If you fly internationally, Global Entry is almost always the right answer, because it costs $120 for five years and includes TSA PreCheck. The other programs exist for specific border-crossing patterns, not as general upgrades.
Here is what each one actually does.
| Program | Cost | Valid | What it speeds up | TSA PreCheck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSA PreCheck | From $76.75 | 5 years | Security screening at U.S. airports | Is the program |
| Global Entry | $120 | 5 years | International arrival at most U.S. airports | Included |
| NEXUS | $120 | 5 years | Arrival at the Canadian border | May include |
| SENTRI | $120 | 5 years | Driving into the U.S. from Mexico | May include |
| FAST | $50 | 5 years | Commercial truck crossings | No |
Minors are free on Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI where a legal guardian is enrolled or has an application pending. All five run five-year memberships.
TSA PreCheck speeds up security screening when you depart from a U.S. airport — shoes and belt on, laptop in the bag. It does nothing for international arrivals.
It is the cheapest option, starting at $76.75 for five years, and it is open to all travellers. But at a $43 difference from Global Entry, buying PreCheck alone only makes sense if you genuinely never fly internationally, because Global Entry includes PreCheck outright.
Global Entry speeds up the arrival process when you re-enter the United States, at most major U.S. airports. Membership includes TSA PreCheck, so a single $120 application covers both directions of a trip.
It is the broadest of the programs and the default recommendation for anyone who leaves the country even occasionally. It requires an in-person interview after conditional approval — see how to apply for the full process.
Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and citizens of a fixed list of partner countries. If you are not on that list, Global Entry is not available to you regardless of travel frequency.
NEXUS is built for frequent travel between Canada and the United States, and streamlines arrival at the Canadian border specifically. It costs the same $120 as Global Entry and may include TSA PreCheck.
Note the price. NEXUS was long the bargain of the set at $50, and a great many articles still say so. It is $120 as of this writing — check the official TTP site before deciding on price grounds.
If you cross into Canada regularly and fly internationally, NEXUS can cover both, but the "may include" on PreCheck is doing real work in that sentence. Global Entry's inclusion is unconditional.
SENTRI is for frequent driving between Mexico and the United States, giving access to dedicated lanes at southern land crossings. Also $120 for five years, also "may include" TSA PreCheck.
If your border crossings are by car at the southern border, this is the program built for you. If you fly, it is not.
FAST is $50 for five years and exists for commercial truck drivers crossing between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico. It is not a consumer travel program and includes no TSA PreCheck.
Global Entry. It covers arrival and includes PreCheck for $43 more than PreCheck alone.
TSA PreCheck. Global Entry's arrival benefit is worth nothing to you.
NEXUS — but confirm whether PreCheck is included for your case, and compare against simply holding Global Entry.
SENTRI, for the dedicated land lanes.
DHS publishes a Program Comparison Tool on the official TTP site that asks a few questions and recommends a match. A recommendation is not a guarantee of acceptance — every applicant is vetted regardless.
One difference that rarely appears in comparisons: how you renew.
CBP runs a remote interview option over video for some renewing members. It began with Global Entry, with NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST being phased in. To qualify a member must be conditionally approved for renewal, at least 18, have a photo on file taken within the past ten years and after age 14, and have previously submitted fingerprints.
The interview runs about fifteen minutes over Zoom for Government, joined from the TTP dashboard or the CBP One app.
First-time applicants are not eligible for any of this, in any program. It is worth knowing because it changes the five-year cost of ownership: renewing may mean fifteen minutes at your desk rather than another trip to an enrollment center.
The same process covers all of these programs. A denial comes in writing with its reasons, and you can request reconsideration through the TTP website to the CBP Ombudsman.
The request must be in English and must include the denial date and reasons, a summary clarifying the incident, and court disposition documents in PDF for every arrest or conviction — including expunged ones.
Since the fee is non-refundable in every program, this is the process you are buying into when you pay, whichever one you choose.
All of these are risk-based programs. Every applicant is vetted, every one runs five years, and the disqualifiers are broadly similar: criminal history, customs or immigration violations in any country, ongoing investigations, or an inability to satisfy CBP of low-risk status.
The vetting itself is the same shape across programs: a background check against criminal, law enforcement, customs, immigration, agriculture and terrorist indices, biometric fingerprint checks, and a personal interview with a CBP officer. Collectively the programs cover more than 11 million pre-approved travellers.
Every one of them also requires an in-person interview to start, and every one of them makes you wait for conditional approval first. Choosing a cheaper program does not buy a faster process.
The application fees are non-refundable across the board, including when an application is denied. That is the single most important thing to understand before paying for any of them.
Once you have picked, the practical constraint is the interview. Our wait times page shows current appointment availability at every U.S. enrollment center.
By US Global Entry Team