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I Tried CLEAR Expedited Airport Security for the First Time — It’s Fantastic

enpassant by enpassant
December 17, 2021
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Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. We may receive a small commission from our partners, like American Express, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective. Terms apply to offers listed on this page. Read our editorial standards.

I love Trusted Traveler Programs.

Enrolling in a program like TSA PreCheck or Global Entry is one of the greatest measures you can take to immediately improve your quality of travel.

If you’re a member of TSA PreCheck like 6% of America, you’ve got the freedom to pass through TSA airport security without stripping down to your delicates. You don’t need to remove your shoes, belt, or light jacket — and you can even keep your laptop and carry-on approved toiletries in your bag. This means you won’t have to feed six different gray bins through the X-ray machine. There’s even a dedicated PreCheck lane that tends to move significantly faster than the standard security lane.

TSA PreCheck costs $85 for five years.

An even more exclusive club is Global Entry, with about 2% of Americans registered. This program completely eliminates the hours of processing you experience when returning to the US from abroad. Instead of standing in the tortuous immigration line, you simply walk to a Global Entry kiosk, scan your fingerprints, take a 20-second survey, and exit the airport.

Additionally, Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck benefits, so it’s the better choice between the two. Global Entry costs $100 for five years.

You can get either of these programs for free simply by paying with one of the top credit cards for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. These cards reimburse the application fee for these programs with a statement credit once every four or five years, depending on the card.

But there’s another expedited screening program that I’ve ignored until recently: CLEAR. Only about 1.7% of Americans have CLEAR. And no wonder, as it costs up to $179 per year.

Read more: How to use the Amex Platinum $179 CLEAR credit — and get through airport security faster

The Platinum Card® from American Express offers an annual statement credit to offset the price of CLEAR, so I figured I’d give it a whirl. It’s actually pretty great — my airport security experience has been reduced to seconds.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

CLEAR is a surprisingly useful travel luxury

Regular APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Featured Reward

100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in your first 6 months of card membership, plus 10x points on eligible purchases on the Card at restaurants worldwide and when you Shop Small in the U.S., on up to $25,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of card membership

Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

  • Pros & Cons
  • Details

  • Pros
    • Long list of travel benefits, including airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott (enrollment required)
    • Annual statement credits with Saks and Uber
    Cons
    • Bonus categories leave something to be desired
    • One of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards
    • Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
    • Plus, earn 10x points on eligible purchases on the Card at restaurants worldwide and when you Shop Small in the U.S., on up to $25,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership.
    • Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
    • $200 Hotel Credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
    • $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. Enrollment required.
    • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax.
    • American Express has expanded The Centurion® Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Now there are even more places your Platinum Card® can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks.
    • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline.
    • $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only.
    • $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $25 back each month on select Equinox memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required.
    • $179 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $179 back per year on your CLEAR® membership.
    • $695 annual fee.
    • Terms Apply.


    Read Our Review
    Read Our Review A looong arrow, pointing right

    I have to say, I wouldn’t have signed up for CLEAR if American Express hadn’t prodded me by offering it for free. The Platinum Card (and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
    ) provide up to $179 in annual statement credits to offset CLEAR membership, which is enough to cover an entire year.

    Here’s what CLEAR does to make your travel life easier. Once you arrive at the TSA security checkpoint, you’ll see three lanes:

    • One for general travelers who are not a part of a Trusted Traveler Program (can be super slow)
    • One for travelers who have membership to TSA PreCheck (often significantly faster than the regular line)
    • One for travelers who have membership to CLEAR (skip all lines and head straight for the gray bins)

    Nearly every time I’ve arrived at airport security, the CLEAR lane has been completely empty. There are often two or three CLEAR employees loitering around the entrance, wishing upon a star that someone would approach them for assistance.

    They’ll bring you to a CLEAR kiosk, help you input your biometric data (fingerprints and iris scan), and then literally escort you to the front of the line where you can flash your boarding pass to the TSA officer and head toward the body scanners.

    CLEAR is not in every airport in the US. It’s got over 50 locations — though some are in arenas and stadiums. If you fly to smaller airports, you likely will not yet find a CLEAR kiosk.

    I used this benefit for the first time in Washington, DC (DCA), and was blown away at the velocity with which I was able to negotiate airport security. There’s an initial setup process you’ll undergo the first time you use it, but that only happens the first time — and it takes about five minutes.

    Stack CLEAR with TSA PreCheck

    Regular APR

    14.24% – 22.24% Variable

    Credit Score

    Good to Excellent

    Featured Reward

    120,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases with your card within the first 3 months of card membership

    Intro APR

    0% Intro APR for 12 months on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time

    Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

  • Pros & Cons
  • Details

  • Pros
    • More travel benefits than you’ll find on any other business credit card
    • Generous airport lounge access options, from American Express Centurion Lounges to Priority Pass (enrollment required)
    • Complimentary hotel elite status (enrollment required)
    • Access to Amex concierge services
    Cons
    • Very high annual fee
    • Limited opportunities to earn bonus points
    • Annual statement credits won’t be useful for everyone
    • Welcome Offer: Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
    • Plus, 0% Intro APR for 12 months from the date of the account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time. After that, your APR will be 14.24% to 22.24% based on your credit worthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening.
    • Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
    • Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else. Cap applies.
    • Unlock over $1,000 in value per year for statement credits on select purchases with your Card, including up to $400 with Dell Technologies, up to $360 with Indeed, up to $150 with Adobe and up to $120 on wireless telephone purchases. Enrollment required.
    • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year toward baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline.
    • $179 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $179 back per year on your CLEAR® membership.
    • Access to more than 1,300 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting with The American Express Global Lounge Collection®. More lounge options than any other credit card on the market as of 8/2020.
    • $595 Annual Fee ($695 if application is received on or after 01/13/2022).
    • Terms Apply.


    Read Our Review
    Read Our Review A looong arrow, pointing right

    You don’t have to choose between CLEAR and TSA PreCheck. Both programs serve different purposes, and they make for an airport security dream team when you’ve got them both.

    The Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum Card offer statement credits for both TSA PreCheck and CLEAR — so as long as you’ve got the card, you can keep renewing your membership for effectively free. I’ve got them both, and here’s what my security experience looks like:

    1. Arrive at a crowded airport with excessive lines
    2. Head to a CLEAR kiosk and spend 45 seconds inputting my info
    3. Skip the line and put my bags on the conveyor belt (without having to take my laptop out)
    4. Walk through the body scanner (fully clothed)
    5. Grab my bag from the X-ray machine without hurriedly shuffling over to a bench in my socks with an armload of paraphernalia

    I find that membership to CLEAR nearly guarantees the amount of time I’ll spend at the security checkpoint. Once you’ve made it to the gray bins, the process tends to take about the same amount of time. It’s the line waiting to show your ID/boarding pass that can mess with your schedule — and that’s the part CLEAR eliminates.

    Read more: Most airports are overcrowded right now — here are 5 ways to speed through terminals or avoid them altogether

    Other ways to get free/discounted CLEAR membership

    Regular APR

    See Rates & Fees

    Featured Reward

    30,000 points after you spend at least $2,000 in your first 3 months of account opening

    Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

  • Pros & Cons
  • Details

  • Pros
    • 3x bonus categories of travel and restaurants that rival the more-expensive Chase Sapphire Reserve
    • Reasonable annual fee compared to many other travel rewards cards
    Cons
    • Annual statement credits with CLEAR and LoungeBuddy won’t be useful to everyone
    • Underwhelming welcome bonus
    • The information related to the American Express® Green Card has been collected by Business Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
    • Earn 30,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.
    • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on all eligible travel, from subway swipes and window seats to hotel stays and city tours.
    • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide.
    • Receive up to $100 per year in statement credits when you use the American Express® Green Card to pay for your CLEAR® membership at select airports and stadiums across the U.S. and Permissible Biometric Scanning Technology terms: eye scanning, irises scanning and fingerprints scanning.
    • Use the American Express® Green Card to purchase lounge access through LoungeBuddy to any of the lounges in the LoungeBuddy network – no memberships, elite statuses, or first class tickets required. Earn up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year on your LoungeBuddy purchases.
    • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
    • $150 Annual Fee.
    • Terms Apply.


    Read Our Review
    Read Our Review A looong arrow, pointing right

    The Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum Card aren’t the only ways to get a discount on CLEAR. You can dramatically reduce the program’s $179 annual fee by paying with the American Express® Green Card
    , which offers up to $100 in annual statement credits toward CLEAR.

    Also, both United and Delta loyalty members can save big on CLEAR:

    • Free for: Delta Diamond Medallion and United 1K elite members
    • $109 per year for: Platinum, Gold, and Silver elite members of both Delta and United
    • $109 per year for: Cardholders of most Delta or United credit cards
    • $119 per year for: General Delta or United members (no elite status required) 

    Once you have a CLEAR membership, other family members can benefit. You can add up to three adult family members to your account for just $50 per person. Children under 18 are free (though they must be traveling with an adult who has CLEAR).

    Bottom line

    CLEAR is more of a luxury membership than that of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. But it’s a solid complement that minimizes your security checkpoint experience and helps you get to the airport lounge faster.

    If you’re a Amex Platinum or Amex Business Platinum Card cardholder, CLEAR is completely free for you because, when you pay the membership fee with these cards, you’ll get a statement credit of up to $179 each year.

    Read more: Don’t let the Amex Platinum’s new ‘lifestyle’ benefits distract you from its true value — here’s what the card is worth to the average person

    There’s nothing to lose by enrolling (you can ask the CLEAR attendants at the airport — it takes just a few minutes), and you can experience more rapid travel than 98% of America. I highly recommend it.

    Joseph Hostetler

    Credit cards reporter

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