As we all know, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is going to bump up the fees of virtually all their trusted traveler programs with the exception of TSA PreCheck. The biggest question that followed was what would happen to credit card fee credits. Well, I’m happy to report that two issuers up their trusted traveler fee credits.
Currently, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) trusted traveler programs ranged in price from $50 for NEXUS to $100 for Global Entry. In between is TSA PreCheck, which is for those that just want expedited security screening – not immigration screening – which costs anywhere from $78 to $85 for new enrollments and $70 to $78.
All of these programs have traditionally been covered by the trusted traveler fee credits offered by most of the super-premium credit cards on the market today. So when the CBP announced that they were increasing the price of NEXUS, Sentri, and Global Entry to $120, the next thing everyone wanted to know is whether or not these super-premium cards would continue to cover the newer, higher fees. And for cardholders of two issuers, the answer is yes.
Two Issuers Up Their Trusted Traveler Fee Credit
As the title of this post and section states, two issuers up their trusted traveler fee credit to match the soon-to-be increased enrollment and renewal fees. Those two issuers are Chase and Citi. Of course, you probably want to know which cards offer these credits. Well, Chase has several, but Citi offers the credit on only one card – the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard. They used to offer the fee credit on more cards, but, you know, the completely gutted, then stopped offering, their industry-leading super-premium Prestige card.
Anyhow, for Chase, you can enjoy the fee credit on the following cards:
- Sapphire Reserve
- Ritz-Clarton Visa
- United Explorer Visa
- United Quest Visa
- United Club Infinite
- IHG One Rewards Premier
- Aeroplan Card
It’s worth noting that some of Chase’s cards actually have sane annual fees. The United Explorer, IHG One Rewards Premier, and Aeroplan Card all have an annual fee of about $99.
Issuers Not Matching the New Fees – Yet
Of course, there are more than just two issuers that offer trusted traveler program fee credits, they just haven’t announced increases yet. I say yet because it would be silly for these issuers to not bump their credit, too. After all, it’s such small amount in the grand scheme of things – especially if the card that offers it already have an annual fee north of $500. Anyway, examples of cards that currently offer a $100 fee credit right now includes:
- Amex Platinum
- Amex Bonvoy Brilliant
- Bank of America Premium Rewards
- Capital One Venture X
Capital One and Amex would be especially shocking to me if they didn’t match the new $120 fee, but we’ll see.
Two Issuers Up Their Trusted Traveler Fee Credit, Final Thoughts
Honestly, I never doubted that banks would match the new fees. After all, compared to so many other card benefits, the trusted traveler fee credit really isn’t that big of an expense. Think about it, it’s only valid once every four years, so that $100 ends up costing the issuing bank $25 per year, and the newer fee will add just $5 per year to that figure. That said, it’s a fee credit I value, especially on my Sapphire Reserve, which also offers $300 in annual travel statement credits. So, on years on which I do renew my Global Entry membership, the card returns $400 of its $550 annual fee.
That’s also why, while only two issuers up their trusted traveler fee credits, I’m sure it won’t stay that way for long. If an issuer decides not to, though, it could be a sign that, perhaps, other negative changes could be on the way.