I don’t like to wait in lines, especially in airports. If you subscribe to my free travel newsletter, then you know I preach that one of the best things to come to international travel since lie-flat seats is Global Entry (GE).
GE allows pre-approved low-risk air travelers entering the United States to fast track so you can go from the plane to the taxi stand in just a few minutes. No waiting in endless, mind-numbingly slow lines. The expedited customs clearance program began in 2008 and costs $100 for five years and includes TSA PreCheck. Tip: Some premium credit cards will cover the fee so always check with your issuer and pay the fee with that card.
For those who travel to, from or within Canada (like me, since my wife is Canadian) then you’ll want to get Nexus since it only costs $50 for five years and includes Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. There’s a similar program for those going to/from Mexico called Sentri but I don’t have that one so I’m not that familiar with it beyond knowing that it costs $122.25.
To become a trusted traveler, you have to provide all kinds of personal information and do an in-person interview. When these programs first launched, it was easy to get an appointment but the secret is out so it can be really difficult unless you’re willing to travel to a remote office. It’s really difficult to get a Nexus appointment since the Canadian offices are closed because of Covid and staff shortages.
My daughter and I just had our Nexus/Global Entry interview in June in Niagara, New York (here’s my trip report and experience).
I had a bunch of readers email me to ask how in the world did I find that open appointment? It was mostly luck but I just kept checking the Nexus appointments over and over and voila.
Well, there’s now a Twitter handle that will do that tedious work for you. Instead of constantly checking the government’s website you can now just follow @GlobalEntryNow and/or check out their website globalentrynow.com.
The Twitter handle tweets frequently, like every few minutes, including on weekends and in the middle of the night since it appears to all be automated. So whenever someone cancels their appointment, @GlobalEntryNow tweets the open slot. Some can be last minute or some might be months in advance. Below is a screenshot of their latest tweets at the time of writing this on August 5, 2022 at 9:06pm PT (yes, I have no social life):
And thanks to a reader comment, there’s “a good resource for GE, Nexus, & Sentri interview appointments. appointmentscanner.com It’s a pay service (I have no affiliation). As soon as I signed up I had appointment notifications almost every hour throughout the first few days. I was able to find appointments for 3 people within a week or two of signing up.”
Let me know in the comments below how this site worked out for you because it’s a really handy resource if you’re trying to book one of those hard-to-get appointments.
I tried twice for interview on arrival at ATL and both times was told they were not doing it at this time; Jan and Feb 2022. I paid for a sms text message service from GlobalEntryNow! and it was fantastic! I would have never gotten an apt. at the local airport without it. You had to drop everything and jump on it fast. One time the spot was gone in just 8 minutes! after the first few fails I learned to have all the needed info saved on my phone so I could do it asap when I got a text. Took me a few times of not being fast enough but finally got a spot. Much better than driving 6+ hours and using a vacation day to go to Chicago and back! I highly recommend this service!
INFORMATION PLEASE ?
I paid $25 to get those famous announcements even on my phone BUT, at the time you get something that works for you, YOU NEVER GET ANY RESPONSE and after few days, ANNOUNCES STOP, what means I paid that for NOTHING.
WHEN I TRIED TO CONTACT FOR HELP, ONLY GOT ERROR MESSAGE. LOL
THIS IS A JOKE.
DO NOT PAY. IT’S NOT REAL
IF YOU E-MAIL, THEY ASK YOU FOR SOME INFORMATION THAT YOU NEVER RECEIVED. LOL
WHAT A STEALTH
I had resigned on finding an appointment. I used appointmentscanner and within less than a week I found an ideal appointment in Bowling green. I should be getting my Global entry card anytime soon. Thank you
Don’t trust the statement to take your conditional approval paperwork and do the interview when coming back into US. May be true for some but when we came back through Atlanta in March, we found the interview location was 20 minutes away and there was no transportation to get there.
Is this service available to Canadians? Particularly Edmonton, AB.
Yes but none of the NEXUS offices are open in Canada due to staff shortages
appointmentscanner.com was the best $30 we have spent in a long time!!! We signed up the day I read Johnny’s column and within an hour received a notice for open appointments. And within two days, my husband and I had our interviews and got our Global Entry approvals. (Of course, we are lucky enough to live less than an hour from an enrollment center.). AMAZING!! Thanks so much for the suggestion!
There’s a similar program for those going to/from Mexico called Sentri but I don’t have that one so I’m not that familiar with it beyond knowing that it costs $122.25
I used my GE a few months ago to cross from Tijuana to San Diego. The back of GE has the sentri logo. I had my passport with me just in case but only GE was enough to cross the border. Super easy!
How do I actually schedule an appointment if the scanner shows an available slot? I see there’s on in Milwaukee but if I go to the GE site it shows no appointments.
YOu gotta be quick. Need to snag it within a minute of posting at some offices
Can Canadians apply in the US?,all Canadian offices are closed
Yes. The Niagara Falls, NY office was full of Canadians getting Nexus (and GE)
I renewed my GE card online, paid the fee and I had the new card delivered in the mail within a week. Maybe just lucky?
Very. Go buy a lottery ticket
I’ve had a Nexsus card for 10 years. My renewal application has been pending for over a year. The nexsus office just tells me to keep checking. Suggestions?
Same with my wife. Not sure what is going on but heard it could take up to a year