Anyone use SENTRI to commute to work from TJ to SD? (San Diego: good credit, student loan)

[beera]

My dad lives in Tijuana and has an extra room in his home. He told me and my husband to just move in with him (completely free) because we are having a baby. He said we'd have no problem getting SENTRI (we both have good credit, no criminal history, etc), and then besides gas, we'd save a lot on bills (to pay off our student loan and car debts faster), and him and his wife would help take care of the baby while we work.

I work in Mira Mesa, hubby works in Hillcrest. I don't know how long it would take to get past SENTRI as I have heard it's used a lot more now. I'm thinking this would make at least a 2-3 hour commute for me, and at least 1-2 hour commute for hubby.

We can afford our bills and debts right now, but the extra money towards debts would be nice I'm just not sure how difficult a commute would be, and I'm guessing we'd have to leave UBER early to get to our jobs at a decent hour, like 5 am early...

Thoughts? Thank you!

[moved]

I use Sentri when I drive to work in San Diego. If you're thinking of moving, apply for Sentri passes now. Conditional approval depends on the backlog of applications, and once you're conditionally approved, you'll have to make an appointment to be interviewed. It can take as little as six weeks or more, you just never know. And yes, you would have to leave early, even though it doesn't take that much time to cross the border in the Sentri lane.

From where I live, it take me 10-15 minutes to get to the Sentri lane, and I normally leave at 7am, but I work nights. I leave early to pick up my mail and run errands before I have to be at work. The wait is normally been 10-15 minutes, but it can still take longer to cross.


Both commutes shouldn't take longer than an hour, which includes crossing the border. I hope you have a fuel efficient car to drive to Mira Mesa, though.

[moved]

You'll also have to decide if you're willing to put all that wear and tear on your car, drive 60+ miles per day, you'll probably have to fill up every three days, and the commute will get old very quickly.

I only drive to San Diego once per week, unless I have to drive another day. The one day that I normally drive, I have to cram all my errands into one day, and by the time I get home, I will have driven close to 100 miles. If I was still living in San Diego, the errands would only have been about five miles, since I tend to save money by taking public transportation.

[sdjimbob]

Originally Posted by moved

I use Sentri when I drive to work in San Diego. If you're thinking of moving, apply for Sentri passes now. Conditional approval depends on the backlog of applications, and once you're conditionally approved, you'll have to make an appointment to be interviewed. It can take as little as six weeks or more, you just never know.

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I remember your mentioning being denied for Sentri at the interview. How'd the appeal process go?

To stay on topic, my coworker lived in Playas and drove to Sorrento Mesa. He said it was normally 1 hr both ways leaving at 7 and returning at 6.

[moved]

I finally managed to get one, and since the entrance to the Sentri lane was changed, it now takes longer during rush hour.