Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
United Airlines made a change to the benefits offered to its Premier 1K® members and not in a good way. Starting May 1st, they’ll no longer receive complimentary CLEAR Plus memberships and will be forced to pay $129 (which is a $70 discount). This is a loss and makes Premier 1K® less competitive with Delta Diamond Medallion (which still offers the membership for free).
United has been offering Premier 1K® and Global Services® members free memberships pretty much since Clear Plus launched. While I have become less enamored with Clear Plus as the lines have gotten longer and with photos needed to be taken at most airports, it still has been nice to have the option. It appears that Global Services® members will still receive free memberships. Pricing for other elite members is $159 (Silver, Gold, and Platinum pay the same rate). This is aligned with what Delta offers its lower-tier Medallion members.
Current Clear Plus members will see their memberships last until the expiration date found on CLEAR’s site. For me, that’s July 29th and after that I will not be paying for a membership. I thankfully carry several cards that also offer reimbursements for the $199 annual fee. I have both The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Green Card in my wallet. Either will do the trick and completely cover the $199 annual fee. If I did not have these cards, I would likely cancel my CLEAR Plus membership. For free, it’s nice to have attached to my profile. If I was paying, I would not see the value.
Anthony’s Take: While it’s annoying that United is choosing to drop this benefit for Premier 1K® members, I’m happy that I have some credit cards that can fill in (especially since I can’t get it from Delta either since I dropped to Platinum Medallion this year).
Anthony’s Credit Card Pick: I love the lounges where The Platinum Card® from American Express grants me access. It has had a prominent place in my wallet for many years now. While it does have an annual fee of $695, it provides many travel benefits and will always be my go-to for lounge access (both Delta Sky Clubs® and Centurion® Lounges) and booking airfare from the airlines to earn 5x points (up to $500,000 per calendar year booked directly with passenger airlines or through American Express Travel). Learn more. Rates & Fees. Terms apply.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
(Image Credits: CLEAR and United Airlines.)
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
1 comment
Premium move by United.