Why Trusted Traveler renewals catch people off guard
Five years is long enough to forget. The card goes in a drawer, the expiration date is invisible, and unlike a passport there's no familiar "renew six months before travel" rule to jog your memory. Most people find out their membership lapsed the hard way — standing in the regular security line, or realizing at the international arrivals hall that the Global Entry kiosk won't take them anymore.
The bigger problem is timing. Renewal isn't instant. CBP processing can stretch from weeks to several months, and a renewal filed too late means a stretch with no expedited screening at all — exactly when you're traveling and want it most. The fix is to renew early, and the only reliable way to remember something five years out is a reminder that fires with real lead time.
Renew early — before it expires
This is the part that actually matters: renew before your card's expiration date. CBP lets you begin the renewal roughly a year ahead, and filing before you lapse is what lets you keep using your benefits while the renewal is being processed. Let it expire first and you lose expedited screening until you're re-approved — which, in a backlog, can mean months.
So the goal isn't to renew on the expiration date. It's to have the reminder reach you about six months early, with a couple of follow-up nudges, so a busy season never pushes it past the point where early renewal is still possible.
TSA PreCheck vs. Global Entry — which to track
- TSA PreCheck — faster domestic airport security screening. Renews every 5 years.
- Global Entry — expedited U.S. customs and immigration when you arrive from abroad, and it includes TSA PreCheck benefits. Renews every 5 years, through CBP's Trusted Traveler Programs.
If you have Global Entry, you already have PreCheck — so track the Global Entry expiration and you're covered for both. And note that CLEAR is different: it's a separate private service that auto-renews as an annual subscription, so track it with the annual subscription tracker, not here.
How to set it up
- Open the Groups tab and create a group called Travel (or Trusted Traveler).
- Add a reminder per member — Global Entry renewal — [name] or TSA PreCheck renewal — [name].
- Open it, tap Edit, and under Schedules add a repeating 5-year schedule set to the expiration date on the card. (A one-time event on the expiration date works too if you'd rather reset it each cycle.)
- Add advance alert offsets — 180, 90, and 30 days before — so the first nudge lands about six months ahead of the deadline.
- Under Documents, attach a photo of your membership card or approval letter. It opens with iOS Quick Look, on-device.
- Add a note with your Known Traveler Number (KTN / PASSID) and the Trusted Traveler Programs login — the details you'll want in hand at renewal and at booking.
Frequently asked questions
How early can I renew TSA PreCheck or Global Entry? CBP generally lets you start the renewal about a year before your membership expires. The important thing is to file before the card expires — that's what allows your benefits to continue while the renewal is processed. Renewing early also protects you against processing backlogs.
I have Global Entry — do I need to track TSA PreCheck separately? No. Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck benefits, so tracking your Global Entry expiration covers both. One reminder is enough.
What about CLEAR — is that the same thing? No. CLEAR is a separate, private service that renews as an annual subscription and auto-charges each year. Track it with the annual subscription tracker so you can review it before it bills — the 5-year Trusted Traveler renewal on this page is a different deadline.
Can I track renewals for my whole family? Yes. Add one reminder per person — each membership has its own expiration date and Known Traveler Number. iCloud sync keeps the list current across your Apple devices on the same Apple ID.
Related use cases
- Passport expiration tracker — the other travel document to keep ahead of, with its own 6-month-validity rule
- Annual subscription tracker — where CLEAR and other auto-renewing memberships belong
- Vehicle registration renewal — another fixed renewal deadline handled the same way