Clear vs. TSA Pre✓?
I hate waiting in line. Travel anywhere nowadays requires you to wait in a lot of them. There’s a line at the ticket counter, there’s a line at security, there’s a line to board the plane, there’s a line to get off the plane, a wait to get a table at your favorite restaurant after sitting in traffic just to get there. It can all be a bit much.
A few years ago I signed up for TSA Pre✓® which is the TSA’s trusted traveler program that, among other things, speeds your way through security. A high level view of what you get with the program:
No need to remove shoes, laptops, 3-1-1 liquids, belts or light jackets
Expedited security screening. Most travelers get through Security in 5 minutes or less.
Enjoy benefits at more than 200 airports within the U.S on over 60 participating airlines.
Children under 12 may accompany a parent/guardian with TSA Pre✓® in the designated lanes.
In my opinion and experience, the $85 cost of this program is fully justified as its has saved me TONS of time that would have otherwise been wasted, yep, waiting in line. Did I mention I hate waiting in line?
But an interesting thing has been happening lately in that now TSA Pre✓’s dedicated security lines are starting to get longer as well. In March of last year, the TSA reported that the program now has an estimated 10 million members. As travel starts to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, I highly suspect that people that have been pent up for nearly a year and a half will be extremely eager to make up for lost time. This will equate to longer security lines not only for normal security lines but also for TSA Pre✓ lines as well.
Enter Clear. Clear is a private trusted traveler program that uses biometrics at their own proprietary kiosk to speed your way through security. The cost of the program is typically $179, although you should NOT be paying that price. Clear has partnered with Delta and United to offer discounts to bring the price down to at least $119 for even the most basic status members of their frequent flyer programs and another $10 discount for more elite status holders. Delta Skymiles and United MileagePlus programs are free to sign up.
But rather than seeing Clear and TSA Pre✓® as competing platforms, I’d like to think they complement each other. While TSA Pre✓® has its own line which tends to move faster than the normal security line — TSA says average wait time in a TSA Pre✓® line is less than 5 minutes — using it along with Clear actually helps you reduce this time even further by putting you in the front of that line as well. So not only do you take advantage of the reduced wait times and convenience of not having to remove, shoes, laptops, belts etc., you get to jump directly to the screening area, avoiding the TSA Pre✓® line altogether. This sounds like a great deal and depending on how busy a particular day might be could save you a significant amount of time.
While you need to weigh the price of both programs with how much traveling you do, I think even for a moderate amount of travel being members of both is worth it. It’s worth noting that if you hold an American Express Platinum or Platinum Business card, which we highly recommend, both of these programs are paid for as a benefit for cardmembers. If you decide to take part in the TSA Pre✓® program through you Amex member benefits go ahead and sign up for Global Entry as TSA Pre✓® is included in the membership.
Through these programs hopefully you can spend more time doing what you want to do and less time waiting in the queue. Did I mention I hate waiting in line?