Trusted Traveler Price Increases: The Good & The Bad News

April 4, 2024
Brian Soares

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April 4, 2024
Brian Soares

Travel on Point(s) is an independent, advertising-supported website. This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites like Cardratings.com. This compensation does not impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel on Point(s) has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site. Reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any partner entities.

Trusted Traveler Price Increases

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a fee change across its different Trusted Traveler Programs. Effective October 1, 2024, the fee to enroll in each of the NEXUS, Global Entry, and SENTRI programs will increase to $120. Below we share the details about the recently announced trusted traveler price increases.

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Trusted Traveler Programs

Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI are the most popular of the Trusted Traveler Programs that the CBP offers. According to the CBP, the price to enroll with each of these programs has remained the same for over 15 years.

Global Entry offers expedited expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States through automatic kiosks at select airports. NEXUS speeds up border crossings for frequent travelers between the US and Canada, while SENTRI provides expedited processing at the US-Mexico border.

The fee to enroll in Global Entry is increasing from $100 to $120. The price for NEXUS is going up from $50 to $120. SENTRI is shifting from an a la carte fee structure to a uniform fee of $120. With the increased fees taking effect on October 1, travelers are encouraged to apply by September 30, 2024 to pay the lower rate.

There is one silver lining with this news, though. Once the new fee goes into effect, applicants under the age of 18 will be exempt from the application fee when a parent or legal guardian is already a member of, or also applying for NEXUS, SENTRI, or Global Entry.

Trusted Traveler Price Increases: ToP Thoughts

The price increase really shouldn't come as a surprise since prices have been the same for over 15 years. If you have been thinking about applying for any of these programs, do it before October 1, 2024. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether any of the credit cards that offer Global Entry enrollment as a credit will increase their coverage to offset the new fee. As award travelers, this is something we will all watch for future developments. The good news is that minors are now exempt from an application fee.

Hopefully this is a non-event for most of us. Let us know your thoughts over in the ToP Facebook Group.