Whoa! That was easier than expected

[dreamshark]

In 2016 I signed us both up for the Global Entry Program, which lets pre-screened US citizens bypass customs on reentering the US. But wait, there's more!  The Global Entry card also works as well as a passport for getting back into the US across the Canadian land border (a life-saver during that period where our passports were lost). But the real reason for getting it is that it also includes TSA Pre-Check for a cost of only $15 more than applying for TSA Pre-Check alone. And TSA Pre-Check is worth its weight in gold. It lets you bypass most of the security line at domestic airports as well as exempting you from some of the dumber TSA requirements, like removing your shoes and segregating your shampoos and lotions in a little ziplock bag. 

But the application process is annoying and can take months because you have to schedule an interview. According to the government site, you absolutely need an interview just for an uncomplicated renewal, and they are backed up for months. So when I noticed that our Global Entries were expiring in 2022 I decided I'd better get on the ball. Went online and filled out the forms again and then waited for the applications to go into pre-approval mode so I could try to schedule interviews. Astoundingly, they just skated right past the interview requirement and approved them both!  In two days!  I was so confused by this that I spent a couple of hours trying to figure out where the scheduling link had disappeared to (the website had OF COURSE been completely scrapped and reimagined since our initial applications, requiring brand new accounts and so on). But I finally noticed a message in the Notifications section congratulating me on my approval. Zounds! Something finally went right. 

Comments

[quadong]

Maybe your profile is so incredibly unsuspicious now that you don't need an interview? That would be unexpectedly sensible.

As far as I can tell, the TSA is not enforcing the stupid ziploc bag rule for liquids anymore at all (I certainly blatantly ignore it and haven't been even scolded), although they are still enforcing the stupid overall liquids rule. I imagine that Pre-Check doesn't let you carry through a full water bottle... that would be a threat to the integrity of the republic.

[dreamshark]

I googled "approved for Global Entry renewal with no interview" and found a travel-hacker blog that described exactly the same easy approval. According to this guy, "a lot" of people have had this experience lately, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to exactly why. Our profile was always ploddingly mundane, but we had to go through an interview 5 years ago. Which was completely pointless - took about 10 minutes and just consisted of repeating aloud all the information that was in the application we had already filled out. I'm sure the travel blogger has a much more interesting and potentially suspicious profile, since those guys are constantly flying around on Emirates airlines just so they can score first-class suites on giant airplanes, but he got the no-interview treatment too. So, who knows?

Having been in the Pre-Check line for the last 5 years, I'm not sure just what is going on in the regular line now. Do you still have to take your shoes off? Take your laptop out of your bag?

[quadong]

Yes, the shoe and laptop nonsense persists.

[carbonel]

I do in fact often carry a full water bottle through airline security. But it's a bottle of distilled water for my CPAP, so it counts as medical supplies. Which means it's allowable, but has to get wiped to make sure the distilled water hasn't been replaced by explosives. Somehow the republic still survives.