04/03/2024
ICYMI: Global Entry is about to get more expensive.
Starting on Oct. 1, 2024, the application fee for a five-year membership will increase from $100 to $120, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said yesterday.
That's a 20% jump in the program, which offers vetted travelers a fast track through passport control upon re-entry to the U.S. following an international trip, plus TSA PreCheck access.
Though the fee hike may feel surprising, CBP notes it's the first fee increase the program has seen since the agency launched it in 2008.
And Global Entry isn't the only Trusted Traveler program getting a fee hike. The fee for Nexus, which expedites travelers' crossing from Canada into the U.S., will also cost $120 as of Oct. 1. That's up from $50 currently.
Sentri, which does the same for both Canada and Mexico, already costs $122.
Notably, no fee hike was announced Tuesday for the standalone TSA PreCheck program. The cost for first-time PreCheck applicants actually dropped in 2022, from $85 to $78 for a five-year membership.
If you're a frequent international traveler, the $120 cost is a relatively modest investment over five years for a program that gets you both the expedited experience at customs and at TSA checkpoints.
Plus, several popular travel credit cards currently reimburse the $100 Global Entry application fee. It remains to be seen whether the cards will update their perks to match the increase.
Do you have Global Entry? What do you think of it?
https://bit.ly/4aHNpZV
📸: Caroline Tanner
