In 2019, United Airlines bought a stake in CLEAR, a company that promises expedited airport security using biometric data. To coincide with this, United and CLEAR launched a partnership, offering benefits for MileagePlus members. Over time, we’ve seen the value of this scaled back, and now we’re seeing the latest example of that.
The current state of the United & CLEAR partnership
As the latest development to this partnership, as of May 1, 2025, United MileagePlus Premier 1K members will no longer receive a complimentary CLEAR membership. CLEAR ordinarily charges $199 for an annual membership, so with the latest updates, here’s what MileagePlus members can expect to pay:
- Global Services members continue to receive a free CLEAR membership
- Premier 1K members receive a discounted membership rate of $129 ($70 savings)
- Premier Platinum, Premier Gold, Premier Silver, and co-branded card members, receive a discounted membership rate of $159 ($40 savings)
- Other MileagePlus members receive a discounted membership rate of $189 ($10 savings)
Just as a point of comparison, here’s what the perks were back when the partnership first launched:
- Global Services and Premier 1K members received a complimentary CLEAR membership
- Premier Platinum, Premier Gold, Premier Silver, and co-branded card members, received a discounted membership rate of $109
- All other MileagePlus members received a discounted membership rate of $119
As you can see, the value of this partnership has decreased significantly over time. But that’s also not surprising, as the company has clearly shifted from growth mode, to actually trying to make money. Broadly speaking, Amex and CLEAR still have the most useful partnership, for those looking for a complimentary membership.
I don’t really care about CLEAR, but maybe that’s just me
Nobody likes losing perks, though I have to say that I find the whole concept of CLEAR 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 tens of millions of people have CLEAR, 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, and if anything, is more time consuming, and then often still requires an ID check with the TSA agents
- 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
Since 2019, United Airlines and CLEAR have had a partnership, offering perks for MileagePlus members. Over time, the savings and benefits offered with this partnership have decreased. With the latest cut, MileagePlus Premier 1K members are losing their complimentary membership as of May 2025.
What do you make of this latest change to the United and CLEAR partnership?
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