Several months back, we learned that United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is adjusting some of the pricing of its Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP). This is something that was first proposed back in 2020, but it’s finally being implemented.
I wanted to post a reminder of this, as the changes take place tomorrow, so this is your last chance to apply at the old cost. Let me also emphasize right away that the price of TSA PreCheck isn’t changing in any way.
Global Entry fee increasing to $120
As of October 1, 2024, the cost of a Global Entry membership will be increasing from $100 to $120, representing a 20% price increase. As a refresher, for those not familiar with Global Entry, it’s a program that allows pre-qualified low risk travelers to get expedited immigration when entering the United States, and a membership is valid for five years. For what it’s worth, this is the program’s first price increase in over 15 years.
As it’s described, the current fees are no longer sufficient to recover the CBP’s costs to administer the program. I suppose that’s fair, when you consider that inflation has been way more than 20% over the past 15 years. At the same time, you’d think it would be in the CBP’s best interest to have as many people enrolled in Global Entry as possible, since it means fewer resources need to be allocated to screening these passengers at the airport.
Read my step-to-step guide to applying for Global Entry, and my guide to renewing Global Entry.
NEXUS fee increasing to $120 as well
NEXUS is arguably currently the best value Trusted Traveler Program. The enrollment fee is only $50, and that gets you Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, and expedited immigration in Canada. It’s bizarre that this has been so much cheaper than Global Entry, since you’re getting more for less (though enrollment is more complicated).
Well, there’s an update there as well. As of October 1, 2024, the cost of NEXUS will be increased from $50 to $120, which represents a 140% price increase. This is intended to create consistency between the two programs, and that seems logical enough, despite how significant the price increase is.
Global Entry will be free for kids
Children can sign up for Global Entry, and they currently pay the same fee as adults. That will be changing — as of October 1, 2024, minors (under the age of 18) will be exempt from the application fee if they apply concurrently with a parent or legal guardian, or if their parent or legal guardian is already a member of the same program. Otherwise minors will still have to pay $120.
This means that for most families, the total cost of Global Entry may very well be decreasing.
What does this mean for credit card perks?
A variety of premium credit cards offer a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit. The way this typically works, you can receive a statement credit of up to $100 every four or five years if you pay for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment with your card.
With the fee for Global Entry now increasing to $120, what does that mean for credit card benefits? The good news is that virtually all major card issuers are increasing the maximum credits for this benefit to $120, so it would still cover the membership application fee under the new pricing. This includes American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Citi, among others.
It’s not surprising to see them increasing this credit, since offering a partial fee reimbursement doesn’t make for a very sexy marketing bullet.
Bottom line
As of October 1, 2024, US Customs and Border Protection is making some changes to its Trusted Traveler Programs. The fee for enrolling in Global Entry will increase from $100 to $120, while the fee for enrolling in NEXUS will increase from $50 to $120.
Obviously this price increase is bad for members, though a positive change is that kids will be able to enroll for free in conjunction with a parent, so Global Entry will be cheaper for most families. Furthermore, it’s nice to see that card issuers are updating their fee credits to reflect this increased cost.
What do you make of the cost of Global Entry increasing?
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