Why this guide: about 18,100 people a month search Google for “global entry vs tsa precheck” (US, DataForSEO Labs, September 2026). This is the answer we would give a client, written to be booked from.
The short answer
- Get Global Entry ifYou fly internationally even once every two years — $120 for five years, includes PreCheck
- Get PreCheck only ifYou fly only domestically and cannot get a Global Entry interview — $76.75–$85 for five years
- Get NEXUS ifYou are a US or Canadian citizen/resident near a NEXUS centre — $50 for five years, includes both plus Canadian expedited entry
What each does
TSA PreCheck: a dedicated lane at security in US airports, shoes and laptops stay put, on 90+ airlines. Global Entry: on arrival in the US from abroad, skip the immigration queue — face-recognition kiosks or the mobile app, no declaration form, a separate customs line — and it includes PreCheck benefits automatically (your PASSID is your KTN). Global Entry also gives expedited entry into some partner countries' programmes (the UK's Registered Traveller, the Netherlands' Privium, and others by reciprocal arrangement).
Cost, eligibility and the interview
PreCheck: $76.75–$85, US citizens/nationals/permanent residents, a 10-minute fingerprint appointment usually within days. Global Entry: $120 (since October 2024), US citizens and permanent residents plus citizens of about 15 partner countries (Canada via NEXUS, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Korea, Singapore, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, India and others), a background check and an in-person interview. Interviews are the bottleneck: enrolment centres book weeks to months out; 'Enrollment on Arrival' lets conditionally approved applicants interview at a CBP desk when landing from an international flight, with no appointment.
The credit-card route and the alternatives
Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X, Citi/AAdvantage Executive, United Club, Delta Reserve and many others reimburse Global Entry or PreCheck (up to $120) every four to five years — always choose Global Entry with these. Mobile Passport Control (free app, no enrolment) gives a shorter customs line at 50+ airports for US and Canadian citizens and some visa holders — a reasonable stopgap while waiting for a Global Entry interview. CLEAR is a separate, private identity-verification lane ($199 a year) that jumps to the front of the security ID check; it is an addition, not a substitute.
NEXUS
For US and Canadian citizens and permanent residents, NEXUS ($50 for five years, no fee for under-18s) includes Global Entry, TSA PreCheck and expedited entry into Canada by air, land and sea — the best value in the system. The catch: interviews are at NEXUS enrolment centres, mostly at Canadian airports and northern-border crossings (Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Montreal, Buffalo, Blaine, Detroit). If you can reach one — and for anyone in Toronto or the northern states, that is easy — NEXUS beats both.
Booking it
Add the Global Entry PASSID as your Known Traveler Number to every airline profile and to the traveller details when booking on the engine's flights page. For the arrival end, a pre-booked chauffeur waiting at the international arrivals hall pairs with the fast customs line — see the chauffeur booker on this page and our airport limo service guide.
Three things to get right
- Global Entry includes PreCheck; PreCheck does not include Global Entry.
- Enrollment on Arrival skips the interview wait if you have an international trip coming.
- NEXUS at $50 beats both for anyone who can get to Toronto, Vancouver or a border centre.
