APEC Business Travel Card: an underrated hack Upgraded to Economy, November 17, 2023November 24, 2023 Global Entry members tend to be spoiled for clearing immigration when heading home to the United States. Visiting other countries, however, might not be such a great experience when they lose access to the fast-track immigration clearance they enjoy in the U.S. and have to wait in hours-long lines at foreign airports. That being said, the fun doesn’t have to end in the U.S. for Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI members. They also have the option to apply for the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC). It is a pretty wonderful card to have in your wallet if you are visiting APEC economies (which include most East and Southeast Asian countries) and can justify using it for business purposes. Why doesn’t everyone get the APEC Business Travel Card? The ABTC is often forgotten because most Americans don’t have a “business use case” for getting an ABTC. Furthermore, it’s often seen as not very useful compared to other countries’ ABTCs. The U.S. and Canada are “transitional members” of APEC, so the U.S.-issued and Canada-issued ABTCs don’t confer cardholders any visa-free access to APEC economies. While that might make the ABTC seem useless for Americans and Canadians, it’s still underrated. The remaining benefit of the ABTCs issued by the U.S. and Canada is to skip the long immigration lines. This comes in handy more often than one might think, especially if you’re flying to an airport known for long lines and arrive with other international flights at the same time. As a small business owner, I have a clear and compelling reason to use the APEC Business Travel Card in Asia. I described my experience of getting my ABTC in a previous post. (While the CBP interviewing officers might try to scare you and make you think it takes vetting to get, in reality, the interview is a formality.) When giving out these cards to Global Entry members, the U.S. CBP maintains the official position that the ABTCs are meant only for business travel purposes. That means even if you have an ABTC, you still can’t use it when you’re traveling for leisure. Asking to get the ABTC for leisure travel will probably result in the application being denied. How the APEC Business Travel Card works in practice However, once you get the card, does it really matter if you are using it for business purposes or not? While everyone’s experience will vary in different countries and different airports, I’ll describe the general experience of using the ABTC in two airports: Shanghai Pudong and Tokyo Haneda. At both airports, the ABTC is only used to get in the special fast line. You show the immigration staff your ABTC and they will move you to the special APEC fast track line. However, they do not actually ask you if you are traveling for business. In fact, once you reach the immigration agent, the ABTC becomes irrelevant. At that point, you will only have to present your passport and be fingerprinted, among other things. At Shanghai Pudong International Airport, one might make the mistake of missing the APEC sign and going to the 1-hour long foreigner immigration clearing line. Thankfully, if you can flag down an immigration officer walking around and mention that you have an APEC card, they will escort you to the correct line and you will save an hour of your life from waiting in a pointless line. As you can see from these stories I’ve collected from people, the ABTC is very useful! It’s so useful, in fact, that it pretty much acts like a trusted traveler program for East and Southeast Asia. While Japan has a trusted traveler program, and I previously considered signing up for it, I have ultimately decided against it. Not only does it take too much effort to get, it’s also not necessary for any ABTC cardholders who are able to use it to skip the long lines. How do I get one from the U.S.? If you are currently a Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI member and you are also a U.S. citizen, then you can go to the Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) portal at ttp.dhs.gov, log in, and there should be an option to apply for the APEC Business Travel Card. Related Posts My experience getting an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) as a U.S. citizen (and how you can get one too)The APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) is designed to expedite entry of businesspeople between different… The best travel-size toothpaste for carry-onsWe all know that whenever we're flying, we have to adhere to the annoying 3-1-1… How to scan your RFID TTP card at land crossingsWatch this video for a demonstration on how to scan your RFID TTP card at… Why you should never cancel a credit cardEver think a credit card has no more use for you? While it may seem… Redistributing your credit line from one Chase card to anotherPSA: if you have multiple Chase accounts, you can move around your credit line from… Travel Trusted Traveler Programs