TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry vs CLEAR is the question I get more than almost any other from people just starting to take travel optimization seriously, and the honest answer is that most people are signing up for the wrong one. The three programs do completely different things, they cost wildly different amounts, and the right move is almost never just one of them.
Here’s the actual breakdown, with the math, and how to get all three without paying for any of it.
TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry vs CLEAR: The Quick Answer
If you fly internationally even once every couple of years, get Global Entry. It’s $120 for five years, it includes TSA PreCheck for free, and it’s the obvious pick.
If you only fly domestically and you’re sure you’ll never leave the country, TSA PreCheck on its own is fine at $78 to $85.
CLEAR Plus is a separate thing. It doesn’t replace either of the above — it just gets you to the front of whichever security line you’re using. At $209 a year, it’s only worth paying for out of pocket if you fly out of busy hubs constantly. But you can get it credited back to zero with the right credit card (more on that below), and at that point it’s a no-brainer.
The real winning stack is Global Entry plus CLEAR Plus, both reimbursed by credit cards. That’s what I run.
What Is TSA PreCheck?
TSA PreCheck is a US Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler program for domestic flights. Once you’re enrolled, you get a Known Traveler Number that you add to your airline reservations, and you get to use the PreCheck security lane at participating US airports.
The PreCheck lane is faster for two reasons. First, the line itself is almost always shorter. Second, you don’t have to remove your shoes, belt, light jacket, laptop, or 3-1-1 liquids bag — everything stays packed. That alone saves you several minutes and a lot of stress at the front of the line.
It costs $78 if you enroll through TSA’s preferred provider, or up to $85 through other authorized enrollment providers. Membership is good for five years. You apply online, then attend a short in-person interview at an enrollment center, and your KTN typically arrives within a few weeks.
PreCheck works at over 200 US airports and with around 90 participating airlines. It does not help you when you’re returning to the US from an international trip — that’s a different line entirely.
What Is Global Entry?
Global Entry is also a Department of Homeland Security program, but it solves a different problem: getting you back into the US faster after international travel. Instead of standing in the regular customs and immigration line at a US airport when you fly home from abroad, you walk to a Global Entry kiosk, scan your passport or get a quick face scan, and you’re through.
The fee is $120 for a five-year membership. There’s an online application and an in-person interview. Wait times for interviews can be brutal in some cities — sometimes six to twelve months out — so apply early.
The reason Global Entry is the obvious pick over standalone PreCheck: Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck for free. When you’re approved for Global Entry, you get a PASS ID that functions as your Known Traveler Number for domestic flights. So for $120 instead of $85, you get both programs at once and get the customs benefit on top.
A nice update for families: as of October 1, 2025, children under 18 can apply for Global Entry for free if a parent or legal guardian is already enrolled in the program. They still apply and interview separately, but no fee.
What Is CLEAR Plus?
CLEAR Plus is a private, paid biometric program — not a government program. CLEAR uses your face or eyes to verify your identity, so you skip the part of airport security where you wait in line to show your ID to a TSA officer. A CLEAR Ambassador walks you straight to the front of the regular TSA line or the PreCheck line, depending on which you’re cleared for.
CLEAR Plus costs $209 a year (but you can get it for free with the right credit card). It’s available at around 55 airports nationwide, plus a bunch of stadiums and arenas. It does not screen your bags or get you out of putting your laptop and shoes through the X-ray — that’s still TSA’s job.
Critical point most people miss: CLEAR is most powerful when you stack it with PreCheck. CLEAR walks you to the front of the line, and PreCheck means you breeze through the screening once you’re there. Without PreCheck, CLEAR just gets you faster to the slow line.
CLEAR Concierge: The Tier Almost Nobody Talks About
Here’s where it gets interesting. CLEAR has a paid upgrade called CLEAR Concierge that takes the experience from “skip the line” to “personal escort through the airport.”
There are two tiers, both per booking:
CLEAR Concierge Express is $99. A CLEAR Ambassador meets you curbside, helps with bags and check-in, and walks you straight through the CLEAR lane and into security.
CLEAR Concierge Gate Service is $179. Same curbside meet, same line skip, but the Ambassador stays with you all the way to your gate or lounge — handling check-in, bags, navigation, and any issue that comes up along the way.
Both are charged per booking, not per person. Up to four people in a party including kids, and kids 17 and under are free. You book online or in the CLEAR app at least a few hours in advance. It’s currently live at around 15 airports with more rolling out.
This is a real game-changer in two specific situations. First, traveling with kids, elderly parents, or anyone with mobility issues — having a dedicated person handle the bags, the check-in counter, and the navigation through an unfamiliar airport is worth the $99 to $179 alone. Second, traveling through an airport you don’t know, especially internationally connecting to a domestic, where the layout and the rules are unfamiliar and you’re already tired.
It’s the closest the regular airport experience gets to flying private without actually flying private.
How to Get CLEAR Concierge Free with FoundersCard
Now the actual hack. CLEAR Concierge is a perk inside FoundersCard — included, ongoing, for members.
If you carry FoundersCard, you can book CLEAR Concierge bookings without paying the $99 or $179 fee every time. That’s a benefit that pays for the FoundersCard membership on its own if you use it even a handful of times a year. Two Gate Service bookings covers the standard FoundersCard annual fee. Six Express bookings does the same.
This is on top of everything else FoundersCard already does — airline discounts up to 25%, complimentary hotel and airline status, hotel discounts at hundreds of luxury properties, and 500+ other perks that will fit seamlessly into your lifestyle if you travel often and enjoy luxury upgrades.
The full stack at the airport now looks like this. Global Entry handles your customs reentry. CLEAR Plus walks you to the front of the line. PreCheck (included with Global Entry) gets you through screening with your shoes on. CLEAR Concierge through FoundersCard gets you a personal Ambassador from curb to gate at no additional cost. You arrive at the airport, someone meets you, takes your bags, walks you through every line, and drops you at your gate or lounge.
That’s the play.
You can preview FoundersCard for 12 months for free with our Cloud9Club referral link. Despite the implication in the name, you do not need to be a business owner or founder to apply. FoundersCard is not a credit card, and there is no credit check.
TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry: Which Should You Get First?
If you’re picking one, get Global Entry. Almost always. The math is just better.
Global Entry costs $35 more than PreCheck and lasts the same five years. In exchange, you get a much faster customs experience every time you fly internationally — which can save you 30 to 60+ minutes when you’re jet-lagged and just want to get home — and you still get every PreCheck benefit on domestic trips.
The only reason to pick PreCheck over Global Entry is if you genuinely never leave the country and never plan to. Even then, PreCheck applications process faster, so if you have a domestic trip in two weeks and need expedited screening now, PreCheck is the practical choice.
Do You Need CLEAR If You Have PreCheck?
The honest answer: only if you fly out of consistently busy airports.
PreCheck dramatically shortens your time inside the security checkpoint, but at peak hours at major hubs — JFK Terminal 4 on a Monday morning, LAX, ORD, ATL, SFO, DEN — even the PreCheck line can be 15 to 20 minutes long. CLEAR cuts that to almost nothing because you skip straight to the front of it.
If you fly twice a year out of a smaller airport where the PreCheck line is already empty, you don’t need CLEAR. You’re paying $209 a year to skip a line that doesn’t exist.
If you fly weekly out of a hub, CLEAR pays for itself in saved time alone — and as I’ll explain in a second, you probably shouldn’t be paying for it anyway.
Another benefit of CLEAR is not needing your ID or passport. If you travel with small children, this could make the whole thing easier than trying to get everyone’s passport ready. Just scan your faces and off you go. Also worth mentioning, children under 17 can use the CLEAR lane for free as long as the adult traveling with them is a CLEAR+ member.
Can You Have All Three? Yes — and Here’s the Stack
This is the optimal setup:
Global Entry handles your customs reentry on international trips, and gives you PreCheck on the domestic side. CLEAR Plus walks you to the front of the security line. You hand your boarding pass and KTN to the airline, get the PreCheck stamp on your boarding pass, walk through the CLEAR pod to verify your face, and an Ambassador escorts you straight to the front of the PreCheck lane. From curbside drop-off to gate, you can be through security in under five minutes at most airports (trust me, I’ve timed this!).
How to Get TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and CLEAR for Free
Now the part that actually matters. You shouldn’t be paying out of pocket for any of these programs if you have the right credit cards.
A bunch of premium travel cards reimburse the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee once every four to four-and-a-half years. The Amex Platinum, Amex Business Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture and Venture X, and several others all do this automatically — pay with the card, get a statement credit a few days later.
For CLEAR Plus, the list is shorter. Cards that offer CLEAR+ membership credits include the American Express Platinum Card, the Business Platinum Card from American Express, the American Express Green Card, and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Each of these reimburses the full $209 every calendar year.
The full breakdown of which cards cover what is in the table below.
Cards That Cover These Fees
Which credit cards reimburse PreCheck, Global Entry, and CLEAR PlusUsing Your Credit Card to Cover Fees for Family and Friends
Here’s the underrated tip: the Global Entry and TSA PreCheck application fee credits don’t actually have to be used on yourself.
When you pay for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application using an eligible card, the card issuer just sees a charge from US Customs and Border Protection — they can’t tell whose name is on the application. So if you already have Global Entry and your $120 credit is sitting unused on a card, you can pay a friend, partner, parent, or kid’s application fee with your card, and you still get the statement credit. The credit included with many travel credit cards can be used by anyone the cardholder chooses.
This is one of the rare credit card benefits that actually transfers. You just pay the membership fee on your card.
The Amex Platinum has an extra trick: each authorized user on the account gets their own Global Entry credit. So if you add three authorized users, you get four total Global Entry credits to distribute across family and friends.
Who Should Skip This
If you fly once a year on a domestic round trip and you’re flying out of a quiet regional airport, none of this matters much. Get TSA PreCheck if your boarding pass actually shows the PreCheck stamp, and stop there.
If you don’t have a card that covers CLEAR and you don’t want to pick one up, $209 a year is a hard price to justify unless you’re a high-frequency traveler at a busy hub.
If you only fly internationally once every five-plus years and you have no Global Entry interview appointments available in your city for the next eight months, just get PreCheck for now and apply for Global Entry when there’s an opening.
Click here for a list of the best travel cards that include airport perks.
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