Which Credit Cards Cover the Global Entry Fee (and Which Are Worth It)

If you want the Global Entry fee covered, use a travel credit card that offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit, and charge the $120 application fee to that card. The credit shows up on your statement automatically, and you get it whether or not your application is approved. Dozens of cards do this, from a $95 card up to a $695 one, and the credit amount is the same on all of them.

That last part is the part the credit-card sites tend to bury. The $120 you get back is identical on a Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 a year) and on an Amex Platinum ($695 a year). So the real question is not “which card covers the fee” but “which card I already carry, or the cheapest one that fits how I travel.”

Disclosure: FlightsInUSA earns a referral fee if you apply for some of the cards named here. It does not change the recommendation. The cheapest card that reimburses the fee is still the cheapest card, and that is what this page tells you to get.

How much is the Global Entry fee in 2026?

Global Entry costs $120 for a five-year membership, as of September 2026. That is the fee U.S. Customs and Border Protection charges when you apply through the official Trusted Traveler Programs site. The fee rose from $100 to $120 in October 2024, so older articles quoting $100 are out of date.

TSA PreCheck is cheaper, but the exact price depends on which enrollment provider you use.

Program	Fee (five-year membership)
Global Entry	$120
TSA PreCheck (IDEMIA)	$76.75
TSA PreCheck (CLEAR)	$84.95
TSA PreCheck (Telos)	$85.00

Fees verified against cbp.gov and capitalone.com, September 2026. Confirm the current fee at the official Trusted Traveler Programs site before you apply.

Credit cards that cover the Global Entry fee

The table below lists cards that reimburse the full application fee. I have led with the accessible ones, because for most people the answer is a card under $100 a year, not a luxury card. Every one of these gives back up to $120 for Global Entry.

Card	Annual fee	Credit	How often
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect	$0	Up to $120	Once every 4 years
Chase Sapphire Preferred	$95	Up to $120	Once every 4 years
Capital One Venture	$95	Up to $120	Once every 4 years
IHG One Rewards Premier	$99	Up to $120	Once every 4 years
Capital One Venture X	$395	Up to $120	Once every 4 years
Chase Sapphire Reserve	Premium	Up to $120	Once every 4 years
Amex Platinum / Delta Platinum / Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant	Premium	Up to $120 GE, up to $85 PreCheck	Once every 4 years

Card details verified against issuer pages (Chase, Capital One, American Express) and the TSA credit-card list, September 2026. TSA also publishes a longer list of participating cards from credit unions and other banks, so if you already carry a travel card, check its benefits page before you assume it does not qualify. Annual fees and offers change often, so confirm the current terms with the issuer before you apply.

You do not need an expensive card

The credit is a fixed dollar amount, not a percentage or a tier. A $95 Chase Sapphire Preferred reimburses the same $120 as a $695 Amex Platinum. If your only goal is to get Global Entry paid for, the annual fee on the card is what actually costs you money, and the cheapest qualifying card wins.

A premium card is only worth the higher fee if you will use its other benefits, such as lounge access or airline credits, enough to justify it. If you will not, the Global Entry credit alone does not make a $695 card pay for itself. Buy the card for the travel you actually do, and treat the Global Entry credit as a bonus rather than the reason.

How the reimbursement actually works

The process is the same across issuers, with one rule that trips people up.

1. Apply for Global Entry at the official Trusted Traveler Programs site.
2. Pay the $120 application fee with your eligible card. This is the step that matters. If you pay with a different card, or a third-party wallet the issuer cannot read, you do not get the credit.
3. Wait for the statement credit. Capital One posts it within two billing cycles. American Express says to allow up to eight weeks. If it has not shown up, call the number on the back of your card.
4. Use the benefit once every four years. The credit resets on a four-year clock per card account, regardless of whether you were approved.

You do not have to be approved to get the credit from most issuers. American Express, Capital One, and Chase all state they reimburse the fee even if CBP rejects your application, because the fee is non-refundable and charged either way.

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: which to pay for

Pay for Global Entry, not TSA PreCheck, if you want the most out of the credit. Global Entry membership includes TSA PreCheck at no extra cost, so the $120 fee buys you both the customs benefit and the domestic security-line benefit. Paying separately for PreCheck would waste the difference.

The credit covers one program or the other, not both. Most cards reimburse the first application fee you charge, so charge the $120 Global Entry fee and you get the fuller benefit. If you never fly internationally and only want faster domestic security, TSA PreCheck alone is the cheaper program, and the same cards will reimburse that fee too. For the full breakdown, see our guide on Global Entry vs TSA PreCheck.

The traps most people miss

• Charge the fee to the eligible card directly. For American Express, a payment made through an electronic wallet or a third-party processor may not register as eligible, and you lose the credit.
• The credit resets every four years, but your membership lasts five. That one-year gap means if you keep Global Entry long-term, the card credit may not line up with your renewal. You can still time a renewal to a year when the credit is available again, but do not assume every renewal is automatically covered.
• TSA PreCheck must go through an authorized enrollment provider. Paying a fee outside the official providers will not qualify for the statement credit.
• You can cover a family member. The credit is tied to the card, not the person. If you already have Global Entry, you can charge a spouse’s or child’s application fee to your eligible card and get that reimbursed instead.
• An Amex Gold does not cover it. Despite showing up in related searches, the Gold card is not on the list of eligible American Express cards for this benefit. The Platinum, Business Platinum, certain Delta cards, and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant are.
• CLEAR is not covered. CLEAR Plus is a separate private program that costs $209 a year, and no credit card reimburses it as part of this benefit. It is a different product from the government Trusted Traveler Programs.

FAQ

Which credit card gives Global Entry for free? Any card that offers a Global Entry statement credit effectively gives it to you for free, because it reimburses the full $120 fee. The lowest-cost options include the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect ($0 annual fee) and cards at $95 a year such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture.

How do I get the Global Entry fee waived? The fee is not waived. You pay the $120 fee with an eligible travel credit card, and the card issuer reimburses it as a statement credit, usually within one to two billing cycles.

Does the same credit cover TSA PreCheck? Yes. The credit covers Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, but not both. Because Global Entry includes PreCheck, paying the $120 Global Entry fee gets you more for the same credit.

Do I have to be approved to get reimbursed? No, in most cases. American Express, Capital One, and Chase state they issue the statement credit whether or not your application is approved, because the application fee is charged either way.

Can I use my card’s credit for someone else? Yes. The benefit is tied to the card account, so you can charge a family member’s application fee to your eligible card and receive the credit, even if you already have Global Entry yourself.