TSA PreCheck Cost 2026: $79.75–$85 New, $58.75+ Renewal

The TSA PreCheck cost for a new 5-year membership is about $79.75 to $85, depending on which enrollment provider you pick. TSA's own headline is "$85 or less", and online renewal is cheaper, from about $58.75.

Those figures come from third-party pages updated October 6–7, 2026 that cite TSA. Sources disagree by a few dollars (one lists IDEMIA at $76.75, and an older TSA page version showed $78), so confirm the final number on tsa.gov/precheck before you pay.

TSA PreCheck cost by provider

The membership is identical whichever provider you choose. Only the price and the number of locations differ.

Readings dated October 7, 2026, citing TSA. Prices change, so treat this table as a dated snapshot.

The spread between the cheapest and most expensive new membership is $5.25, or about $1 a year over 5 years. A location you can reach easily is usually a better tiebreaker than the price. For renewals the cheapest route differs: IDEMIA online ($58.75) or Telos in person ($58.75).

Per year, $79.75 to $85 works out to about $16 to $17.

A few details that affect what you actually pay:

• IDEMIA and Telos collect payment at the in-person appointment, which takes about 10 minutes and includes fingerprints and documents.
• If you enroll through CLEAR, the CLEAR+ add-on costs extra: a one-time code for $134 (new) or $146 (online renewal), which is the CLEAR+ price minus what you paid for PreCheck.
• TSA recommends renewing at least 60 days before your membership expires.

Ways to pay less than the listed price

• Many travel cards reimburse the fee. Capital One Venture and Venture X, for example, give one statement credit per account every 4 years for Global Entry or PreCheck.
• Active-duty military and academy cadets and midshipmen pay nothing.
• Some HAZMAT-endorsed CDL holders may be eligible at no cost.
• There is no senior discount.

Global Entry costs $120 and includes PreCheck

The CBP application fee is $120 for Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI alike, since October 1, 2024 (it was $100 before). Each membership lasts 5 years. Global Entry includes PreCheck screening.

The plain difference: $120 minus $79.75 to $85 is $35 to $40.25 over 5 years, or $7 to $8 a year. If you fly internationally even once or twice in 5 years, that gap is small. For the full program-by-program picture, see the Global Entry vs TSA PreCheck vs NEXUS vs SENTRI comparison.

Children are a separate case:

• Global Entry minors under 18 are free when a parent is a member or is applying.
• PreCheck covers children 17 and under in the lane only, when they travel with an enrolled adult. Teens 13 to 17 need the PreCheck indicator on their own boarding pass, which means being on the same reservation.

The Global Entry fee is non-refundable if you are denied.

You cannot upgrade from PreCheck to Global Entry

TSA's FAQ says you cannot switch or upgrade from PreCheck to Global Entry. You apply as a new applicant and pay the full $120. Current PreCheck members may get expedited Global Entry processing if they enter their Known Traveler Number.

TSA also says that if you don't finish the Global Entry process before your PreCheck expires, you lose PreCheck screening until Global Entry is approved. For anyone facing a long wait for the interview, that gap is the real cost.

Worked example: PreCheck expires in 3 months

This is a hypothetical traveler, with the interview wait set at an example value. Your own center will differ.

Your PreCheck expires in 3 months. You open /global-entry-wait-times and find that the interview wait at your center is about 5 months. The availability page shows each center's next bookable date (not whether a slot is open right now). NEXUS and SENTRI applicants can check /nexus-wait-times and /sentri-wait-times.

With the interview 2 months after PreCheck ends, and approval coming after the interview, you have three options:

The bridge in Option B costs $58.75 to $72.95 extra. Spread over a gap of about 2 months, that is roughly $29 to $36 a month. You also end up holding two overlapping memberships for a while.

Option C only works if you have an international trip coming. Enrollment on Arrival lets a conditionally approved applicant do the interview when landing at a participating airport. If your next trip is domestic, the gap in Option A applies to you.

If your PreCheck expires in 3 months and the interview is 2 months after that, Option A has a small gap. If the interview is 8 months out, the gap is 5 months or more, and the bridge looks better. Compare your own dates the same way.

Getting an earlier interview shrinks the gap

Every month you pull the interview forward is a month of PreCheck you may not need to buy. Whether an earlier slot opens at your centers is outside anyone's control, so treat this as a way to improve your odds, not a plan you can count on.

GlobalEntryTexts texts you when a Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI interview appointment opens at the enrollment centers you choose. It costs $25, paid once, for 30 days of monitoring, and it is not a subscription. You can watch up to 3 enrollment centers per 30-day window for the same price. You book the appointment yourself on ttp.dhs.gov; GlobalEntryTexts never books for you, because auto-booking would break the Trusted Traveler Program's terms.

If your PreCheck expires in under 90 days, decide on the bridge renewal before TSA's 60-day mark, because that is the window TSA recommends for renewing.