Global Entry Spotter Review: Easily Find Global Entry Appointments

Global Entry membership offers low-risk travelers expedited entry through customs when they re-enter the U.S. and access to the TSA PreCheck line. The approval process has two steps: Submit an application and receive conditional approval, then schedule an in-person interview with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for final approval.

The whole process can take up to 24 months if your application requires a manual review, according to the CBP website. You can’t do anything about the wait period for conditional approval, but a service called Global Entry Spotter wants to streamline the in-person scheduling part of the process.

“We know exactly when most enrollment centers will release their appointments,” says Dylan Neff, co-founder of Global Entry Spotter. Once the spotter identifies an open interview slot at your chosen enrollment centers, you’ll receive an immediate notification via email or text message. Then log onto the CBP website and schedule the interview without the hassle of constantly checking for appointment availability.

The service costs $25 for unlimited text notifications for appointment availability at up to three enrollment centers.

I tested out Global Entry Spotter and was pleased with the simple user interface and how quickly I started receiving text notifications for available appointments. The price point is lower than similar services like TTP Tracker ($30) and Appointment Scanner ($29), and you get unlimited notifications for a one-time fee, whereas those services charge you monthly for a limited number of daily notifications.

» Learn more: Global Entry appointments and interviews: what to expect

Features

Global Entry Spotter allows you to receive appointment notifications from up to three of over 170 enrollment centers across the country. You can search for appointments on certain days of the week and within a range of future dates that work with your schedule.

The company says that 3 out of 4 users will receive their first alert within 24 hours of registering. In my experience, I registered for notifications from three enrollment centers in Florida and received my first notification within minutes.

In addition to Global Entry, you can also schedule interview appointments for other Trusted Traveler Programs offered by the CBP, including NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST.

» Learn more: What is Global Entry and how do I get it?

Pros of Global Entry Spotter

Unlimited notifications

Unlike similar services that cap the number of notifications you can receive, you’ll get unlimited email or text notifications with Global Entry Spotter. This could be especially valuable if you’re using a broad range of dates for your search, or if you include enrollment centers that have more availability.

Within an hour of registering, I received notifications for appointment availability at each of the enrollment centers I selected.

One-time fee

Global Entry Spoter charges a one-time $25 fee for their service. Other similar services charge a monthly fee that you’ll have to pay multiple times if you don’t find an appointment in that first month. Even with alerts, finding an appointment can be a chore in high-demand areas like Charlotte, where there is only one enrollment center. With the one-time fee, you can take your time to find an appointment that works for you.

“If you don’t in the end find an appointment, we’ll give you your money back, no questions asked,” says Neff.

Real-time data

Global Entry Spotter offers a real-time look at wait times for individual enrollment centers across the country and converts that into the probability that you’ll find an appointment at different locations. Green dots represent a higher probability, whereas red and orange dots indicate lower probability.

If you’re in one of those tough-to-schedule locations like Charlotte or Chicago, speed will be the key in scheduling an appointment once you receive the alert.

Neff says you might only have 30 seconds to a minute after receiving an alert to secure an appointment slot in one of those low-probability locations.

“It’s hard to do with our service, but it’s impossible to do without our service,” Neff says.

Drawbacks of Global Entry Spotter

Once you receive an alert, you’ll still need to find and book that appointment on the CBP website. If you’re in a high-demand area and don’t immediately see the alert, you may be shut out from that appointment slot as other people try to reserve it before you. Additionally, the more people that use a service like Global Entry Spotter, the harder it will be for any one person to find an appointment, since more people will be vying for those in-demand slots as soon as they are released.

Should you sign up for Global Entry Spotter?

You should sign up for Global Entry Spotter if you live in or near a high-demand city and are struggling to find an in-person appointment. The cost is reasonable and using the service could dramatically decrease the time you wait for final Global Entry approval.

How to get Global Entry for free

Several popular travel credit cards reimburse you for the application fee for TSA Trusted Traveler Programs like Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. This is usually in the form of a statement credit, where you pay for the fee on your card and get reimbursed automatically.

Here are some of our favorite cards that offer a statement credit for Global Entry: