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CLEAR® Plus used to allow passengers to almost never have to even take out their ID when going through airport security. You use a CLEAR kiosk to verify your identity through biometric technology (either a scan of your eyes or fingerprints) and you’re led through the line to an agent before heading through a metal detector. The combination of CLEAR and TSA PreCheck® has saved me countless hours in time I would have spent in line at airport security. That’s possibly about to change.
CLEAR claims to process over 10% of passengers at the 52 airports it serves. It’s not a cheap service. TSA PreCheck® costs $78 for five years (or it’s included with the $100 fee paid for Global Entry). CLEAR® Plus costs an additional $189 per year, but there are ways to get it discounted or even for free. The question is whether passengers will want it when it becomes similar to TSA PreCheck® with ID requirements for all passengers.
CLEAR® Plus members know that there are times when a random ID check will be assigned. This has been the case since the program began. These used to be rare, but I’ve noticed this has been happening much more frequently. Of my past eight trips, I was selected four times (50% of my trips). The TSA has confirmed that I’m not alone and that many more travelers are being asked for their IDs when going through security. The Washington Post reported that that a security incident during the summer of 2022 is the cause of this change. It will not provide any additional details as to what happened, but called it a national security concern.
One Mile at a Time released a statement from the TSA around this matter:
All Registered Traveler participants will be required to present ID, whether physical or digital, to TSA’s Credential Authentication Technology (CAT), with the timeline for implementation to be determined.”
This seems like a major change to the program and will certainly make the process longer if people are using kiosks and then showing IDs. The assumption is that travelers will still be able to move to the front of the PreCheck® line.
After this article was posted, a CLEAR spokesperson provided the following clarification:
The rate at which random ID checks occur has varied over the years based on a number of factors, similar to TSA’s own practice of randomization in their screening activities. TSA will continue to employ varied randomization rates as part of their normal security processes.Consistent with TSA’s long term roadmap, CLEAR has been collaborating with DHS and TSA since 2020 to implement new industry wide digital identity standards. The implementation of these new standards will digitally transmit a passenger’s identifying information from CLEAR to next-generation TSA hardware at airport checkpoints and avoid any need for passengers to show their IDs. We look forward to rolling this out in the future to create an even more seamless, secure traveler experience while avoiding disruption for passengers as travel continues to surge.”
Anthony’s Take: If I wasn’t getting CLEAR® Plus for free from my status at United and Delta, I’m not sure I would pay for it with these changes. What’s your take? Are you being asked for ID more often? Will you keep CLEAR after this change is implemented?
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12 comments
I’m not surprised at all. For the last 3 months, I had ID checks 90% of the time. Washington, DC airports, Colorado, Vegas, SFO, LAX. In chatting with others in the CLEAR line, I wasn’t the only one. Not only does it defeat the purpose of biometrics, but every other person getting an ID check slows down the entire CLEAR lane. I asked the ambassador about this, and got some BS about it being temporary.
With my renewal up at the end of June (and a price increase), it was an easy cancellation decision. They offer a retention offer but I just canceled early for a refund of like $4.
CLEAR is like Delta Skyclubs – the value is lost once you start giving it away to everybody. This news is the final nail in the coffin. Long-term outlook is not good.
I just flew from DIA and the Clear line was much shorter and faster then pre-check even though I was asked for my ID. I don’t think asking for an ID check is going to make a huge difference.
Who cares (about the ID check) – the point of Clear is to cut the line.
Clear is not offered in enough airports to be worthwhile IMO. I tried it for a year but cancelled b/c of the limited availability.
My local COS airport – they are testing a new ID scanning system in lieu of boarding pass scans. I’m “told” it uses your ID to validate you against that days manifest of traveling passengers.
Clear has saved my missing flights multiple times in 2023. Arrived AUS 90 mins early and Clear was the shorter of it and TSA precheck lines. Turns out the long lines was due to TSA staffing shortages.
I don’t really think it makes it anymore useless then it was already. There are a few airports and sporting venues where Clear is useful, at those places, the slight additional inconvenience of pulling out your id for TSA is minor. At most airports where the TSA Precheck line is only a couple of minutes or less, Clear is as useless as ever.
Two things are at the detriment of Clear – (1) this service is way overpriced and (2) the TSA, being in direct competition with Clear, is doing all they can to make Clear obsolete so that TSA can reap ALL of the money people are willing to spend to expedite the screening process. Eventually the TSA Pre Check process will move at a government run Passport processing like speed. It is ALL about the money and control.
I don’t think it renders it useless, a little more irritating, but if I am using it, it’s getting me past a line of other people in TSA Pre that I don’t have to wait behind so still a win.
Much ado about nothing. Hardly worth the read. Clear lines in every airport I fly thru are much faster and shorter than the TSA precheck lines. The fact pre check is inexpensive means MORE people … hence longer wait times.
In Phoenix, the CLEAR line is consistently shorter than the PreCheck line, so I would still use CLEAR.
This is a big nothing-burger. As others have said, the advantage of clear is that it saves its customers a great deal of time. If I have to pull out my drivers license as part of that process, I suppose it might be mildly annoying, but I am still getting the time savings that is Clear’s main “product.” I will continue to be a Clear customer so long as they continue to save me time and allow me to skip most of the TSA line.
This is a big nothing-burger. As others have said, the advantage of clear is that it saves its customers a great deal of time. If I have to pull out my drivers license as part of that process, I suppose it might be mildly annoying, but I am still getting the time savings that is Clear’s main “product.” I will continue to be a Clear customer so long as they continue to save me time and allow me to skip most of the TSA line.
TSA is mostly a jobs program for otherwise unemployable people, and Clear is a threat to their deal.