After the TSA lines at MCO got so bad that even the Pre-Check line had a 10-minute wait ([sarcasm] OMG, TEN WHOLE MINUTES! [/sarcasm]), Joe looked into getting CLEAR. Around, on and off, since 2005, it’s a third-party vendor that allows you to check-in with them instead of the TSA officers.
Joe finally decided to enroll us later that year (2018) after he got a four-month subscription to CLEAR, along with a free family pass so I would have it for free, too.
It was…OK. It had its issues, though…
CLEAR is the independent security program that provides a way to more quickly clear the ID check portion of the TSA checkpoint at US airports. You have to do a one-time registration where they collect your ID information and biometric data (fingerprints and iris scan). After that, when going to a flight, you head to the CLEAR kiosks instead of going to a regular line. You scan your boarding pass and your fingerprints (I’ve never had my iris scan used for ID). The clear representative then takes you to the TSA agent for whichever line you qualify for (PreCheck or the regular line).
A combination of CLEAR with TSA PreCheck is the quickest way for you to get through the checkpoints.
While some people swear by CLEAR and how it saves them so much time at the airport, we’ve just not seen the time savings because of our travel patterns. While it wasn’t hard for us to give it a try as we got a free trial through TripIt Pro, the decision to renew will be a bit tougher. Continue reading “United Just Gave Another Reason Never To Pay Full Price For CLEAR”
Happy Wednesday to all of our travel friends, both near and far! Here are some articles we’ve read from other bloggers (and other sources) that we think you may like, as well, so we’re passing them along.
Back in December, I finally signed us up for CLEAR. That’s the service that gives you an express lane access past the TSA ID checkpoint. I had a free trial membership with TripIt Pro for three months and a free family membership so I figured we’d give it a shot. Well it’s been over six months and I’ve been able to use the CLEAR lanes a couple of times. As of now, I just don’t see how it’s worth the extra money they charge for the service. There are several things that led to this conclusion.: Continue reading “We’ve Decided CLEAR Is Not Worth It For Us. Here’s Why…”
With more and more people traveling, depending on where in the U.S. you’re flying/driving/floating into or out of, the lines at TSA checkpoint and/or customs/immigration can be ridiculously long sometimes (I’m looking at you, Orlando International Airport, but there are others, too). Fortunately, there are ways to bypass the queues. Fortunately or unfortunately, there are several options of programs nowadays, some government-run, one not, and unless you sit down and read each one, it’s hard to decide if, or which one, you should consider. Hopefully, this will help.
