Citi Raises Global Entry credit on 2 travel credit cards
Applying for Global Entry is getting more expensive, but a major credit card issuer is now boosting its Global Entry benefits for two popular travel cards.
Citi on Thursday announced it would increase its Global Entry statement credits to $120 every four years for the Citi®/AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) and the Citi Prestige® Card.
The move comes just days after TPG was first to report that the price of applying for a five-year Global Entry membership would rise from $100 to $120 beginning in October. In announcing the fee hike, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees Global Entry, cited rising costs to operate the program.
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
What is Global Entry?
Global Entry provides travelers with an expedited trip through passport control following an international flight. It’s available at 77 airports, most of which are in the U.S.; there’s also a handful of international preclearance facilities.
The program also gives travelers access to the TSA PreCheck lanes at airport security checkpoints.
Though the $100 application fee isn’t a drop in the bucket — so the $120 certainly isn’t — some travel credit cards will reimburse the fee when it comes time to apply.
Adjusting to a higher Global Entry fee
However, many of those cards’ statement credits have specified fees of up to $100 to cover the Global Entry expense. (Exact terms differ from card to card.)
CBP’s planned fee hike opened the door for questions about whether card issuers might adapt their Global Entry benefits to account for the new, higher fee.
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Now, Citi has done just that with two of its high-end cards; this ensures Global Entry will essentially remain a free perk for travelers who carry the Citi Prestige or the Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard.
Citi cards with Global Entry benefits
Though the Citi/AAdvantage Executive card has a hefty $595 annual fee, it carries strong value for regular American flyers; it’s the only card that provides complimentary Admirals Club access.
Cardholders can earn 4 AAdvantage miles for every $1 spent on American Airlines purchases and 1 AAdvantage mile for every $1 spent on other purchases. You’ll earn Loyalty Points on everyday purchases, too, which helps you work your way toward AAdvantage elite status.
That’s on top of other travel perks such as Lyft and Grubhub credits as well as the Global Entry (or TSA PreCheck) statement credit once every four years; that credit will now rise to $120 for Global Entry applicants to cover the program’s hiked fee.
Meanwhile, cardholders with the Citi Prestige card (no longer available to new applicants) can receive a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry enrollment fee credit every four years — now, up to $120 for an application to the latter program.
Bottom line
Now, all eyes will be on other credit card issuers to see if they will follow in Citi’s footsteps and raise their Global Entry statement credits to account for the program’s higher fee. The higher fee takes effect in October.
Because of the changes to make Global Entry more efficient and technologically advanced — not to mention the fact that children of members or applicants can apply for free as of October — it’s a great time to consider joining. This is especially the case if the adults in your family can get their application costs reimbursed or offset through an eligible travel credit card.
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