Fees for My Entire Family”

  • Million Mile Secrets

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    Million Mile Secrets team member Meghan recently signed her entire family up for Global Entry, for free!

    I asked her to share her experience registering for Global Entry, like how long it took.  And how she saved $500 in fees.

    Meghan:   Thanks Daraius!  My family and I travel a fair amount.  And with a young baby, I decided Global Entry would be especially beneficial.
    Traveling Can Be Exhausting. Save Time En Route With Global Entry!

    With the right credit cards, I was able to save us hundreds of dollars in fees.

    Global Entry for Families

    Link:   Sign-Up for Global Entry

    Link:   How to Fill Out the Global Entry Application

    Signing-up for Global Entry saves you time going through immigration when you return to the US from overseas.  And it usually gets you access to the TSA PreCheck security line when traveling domestically.

    With a kid in tow, anything that can help you avoid long lines is worth it in my book!  So I decided to sign-up my whole family.

    Patiently Waiting for Our Plane in Barcelona

    Because a few of my family members (myself included!) recently took advantage of the awesome welcome bonuses, The Business Platinum® Card from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards, we were all able to register for Global Entry, for FREE!

    My mom and I both have the AMEX Business Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards, and my husband has the AMEX Business Platinum card.  So between the 3 of us, that’s 5 cards that offer Global Entry fee credits!

    With Global Entry, you don’t have to wait in the loooong line to talk to a border agent when you get back from an overseas trip.  There’s a dedicated Global Entry lane.  And you can walk right up to a computer kiosk and scan your fingerprints.  You don’t even have to fill out paper customs forms!  It’s all done on the kiosk.

    My Experience Registering

    Registering 5 people for Global Entry for free was great, but the process was tedious.  It took me ~2.5 hours to sign-up myself, my husband, daughter, mother, and sister.

    It was incredibly frustrating because the website kept crashing.  So I’d suggest applying early in the morning or late at night, to avoid the site’s high-traffic times.  Because I’ve been checking on the status our applications throughout the last week, and the site seems to work much better during those times of day.

    Global Entry Interview

    We live in Missoula, Montana, and the closest Global Entry center is a ~4-hour drive away.

    That isn’t convenient at all, so we’ve decided make a mini-vacation out of it and go to Seattle for our interviews.

    Missoula to Seattle is an easy ~1.5 hour flight, and only 7,500 British Airways miles each-way on Alaska Airlines.  Plus, we go there often to visit friends and family, so I’m excited about the trip.

    On a Sunny Day, the Views of the Olympic Mountains From Seattle Are Stunning!

    If you’re considering signing-up, read about this trick for getting a quicker Global Entry appointment!

    Cards With a Global Entry Fee Credit

    You can get a $100 Global Entry fee credit with these cards:

    Remember, you can use the credit for anyone, not just yourself!

    Bottom Line

    With Global Entry, you can get through security and customs faster.

    Global Entry costs $100 and is valid for 5 years.  But if you have the right card, you can get your fee refunded.  And you can use your card’s Global Entry fee credit for friends and family members, too!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)