TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry, 2026
PreCheck costs $78 for five years, Global Entry $120, and Global Entry already includes PreCheck. Whether either pays off is a per-flight arithmetic question, not a loyalty question.
Global Entry saves time twice, once at the customs line on arrival (this tool counts 25 minutes per international arrival) and once at security, because PreCheck is built in. PreCheck saves only the security line.
How the math works
- Annual fee = program fee ÷ 5. PreCheck at $78 is $15.60 a year, Global Entry at $120 is $24.00 a year. Many cards reimburse one fee, in which case the net value is pure gain, set the fee you're paying.
- Minutes a year = flights × minutes saved + (Global Entry only) international arrivals × 25 minutes at the customs kiosk.
- Time value = minutes ÷ 60 × your hourly rate. Use your real billable rate, or the hourly rate you'd pay a valet to save you that queue.
- Break-even = annual fee ÷ (minutes ÷ 60 × rate), the flights a year where the saved time equals the fee. PreCheck at 20 minutes saved and a $50/hour rate breaks even at about one flight a year: the fee is $15.60 a year and one saved 20-minute queue is worth $16.67.
- Fee facts 2026: TSA PreCheck application fee $78 for five years, Global Entry $120 for five years. Global Entry members get PreCheck automatically; PreCheck members do not get customs kiosks.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it in 2026?
At $78 for five years it costs about $16 a year. If you fly four or more times a year and the line costs you 20 minutes each time, it pays for itself in time alone, before the shoes-and-liquids stay-in-the-bag convenience.
Is Global Entry worth the extra $42 over PreCheck?
For two international round trips a year it usually is: Global Entry includes PreCheck, so the security savings carry over, and the customs line at arrival is where the extra value is. For purely domestic flying, PreCheck buys the same queue skip for less.
Does Global Entry include TSA PreCheck?
Yes. One Global Entry Known Traveler Number gives you both, put it in the reservation's frequent-flyer/known-traveler field on every booking. PreCheck printed on a boarding pass isn't a contract, it's an airline allocation, so it can be missing on some flights.