Our flights back from Europe were recently changed and we now have only 1 hour 30 minutes at JFK to clear customs and get on our flight to Houston. Has anyone used Mobile Pass app to clear quickly? How did it work? Trying to decide if we should use this app and hope for the best or buy another back up ticket home!! Thanks in advance for your input...

I have Global Entry so have never tried the App.

But, is it one ticket or two? If it is one booking you are protected on to another flight if necessary

The Mobile Passport App works similar to using the regular Kiosks and Global entry. Once you have an internet connection follow these steps:

1. Open the app and re-enter all your passport information (paid version stores your passport info).
2. Answer 5 brief questions about your trip.
3. Review all of the information about your travel that is showing in the app. Be sure to check that everything is accurate.
4. Then, electronically submit your information to Customs and Border Protection.
5. After submitting your information, you will receive an electronic receipt that contains an encrypted barcode. This should take only a few seconds to get and will be valid for 4 hours.
6. Finally, follow the Mobile Passport Control signs, show your passport to the Customs and Border Protection officer, and scan the barcode on your receipt. Once this is complete, you should be good to go. It’s as easy as that.

Go here for more info:

https://upgradedpoints.com/mobile-passport-app/

My wife and I have Global Entry. As we scanned both our passports at the kiosk in JFK, after we answered all the questions, correctly, we received an error message on each repeated attempt that stated there was an issue and that we should relocate to a staffed line. As only one line was staffed and after a wait of about an hour, at a minimum, we were accommodated. The officer cheerfully advised us that the scanner sometimes detected an issue if both the cover was inserted along with the information page (page 2 of the passport). He scanned only the information page and voila, no problem.

Now I see why passport holders that cannot use the automated line can get irate at the wait times involved.

Huggy, if that happens again my advice is to just go to the agent that is by the kiosk.

I did. That agent tried to process the passport and he got an error message. After several failed attempts at more than one kiosk, I was directed to the dreaded line to manually process people. My belief is that it would be easier to insert only the information page (2) of the passport as the best solution. I believe that the difference is that the solution came from an officer and not one of the people whom staffed the area whom were not officers and therefore, lacked the experience level and there only to direct people.

Thank goodness that I was at the front of the line. Seems that officer level staffing has been reduced in immigration. Probably sent to the southern US border. Thanks for your proposed solution though.