Trusted Traveler Programs Table
| Program | Fee (5 years) | What it speeds up | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSA PreCheck | $84.95 | Domestic security lanes - shoes on, laptop stays packed | Domestic-only flyers |
| Global Entry | $120 | Customs/immigration kiosks on arrival, includes PreCheck | Anyone flying internationally |
| NEXUS | $50 | US-Canada air, land, and marine crossings; PreCheck included | Canada-corridor travelers |
| SENTRI | $122.25 | Dedicated lanes entering from Mexico by land | Mexico-corridor drivers |
Every airport security and customs line has a fast lane, and every fast lane has a membership - but the four U.S. trusted traveler programs are not interchangeable, and picking wrong either costs money or leaves the right line unused. TSA PreCheck moves you through domestic security with shoes on and laptop packed; Global Entry gets you through passport control on the way home; NEXUS and SENTRI are the border-corridor specialists that most travelers have never priced.
Bottom line: the arithmetic is more lopsided than most guides admit. Global Entry costs $120 for five years and includes TSA PreCheck benefits - so any traveler with one international trip in five years pays just $35 over PreCheck's $84.95 to unlock both. NEXUS is the quiet bargain: at $50 it is the cheapest program and mirrors Global Entry's benefits, but you must interview at a Canadian-border enrollment center. SENTRI covers the Mexico land corridor at $122.25. Every fee buys five years, which puts each program between $10 and $25 a year.
All fees and terms below are the official TSA and CBP numbers, verified from their program pages. Renewal discounts exist for PreCheck ($58 online with the current enrollment providers), and one commercial wildcard - CLEAR - is not a government program at all; its biometric lanes sit at a subscription price set by the company, though PreCheck members get a discounted CLEAR+ bundle through TSA's enrollment partners.
How to use
- Find your row by travel pattern: domestic-only flyers start at PreCheck, anyone crossing a border on arrival should price Global Entry first because it carries PreCheck inside it.
- Check the corridor programs: if your driving life crosses into Canada or Mexico, NEXUS and SENTRI move those land lines for the price of a couple of airport meals per year.
- Apply at the official program pages (linked below) - the fee is the same, but third-party application sites charge padding fees for filling out the same government form.
Frequently asked questions
Which should I get: TSA PreCheck or Global Entry?
Global Entry, if you have crossed an international border in the last five years or expect to - it costs $120 versus $84.95, and it includes PreCheck's security lanes on top of expedited customs kiosks on return. The $35 gap is smaller than one taxi fare from an airport, and PreCheck benefits ride along automatically. Pure domestic travelers who never fly abroad can save the difference with PreCheck alone.
Does Global Entry include TSA PreCheck?
Yes - Global Entry membership includes TSA PreCheck eligibility, and your Known Traveler Number from Global Entry works on PreCheck lanes. That stacking is why the standard advice for anyone with a passport is to skip standalone PreCheck and apply straight to Global Entry: one application, one interview, both fast lanes. NEXUS membership carries the same double benefit at half the price, provided you can reach a Canadian enrollment center for the interview.
What is the catch with NEXUS at $50?
The interview location: NEXUS enrollment centers sit along the U.S.-Canada border, and both countries must approve you, so the bargain price buys a border you have to actually visit. For anyone in the northern states or Canada-adjacent cities, it is the best deal in the program family - $50 for five years of Global Entry-style benefits plus dedicated Canadian customs lanes. Travelers far from the northern border usually land back on Global Entry.
Is CLEAR the same kind of program?
No - CLEAR is a private biometric subscription, not a government trusted-traveler program: it verifies your identity at the airport front-of-line, but you still go through the same physical screening (PreCheck lanes if you have PreCheck). Pricing is set by the company rather than TSA, though TSA's enrollment partners offer a discounted CLEAR+ bundle ($134 to start or $146 to renew as of the current offer) for existing PreCheck members. If your airport lacks CLEAR lanes, the subscription buys nothing.
Do kids pay for these programs or go through with parents?
Children 12 and under can go through TSA PreCheck lanes with an enrolled parent when the child's boarding pass reflects the PreCheck indicator - no separate membership needed for the kids. Global Entry, by contrast, is per-person with no family pass-along: each traveler of any age needs their own membership and their own fee. That asymmetry matters for families - PreCheck's lane benefits reach the whole household, while Global Entry's customs kiosks are one adult at a time.
Why do the fees vary by a few dollars between sites?
The government fee is fixed; the variance is third-party enrollment providers and padding services that resell the same application with a service charge. TSA PreCheck's official enrollment providers (IDEMIA and Telos) charge the $84.95-and-under official rate, and CBP's Global Entry fee is exactly $120 - anything higher means a middleman. Renewals are cheaper than first applications for PreCheck: $58 online through the official providers.