Capital One Adds Global Entry/TSA PreCheck to Venture Card

Capital One added a major perk to its Venture card to make your travels more effortless and smooth. And just in time for your vacations this summer! This proves why the Venture card is one of the top credit cards for travel rewards.

Starting this week, you can charge the fee for PreCheck or Global Entry membership to your Venture card, and Capital One will reimburse you for the cost. It seems like travel perks have been decreasing in recent years for other cards, and this shows that Capital One is moving in the opposite direction.

TSA PreCheck or Global Entry?

When it comes to deciding whether to opt for PreCheck or Global Entry, it’s about weighing the pros and cons. PreCheck requires an $85 membership fee that is valid for five years. PreCheck requires prospective members to be fingerprinted and receive background check clearance.

With it, you don’t need to deal with the hassle of removing many of the critical things you travel with—including your shoes, laptop, small liquid containers, belts and light jackets.

Many larger airports have exclusive PreCheck security areas in select terminals, and at the very least have a separate line so you can speed past everyone else to get through security.

TSA reported that 92% of PreCheck members waited less than five minutes to get through security in May 2018, and there are more than six million PreCheck members across the U.S.

Get More With Global Entry

Global Entry gives you all the benefits of PreCheck, but also expedites the process of getting through immigration when arriving back to the U.S. from a trip to a foreign country. Instead of speaking to an immigration officer at customs, Global Entry members go to special kiosks to scan their fingerprint and complete a customs declaration process that is significantly speedier than the normal process.

There is a $100 fee for the membership, which is also valid for five years, but this application requires an extra step that may seem daunting. In addition to being fingerprinted and passing a background check, applicants must complete an in-person interview to be approved.

The in-person interview varies, but one of the main questions is why you want to become a member in the first place. Don’t stress—it isn’t a job interview or any type of interrogation.

Global Entry is the more comprehensive membership program of the two, but those who travel more within the United States and just want to save time on getting through security can opt for the PreCheck membership and skip the interview.

The Venture Card

Either way, this exclusive perk for Venture cardholders is a game changer for Capital One. The Venture card has a $95 fee (waived the first year), and gives you a welcome bonus of 50,000 miles if you spend $3,000 within your first three months.

In addition, cardholders get double miles for all spending. There are no limits and no special bonus categories to worry about.

Miles can be used to pay for travel at a rate of 1 cent each. You can use that for booking flights, staying at hotels or renting cars with any airline, hotel chain or rental agency. There are no blackout dates or restrictions.

Bottom Line

If you’re a savvy travel lover, you should definitely add the Capital One Venture card to your wallet. It’ll be interesting to see how Capital One will handle travel perks in the future, especially while going against the current trend of slimming down on these perks that make globetrotting more affordable and efficient.