Last updated on April 26th, 2024 at 12:00 am
Being part of a Trusted Traveler program is a must for virtually anyone in our community. However, they do cost money to be part of, with pricing being all over the place. That’s changing, though, as CBP Trusted Traveler fees are increasing and harmonizing.
I don’t know about you all, but I can’t travel without TSA PreCheck. I travel very gear-heavy, so being able to leave all of that in my bag is paramount to a smooth trip through the airport. However, I’ve long advocated for obtaining a Global Entry membership at a cost of $100 over PreCheck’s $85. However, a year and a half ago, PreCheck fees fell to as low as $70. In fact, today, new enrollments cost anywhere from $78 to $85, and renewals cost $70 to $78, depending on what enrollment partner you use and whether you do your renewal in-person or online.
Even then, I still advocated for Global Entry over PreCheck, but now, as CBP Trusted Traveler fees are increasing, which way you go will depend on your travel styles, resources, and preferences.
CBP Trusted Traveler Fees Are Increasing
I think the better title for this post may be CBP Trusted Traveler fees are increasing, except for PreCheck. But that’s too long to fit, so… At any rate, yes, the fee increase applies to Global Entry, Sentri, and Nexus, and it’s fairly steep – especially for Nexus members.
According to the CBP’s press release, fees are going to be harmonized so that all programs will cost the same moving forward. Those specific changes look like this:
- Global Entry: $100 to $120
- Sentri: “a la carte” to $120
- Nexus: $50 to $120
For those not familiary, Sentri is a trusted travel program for those that frequently cross the southern border, while Nexus is a joint program with Canada Border Services Agency for those that frequently travel to and from Canada via land crossings.
The CBP notes that these fee increases are necessary to better cover the costs of administering these programs. They further note that the fees haven’t been increased in 15 years, which is quite a while, especially when considering how much inflation has increased costs during that timeframe.
These new fees are set to go into effect on October 1, 2024.
What Can You Do?
For Global Entry members specifically, you can renew your membership up to one year before your expiration date. So, if your card has an expiration date before October 1, 2025, it might be a good idea to pull the trigger now. However, if you can’t, you can always charge your enrollment or renewal fee to a credit card that provides Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credits. Most of these cards are locked in at a maximum benefit of $100 every four years, so we’ll see if they up it after the change goes into effect. However, some of the more popular cards that offers this benefit include the:
- Amex Platinum
- Amex Bonvoy Brilliant
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Chase Ritz-Clarton Visa
- Chase United Explorer Visa
- Chase United Quest
- Chase United Club Infinite
- Chase Aeroplan
- Chase IHG Rewards Premier
- Capital One Venture X
- Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard
- Bank of America Premium Rewards
Final Thoughts
It’s a bummer that the CBP Trusted Traveler fees are increasing. But it is what it is. Thankfully, we have ways of at least mitigating these fees, though it’ll be interesting to see if any issuers move to increase their fee credit for Global Entry. At any rate, an extra $20 every five years, or $4 per year, isn’t a dealbreaker to me and is well worth the benefit it brings. Whether you continue to get Global Entry over PreCheck, well, that’s up to you. But why restrict yourself over a few extra bucks?