Introduction
If you fly more than a couple of times a year, the math on expedited security is uncomplicated: TSA PreCheck saves the shoes-and-laptop ritual, Global Entry adds an inbound customs lane, and CLEAR Plus skips the ID check. The fees add up fast on their own. TSA PreCheck runs $79.75 to $85 for five years depending on the enrollment provider, Global Entry runs $120 for five years, and CLEAR Plus runs $219 a year (the TSA and CLEAR prices were read on their own sites on October 7, 2026, and all three are worth verifying before you apply). The right credit card pays for most of it.
This piece runs through which cards reimburse which programs, how the credits actually work, and which combination matches which type of traveler. The goal is to pick one card that covers the security fee you'll actually use, without overpaying for benefits you won't.
How the Three Programs Differ
TSA PreCheck is government-run and lives at 200-plus U.S. airports across more than 90 airlines. You go through a separate lane and keep shoes, belt, light jacket, laptop, and 3-1-1 liquids in place. Application requires an in-person interview and a background check, and the membership lasts five years.
Global Entry is the same TSA PreCheck benefit plus expedited customs and immigration when you fly back into the U.S. internationally. It runs $120 for five years, versus $79.75 to $85 for PreCheck alone. If you take even one international trip during those five years, Global Entry is the better choice. Same interview, same background check.
CLEAR Plus is private and runs $219 per year. It uses fingerprint or iris biometrics to verify your identity, which lets you skip the TSA agent who normally checks your boarding pass and ID. It does not change the physical screening itself, which is why CLEAR pairs naturally with TSA PreCheck. CLEAR moves you to the front of the line, then PreCheck moves you through screening faster once you get there. CLEAR currently operates at roughly 60 U.S. airports plus a growing list of stadiums.
The combination most heavy travelers end up with is Global Entry plus CLEAR Plus: about $20-40 a year for Global Entry on a five-year amortization, plus $219 for CLEAR. The right credit card can cover both pieces.
Premium Cards With Full Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Reimbursement
These four cards each reimburse a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, typically once every four years. The amounts differ by card and by program: $120 covers Global Entry outright, while the two Amex cards below cap the TSA PreCheck side at $85. Read each card's own terms for which programs qualify, too. Chase covers NEXUS as well, while Amex's terms state the credit applies to Global Entry or TSA PreCheck only and name NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST and Privium as ineligible. The credit alone doesn't justify any of these fees, but it's a meaningful piece of the value stack.
The Platinum Card From American Express
Annual fee: $895, after Amex repriced the Platinum in 2025.
One statement credit every four years, for either up to $120 for Global Entry or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck, not both. Amex pays for the first of the two programs you apply for. The benefit extends to Additional Platinum Card Members on the account, but read the terms carefully before counting on two: Amex states that eligible Card Members can earn no more than one credit, and that it will not provide a further credit on the same Card within four years.
The card stacks up to $600 in hotel credits on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, paid as up to $300 back semi-annually, plus $200 in airline fee credits, $200 in Uber Cash, and access to Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club when flying Delta, and Priority Pass. The $895 fee only pencils out if you'll actually use the lounge access and the credit suite. Most readers who are weighing the Platinum versus a $95 card on Global Entry alone are paying for benefits they won't touch.
Apply for The Platinum Card from American Express.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Annual fee: $395.
Up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years. Earns 2X miles on most purchases, 5X on flights and 10X on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The $300 annual travel credit through Capital One Travel offsets most of the fee for anyone who books any travel through the portal, and the card includes Priority Pass and Capital One Lounge access for the cardholder plus authorized users (and authorized users are free, which is the actual differentiator).
Apply for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Annual fee: $795 as of the 2025 refresh.
Up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS every four years. The fee bumped substantially with the refresh, so the math is different than it was a year ago. The $300 annual travel credit applies broadly to travel purchases. Earning rates landed at 8X on travel through Chase Travel, 4X on flights and hotels booked direct, and 3X on dining. Points transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners. If you're already carrying the Chase Sapphire Reserve for the transfer partners and Hyatt elite status path, the Global Entry credit is a small bonus on top.
Apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
American Express Business Platinum Card
Annual fee: $895.
Same Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit as the personal Platinum, on the same every-four-years cadence, and the same CLEAR Plus credit covered below. The Business Platinum earns 5X on flights and prepaid hotels through AmexTravel.com and 2X on eligible purchases in key business categories or on single purchases of $5,000 or more (capped). For business owners who can deduct the annual fee, the math is meaningfully different than it is for the personal version. Same lounge access as the personal Platinum, plus a Dell statement credit and other business-leaning credits.
Apply for the American Express Business Platinum Card.
Mid-Tier Cards With TSA PreCheck and Global Entry Credits
If the only travel benefit you actually want is the security credit, these cards do it for far less than a flagship annual fee. The last one is the exception on price, and it is closed anyway.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Annual fee: $95.
Same up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit as the Venture X. Earns 2X miles on every purchase, 5X on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. No lounge access and no $300 travel credit, which is why the fee is $300 lower. For a reader who flies a few times a year and just wants the security fee covered plus a flat 2X earn on everyday spending, the Capital One Venture is the most efficient pick on this list.
Apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card
Annual fee: $95.
Up to $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years, which is slightly less than the $120 most cards offer and matters if you're applying for Global Entry specifically. Earns 2X on travel and dining, 1.5X on everything else. Bank of America Preferred Rewards customers can boost the points value 25-75% depending on tier, which is the lever that makes this card competitive for existing BoA banking customers and not particularly compelling for everyone else. Includes a $100 annual airline incidental credit.
Apply for the Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card.
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card
Annual fee: $400.
Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit. Earns 3X on travel and on mobile wallet purchases (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay), and includes $325 in annual travel credits plus Priority Pass. U.S. Bank no longer offers the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card to new applicants, so this is a card to keep rather than one to get.
Airline Co-Brands With Security Credits
If you fly the same airline most of the time, the co-branded card likely covers Global Entry too, and the airline-specific perks (free checked bag, priority boarding) often pay for the annual fee on their own.
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card carries an annual fee that landed in the $650-range after the most recent refresh and includes a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit. It also includes Delta Sky Club access when flying Delta, complimentary Delta Comfort+ upgrades when available, and the Companion Certificate that's the actual reason most people carry this card. Verify the current annual fee and the credit amount against Delta's site before applying.
The United Quest Card offers the same $120 Global Entry credit, two United Club one-time passes annually, and a $200 United travel credit after qualifying activity. Annual fee is $250.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card covers the $120 Global Entry credit, includes automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status, and the annual free night certificate is worth up to 85,000 points if you book it strategically.
Cards With CLEAR Plus Reimbursement
Reimbursing CLEAR Plus is rarer. Only a handful of Amex cards carry a CLEAR Plus credit at all, and on the Platinum, Business Platinum and Hilton Aspire that credit covers the membership in full.
The Platinum Card From American Express
Up to $219 in statement credits for CLEAR Plus annually, paid out as monthly credits. This is a separate credit from the card's Global Entry benefit, so the two do not compete.
American Express Business Platinum Card
Up to $219 in statement credits for CLEAR Plus annually, the same credit the personal Platinum carries. If you already run business spending through this card, the CLEAR credit arrives without a second annual fee.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Up to $219 in statement credits for CLEAR Plus annually, alongside Hilton Diamond status and an annual free night award. Of the three, it carries the full credit at the lowest annual fee.
American Express Green Card
American Express no longer offers the Amex Green to new applicants, so this section is for people who already hold one.
The card carries CLEAR Plus statement credits distributed monthly, and earns 3X points on travel (broadly defined to include rideshare, transit, and lodging) and 3X on dining. If you hold a Green and use CLEAR, that credit is worth claiming every year. If you are choosing a card now, the Platinum, Business Platinum and Hilton Aspire are the Amex cards that cover CLEAR Plus.
American Express Centurion Card
CLEAR Plus reimbursement is included on the invitation-only Centurion. Not a card you choose; a card that chooses you.
Discounted CLEAR Plus Through Airline Cardholders
If you don't have an Amex with CLEAR reimbursement and don't want to add one, several airline programs negotiate discounted CLEAR Plus pricing for cardholders and elite members.
All three programs price it the same way, against the $219 retail rate.
Delta: Delta 360 members pay nothing. Diamond Medallion pays $129. Platinum, Gold and Silver Medallion members, and Delta SkyMiles American Express Card Members, pay $179. SkyMiles members pay $209.
United: Global Services members pay nothing. Premier 1K pays $129. Premier Platinum, Gold and Silver members, and United U.S. credit card holders, pay $179. MileagePlus members pay $209.
Atmos Rewards, the Alaska and Hawaiian program: Titanium pays $129. Platinum, Gold and Silver pay $179. Atmos Rewards members pay $209.
These prices are out-of-pocket, not reimbursed. You're paying CLEAR directly at a discount, not getting a statement credit. The discounts shift periodically, so verify with each airline before assuming the rate.
Picking the Right Card for Your Situation
If you fly one to three times a year and just want the security fee covered, the Capital One Venture at $95 a year is the answer. The $120 Global Entry credit every four years effectively covers more than a year of the annual fee on its own, and 2X on every purchase covers most everyday spending without a category puzzle.
If you fly six-plus times a year domestically and value lounge access, the calculus changes. The Amex Platinum gets you both Global Entry and CLEAR Plus reimbursement, plus Centurion and Priority Pass access. The Capital One Venture X gets you Global Entry, Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass at a lower fee, but no CLEAR.
If you fly internationally regularly, Global Entry is non-negotiable and the customs line savings alone justify the application. Any card on this list with a $120 Global Entry credit handles that. The decision becomes which lounge network and which transfer partners fit your travel.
If you fly one airline 80% of the time, the airline co-brand is usually the right pick. Delta Reserve, United Quest, and Marriott Brilliant all reimburse Global Entry and add airline- or hotel-specific benefits that the general travel cards can't match.
If your priority is CLEAR Plus reimbursement, the Platinum, Business Platinum and Hilton Aspire each cover it in full, and the Aspire does it for the lowest annual fee of the three. If a premium annual fee is not worth it for that alone, the airline cardholder discounts above are the cheaper route.
A note on family coverage: TSA PreCheck Known Traveler Numbers are non-transferable, but children 17 and under can join an adult in the PreCheck lane for free. TSA splits that by age: children 12 and under go through with a parent or guardian whose boarding pass shows the PreCheck indicator, while those 13 to 17 need the indicator on their own boarding pass, which comes from being on the same airline reservation as an adult whose boarding pass shows the indicator. CLEAR Plus includes children 17 and under free with an enrolled adult, and family plans add additional adults at $125 each per year. Two adults who each want Global Entry covered will generally need two cards that carry the credit, because Amex caps its trusted-traveler credit at one per Card Member.
The right card here is the one that covers the security program you'll actually use, on top of an annual fee you'd pay anyway for the rest of its benefits. Don't pay the Platinum's $895 for a card to save $120 every four years.
Updated October 8, 2026: Hilton Aspire credits.
