"Clear" - Has anyone used it at the airport and what are your thoughts?

Has anyone used "Clear" at the airport and what are your thoughts about it?
I know they have it at LAS and I noticed in April they now also have it at my home airport (MDW).
I can get a $100 credit from Amex for buying it and was wondering if it is worth getting especially to skip the ID
line up?
Also I do not have TSA pre check, so does Clear make sense without it?

 

This is going to sound a little odd...but what I like the most is not having to pull my license out to go through security.

I also have TSA ore check, but most times am able to just walk through clear and it saves some time ( and then I get walked to TSA lane). if you are traveling through very busy airport I think it is worth it especially without having precheck. I will also add I am a person who doesn’t get to the airport with hours to spare...I tend to cut it very close at the airport.

 

I have TSA pre but tried Clear en route to Vegas back in April as it was free for 30 days. I forgot to cancel so got hit with the $179 charge so now I have it for a while. LOL. Thanks for the reminder about the $100 Am Ex credit as that will cover a lot of the cost.

I wasn't sure what more Clear would give me given that I had TSA pre. It wasn't that much faster but I think when travel is back full force out of NYC area airports, Clear would bump you to the front of the TSA line. In theory you don't need ID with Clear -- your eyes tell you who are! -- so I guess if you lose your ID, etc. you could still travel without a lot of hassle.

That answers a different question than the one you posed but I thought I'd share.

 

We travel alot and not seen much reason to get clear on top of TSA Prescheck. With one exception, we have never had more than a dozen in line ahead of us, and usually more like a few. I did not know AMEX did the $100 for clear just like the TSA/Global Entry thing. Just did some quick research and not sure it applies to all cards.

BUT - anyone can buy it for $119 a year by attaching a Delta or United FF number to your account. So, no need to pay $179.

 

For the airports we've been in I've seen very little to no benefit of clear, may make a difference in some locations.
Pre is also quicker now that most places scan your DL and don't need to mess with a boarding pass.

 

Thanks for all the answers!
To clarify, the credit is on the Amex Green card, I'm not sure about the other cards.

 

I regularly fly each week for work, but since my home airport doesn’t have CLEAR, neither do I.

That said, the only airport I’ve seen where the CLEAR lane made a big difference over the Precheck line I was in was DEN. Pre-COVID of course. Then again, the difference was no more than 10 minutes.

 

I have had Clear for three years now, love it....helpful at LAS during busy times.....

 

Phew..thought this was going to be a Scientology thread.

Good to know that it’s useful at LAS, I’ll have to look into it. Thx for the tip.

 

I feel like clear is worth it to those that don’t have tsa preheck/global entry. It gets you past the line but that’s it. Whereas precheck you don’t have to remove shoes, certain items from bag and you don’t go through the body scanner. Tsa line is fast enough to me, I do sign up for clear when they offer it for free but I would never actually pay for it. Amex platinum covers precheck/global entry fee which is good for 5 years plus it’s only $100. Having them in combination is great but to me the value doesn’t justify the cost.

 

I have used Clear back in the days when they were first offering it, but nowadays I need to ask, the question of WHY?

I can see it if you are not close to a TSA examination site, AND Clear is offered as a benefit on some credit cards, but TSA pre-check is only $85 for five years!!!

CLEAR has it's obvious uses, but just not for me . . . .

 

Hasn't been very useful flying out of my home airport of St. Louis in the Southwest terminal - precheck line typically has no one in line the times I fly. Main terminal has only really helped once.

It was beneficial coming back through Houston from an international trip - saved 10-15 minutes. Made a big difference in Orlando a few weeks back.
Haven't used it in Las Vegas (wife doesn't have it), but would have saved 5 minutes or so in pre-check line last trip.

Think it really depends on your travel patterns and such. Also if you can benefit from the stadium/sports sites that's beneficial too. Agree above that TSA Precheck (or Global Entry, which includes Precheck) are more worthwhile than Clear itself.

 

Assuming you already have PreCheck, the only airport where Clear is a consistent benefit is ATL. PreCheck lines in ATL frequently take 10-15 minutes to get through. Every other Pre line is typically a few minutes tops so Clear is of minimal benefit.

At airports where PreCheck lines are non existent, Clear actually takes LONGER than Precheck since you have to deal with the Clear process before getting to the TSA.

 

That's the big thing for me. Even when I was traveling a lot, I never really considered Clear because the cost/benefit is so out of line with Pre-Check. Clear is $179/year to cut the line, while Pre-Check is $85 for five years to wait in a often-much-shorter line and avoid most of the security rigamarole (I take my belt off because it still sets off the metal detectors, but that's it). I've never seen a significant line for Pre, and it's not worth $179 to me to save maybe 10 minutes at most. But, of course, that's just my opinion.

 

Clear rules. I can't tell you how many times I've burned right through security almost without stopping, except for the retina scan. I've done it all within 30 seconds flat and been on the other side, getting my bags and heading to my gate. Just a terrific use of $15 a month, if you live in an area where Clear is at your airport.

 

I get it free with my airline status. I love it combined with precheck. I don't take anything out of my bag and walk through security without stopping 99% of the time. It truly is like a pre 9/11 experience with a finger/retina scan

 

My Amex offers Global Entry with TSApre included in my $750 a year membership fee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Looks like it could be at busy times, wasn't bad this past Sunday morning at ATL pre, but had to walk through their snaking rope line like a caged rat. Why they had that for a short line I don't know. Noticed the same thig at another airport so I guess they want to be prepared, probably short staffed to adjust it.
Read today they are looking volunteers to do that sort of thing.

 

Clear doesn't usually provide much benefit at Terminal 3 in LAS if you have TSA Pre, but if you ever fly through ATL, ORD, or DEN, Clear is worth it. I will happily pay whatever it takes to avoid standing in any line, anywhere. Clear also provides expedited entry at some sports arenas.

 

Just went through ORD precheck line an hour ago in Terminal 3.

5 minute wait.