Paying $750 gets you a faster U.S. visa appointment — not a guaranteed visa.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Read online Paying to Skip the Visa Line Paying $750 gets you a faster U.S. visa appointment — not a guaranteed visa. GOOD DAY, READERS. Want to jump the U.S. visa line? It'll cost you, writes Global Tourism Reporter Bailey Schulz. The State Department is launching a pilot program July 1 that lets B-1 and B-2 visa applicants secure an interview within 10 business days — for $750. Tack on the standard $185 visa fee and you're looking at $935 total. The catch: paying up only gets you a faster appointment, not a guaranteed visa. The program runs through December 31, and the State Department expects roughly 26,000 applicants annually, generating about $19.3 million.     Skift IDEA Awards A fee can buy you a place in line. It can't buy you the recognition at the front of it. Entries are scored by leaders from Hilton, Carnival Cruise Lines, IHG, Google, and Accor against four criteria: purpose, innovation, originality, impact. Across 30+ categories, the work earns the award. The entry deadline is July 1. ENTER NOW         DON’T MISS THESE STORIES New $750 Fee Lets Travelers Jump the U.S. Visa Line By Bailey Schulz One immigration attorney calls the latest U.S. travel fee a step toward a two-tiered system: one path for the rich, another for everyone else. GET THE STORY Apple’s Rebuilt Siri Opens New Doors for Travel Apps By Adriana Lee Apple's rebuilt Siri is not booking trips. But it is getting better at understanding the messy context around them. GET THE STORY Global Travel Growth Has Turned Negative for First Time This Year By Athira Thoppil The first negative reading of 2026 isn't a collapse — it's a rebalancing. Asia-Pacific is gaining what the transatlantic is losing. GET THE STORY         Why Payments Have Become an Important Strategic Lever in Airline Distribution WEX + SKIFT Airlines' payment infrastructure is becoming a key growth bottleneck. Without updating it, airlines risk falling behind on global expansion and digital retail ambitions. GET THE STORY         For $7 a week, Skift gives you something the industry is missing – the full picture. Subscribe today for 25% off.         MORNING HEADLINES Skyscanner CEO on Agentic Booking and the Future of Flight Metasearch GET THE STORY Alaska Bets Starlink Will Boost Customer Loyalty as It Scraps Basic Economy Perks GET THE STORY Middle East Airlines Face $4.3 Billion Loss — the Only Region in the Red GET THE STORY IndiGo Lays Out 2030 Plan: 4 years to Become a Global Airline GET THE STORY Europe Visa Bottlenecks Push UAE Residents to Rethink Travel Plans GET THE STORY One Year Into Private Equity Ownership, Soneva Is Rebranding — New CEO on What’s Changing GET THE STORY         SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK Hotels Spent Millions Fighting OTAs… And Still Lost For years, hotel brands have spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to convince travelers to book direct. In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, a Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk discuss why major hotel companies continue pushing guests toward their apps, loyalty programs, and direct booking channels. Despite aggressive marketing campaigns from brands like Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt, OTAs continue to capture a significant share of hotel bookings thanks to their convenience, reach, and consumer trust. The conversation explores why direct booking remains one of the biggest strategic battles in hospitality and why hotels still haven't fully won it. GET THE PODCAST         SKIFT TRAVEL 200 How are public travel companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to understand global market movements. Paid subscribers get full access here. GET TODAY’S INDEX SCORE         See more essential travel news in your search results. ADD SKIFT ON GOOGLE         Thanks for reading. We are switching to a new email platform to improve delivery. What does this mean for you? During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.       DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Skift 35 W 31st St. New York, New York 10001, United States Terms of Service