Get Your Global Entry or TSA Precheck Membership for Free (2021)

Easy Access to Valuable Travel Benefits, Airfare Booking Strategies

Even if you only travel a few times a year, you'll be grateful to have access to TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. TSA PreCheck significantly speeds up the security screening process at most US airports. Global Entry lets you skip the regular immigration lines whenever you return to the US from other countries.

For most travelers, membership is easily worth the fees. But thanks to travel credit cards, you can get the benefits of Global Entry and TSA PreCheck for free.

Many travel credit cards, including some of the cards you are likely to want anyway, pay for the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. If you have one of these cards, it doesn't cost you anything to get a fast pass through security and immigration.

TSA PreCheck. If you have TSA PreCheck, you can access special (usually shorter) security screening lines at over 200 US airports. Once you get to the screening area, you don't need to take off your shoes and belt or remove your laptop and 3-1-1 liquids from your bag. According to the TSA, 95% of PreCheck passengers wait less than 5 minutes to pass through security. Once you complete your application, you'll get a "Known Traveler Number" that you can attach to your airline reservations to activate your benefits. $85 per person for 5 years. Children under 13 don't need their own membership. TSA PreCheck website.
Global Entry. Global Entry can let you skip the regular immigration lines when you return to the country. At most airports with international flights, you can scan your passport and fingerprints at a kiosk rather than waiting in potentially long lines to talk to an immigration agent. Global Entry also lets you special Nexus lanes when you enter the US at many Canadian land border crossings (but not when you are entering Canada). In addition, there is a growing number of international airports where you can use Global Access to bypass their normal immigration lines. Global Entry website.

The fee for Global Entry is $100 per person for 5 years, but it includes access to TSA PreCheck. You are only paying $15 more for the extra Global Entry privileges.

NEXUS. NEXUS is a joint program operated by the US and Canada. It speeds up both airport and land border crossings between the two countries. You'll get access to special Nexus lanes in both direction at most land border crossings and can use the Canadian-equivalent to the Global Entry kiosks at Canadian airports. To be approved, you'll need to be interviewed by Canadian immigration at one of a limited number of locations. Nexus has a fee of $50 for 5 years and includes both Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. There is no charge for children under 18. If you apply by mail, you'll only pay $50 CAD, instead of $50 USD. NEXUS website.
SENTRI. SENTRI allows you to use special lanes when entering the US from Mexico. You'll also get access to both Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. It costs $122.50 for 5 years. Children under 18 are free with two adult applications. SENTRI website.
CLEAR. CLEAR is a privately-run program that provides access to special security screening lines at dozens of airports and a handful of stadiums and other locations. Rather than having your ID checked by a TSA agent, you'll have your face and fingerprint scanned at a kiosk. CLEAR lines are often significantly shorter than even the TSA PreCheck lines, so a CLEAR membership can save you time at the airport. Once you get to the screening area, the normal screening rules apply. If you also have TSA PreCheck you can take advantage of the more convenient screening process. If you don't, you can't. CLEAR costs $180 per year, but it is easy to access at a discounted price (see below). CLEAR website.

Trusted traveler credits

Many credit cards come with a TSA Precheck / Global Access credit.

To take advantage of the credit, simply use the card to pay your application fee. You'll automatically receive a statement credit that refunds the fee. In most cases, the credit will pay either the $100 for Global Entry or the $85 for TSA PreCheck. With a few cards, the maximum credit is $85. So, if you use it to pay for your Global Entry fee, you'll still wind up paying the $15 difference.
You are only entitled to use each card's credit once every 4 or 5 years. Since memberships last for 5 years, each credit card limits your use of the credit to either once every 4 years, or once every 5 years.
If you need to pay fees for several members of your family, you'll need several different cards. You could easily have a few different cards that have this benefit, so each person's application can use a different card. If you need and want to pick up a new card before your application, you'll be able to use the credit right away. You just need to wait before you can use it again.
NEXUS or SENTRI credits are usually not reimbursed. Some people have reported contacting the credit card company and convincing them to give them a credit anyway. After all, the Nexus fee is only half the cost of the Global Entry fee, which would have been reimbursed.

CLEAR Discounts and Credit

CLEAR normally costs $179 per year for the first member and $50 per year for up to 3 additional adults. Children under 18 can accompany members through the lines without their own membership.

However, no one needs to pay full price. Anyone with a Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus account, even one with no miles, gets access to a lower price of $119. Delta or United elites or credit card holders can get a membership for $109 and very high level elites can get free membership.

If you have the Amex Platinum Card or Amex Platinum Business Card, you'll receive a $179 per year credit towards CLEAR. That's enough to pay for a full-priced membership and more than enough to pay for the easy-to-get discounted membership plus an extra person. The Amex Green Card provides a $100 per year credit, which would drop the cost of the first person's discounted membership to only $9 or $19. Since the credit is based on calendar years, you can use it twice the first year you have the card. You could wait till January to add additional family members or you could use it to renew a little early.

Credit cards that offer trusted traveler credits

For most people, signing up for credit cards, just to receive travel benefits, good reward earning rates, or lucrative signup bonuses, isn't an irresponsible thing to do. It won't kill your credit rating—it just might improve it. But, if you have a problem with credit, or you aren't organized enough to avoid unwanted credit card fees, you'll need to stick to our other strategies for discounted travel. For more information, see our Credit Cards 101 guide.

Cards you might already have or want

Many of the cards that you might already have (or might want to get) include trusted traveler credits.

Sapphire Reserve Card. For its priority pass membership, free travel insurance, primary rental car insurance, free roadside assistance, and excellent reward rates as part of the Chase Unlimited combo.
Amex Platinum Card. For its many benefits.
United Quest Card or United Explorer Credit Card. For their free checked bags benefit and access to extra award space.
BOA Premium Rewards Card. For its excellent cashback rewards with a Bank of America Platinum Honors relationship.
Southwest Performance Business Card. For its easier pathway to a Southwest Companion Pass.
Altitude Reserve Card. For its excellent reward rate on digital wallet purchases and other benefits.
Citi Prestige Card. For its high reward rate on restaurants, online travel agencies, and possibly airfares, Priority Pass membership, and unique 4th night free benefit.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card. For its annual free night certificate and priority pass membership.
IHG Premier Card. For its annual free night certificate.
Delta Platinum Credit Card or Delta Reserve Card. For its companion certificate and other Delta benefits.

Other high-end cards with credits include the American Airlines Executive Card, Emirates Gold Credit Card, UBS Infinite Card, CNB Crystal Infinite Card, and HSBC Premier Elite card.

Cards to get if you need a credit

If you are about to apply for Global Entry and don't already have a card with an available trusted traveler credit, you could always apply for a new credit card. It should only take a week or two until you receive the card and can use to pay your application fee.

If there isn't a card that you've been meaning to add your credit card collection, you might as well choose a card that has a valuable signup bonus. The net signup bonuses listed below are the "standard" offers and don't include the value of the trusted traveler credit. Better offers may be available. The Best Credit Card Signup Bonuses.

Some likely candidates include:

Card	Typical Net Signup Value
Amex Platinum Card	$890
United Quest Card	$800
Citi Prestige Card	$660
Altitude Reserve Card	$630
Capital One Venture Card	$510
Capital One Spark	$500
BOA Premium Rewards Card	$460
Flexperks Gold Card	$350

The Penfed Pathfinder Rewards card includes a trusted traveler credit and a $100 per year airline incidental credit and has no annual fee (as long as you have a checking account). You won't get a big signup bonus, but you can hold onto the card, use the incidental credit every year, and then eventually use the trusted traveler credit to renew your Global Entry status.

If you are under 5/24, the Sapphire Reserve Card or Southwest Performance Business Card are great options.

Other cards with credits include the The BB&T Spectrum Travel Reward, the HSBC Premier, Navy Federal Flagship Rewards, Provident World+ Travel, and Suntrust Travel Rewards card.