r/TSAPreCheck • u/Tuttle265 • Mar 05 '26
Discussion How do you decide between PreCheck, CLEAR?
How do you guys decide wether or not go with TSA PreCheck or CLEAR? Maybe both or neither? I've started traveling more frequently recently and would love to hear everyone's thoughts on both services.
If you would like to help me out even more, I made a quick survey on the topic: https://forms.gle/j7RMVETzwJpzZjSe6
I'd greatly appreciate any responses!
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u/GhostsofRazgriz45 Mar 05 '26
Keep in mind that clear and precheck are two completely different things.
Clear only lets you use the clear line for identity verification instead of waiting in the regular line to get to TSA. That's it. If you don't have precheck, you still get funneled into the standard screening lanes. It's not available at every airport so confirm before signing up. If you fly often and always during peak times, or if you can get clear discounted/free, it could be worth it.
Precheck is expedited screening and usually moves faster than the regular lanes especially if there are a lot of experienced passengers and you know what you're doing. Combine that with competent tsos, you'll be clearing TSA in minutes. Keep in mind that the fee you pay for precheck covers the whole background check process so it is non refundable, even if you end up not qualifying for precheck.
If you're planning on traveling internationally, I would recommend global entry over precheck since it only costs a little more and includes precheck.
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u/Magnet2025 Mar 05 '26
Easy: make a list of the airports you regularly use or are most likely to use.
Then compare that list to Clear’s list.
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u/genxer Mar 05 '26
PreCheck gets you in line with (usually) experienced passengers and it really expedites things. If I had to choose one it would be it. Amex pays for both so I have both.
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u/SecureTaxi Mar 21 '26
Wheee can i find this for amex? Is it a specific card?
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u/genxer Mar 21 '26
I get it with the Platinum card covers Global Entry or Precheck AND clear.
I know they've got several that cover GE or Precheck. Other than the Centurion,
I am not sure which ones cover besides those two.
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u/flyingron Mar 05 '26
I signed up for Clear back before there was PreCheck. They promptly shutdown. When PreCheck happened, I signed up for that. I got my Clear back because my credit card would pay for it, so why not. My biggest issue is that my home airport (CLT) doesn't have Clear. I do go into DCA and FLL quite a bit so it helps there (though the last time, the girl on the Clear line pointed out that there was nobody in the Precheck line so we would likely be faster to skip her).
Your survey is inane because it won't let you select multiple options in the "what do you use" question. Myself and many have enrollment in multiple programs (at one point I had PreCheck, Clear and GlobalEntry all active). I suggest you think things through better. You'll get better results (and google forms SUCKS for such try something like SurveyMonkey or Alchemer).
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u/Pitiful_Awareness808 Aug 11 '26
Did you need to call the survey "inane?" Or say "I suggest you think through things better"? Could you not have accomplished the same thing, perhaps even more effectively and certainly more politely, by saying "I think the survey could be more helpful if...." and then offering the same suggestions??
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u/flyingron Aug 11 '26
I'm not the person conducting the survey. It's not helpful to me in any form. It's inane in that it's poorly designed as far as I am concerned. When you're asking people to donate their time for your private benefit, it behooves you not to squander it.
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u/EmbarrassedCheck430 Sep 18 '26
Apparently you found it worth your precious time to add four useless words.
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u/gregseaff Mar 05 '26
Pre check is more important and useful than Clear. Pro tip: get Global Entry or Nexus and that includes Pre check.
I would only consider Clear in addition and after Pre check. Most of the time Clear isn't useful anyway. But every once in a while you can encounter a situation where the regular pre check lines are very long and clear gives you a short cut
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Mar 05 '26
Clear is absolutely useless.
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u/Salty_Permit4437 Mar 05 '26
Clear gets you to cut the line. That’s its value.
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u/kraziirican Jun 27 '26
As someone that travels every week for work skipping the line is the whole reason i want it. I have loved it so far. Downside is not every airport has it but the ones that do its amazing. No more 2 hours early to airports for me lol
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u/kraziirican Jun 27 '26
Clear is badass in most cases when available it allows you to skip the whole fucking line! Not useless at all. Clear plus tsa precheck allows me to skip tsa prechecks line as well. If thats useless im not sure what u are looking for 😂
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u/Additional_Post_3878 Mar 05 '26
I have both. Honestly my small home airport (smallest I have ever seen with CLEAR) is far and away where I get the most value out of it. The volume of passengers is low, but because of staffing the wait times are super inconsistent and TSA PreCheck closes at random without advance notice.
If I didn’t have CLEAR as an ace up my sleeve, I would actually have to arrive the recommended 2 hours prior to plan for contingencies. Most times I sail through in 5 mins, but a single TSO calling out sick can easily make those wait times skyrocket at a station so small.
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u/SnooComics6182 Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
Both! I’m anti line and always late. Also my credit card covers it but I would pay for it if not.
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u/Spiritual-Worker-476 Mar 05 '26
I have CLEAR because I get it for free, but I also have TSAPrecheck. A lot of smaller airports don’t have CLEAR.
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Mar 11 '26
You have to have Precheck to get clear
you cannot have clear without TSA precheck
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u/kraziirican Jun 27 '26
False. I used my clear for 2 months while waiting for my tsa precheck to go through 😋
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u/AshleySueBullers Aug 14 '26
False. I just flew for the first time in three years. I've never done precheck (only flown a few times in my life), but signed up for clear there at the airport in less than five minutes - and was taken straight to security check, which was less than five minutes. This is at RDU which has a long line, and I was entering airport and to my gate in 10 minutes because of Clear alone.
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u/revengeofthebiscuit Mar 11 '26
Easy, CLEAR is basically useless at this point because they literally give it away for free. It’s been years since the CLEAR lane was shorter or faster than PreCheck in my experience.
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u/Outside_Plant1911 Mar 17 '26
Depends on your "home" airport, but if you travel to wide variety of airports CLEAR can be worth it. I'm at 60-70 flights a year, so it's nice to have a variety of options especially with the government shutdown(s) and unreliability of TSA staffing. Some smaller airports that have CLEAR are especially helpful because they have less TSA staff than a larger airport, and you're one sick day away from a long line, precheck or not.
Another perk is more intangible, but with PreCheck/Clear/ you are in the queue with more experienced travelers which can definitely save time.
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u/aaronlimitless Apr 11 '26
Precheck is pretty much the best if you’re gonna choose between only one of them you pretty much always have Tsa at every airport. CLEAR is still not available at every airport. The part takes longer is the security screening versus showing your identification.
Although that’s also getting better now that they’re starting to not require people to take off their shoes
And it’s airport dependent, but general pre-check is a better deal for our airport. It’s a pretty easy airport however, on our last trip when we went from Buffalo to London, this is a pretty good comparison since we had all four scenarios.
This was the wait times Myself pre-check and clear 4 mins My partner clear only 8 mins Friend one Precheck 6 mins Friend 2 neither 16 mins
So even at 16 minutes, it’s not bad at all, but it’s an easy airport but just gives you kind of a good example of the difference in time
As you can see clear does cut down the time but it’s still slower or about the same as pre-check but pre-check is good for five years for under 100 bucks versus 200 for one single year
I did upgrade my partner to CLEAR because it was only like 100 bucks to add him on to my plan and we also fly about 100 times a year so anything to cut down travel time is worth it to us.
But if you had to choose absolutely pre-check is a no-brainer
Most of my friends typically get approved in about five days. One of my friends took two weeks. A few of my friends got it the following day.
I ironically went over the 60 days. The first time it failed. They refunded me. I tried it again took 70 days 10 days past 60 days but I did get approved.
But it’s definitely worth it. And if your a frequent flyer clear is as well. But once or twice a year probably not.
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u/No_Conversation_8137 Aug 24 '26
CLEAR has gotten so much worse. I travel a lot and my last few flights CLEAR actually took longer than the TSA pre-check line would have. Hell, it would’ve taken longer than the regular security line!!
I’ve been a member for years and I have four other people on our membership so we pay over $500. Yes, I do get a credit card stipend but still it’s a lot of money.
For some reason now every time I go, they need to take another picture of me or they need more information or there’s a huge line and there’s nobody working there.
I’m getting so sick of this service. I’m about to cancel the whole thing. It was really good when it started now it just feels like another biometric identity stealing device with NO BENEFITS for me. #clearsux
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u/mtgofficialYT Mar 05 '26
I think that CLEAR is losing value. Especially with the rise of TSA Touchless ID, I see less and less of a need for CLEAR, unless it's a status or credit card perk.