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Our pick for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
50,000-point
Signup bonus after spending $4,000 in first 3 months
Travelers love Global Entry and TSA PreCheck for helping them avoid long airport lines.
Though these memberships might be well worth their cost, you don’t have to pay for them directly. With the right travel credit card, you can get your application fee reimbursed and clear airport security in no time.
Global Entry and TSA PreCheck credits are popular perks for travel cards so you have a few options at your disposal. Here are some of our favorites:
★★★★★
| Annual Fee | $550 |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 16.99% to 23.99% variable |
| Balance transfer APR | 16.99% to 23.99% variable |
| Welcome offer | 50,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months |
| Rewards | 10x points on Lyft rides, 3x points on dining and travel after earning your $300 travel credit and 1x points on all other purchases |
★★★★★
| Annual Fee | $450 |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 15.74% to 24.74% variable |
| Balance transfer APR | N/A |
| Welcome offer | 100,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, plus earn 25,000 after the first anniversary of card membership (offer expires 1/13/2021) |
| Rewards | 6x points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3x at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2x for all other purchases |
★★★★★
| Annual Fee | $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter) |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 16.49% to 23.49% variable |
| Balance transfer APR | 16.49% to 23.49% variable |
| Welcome offer | 60,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, plus an additional 10,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months |
| Rewards | 2x miles at restaurants, hotels and United and 1.5x miles on all other purchases |
★★★★★
| Annual Fee | $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($89 thereafter) |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 15.99% to 22.99% variable |
| Balance transfer APR | 15.99% to 22.99% variable |
| Welcome offer | 140,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months |
| Rewards | 25x points at IHG hotels, 2x on gas, groceries and dining and 1x on all other purchases |
★★★★★
| Annual Fee | $550 |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | See rates & fees |
| Balance transfer APR | See rates & fees |
| Welcome offer | 100,000 points after spending $5,000 in your first 6 months, plus 10x points at US gas stations and US supermarkets on up to $15,000 in combined purchases in the same timeframe |
| Rewards | 10x points at US gas stations and US supermarkets on up to $15,000 combined in the first 6 months, 15x points on directly-booked flights or on flights and hotels on Amex Travel. 1x points on all other purchases. Starting January 1, 2021, your 15x points on flights will be capped on up to $500,000 annually (then 1x points). |
| Annual Fee | $95 |
|---|---|
| Purchase APR | 17.24%, 21.99% or 24.49% variable |
| Balance transfer APR | 17.24%, 21.99% or 24.49% variable |
| Welcome offer |
50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Earn an additional 50,000 miles after spending $20,000 on purchases within the first 12 months |
| Rewards | 5x miles on Uber Eats and 2x miles on all purchases |
We looked at a variety of factors consumers might weigh when selecting a travel card with TSA PreCheck and Global Entry statement credits, including card brand, welcome offer value, bonus point earning rates, additional travel perks, annual fee, and other hotel or travel concerns. We chose the credit cards that stood out among the rest in a given category or fulfilled a specific niche.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® got a fee hike, but in return you’ll find perks like bonus Lyft rewards, complimentary Lyft Pink and DashPass memberships, and annual credits for DoorDash through 2021.
Also, the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card got a boost to its signup bonus.
When choosing a credit card with Global Entry and TSA PreCheck fee credit, take the annual fee into consideration as well as the additional perks and how often you’ll use them.
If you’re looking for a way to breeze through document checks at select airports and stadiums, check out Clear. It costs $179 annually, but you can offset this fee with some credit cards. These include:
Some credit cards offer a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application credit once every four or five years. But most of these cards come with an annual fee of $89 and up to $2,500 for the Centurion® Card from American Express. The PenFed Pathfinder Rewards American Express® Card is one of the rare no-annual-fee cards that offer free Global Entry and TSA PreCheck credits.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a fan-favorite travel card. It offers a $100 statement credit every four years for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee. This lets you renew your five-year membership well in advance.
The card has a $550 annual fee, but its luxury benefits can help cover some of that cost. Such benefits include a $300 annual travel credit, airport lounge access and perks at The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection properties.
You can earn accelerated rewards on Lyft rides, travel and dining. And when you redeem points through Chase Ultimate Rewards, they’re worth 50% more.
Global Entry and TSA PreCheck are traveler’s programs that help you pass airport security or customs at specialized lanes. Because of that, you can save an average of 30 minutes on every airport that supports these programs. To learn the specific benefits of each program, check out our guide comparing Global Entry and TSA PreCheck.
Each program typically gets you through an airport line quicker. Global Entry is for international travelers re-entering the US going through customs, and TSA PreCheck is for domestic travelers going through airport security.
A Global Entry application costs $100, and a TSA PreCheck application costs $85. But with Global Entry, you also get TSA PreCheck. Both memberships last five years.
Back to topMost people use the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit for their own applications, but you can also use it for someone else’s. As long as you use your credit card while paying for the application fee, you should receive a statement credit.
Back to topThis depends on your card. Some cards give you the credit every four years, while others offer the credit every five years. In American Express’ case, you might even get a credit every four and a half years.
You might want the credit every four years so you can renew Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership well before it expires.
Here are a few cards that offer the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck statement credit, and how often you can get the credit.
| Card | How often you get the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit |
|---|---|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | Global Entry credit every 4 years; TSA PreCheck credit every 4.5 years |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | 4 years |
| Citi Prestige® Credit Card | 5 years |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card | $100 Global Entry credit every 4 years; TSA PreCheck credit every 4.5 years |
| Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card | 4 years |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card | 4 years |
| United℠ Explorer Card | 4 years |
| PenFed Pathfinder Rewards American Express® Card | 5 years |
There are a few small but important details to keep in mind with your complimentary TSA PreCheck and Global Entry statement cards:
Global Entry can be highly valuable, as you essentially get two memberships for the price of one. If you rarely travel abroad, however, TSA PreCheck might work just fine.
You may also want to consider other travel credit cards that can help you travel in style — from no annual fee products to luxury options.
Store cards sound appealing, but aren’t often your best choice.
Earn accelerated rewards at wineries and enjoy special benefits.
Earn flat 1.5% cashback on all purchases or save money with balance transfers.
If you need to remove a tree from your property, consider paying with plastic.
Earn rewards on your Wyndham purchases and get complimentary elite status.
Earn rewards on travel, dining, public transportation and other categories you spend the most in.
Earn rewards on your Wyndham purchases and get Wyndham benefits with elite status.
Earn flat 1.5x points on everything you buy or save money with a balance transfer.
Rebuild your credit for no annual fee.
Earn rewards on your Sally Beauty purchases and redeem them for store coupons.
