Air Travel is an experience that many look forward to, except probably for the parts when going through security and customs and indulging in other necessary formalities before boarding or getting a bite or two at one of the airport restaurants.
Fortunately, in the U.S., there are a series of Trusted Traveler Programs, two specifics for Air Travel — initiated by the Department of Homeland Security, that can expedite these standard security procedures. These two programs are:
- TSA PreCheck®: Applies for domestic air travel only. As of today, the application for this costs $85.
- Global Entry: Applies for international travel and comes with TSA PreCheck. The fee for this program is $100.
Being a member of any program can have a few benefits that can exponentially speed things up. As an example, often, there are separate lines at airports for people with TSA PreCheck.
Where the American Express Fee Credit Comes In
Like many other credit card companies, American Express also bestows us with a fee credit for any of these two programs. In other words, if you apply to either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, Amex will give you that application money back as a statement credit. Check out the image below to understand it visually.
How To Ensure I Will Get the Fee Credit From Amex — For Global Entry or TSA Pre
Honestly, the only thing you need to make sure — while adhering to terms and conditions is that you pay with the eligible American Express card for Global Entry or TSA Pre’s application fee. However, there are a few things I will call out in this post below.
You May Also Want to Check Out:
- How To Use the $189 CLEAR® Credit From Amex Platinum
- What Is Clear® at the Airports and How Does It Work?
- What Is TRIP CANCEL GUARD™ From American Express (Amex) Travel?
- How To Sign Up for Priority Pass With Amex Platinum
- What Is the “Global Entry” Trusted Traveler Program?
- What Is the $100 Experience Credit for Amex Platinum Cardholders?
- How To Get Approved for Amex Platinum Card®
- What Is Amex No Preset Spending Limit?
- How To Properly Earn the Amex Platinum Saks Fifth Avenue Credit
- What Is SafeKey® by American Express?
Few Things To Be Aware Of — Before Using an Eligible Amex Card for a Global Entry or TSA Pre Fee Credit
Unless you have more than one eligible Amex card, it doesn’t look like you can get a fee credit for both. It is either-or, based on which program you apply for first. For full verbiage, please navigate to their site.
As of writing this post, there are a handful of them. Examples are:
1. Consumer Platinum Card®
2. Corporate Gold Card
3. Centurion® Card
4. Etc.
For the complete list, please visit Amex’s site.
No, you cannot. According to the terms dictated by Amex, you can get back one credit of $100 for Global entry every 4 years or one credit for TSA Pre every 4.5 years.
Yes, that seems to be the case. Certain primary account holders can add additional card members under their umbrella. In that scenario, the main + all eligible extra cardholders can get their own credit. However, the same rules of timeframe apply. That is, only one credit for either a $100 for Global entry every 4 years or one for TSA Pre every 4.5 years.
As always, for any questions, concerns, or clarifications, you can call customer service or check out the full terms and conditions on their official page here. Note that a brief explanation of the rules is also available after logging into the Amex account and going to the benefits section for “Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.”
Lastly, if you aren’t sure which program is more suitable for you, American Express has an excellent tabular breakdown that goes over what each program has to offer, what the prerequisites are, and more. Please take a look at the screenshot below that is directly captured from their website.
