Cutting the line

The perks and costs of expedited airport screening programs

It’s the busy summer travel season, which means long airport security lines.

A record 243 million passengers and crew members are projected to pass through airport security checkpoints nationwide from Memorial Day to Labor Day, according to the TSA. That total is up from 239 million last year.

Here’s how to decide whether an expedited screening program is right for you and how a credit card might be able to defray the cost.

The programs The primary federal programs for air travel are TSA Precheck and Global Entry.

You provide personal information and submit to a background check. In exchange, you get a trusted traveler number, which you can use for faster screening.

Both programs grant you access to the Transportation Security Administration’s Precheck security lanes at over 200 domestic airports. As of May, wait times there were less than five minutes for 92 percent of passengers.

The perks TSA Precheck status gives you access to security lanes with lighter screening. For example, shoes can stay on and laptops can stay in cases, and

liquids and gels can stay in your carry-on.

Dedicated Precheck lanes and quicker screening usually mean faster-moving lines. Children ages 12 and younger can use Precheck lanes when traveling with a parent or guardian who has the Precheck indicator on their boarding pass.

Global Entry, run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, includes TSA Precheck benefits plus expedited customs screening when traveling internationally.

Global Entry might be the obvious choice for frequent and international travelers because it comes with more benefits for a little extra money, costing an average of $3 more annually than Precheck.

The downside of Global Entry comes upfront: It’s a bigger hassle to apply for, and it requires a more thorough background process than Precheck.

The cost TSA Prescheck costs $85 per traveler and Global Entry $100; enrollment lasts five years for both.

A number of credit cards that earn travel rewards are starting to add reimbursement of the application fee for Precheck or Global Entry once every four or five years. Typically, reimbursement is automatic when you use the travel credit card to pay the $85 or $100 fee.