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What is Clear | Cost and enrollment | TSA PreCheck vs. Clear+ |
Pros and cons | Is it worth it?
If you’ve flown recently, you’ve likely noticed signage for Clear+, a private, fee-based biometric identification service that bills itself as a faster alternative to the standard security line.
“I remember the first time I saw it in Denver,” says John E. DiScala, creator of the travel tips and deals website Johnny Jet. “I’m standing in the long security line, and there was another line in between that was completely empty, and I see a couple [of] business travelers just roll up. I’m like, ‘What is that? I need to get that.’ ”
That was almost a decade ago, a few years after Clear+ and a similar, government-run program, TSA PreCheck, began establishing themselves with member-dedicated lines in American airports. The presence of each has grown steadily since.
Anything that promises to shave off minutes or even hours of airport security wait time sounds attractive as boarding looms. The appeal of moving through security faster applies to adults 55 and older, an estimated 46 percent of whom flew in 2024, according to Airlines for America’s Air Travelers in America survey. Those travelers are more likely to experience mobility issues as well as pain or discomfort when standing for long periods of time. The unpredictability of lines creates more anxiety around the already stressful flying process.
But there’s more to Clear+ than getting a front-of-the-line pass. Here’s what you need to know about program costs, availability, alternatives and more so you can best evaluate whether Clear+ is worth it for you.
What is Clear+ and how does it work?
Clear is an identity verification company that stores its members’ information to confirm their identity quickly.
At airports, Clear members opt in to its biometric-based ID service, Clear+, to access a dedicated lane with a kiosk that verifies their identity through an eye, face or fingerprint scan.
“It allows you, in many cases, to keep your ID in your wallet, in your purse, on your person, so you don’t actually have to take it out,” says Nick Ewen, senior editorial director at the Points Guy, who has been a member for about four years.
Afterward, a Clear agent escorts members past the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) ID verification checkpoint to the physical screening line, where they go through security screening as usual. According to Clear, most travelers have their identity verified and are handed off to security screening in under 1½ minutes.
Clear is rolling out electronic gates (eGates), basically a self-service Clear+ lane that typically takes fewer than five seconds to use, says Kyle McLaughlin, executive vice president of aviation and travel at Clear. However, eGate users must still undergo a physical security screening.
