How to Use a Credit Card TSA PreCheck Perk
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Taking a flight anytime soon? Tired of waiting in long security lines, taking off your shoes, unbuckling your belt, and fishing your laptop out of your carry-on? TSA PreCheck and Global Entry can help.
These programs offered by the federal government allow vetted travelers to skip the long security lines at airports. The program isn’t free. But if you have the right credit card, you can get reimbursed for enrolling in TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
Ready to get your vacation or business trip off to a less stressful start? Here’s how to use your credit card’s TSA PreCheck or Global Entry benefits, two of the most valuable perks you might not have even known your card offered.
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What is TSA PreCheck?
TSA PreCheck is offered by the federal government’s Transportation Security Administration. It allows approved passengers to skip the long security lines at airports and pass through TSA PreCheck lanes, which typically move faster.
If you're approved for TSA PreCheck, you won't have to take off your shoes or belt when going through security. You also won't be required to remove your laptop from your bag or take off any light jackets or other outerwear.
TSA PreCheck is available at about 200 airports across the United States, with 87 airlines participating, including major U.S. carriers such as American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
Those eligible to apply for TSA PreCheck include U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and passengers 12 and younger who are traveling with passengers already approved for TSA PreCheck.
TSA PreCheck costs $78, and your program membership lasts five years. After this five-year period ends, you'll have to renew your TSA PreCheck membership, again paying $78.
Once approved, your airline will print a TSA PreCheck indicator on your boarding pass. You then bring your boarding pass to the dedicated TSA PreCheck screening lanes at the airport from which you are flying.
To apply for TSA PreCheck, visit this site. After completing the paperwork, the Transportation Security Administration will ask you to schedule an in-person interview at an enrollment center. During this interview, a representative will take your fingerprints and picture. The administration will also perform a background check on you.
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How about Global Entry?
If you travel internationally, you might consider signing up for the Global Entry program instead.
This travel program offered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection costs $100 and lets you skip long airport lines when re-entering the United States after taking an international flight. Your $100 fee covers five years of membership. A bonus? Global Entry membership also includes TSA PreCheck services, which means you can use the TSA PreCheck screening lanes when flying from a U.S. airport to an international or domestic destination.
To apply for Global Entry, visit this site. The steps for earning approval for Global Entry are similar to the ones you’ll take when applying for TSA PreCheck. This program also requires an in-person interview and background check at an enrollment center. After filling out the paperwork to apply for Global Entry, you’ll receive a notice asking you to schedule an in-person interview.
Credit cards offering TSA PreCheck and Global Entry reimbursement
Not all credit cards reimburse travelers for enrolling in TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. But many travel rewards cards do. Just expect to pay an annual fee: Most credit cards offering TSA PreCheck and Global Entry reimbursement charge an annual fee.
Typically, your card will reimburse you after you sign up for the program, usually in the form of a credit statement.
For instance, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card credit cards will reimburse you up to $100 within two billing cycles after you pay for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® also will reimburse you within one to two billing cycles for an application fee of up to $100.
Most credit cards that offer this perk will provide you with credit for these programs once every four years.
For a list of credit cards that offer reimbursement for these travel programs, visit this site run by the Transportation Security Administration.
Just remember: You must pay the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee with your credit card to be reimbursed.
Is TSA PreCheck or Global Entry worth it?
Does looking for a credit card offering TSA PreCheck or Global Entry reimbursement make sense? That depends on how frequently you travel and if you use the other perks associated with these cards often enough to cover the annual fees they typically charge.
If you fly several times a year, the time you save with these programs will make applying for them worthwhile. But whether the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry reimbursement is worth it financially depends on how large an annual fee your card charges.
Consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which offers reimbursement for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. It also charges an annual fee of $95.
But the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.. Thanks to this solid rewards program, you should earn more than enough to cover your annual fee each year, depending on your spending habits.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® charges a higher $550 annual fee. But you can Earn 60,000 bonus points.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® also provides a $300 annual travel credit, and you'll Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases..
That $550 annual fee is steep, but if you travel frequently and eat out often? You should be able to cover it and more each year.
Raise Your Credit 80 points*
- 5 star service trusted by over 450,000 members
- Have processed over $11,000,000 in bill payments for members
- No deposit, no credit check, no interest
- New member promotions available
*Potential increase based on StellarFi member data. StellarFi numbers observed an average of 80 points VantageScore® 3.0 increase during a member’s lifetime. Score increase based on members with an incoming score range of 300-499 pts, who made regular on-time payments, with regular on-time payments. Results may vary.
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry should be just one in a suite of travel perks
Don’t look at just one perk when choosing the right credit card. Getting reimbursed for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry is a nice bonus. But it shouldn’t be the only perk you consider when choosing a travel credit card.
Other travel perks are equally valuable for cardholders who take frequent flights or regularly book hotel stays.
Consider the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. You'll Earn 75,000 bonus miles.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card also provides a yearly travel credit of $300, which comes as statement credits for any bookings you make through the Capital One Travel online portal. The card also comes with free access to more than 1,300 airport lounges.
And, yes, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card also offers reimbursement for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. But its other perks make it an even more valuable card for frequent travelers.
The The Platinum Card® from American Express is another card that provides TSA PreCheck and Global Entry reimbursement. But it also provides other valuable perks, such as Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points.
The The Platinum Card® from American Express also provides cardholders with a $200 airline fee credit once a year, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation, and interruption insurance. These perks might be as important to frequent travelers as the Global Entry and TSA PreCheck reimbursements.
Raise Your Credit 80 points*
- 5 star service trusted by over 450,000 members
- Have processed over $11,000,000 in bill payments for members
- No deposit, no credit check, no interest
- New member promotions available
*Potential increase based on StellarFi member data. StellarFi numbers observed an average of 80 points VantageScore® 3.0 increase during a member’s lifetime. Score increase based on members with an incoming score range of 300-499 pts, who made regular on-time payments, with regular on-time payments. Results may vary.
The bottom line
The TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs can save travelers time and frustration when flying domestically and to international destinations. It makes sense for frequent travelers to search for a credit card that reimburses them for the $100 or $78 they must spend to enroll in these programs.
Because most of these cards charge annual fees, the key is for travelers to earn enough rewards and receive enough perks to outweigh the yearly cost of owning these cards. Fortunately, these credit cards offer rewards programs that are valuable enough so that frequent travelers – or even cardholders who use their cards regularly for dining, gas, and other purchases – can earn enough to cover these annual fees fairly easily.
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Writer
Dan Rafter is a freelance writer who has more than 20 years experience covering personal finance. He's written for the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Bankrate, CreditCards.com, Rocket Mortgage, NortonLifeLock and several others.
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