Global entry with kids: how to get for free, interview tips, and everything else you need to know

I wouldn't fork out $500 for global entry for the whole family, but if you can get this for free, I highly recommend looking into it! Our family travels quite a bit within the US and out of the country as well, and we've thoroughly enjoyed having this expedited perk.

Here are the cards mentioned for our strategy:

1. American Express Business Platinum: https://americanexpress.com/en-us/ref...

These are the credits that I use to offset the annual fee:
$400 to spend at dell
$120 to spend on phone bill (which includes cell phone insurance, e.g. cracked screens, super helpful with kids)
$200 on airlines - I don't value this at the full $200 since I spend them on lounge passes.. maybe it's worth about $160 to me.
Global entry, lounge access, hotel status, travel insurance, rental car perks, and CLEAR membership are all bonus in my books, and I'll let you decide how much value to place on them.
(Indeed and Adobe credits are useless.)

2. American Express Platinum: https://americanexpress.com/en-us/ref...

These are the credits that I use to offset the annual fee:
$240 credit for digital entertainment e.g. Disney+, NYT
$300 equinox credit. I use this to get the app for free. Valuing at about $50.
$200 uber credit, valuing at $160
$100 saks credit
$200 airline credit, similar to above. I am valuing at about $160.
$200 on hotels through the fine hotels and resorts collection, and then additional credits on the stay. We have somehow been able to use this for date nights when traveling to Asia each year. I value this at $100.
Walmart+ membership is technically $155, but I'd value this at $20. We do occasionally use this for very emergency groceries, e.g. solo parenting and out of fruits to pack into tomorrow's lunch. Was this oddly specific? Maybe.
Global entry, lounge access, hotel status, travel insurance, rental car perks, and CLEAR membership are all bonus in my books, and I'll let you decide how much value to place on them.

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:28 What is global entry?
0:54 Global entry vs TSA precheck vs CLEAR
2:24 Application
2:47 Interview options
3:55 Interview itself- how did it go?
5:27 Approval timeline
5:40 Is global entry worth it for families?
6:02 Using global entry, their new mobile app
6:32 Using TSA precheck
7:11 How to get global entry for free for the whole family (5 player mode)

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