CLEAR is a technology company that helps with expediting clearing security at select US airports. The company stores the biometric data of members, allowing them to (typically) skip the ID check, and get straight into the security line. Combined with TSA PreCheck, this is the best setup you can have for clearing security in the US.
CLEAR has just increased the price of its CLEAR® Plus membership, both for the primary member, and for those added as part of a family account. The increases aren’t huge, but this is the second increase in less than a year.
In this post:
CLEAR® Plus annual cost increases by $6-10
As of July 1, 2025, the cost of a CLEAR® Plus membership has been changed:
- An individual CLEAR® Plus membership has increased in cost by $10, from $199 to $209
- Adding someone to a CLEAR® Plus family account has increased in cost by $6, from $119 to $125 (you can add up to three people to your account, and they don’t have to be related to you)
The cost of a CLEAR® Plus membership has increased drastically over time, both for the primary member, and for members of a family account. For example, up until early 2023, adding someone to a family plan cost $60, then it was increased to $70, then it was increased to $99, then it was increased to $119, and now it has been increased to $125.
Keep in mind that several Amex cards offer CLEAR® Plus credits, and those credits have been updated to reflect the price hike. This means an eligible card could still cover the full $209 membership cost.
These price increases are whatever, but…
Nobody likes price increases, though based on my own experience, CLEAR® Plus just isn’t worth paying cash for. So if you’re getting a CLEAR® Plus membership through an Amex card, then there’s no price change, since the membership cost will continue to be covered.
My bigger issue isn’t with the price of a CLEAR® Plus membership, but rather that I find the whole CLEAR concept to be kind of dumb, at least in terms of its current reality:
- When CLEAR first started, it was a huge time saver, since not many people had it, so you actually saved a lot of time
- Now we’re at the point where basically everyone has CLEAR (tens of millions of frequent travelers), and when everyone can cut the ID check, no one can cut the ID check
- The TSA ID check is really simple nowadays — in many cases you just insert your ID into a reader, and you’re sent on your way, and don’t even have to show your boarding pass
- Meanwhile the CLEAR process just isn’t simple; the CLEAR ambassador has to fingerprint themselves with every passenger, has to ask whether you want to use your fingers or eyes for verifying your identity, then you have to scan your boarding pass, and then a good percentage of the time you still have to show the TSA agent your ID, and never mind the small space through which you have to navigate
- Airport security checkpoints are often so small, and I feel space could be better utilized by expanding other, more efficient screening methods
As someone who has CLEAR, I find myself skipping CLEAR and just using the standard TSA PreCheck line more often than not, and that usually ends up being fastest. That’s despite the fact that I’m cut by a countless number of CLEAR members in line. That means that on average, the existence of CLEAR slows me down rather than speeding me up, and that’s despite being a member.
TSA is working toward introducing a simplified biometric ID check process, and if you ask me, that can’t come soon enough. Hopefully it marks the end of CLEAR, at least in its current implementation at airports.
Bottom line
As of July 2025, the cost of a CLEAR® Plus membership has increased. The price has been upped by $10 for the primary member, and by $6 for someone added to a family plan. Fortunately Amex cards with an eligible credit continue to cover the entire amount.
What do you make of this CLEAR® Plus price increase?
Ben,
I'm curious if you know what the Airport's cut is in offering CLEAR.
As you said...
I find ... using the standard TSA PreCheck line more often than not ... despite the fact that I’m cut by a countless number of CLEAR members
What is stopping me from charging $10/yr and just having a separate line for Mi's Fastlane service, which allows you to be presented at a TSA officers checkpoint via...
Ben,
I'm curious if you know what the Airport's cut is in offering CLEAR.
As you said...
I find ... using the standard TSA PreCheck line more often than not ... despite the fact that I’m cut by a countless number of CLEAR members
What is stopping me from charging $10/yr and just having a separate line for Mi's Fastlane service, which allows you to be presented at a TSA officers checkpoint via a separate line?
I think CLEAR needs to be cleared out. I hate that I have to wait for Clearcutters to go through security.
I have CLEAR and PreCheck and live in DEN. I literally never use CLEAR anymore as they only have one screening lane open ever, vs. standard PreCheck that has 5-7. I’ve stood in the CLEAR+PreCheck line watching standard PreCheck people breeze up to the document checkers with no wait too many times. CLEAR is worse than useless at DEN, it’s actively slower.
Last 10 flights I have been 9 'Random' ID checks. What's the point of CLEAR when I still need to show my ID?
I have it just because of Amex, consistently slower in ATL, LAS, MSP than TSA precheck. Sometimes it is better in MDW, but overall I would not pay out of pocket.
I still have it, but without the amex platinum I won't renew it at my own cost. I don't think any of my other cards pay for it. Just last week when I flew out the clear line was a mess. It was just easier to go with the standard precheck line. With as little as I fly now I'll just keep my $209 since Gold doesn't cover it.
I find it so useless, I canceled Clear and never renewed, even when I have several credit cards that reimburse it. I loan count maybe two times (MCO and SAN) that I would have saved more than 5 minutes. It looks like most of the time, the line is longer at a Clear terminal than the precheck line. Stadiums have saved me a good bit of time though.
What's the point of canceling it, when you can just not use it if it looks like too much trouble? I also find it saves a meaningful amount of time maybe only 10% of the time but... it costs me nothing. (I haven't used it at stadiums, honestly just realized that is available in my city.)
Because the people in the TSA Pre-Check line can't stand CLEAR folks cutting in line ahead of them.
They also now have a separate TSA PreCheck Touchless ID which is further making CLEAR useless. Really don't know why I renewed last year, even with the credits I thought about just cancelling it.
Whenever I've seen touchless ID there has been almost no line and going through has been very quick.
I wonder how many terminals have clear but not touchless ID.
I keep meaning to cancel it just because I know when the credit is inevitably clawed back, I'll be stuck with the renewal fee for a service I have never, ever used.
The only airport where I've ever seen a significant wait for Pre is DCA.
“… on average, the existence of CLEAR slows me down rather than speeding me up….” I find this interpretation to be highly exaggerated since the CLEAR members who cut in front of you would have been in front of you anyway if they were not in the CLEAR line.
Every time I use clear it pisses me off. 95% of the time it takes longer than the Pre Check line. I'm waiting for the day it makes my day.
I've not used it for a sporting event though.
I only have clear as Amex Plat offers it. About half the time if when I opt to use it depending on the Airport the line is longer then normal line.
Clear is invaluable for me because my home airport is that dumpster fire called Cleveland Hopkins. Has saved me numerous times
Clear is an absolute dumpster fire. The aggressive employees at MIA / FLL have learned their stupid sales pitch like the AA Barclay card (googling pictures of the Amex platinum card on their phones and walking up and down the tsa lines saying “free for amex holders” and / or “free month trial”. LOL such a joke. Cancelled years ago after a power tripping EWR employee took his job way too serious.
Clear only has value at a few select airports - SEA (in cruise season, mostly), MCO, etc where the vast majority of travelers are clueless.
I have no idea how their business model makes sense in the first place, and it makes even less sense at airports like MCI where the security lines are seldom more than 5 people long. I’ve fully cleared security before people using Clear that got in line at the same time as me make it to the TSA agent.
My wife and I split up at MCI every time to see who makes it through first. It's really just up to the CLEAR agent and how fast they can move.
CLEAR sucks. the employees know it is trash, ive had several tell me they expect to go out of business and that 90% of the time, the line is longer than the regular precheck line.
It's great in Portland, at least for now, since they just started up here and no one has it yet.
Glad they’re here. But TSA at PDX has just started biometric ID: just smile at the camera and go. This is a CLEAR-killer and I’m fine with that.
Our Pre-check lines in Seattle are out of control most days—Clear has proven over and over to be a huge time saver here just to skip the line.
clear is useless for all 99.5% of travelers. why not replace the current product with a real premium one for the to 0.5%. Call it $5K per year.
So how is it "the best setup you can have for clearing security in the US"?
I had it for few years as it was covered by the Amex credit, but cancelled it after their last price increase. Since then the only time I wished I had it was in Jan, when on my SCL-ATL-DTW flight, when it took us 2.5 hrs to clear the security after clearing immigration.
With TSA’s biometric ID check, CLEAR is useless.
ALWAYS skip the awful post-immigration security BS at ATL - just exit like Atlanta is your final destination and go upstairs to the normal security apparatus, where both Clear and PreCheck exist. So much faster and easier. This is also true at many other US airports post-immigration.
Clear is great for stadium entry…
Agree, it's terrific for stadiums and a huge time saver. At airports... it now just depends on the airport. Great at some, awful/just as Ben described at most others. I question how long they will be around given airlines are rolling out digital ID.
I do not know anyone with Clear but apparently it's popular enough they can raise their prices ♀️
Ugh, that was meant to be a shrugging lady emoji.
Ugh, that was meant to be a shrugging lady emoji.
Of all my travels as of late, the only place where it saves me time is HNL for morning departures. Outside of that it usually takes longer than going thru Pre-check.
Couldn't agree more with you! EVERY time I've used Clear at an airport it has slowed me down, and I've regretted it.
They'll be bankrupt (again) by next summer.
If only all the idiots can just learn from 23andMe.
This.
CLEAR at airports is a loss-leader for them to establish themselves as a premier “digital identity” company. The real play is for them to monetize their APIs (eg login to your health care portal using a CLEAR API), and they are just trying to lessen their losses for the most cash-intensive portion of their business.
Makes sense, or simply as a premier ever-replenishing data well for AI systems. Huge money at the moment in raw tracking data being sold from sources like connected TVs, smart speakers, doorbell cams, etc.
I had Clear for a few years, covered by an Amex card. Of the hundreds of flights I took while having it, only one time did it save me from missing a flight. Pre check lanes are pretty fast now, and Clear isn’t even at some of the airports/terminals I frequent most. Cancelled Clear and the card earlier this year.