Why I Still Think TSA PreCheck and Global Entry Are Worth Getting

If you travel 3 or more times a year, then you know you're spending a lot of time in the TSA line. I don't want to waste time I could be looking at art or eating a meal or browsing in shops. Even if I'm just hanging out at my gate and playing a game, it's better than standing in line for no reason.

I know more people than ever have TSA PreCheck, and a lot of people online are complaining that you are waiting just in long in the PreCheck line as you are the regular line, but in all my experience, I've only waited the same amount once, and that was because the airport just wasn't that busy. There were, literally, 3 people in the normal line. 

On the other hand, PreCheck has saved me on a few occasions when the lines have been extra long and I was running late for my flight. Instead of waiting 45 mins, I waited 3, and was able to relax knowing that I had time to spare before boarding. In fact, one trip I got to the airport as my flight was boarding and whizzed through TSA, got to my gate in time to gate-check my bag (I'm absolutely not paying if I don't have to) and walk right onto the plane. Phew! That was a bit stressful, but then I sat down and slept my whole flight home. It was also 5am.

Why else do I think PreCheck is worth the money? ($80)

• At some point, they are probably make you start taking your shoes off again. I said it. Research shows that skipping that step is actually very bad for security purposes, and while this administration doesn't care about our safety, the next probably will. 
• I don't have to take everything out of my bag and then repack it in the 4 seconds before the next person and their bag invades my space on the conveyor belt.
• While you still need to adhere to the 3.4oz rule, you don't have to have it all corralled in a bag. At least, I never have.I still keep my liquids separate in my toiletry bag, but that's mainly so any spillage doesn't happen on all my dry stuff. 
• You don't need 3 bins for your things. Instead, you just empty your pockets into your purse or side pocket of your carry-on, push it/them through, and walk through the metal detector.
• Instead of getting "randomly searched" at security 3 out of 4 times on my trips, I almost never do.

Honestly, not having to get to the airport 3 hours early is a blessing, even if I find the airport fun. 

Literally, no line.

When should you upgrade to Global Entry? ($120)

If you're taking at least two international trips within your 5-year window, it's worth it. Obviously, if you go more, you get more value, but it's $40 more than PreCheck and that's worth it to me to not have to stand in hours-long lines coming back home. If you like standing in customs lines, that's great. I enjoy talking to people, too, but at the end of my trip, I just want to get home, even if I have another flight to get there. 

There have been times where people were waiting for 2 hours to talk to a customs agent and we just walked up to the machines, pushed a button, took our receipt, and walked right to the agent to hand it over. Am I worried about facial recognition? Kind of, but at this point, it's too late to do anything about it, and the government knows where I'm going and when I'm coming back. If you're worried about facial recognition, I get it. It means you'll have to wait in longer lines and do some extra steps at TSA.

The other benefit of having Gobal Entry is that you get an ID card, which can work in place of your driver license, and that means I haven't had to go through the hoopla of getting a Real ID yet. I probably will when I need to renew, but for now, I am not paying an extra $30 to get another thing that works the same as 2 others that I already own (Global Entry card & current passport). 

Do you have PreCheck or Global Entry, and if so, do you think it's worth it?