“Please see the agent.” Those were the words on the Global Entry Kiosk when I returned from my Central America trip. I thought my pretty face was not recognized. As it turned out, my beloved Global Entry had expired. I commented, “I thought it was good for ten years?”. The border agent said it is good for five. “It’s been five years already?” I replied.
I didn’t receive notice that my Global Entry was expiring. I also didn’t think it would be a big deal to renew. A week before my trip to Colombia, I finally got around to doing the application. The day before leaving, I went to check in for my flight and noticed that my TSA PreCheck status was not showing up. I went back to the Global Entry page and saw that my status was still pending. Freaked out, I started Googling how long it takes for a renewal to process. My heart sank when I read horror stories that it could take months. I grew more despondent when I read that I could have still made use of Global Entry if I had applied for renewal before it expired.
The next morning I mentally prepared myself for the arduos line through airport security. My punishment for not renewing was enduring the humiliation of taking off my shoes and removing my laptop from my bag. Fortunately, the line itself was not that long.
Two days after my arrival, I received an email from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. My heart raced when I opened it. What if I were not approved? Could I ever travel again without the luxury of Global Entry?
Fortunately, I would not have to answer those questions as my application was approved.
lol basically SAME.
No expiration alerts. I happened to randomly check the online portal a few months ago and to my horror discovered it had expired the day prior to “today”, with a birthday trip coming up in 4 days. Read same horror stories about months of time unless you happen to renew before expiration. Got same approval in about 2 days. Butt clenching.
I received an e-mail six months before my Global Entry expired. I am not sure if I signed up for alerts–if that is even possible–or if it was automatic.
In case it might be helpful to others, keep an eye out for an e-mail with the following:
Subject: Program Expiry
From: donotreply@cbp.dhs.gov
The best tip might be to put an appointment on your calendar for four years after your current Global Entry expiration date. You can renew your membership up to a year before it expires, and the five years are added to you current expiration date. Many credit cards refund the charge [currently $120] every four years.
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