How’s the health of your passport? Are you a procrastinator? Do you have a sudden fantastic opportunity to travel to one of your bucket list places in the world, but need to apply for or renew your passport?
Your passport should have at least 6 blank pages, and an expiration date more than 6 months in the future, for hassle-free travel overseas.
If you’re in a bind with your passport, here’s how to renew it quickly and easily…
A new feature on the Mobile Passport app now lets you renew your passport within 24 hours. Check out this article that explains it. It costs, but it may be worth it!
With passport renewals sometimes taking up to 8 weeks, a trip might not come off if you’re getting within 6 months of your passport expiration date. Booking a last-minute beach vacation just got a lot easier, if you are willing to pay a price.
FedEx also has plans for renewing your passport in as little as 24 hours; the costs range from $99 to $499. Here’s the passport info from FedEx.
Have you ever had a close call with your Passport? Tell us!
And, if you do not have the Mobile Passport app, get right on that. You can zip through Customs and Border Protection when returning to the US, as you simply enter your passport information and answer entry questions before you even get to the arrivals immigration hall. Best of all? There’s no fee—unless you opt for the premium version, which stores your information for future trips.
On that note, if you don’t have Global Entry or TSA Pre✓, you can get it at no charge if you have certain premium credit cards, or pay $100 for 5 years; if you travel even once a year, it’ll be worth it. The Mobile Passport is almost as good…but Global Entry gets you to passport control before even the airline crew, and TSA Pre✓ is how you skip the big lines when flying from a US airport.
The take-away? With travel opening up, and plans being made, get your ducks in a row so that you’re ready. Check your passport, get Global Entry, TSA Pre✓, Mobile Passport ( Check out all my travel app recommendations). Get some credit cards to reduce travel costs, and start planning your next trip! (psst…update June 1: Southwest cards have elevated bonus offers for a limited time!)
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