Global Entry vs. TSA PreCheck: Which Should You Get?

Most travelers treat airport security like a lottery. They show up, hope the lines are short, and complain when they aren’t. As a travel hacker, I treat the airport as a system to be optimized. If you are standing in a line for more than 10 minutes, you have failed the optimization test.

The two primary tools to bypass these bottlenecks are Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. But with the Global Entry price hike to $120 and the confusion around credit card credits, the “obvious” choice isn’t always clear to beginners.

The Core Difference: Domestic vs. International

Understanding the jurisdiction of these programs eliminates 90% of the confusion.

TSA PreCheck is run by the Transportation Security Administration. It expedites departure security at U.S. airports. It lets you keep your shoes, belt, and light jacket on, and leaves your laptop and liquids in your bag. It does nothing for you when you land.

Global Entry is run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It expedites arrival into the U.S. from international destinations. It allows you to skip the paperwork and processing lines at immigration. Crucially, Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck privileges.

Cost Analysis: Is the $42 Difference Worth It?

Let’s look at the raw numbers. In October 2024, the federal government raised the price of Global Entry for the first time in 15 years.

The Math: The price difference is roughly $42 over five years. That breaks down to $8.40 per year.

If you take a single international flight in a five-year period, Global Entry pays for itself. I value my time at more than $8.40 per hour. Skipping a 45-minute immigration line at JFK or LAX just once yields an “hourly wage” of savings far higher than the cost difference.

The “Free” Loophole: Credit Card Credits

For most savvy travelers, the price is irrelevant because you shouldn’t be paying it with cash. Many premium travel cards offer a statement credit for either program.

If you are following my beginner credit card setup, you likely already have a card like the Capital One Venture X, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Amex Platinum. These cards offer a credit of up to $100 or $120 every 4 years.

Warning: Check your specific card’s terms. When the price hiked to $120, some older cards with a hard “$100 limit” stopped covering the full Global Entry fee, leaving you with a $20 balance. However, most premium issuers updated their benefits to cover the full $120. Always charge the fee to the card and wait for the statement credit.

The Real Cost: Application Purgatory

If Global Entry is mathematically superior, why does anyone choose TSA PreCheck? The answer is friction.

TSA PreCheck: The Easy Path

Applying for TSA PreCheck is trivial. You fill out an online form and schedule a 10-minute appointment at one of 600+ enrollment centers. These are located in office supply stores (like Staples) and local agencies. You can usually get an appointment within 48 hours.

Global Entry: The Interview Bottleneck

Global Entry requires an interview at a CBP enrollment center, typically located airside or in the arrivals hall of a major international airport. Appointments are notoriously scarce. I’ve seen travelers wait 6 months for a slot at SFO or ORD.

Pro Tip: Use “Enrollment on Arrival” (EoA). Do not wait for a scheduled appointment. If you are conditionally approved (which usually happens within 2 weeks of applying), you can complete your interview when you land from an international trip.

The Family Factor: A Massive Win for Parents

This is the hidden variable that changed in late 2024. Previously, you had to pay $100 for every infant. Now, children under 18 are free if a parent or guardian is a member or applying concurrently.

With TSA PreCheck, kids under 13 can accompany you for free. But kids 13-17 can only accompany you if they are on the same reservation and the TSA PreCheck logo appears on their boarding pass. It’s not guaranteed.

With Global Entry, your child gets their own membership. This means even when they turn 16 and fly solo to visit family, they have their own TSA PreCheck and Global Entry privileges. For families, Global Entry is now the undisputed winner.

The Mobile Passport Control (MPC) Wildcard

Before you commit to Global Entry, you must know about Mobile Passport Control (MPC). This is a free app provided by CBP.

MPC allows you to submit your customs declaration via your phone upon landing. You then access a dedicated “MPC Lane” at immigration. In my tests at Miami and Dulles, the MPC line was sometimes shorter than the Global Entry line.

However, MPC does not get you TSA PreCheck privileges on departure. It is strictly for arrival. If you absolutely refuse to pay $120, MPC + paying for TSA PreCheck separately is a viable strategy, but you lose the “all-in-one” simplicity.

For most readers of this blog, the answer is Global Entry. The “hassle” of the interview is easily mitigated by Enrollment on Arrival, and the inclusion of PreCheck makes it the superior product for any serious traveler.

Don’t forget to link your Known Traveler Number (KTN) to your airline profiles immediately after approval. Read my guide on what to do with a new credit card to ensure you never miss a benefit like this.