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PreCheck is great, but CLEAR is amazing.
PreCheck costs $85 for 5 years (it’s included for free with the excellent Global Entry, which costs $100 for 5 years) and allows you to keep your shoes, belt, and jacket on, and your laptop in your bag. You get to go through metal detectors rather than assuming the position for the nude-o-scope. Adults that have PreCheck can also bring their kids with them, even if their kids don’t have PreCheck.
PreCheck and Global Entry are free with cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase United Explorer, Capital One Spark Miles for Business Business, AMEX Business Platinum Card, AMEX Platinum Card, Citi Prestige, Citi Executive AAdvantage, and more.
Once upon a time, PreCheck lines were always short, but that’s no longer a guarantee. With PreCheck these days you may be able to walk right up to security or you may need to wait 20 minutes.
CLEAR allows you to skip to the front of the line. If you have PreCheck you can skip to the front of the PreCheck line and if you don’t have PreCheck you can skip to the front of the regular line.
You don’t need to take out your ID either, your fingerprint or eye act as your ID.
The dependability that skipping the line gives you is simply amazing. It means I can leave my house 55 minutes before a flight and know that I won’t miss my flight out of CLE. When I’m with my family I’ll leave plenty of time and enjoy the airport lounge, but if I’m solo, the less wasted time in the airport is always a win.
CLEAR also works for sports stadiums. I’ve used it to skip the line at Progressive Field, which is a nice bonus on top of skipping the lines at the airport.
Delta has invested in CLEAR and has been the biggest airline proponent of CLEAR and now United is hopping onto that bandwagon.
The great news is that CLEAR will soon be available in Chicago, Houston, and Newark.
In NYC that means you will be able to use CLEAR at LaGuardia, JFK, Newark, Westchester County, Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, and Madison Square Garden.
A full list of CLEAR locations can be found here.
You can signup for CLEAR here and get a code for 2 months free.
Normal pricing for CLEAR is $179/year, but if you link your Delta or United mileage number you will pay $119/year.
If you have a Chase United Explorer card, Chase United Explorer Business Card, Delta Business Gold, Delta Business Platinum, Delta Business Reserve, Delta Consumer Gold, Delta Consumer Platinum, or Delta Consumer Reserve you can pay $109/year.
Delta and United Silver/Gold/Platinum elites also pay $109/year.
Delta Diamond/360 and United 1K/Global Services elites get CLEAR for free!
Kids under 18 can go with their parents for free without a membership or biometrics required.
A CLEAR member can add up to 3 adult family members for just $50 each.
- You can view the Delta CLEAR enrollment page here.
- You can view the United CLEAR enrollment page here
- You can link your United mileage number to an existing CLEAR account here.
- You can signup for CLEAR here and get a code for 2 months free.
CLEAR isn’t cheap, but if it helps you make a flight that you would otherwise miss due to a long line then it will be worth its weight in gold. Hopefully one day we’ll see a credit card that will reimburse the CLEAR fee in full.
Today’s move leaves American as the lone major US airline holdout. American blocks their fully controlled terminals, like in Miami, from having CLEAR as they hate their passengers. Hopefully they will see the light eventually.
Do you have CLEAR and how has your experience been with it?
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67 Comments On "United Joins Delta In Backing CLEAR, Elites And Cardholders Get Free Or Discounted Memberships To The Gamechanging Service"
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The two months is after u pay for a yr?
You get 2 months for free, no need to pay for anything. You can set the membership not to renew after the 2 months.
Oh they asking me for the yearly price
My bad I see it now
What will happen if Clear will get as popular as TSA pre? There will be an entire line of clear people
Then there will be another program that gets you to the front of the clear like at the precheck line
then if everyone is flying through the terminal with fingerprint or eye recognition, well then they just invented a new fast way for lines to move!
It takes longer for clear than TSA precheck. so with more CLEAR, its only going to get slower
It’s already a nightmare at ATL. I had to wait 15 min at the clear precheck line
Go to Atlants, its a 20 min wait with clear.
You need to take ghe gamble if clear is faster then precheck
American blocks their fully controlled terminals, like in Miami, from having CLEAR as they hate their passengers
LOL!!!
Why did you add LOL? it was not really funny to be honest.
Disagree
The good part is that we know that AA are monitoring this website and will read that line!
Dan make it bold!
How do we get the pricing for the Chase United Explorer card?
Also side question, if I used the TSA credit from my chase sapphire for me. Can I use the credit from my United card for my wife? Does it need to be used for me?
Click on the link in the post to link your United mileage number to CLEAR.
The credit can be used by anyone.
I’ve used CLEAR for a couple years and have found that it adds great value as long as it’s available at the airports you frequent. Has saved me literally tons of time at LAX, IAD, DCA, MIA, AUS, DEN and others. Note that once you use a year’s subscription, I’ve seen offers for renewals lower than even the discounted prices identified above.
If you are a secondary card holder of a Chase United card, are you eligible for any of the perks?
Thanks
No.
Can the primary card holder give it to the secondary if they don’t use it?
AA you hear? “As they hate their passagers”…
If you fly several times a year it becomes an expense of only a few additional dollars per flight, and its worth every penny. Might be cheaper than an airport coffee.
What’s the approval process for Clear like?
Instant
United Club card doesn’t give a discount?
It should qualify as well.
If a credit card would offer clear the “front of the line” would be really long
CLEAR will save you money, you will arrive 20 minutes before you fly it will leave you no time too spend in stores. I DONT know why airports allow it, this is a big part how they make profit…
CLEAR is probably renting space from each airport.
United’s newest shtick is that basic airfares (which do not include free carry-on), cannot checkin online, because they need to see you that you don’t have a carry on. I got to EWR 43 min before a flight, without a carryon, and I could not check in. They close the flights for check in 45 minutes before departure time…
If you have a United Explorer/Club card that doesn’t apply.
Best part of this it expires a year from today so even though your 1K expites on February 1st you still get it for another 6 moths 🙂
Adults that have PreCheck can also bring their kids with them, even if their kids don’t have PreCheck.
Is this new ?
I thought that every child needs Global entry for it self in order to pass ?
I didn’t say Global Entry.
What’s the difference between them ?
Passing security is part of precheck or global entry ?
Security is PreCheck (kids allowed free).
Customs is Global Entry (kids membership required).
For Customs you can use Mobile Passport, US Citizens ONLY
Thanks for explaining!
Is the united busniess explorer also giving free global entry?
No.
Is JFK having CLEAR at all terminals by all airlines? Or only at delta?
There’s a link to the list of locations and checkpoints in the post.
When in Chicago O’Hare?
This year.
I hope. I read this in the wsj:
“The company also is seeking approval from the city of Chicago to open lanes at O’Hare International Airport.”
Seeking approval? From Chicago? That could take years
I have Clear and although it is amazing you need to be careful because they are not always open. I had counted on Clear and got to the airport right before my flight and to my surprise Clear was not open and I went in to panic mode. You should still leave yourself some time.
Or just check on the hours published on their site?
how much do i need to spend to get United 1K/Global Services status? I have the explorer card..
You need to fly for status.
Dan, why do you think American hates their customers? Did you have a bad experience with them? I never had any issues
As nice as it would be to get it for free on some credit cards, I feel that would defeat the purpose, and it would just become like precheck is now. IMO it’s already funny to have an expedited line and then another more expedited line. Feels like 1 should be the limit.
I remember with the original Clear they would escort me to the front of the line – at the X-ray machine, not the checkpoint! At first I felt guilty, but then realized anyone could buy it if they passed the background check.
“American blocks their fully controlled terminals, like in Miami, from having CLEAR as they hate their passengers.”
Is this a direct quote from AA’s FAQs?
dan what you think if – “Hopefully one day we’ll see a credit card that will reimburse the CLEAR fee in full.” then probably the lines won’t be that “clear”
I have clear but I’m actually (selfishly) not happy about this since clear lines are about to get longer.
I don’t understand what you’re writing about clear being amazing. If you want to make a quick buck by people using your referral link that’s fine, but the reason why clear is “amazing” is specifically because few people have it. Not because of some amazing feature that they have.
It’s amazing because it means I can leave my house 20 minutes later every time I fly.
I don’t have enough readers to move that needle.
Do you have to be on a delta flight to use your CLEAR or can you fly any airline as long as your in an airport that offers CLEAR?
Any airline.
I had it for a free trial – Never really saved me much time as the precheck lines were never that long… Additionally, even though you’re not supposed to need your ID after Clear – some of the TSA agents still insisted and obviously did not really understand CLEAR
Never encountered that with TSA.
Even though there usually isn’t a long wait with Precheck, I still factor in a 15 minute potential wait. This allows me to save that 15 minute buffer every time.
Agreed – really depends on your usual airport…
I had awhile ago – so it could be the TSA agents are better informed now…
doesnt AA in lax have clear on the first class tsa pre check area ? pretty sure ive used it a few times.
If I bought a ticket through delta but flight is operated by virgin Atlantic, can I still use clear at JFK
Can’t do clear if your fingerprint is rubbed out?
They can do an eye scan.
I just signed up free for 2 months.
Before my free trial ends, can I cancel it then sign up using my Delta gold status for $109?
If you are a secondary card holder of a United card, can you get the benefit and Clear?