Do you hate the long lines and scary border agents at American airports? I’m a travel expert and here’s the secret to avoiding them altogether and clearing customs in less than SIXTY SECONDS
For foreign visitors, arriving at a US airport is an ordeal bordering on the traumatic, with often extremely long queues and generally aggressive and unfriendly border agents.
However, it turns out there’s a way for tourists to make the stress go away and fly through US customs in 60 seconds – while avoiding those fiery border agents altogether.
Plus, there’s a way to do this for free.
Does it sound too good to be true? Nicky Kelvintravel expert and Editor at Large at The Points Guy, has revealed how it works.
In one Instagram post he explains that the secret is to apply for the Global Entry program.
This allows members to enter the US after international travel to participating airportssimply by checking in at a ‘Global Entry Kiosk’. There is no paperwork and no need to step into a processing line.
Nicky, a signed up member, told MailOnline that his experience with the system is ‘almost always excellent’.
He revealed: ‘On my most recent visit to the US, I arrived with a group of friends. Two had Global Entry and three did not. Global Entry helped the two of us complete immigration in less than 60 seconds. Our friends without Global Entry stood in line for two hours.’
Nicky Kelvin, Editor at Large at The Points Guy, reveals in an Instagram post how you can fly through US customs in under 60 seconds while dodging fiery border agents. The trick is to sign up for the Global Entry program
Global Entry members are pre-screened and can enter the US at participating airports by simply checking in at a ‘Global Entry Kiosk’
So how does it work?
The secret to the system is that Global Entry members are pre-screened, a process that involves an online application and then a brief interview at a Global Entry Enrollment Center.
These can be found at airports throughout the United States and interviews can be scheduled prior to arrival by starting with the application process in advance and receive a notification that you have been ‘conditionally approved’.
Nicky said: ‘The interview is more of an identity check. This often involves, for example, checking documents and taking fingerprints.
‘The easiest way for Brits to complete the interview is to arrange it on arrival the next time they fly to the US. I completed my interview at JFK Airport in New York and it lasted about five minutes.”
Nicky is passionate about Global Entry, pointing out that members are automatically granted ‘TSA pre-check’ status upon registration, meaning they can pass through security in the US without removing shoes, belts, liquids, laptops or light jackets to do.
Global Entry isn’t free when you sign up, but Nicky points out that some US credit cards will reimburse the fee and emphasizes that it’s ‘excellent value’ either way.
Global Entry is available to citizens of 15 countries, including those from Great Britain
He explains: ‘The contribution consists of two parts and the membership lasts five years. There is a one-off initial fee of £42, UK processing fee (you won’t have to pay this again if you renew after five years) and the main fee is US$120/£95.
‘You pay this again after five years to renew. I believe it represents an excellent value for anyone who visits the US one or more times a year. Even a few visits in five years would make sense.
“Most won’t regret it after their first experience of turning a two-hour queue into a non-existent queue.”
Global Entry is available to citizens of 15 countries (with Australians unfortunately not eligible): Argentina, Brazil, Bahrain, Dominican Republic, India, Colombia, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Panama, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and Mexico.
For more information from The Points Guy, visit thepointsguy.com.
