Applying for the Nexus card is super easy. This site aims to help you go through the application process step by step. We also hope to answer all your questions.
We will even show you how to get a full refund on your fee.
But First A Warning
There are many 3rd party websites that aim to help you apply for the Nexus card. These sites can cost up to a $1,000 and can be more difficult and time consuming to use than the genuine Nexus application site.
We recommend sticking with the genuine US and Canadian government website for your application.
Benefits of Using the Genuine Application site…
- Low cost. Nexus only costs $120USD for 5 years.
- Simple application process.
- Ability to access government help services during the application process.
- Privacy. No need to give your ID documents to non government entities.
- Possibility of getting your application fee refunded! (more on this shortly)
But what about all the benefits these companies offer?
Yes some of these companies do offer incentives to get you to sign up. The usual ones include free lounge access and free hotel stays. Lets take a closer look at these.
Free Lounge Access.…
If you have been anywhere near an airport in the last few years you will find that most lounges are overrun. There are often times we’ve seen lineups outside the lounge and it looks crazy busy inside.
The reason? Most travel credit cards now offer free lounge access which means that almost every traveler with a newer credit card has free access to a lounge.
Our recommendation? Find a quiet gate area and enjoy the peace and quiet or take advantage of a post-security bar or restaurant. The high end bars are quite often empty. For the price of one drink you can have all the ambience of a quiet high end lounge.
And finally if you do find a lounge that looks empty just buy a day pass. They are usually around $35.
Free Hotel Stays
If you manage to take get hold of the free hotel package they are never as easy to take advantage of as you think. Some may have blackout dates and many will have minimum stay requirements.
Our recommendation? If its free Hotel stays you want, take a look at the Marriott Bonvoy Credit cards. There is a membership fee – from $99 a year – but for that you get a free hotel voucher that can be worth up to $200. And when you sign up they give you enough points for an extra 1 or 2 night stays.
Finally as a Bonvoy member you can usually get your room upgraded! This can be an amazing bonus!
The Bonvoy program has multiple credit cards available for you to choose from. And if a hotel stay isn’t needed you can also convert your points to flights!
Whats not to like 🙂
Application Assistance
The 3rd party companies will also tell you how complicated the application process is. In fact they say its so hard that you need industry experts to help you.
The reality is when we applied for Nexus we found it quite simple and when we did have questions we found the Nexus Enrollment Centers to be incredibly helpful. Don’t be afraid to apply yourself. Its easy.
False Promises
One final thing. Some of the 3rd party companies will tell you they can get expedited processing or they can get you an interview within 7 days.
We’ve been told directly by Nexus staff that every traveler is treated the same and there is no way to pay for priority service. So do not believe anyone who tells you they can speed things up. It’s just not possible.
And if it was possible to get expedited service (like when applying for a passport) it would be advertised to everyone on the Nexus site.
Okay are we ready to apply? Click here to get started…