Guide To Maximizing Amex CLEAR Credits

Guide To Maximizing Amex CLEAR Credits

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Premium credit cards have all kinds of great benefits nowadays, especially for travel. American Express has a partnership with CLEAR, whereby select Amex cardmembers can enjoy annual credits with CLEAR. In this post I wanted to take a closer look at that.

Which Amex cards offer CLEAR credits, what is CLEAR, how do you enroll, and how do you get the best value?

Which Amex cards offer CLEAR credits?

Currently the following three American Express cards each offer up to a $189 annual CLEAR Plus credit annually (Enrollment required):

What are the restrictions associated with these CLEAR Plus credits?

  • The credits are per calendar year (based on when the transaction appears on your card)
  • The credits can be used across multiple transactions, if you’re in a situation where you’re being charged the maximum credit amount by CLEAR
  • The credits apply to purchases directly with CLEAR
  • Purchases by the primary cardmember and additional cardmembers are eligible, though additional cardmembers don’t get additional credits
  • You can buy a CLEAR membership for anyone (including friends and family), as long as you pay with your card
  • The statement credits will post within two to four weeks of an eligible purchase

The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

What is CLEAR airport security?

CLEAR is essentially a technology company that stores biometric data to expedite clearing security at airports, and at select stadiums and other venues.

The way CLEAR makes your life easier is by allowing you to bypass the ID check at airports. While you still have to go through security, you simply go up to a CLEAR checkpoint at an airport, then your fingerprints or eyes are scanned, and then you bypass the ID check (though in some cases, you may still be asked at random to show your ID).

It doesn’t matter whether you have TSA PreCheck or just “regular” security, as the CLEAR associate will direct you past the ID checker and into the appropriate line.

How CLEAR can save you time at the airport

Where is CLEAR available?

CLEAR is currently available at 50+ airports, as well as at some stadiums and other venues. The list of eligible CLEAR locations is always changing, so you can check this link to see the up-to-date locations.

Note that not all terminals at eligible airports have CLEAR, and in some cases, CLEAR is only open for select hours. So you’ll want to check that before heading to the airport.

CLEAR is available at over 50 airports

How do you sign up for CLEAR?

The process of signing up for CLEAR is super easy. You can initially register online, which should take just a couple of minutes. Your payment will already be processed when you register.

Then the next time you’re at an airport with CLEAR, you can simply see a company representative, and they’ll walk you through the registration process, which consists of them taking your biometric data. Unlike with Global Entry, there’s no “interview” required here. CLEAR is essentially just verifying your biometric data, so the company isn’t assessing how “risky” of a passenger you are.

How does CLEAR compare to TSA PreCheck?

CLEAR, TSA PreCheck, and Global Entry, are complements and not substitutes:

  • CLEAR gets you expedited ID checking at eligible airports
  • TSA PreCheck gets you expedited security screening at eligible airports, as you don’t have to take off your shoes, or take liquids or laptops out of your bags
  • Global Entry gets you expedited immigration when entering the United States, allowing you to go straight to a kiosk and skip the main lines

When it comes to memberships:

  • A Global Entry membership gets you Global Entry and TSA PreCheck, but not CLEAR
  • A TSA PreCheck membership just gets you TSA PreCheck
  • A CLEAR membership just gets you CLEAR

The ideal situation is to have a Global Entry membership and a CLEAR membership, as you’re then covered for all three programs.

How do you maximize value with CLEAR?

Ordinarily, a CLEAR membership costs $189 per year. You might be thinking “great, Amex cards offer credits of up to $189, so I’m all set.” Not so fast, because you can potentially do better than that, especially if you also want to get CLEAR for friends and family members. Let’s look at some of the strategies to maximize your Amex CLEAR credits.

CLEAR should cost no more than $179 per year

At the absolute most you should be paying $179 per year for CLEAR, before factoring in any potential Amex CLEAR credits. Why? Just for being a member of Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus you get a reduced CLEAR membership rate of $179 per year. Signing up for these programs is free and takes just a couple of minutes.

No status is required, but rather the discount is offered just for being a member of these programs:

Now, admittedly this distinction might not be all that important, since your card offers a $189 credit anyway, so you might not necessarily care if you’re billed $179 or $189.

Save even more with airline status or credit cards

You can save even more on a CLEAR membership if you have airline status or select co-brand credit cards:

Amex credits can be applied toward any of these discounted CLEAR membership opportunities.

Get CLEAR for $60 with family plans

CLEAR memberships are individual, so you can’t bring friends or family along with you, aside from children under 18, who can tag along for free without registering.

The good news is that CLEAR also offers family plans. With CLEAR’s family plans, you can add up to three people to your account for $60 each per year. The people you add don’t even have to be immediate or biological family. As CLEAR describes it, you can even add “chosen family, or friends that feel like family.”

There are no tricks here — you can just sign up for an individual membership, and then later can add people to your family plan.

The best CLEAR strategy with Amex credits

If you have a $189 CLEAR credit on the Amex Personal Platinum Card, Amex Business Platinum Card, or Amex Green Card, what’s the best strategy to take? It depends on a couple of factors, including whether you have one or multiple eligible Amex cards, and also whether you have elite status or a co-branded credit card with Delta or United.

So here are a few thoughts:

  • At a minimum, your up to $189 CLEAR credit will cover an annual CLEAR membership for one person
  • If you’re eligible for the $149 pricing (based on having elite status or a co-branded credit card with Delta or United), you could get a membership and add a second person for $60, and only be out of pocket $20
  • If you have two or more Amex cards offering CLEAR credits, the best strategy is to get a membership for yourself with one card, and then to use the credit on another card to add up to three additional people using the family plan

I actually have all three Amex cards that offer CLEAR credits. So I use one of the CLEAR credits for myself, and then I’ve added three people to my account using the credit on one of the other cards. I’d say that’s a pretty good system.

The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

Three American Express cards offer CLEAR Plus credits of up to $189, including the Amex Personal Platinum Card, Amex Business Platinum Card, and Amex Green Card. This is a great perk, since a CLEAR membership will cost you nothing out of pocket this way.

If you have two or more cards with CLEAR credits, then you can always use the credits on the second card for a family plan, to add people for $60 each. Your $189 credit will cover up to three people that way.

If you have an Amex card with a CLEAR credit, what’s your strategy for maximizing value?

The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Conversations (12)
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  1. TravelerMike Guest

    FYI: the charge for an extra person is $70 per person, up to a total of 3 addition friends or family.

  2. Bruce Guest

    Some Clear kiosks are in airport security locations that don’t include TSA pre-check. If you’re enrolled in both programs be sure to use the security checkpoints that have both.

  3. Simon Schus Guest

    How do you charge separate cards for main and family accounts? For me, both end being charged on the same card. I can't find an option to charge the fee for me to card 1, but my wife's to card 2.

    1. Dave Guest

      I think splitting payments only work for the initial sign up. The primary member paid with one card, then changed payment card, added 3 members, so the additional charge went to the second card. When it comes to renewal, Clear charges the family account at one time, so there is no way to split payment. I don’t know it can be done on the phone.

    2. Nun Guest

      Clear said they don't allow split payments, "For member security, Clear allows only 1 card on file for a membership and will not be able to split payments."

      This year after renewing my membership, I changed the payment type and added a family member. That family member's charge got reimbursed on the 2nd card. However at 2024 renewal time, I will have to remove the family member, renew my membership, then change the payment type,...

      Clear said they don't allow split payments, "For member security, Clear allows only 1 card on file for a membership and will not be able to split payments."

      This year after renewing my membership, I changed the payment type and added a family member. That family member's charge got reimbursed on the 2nd card. However at 2024 renewal time, I will have to remove the family member, renew my membership, then change the payment type, and add this person again.

      The downside is maybe Clear will treat this as a new enrollment instead of a renewal. I'm not sure but that would stink.

  4. Mantis Guest

    Just let mine lapse, but I'm hoping for another of those signup bonuses to pop up again before I use up my Amex Plat benefit.

  5. Tennen Gold

    I don't know if this applies to Delta, but for UA, a no-annual-fee cobranded credit card qualifies for the lower rate as well.

  6. Never In Doubt Guest

    College students can get Clear for $60/yr as well.

  7. JetAway Guest

    I’ve been a Clear member for 5 years but recently had to “verify” my ID twice through a series of time-consuming questions on the Clear screen. In my mind, I answered all the questions correctly but nevertheless failed twice and had to go over to the TSA Pre line. On the most recent instance, (at DCA) TSA had installed its new facial recognition system, which seems to actually be faster than Clear’s system. I realized...

    I’ve been a Clear member for 5 years but recently had to “verify” my ID twice through a series of time-consuming questions on the Clear screen. In my mind, I answered all the questions correctly but nevertheless failed twice and had to go over to the TSA Pre line. On the most recent instance, (at DCA) TSA had installed its new facial recognition system, which seems to actually be faster than Clear’s system. I realized then that Clear is past its prime and as soon as the new TSA system is widely available there will be no need for Clear.

    1. Never In Doubt Guest

      Does the TSA "system" move you to the front of the line? That's the benefit of CLEAR (when the CLEAR line is shorter than the Pre Check line, obviously). And as Ben notes, it's "free" for many people.

      I, like I'd assume many others, have had to "verify my ID" but that only consisted of giving it to the TSA agent, instead of just showing my boarding pass. There's never been anything to "fail" for me.

    2. JetAway Guest

      The Clear kiosks in some locations, including DCA, now have lines. I noticed the last time that travelers who entered the Clear line at the same time I entered the Pre line arrived at the TSA agent the same time I did.

    3. Jim Guest

      I've had lines for Clear at many airports. In BOS on a Friday afternoon, there's a long line just to get into the Clear line.

      I think AmEX offering this credit has made it much more popular.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

TravelerMike Guest

FYI: the charge for an extra person is $70 per person, up to a total of 3 addition friends or family.

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Bruce Guest

Some Clear kiosks are in airport security locations that don’t include TSA pre-check. If you’re enrolled in both programs be sure to use the security checkpoints that have both.

0
Nun Guest

Clear said they don't allow split payments, "For member security, Clear allows only 1 card on file for a membership and will not be able to split payments." This year after renewing my membership, I changed the payment type and added a family member. That family member's charge got reimbursed on the 2nd card. However at 2024 renewal time, I will have to remove the family member, renew my membership, then change the payment type, and add this person again. The downside is maybe Clear will treat this as a new enrollment instead of a renewal. I'm not sure but that would stink.

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