TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry vs CLEAR: Which Should You Actually Get?

Answer three questions in order. The last one you say yes to is your program.

1. Are you a US or Canadian citizen who crosses the US-Canada border by land or sea? Get NEXUS. $50 for 5 years, includes Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, and CATSA in Canada. Fewest waits, most benefits, lowest price.

2. Will you leave the US even once in the next five years (any international flight)? Get Global Entry. $120 for 5 years, includes TSA PreCheck automatically. For $42 more than PreCheck alone, you get expedited customs on every US arrival for five years.

3. Will you fly only within the US and never internationally? Get TSA PreCheck. $78 for 5 years, or $70 if you already have it and are renewing.

Then a separate question: do you fly weekly out of a major hub like ATL, LAX, ORD, JFK, or SFO? Consider adding CLEAR Plus ($209/year), but only if your credit card reimburses part or all of it. Otherwise the math does not work.

TSA PreCheck is a US Transportation Security Administration program that lets pre-vetted travellers use a faster security screening lane at over 200 US airports.

What you skip at the checkpoint:

At most major US airports in 2026, PreCheck wait times average 5 to 10 minutes versus 15 to 30 minutes in the standard lane. On peak-travel days (the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Friday before July 4), that gap widens to 40 minutes or more.

Cost: $76.75 to $85 for a 5-year membership, depending on which of three enrollment providers you use. IDEMIA is the cheapest at $76.75; Telos is around $78; the CLEAR-run TSA PreCheck enrollment lane is $79.95. Renewals are typically $70. That works out to roughly $16 per year.

• You keep your shoes on.
• You keep your belt on.
• You keep your light jacket on.
• Your laptop stays in your bag.
• Your liquids stay in your bag.
• The line itself is shorter, because every traveller in it has been pre-vetted.

Global Entry is a US Customs and Border Protection program that includes TSA PreCheck and adds expedited customs and immigration when you arrive in the US from abroad.

What you skip on top of PreCheck:

Cost: $120 for 5 years, paid up front. CBP raised the fee from $100 to $120 on October 1, 2024, the first increase since 2008. Global Entry is available at 61 US airports for international arrivals.

The math for anyone considering PreCheck is this: for $42 more over five years ($8 more per year), Global Entry includes everything PreCheck does plus five years of skipping the customs line every time you fly back to the US. If you leave the US even once in that stretch, Global Entry pays for the difference on that one trip alone.

The catch: the Global Entry interview backlog reached 3 to 9 months at major hubs through 2024 to 2026, and it has not fully cleared. Apply now if you know you need it, even if your first international trip is not for a year.

• At US arrival, you skip the standard passport control line.
• You use a Global Entry kiosk (or the mobile app on approved routes), scan your passport, take a photo, and get a receipt to hand to a CBP officer.
• Total customs time is usually 5 to 10 minutes, versus 30 to 90 minutes at busy hubs on international arrival days.

CLEAR Plus is a private biometric identity verification service, not a government program. What it skips is different from PreCheck and Global Entry: CLEAR skips the ID check portion of security, walking you to the front of either the standard security line or (if you also have PreCheck) the PreCheck line.

You do not skip physical screening with CLEAR. You still take your bags through the X-ray machine and walk through the metal detector or millimetre-wave scanner. What CLEAR removes is the wait to have your ID checked by a TSA officer.

Cost: $209 per year, single membership. Family members can be added at $99 each. Available at 60+ US airports and a growing list of stadiums and event venues.

The value proposition has weakened over the last two years. As CLEAR has expanded, the CLEAR line at busy hubs (LAX, ATL, JFK) has grown, and TSA has started running random ID checks at CLEAR kiosks that add extra time. A 2026 survey by Thrifty Traveler found that at LAX during peak morning hours, the CLEAR line was longer than the PreCheck line in more than a third of test visits. Your mileage varies by airport and time of day.

The math is brutal at full price. $209 per year against $16 per year for PreCheck or $24 per year for Global Entry means CLEAR needs to save you enough time to justify roughly a tenfold cost multiplier. Most travellers do not fly often enough to hit that bar. Almost every CLEAR member who is not a business traveller is paying for it with a credit card that reimburses the annual fee, which changes the math entirely.

The full 2026 picture, side by side:

On paper NEXUS is the best value in trusted-traveller programs anywhere. $50 for 5 years buys you Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, CATSA (Canadian equivalent of PreCheck), and expedited US-Canada land border crossing. The catch: NEXUS is only available to US citizens, US permanent residents, Canadian citizens, and Mexican nationals who meet specific criteria. If you qualify, apply for NEXUS instead of Global Entry. Same benefits plus more, less than half the price.

Mobile Passport Control is the free option that most comparison articles never mention. It is a CBP-run smartphone app that lets US and Canadian citizens submit passport and customs declarations digitally before landing, then use a dedicated line at 33 US airports for expedited entry. It does not include TSA PreCheck. It is not as fast as Global Entry. But it is free and there is no interview required. Use it as a stopgap while waiting for your Global Entry interview.

Almost every premium travel card carries a statement credit for at least one of these programs. The reimbursement is applied automatically when you pay the application fee with the eligible card.

If any of these cards is already in your wallet and you have not used the credit, use it. The reimbursement is automatic once you pay the application fee with the eligible card. Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum, and Capital One Venture X are the three most common cards that cover Global Entry, and they will each also cover NEXUS if you pay CBP directly.

For business travellers flying weekly out of a major US hub, the recommended 2026 stack is Global Entry plus CLEAR Plus, both paid for by an Amex Platinum or similar premium card.

How the stack works in practice:

The total airport time savings on a heavy travel week can be 90 minutes or more compared with a traveller who has nothing. For a business traveller who values their time at $100+ per hour, that pays for the whole stack in a single week.

Both programs paid for by credit card benefits: net cost approximately $0 to the traveller. For anyone who does not have a premium card that carries these benefits, adding CLEAR is usually not worth $209 per year. Global Entry alone is.

• You arrive at the airport, walk to the CLEAR kiosk, and get your identity verified biometrically (30 to 60 seconds).
• A CLEAR ambassador walks you to the front of the PreCheck line (30 to 120 seconds).
• You clear PreCheck screening (5 to 10 minutes).
• On international arrivals, Global Entry lets you skip the customs line entirely (5 to 10 minutes).

Each program has a different application process and each has a different current backlog. Plan accordingly.

• TSA PreCheck: application takes 5 minutes online. If approved (most are), you schedule a 15-minute in-person appointment at an enrollment centre. Total time from application to Known Traveler Number: 3 to 5 days on average in 2026. Some centres process same-day.
• Global Entry: application is longer (30 to 60 minutes online with document uploads) and requires conditional CBP approval before you can schedule your interview. The interview backlog is the pain point: 3 to 9 months at busy hubs (LAX, JFK, ORD, SFO, ATL) in 2026. Enrollment on Arrival (interview when you land back in the US from an international trip) can shortcut the wait by a few months if you have a trip coming up.
• CLEAR Plus: enrolment happens at the airport itself. Sign up online, then complete biometric enrolment in about 10 minutes at any CLEAR pod. You can use it the same day.
• NEXUS: application is 60 to 90 minutes online. Interviews happen at NEXUS enrolment centres in specific US and Canadian border cities. Interview wait times are typically 2 to 6 months, shorter than standalone Global Entry.
• Mobile Passport Control: no application. Download the app, submit your passport information, use it on your next US arrival.

All four of the paid programs auto-generate renewal reminders through your login. Renewals are usually cheaper than initial enrolment and often skip the in-person interview requirement.

Start renewing 6 months before your expiry date. Global Entry members can continue using PreCheck for 6 months after the Global Entry expires while the renewal processes, but do not rely on that grace period past six months.

• TSA PreCheck renewal: $70 online. Most renewals process in 3 to 5 days without an interview if there have been no material changes to your profile.
• Global Entry renewal: $120 online, no reduction. Most renewals process in 6 to 8 weeks without an interview, but CBP randomly selects a small percentage of renewals for a fresh interview.
• CLEAR Plus renewal: automatic annual renewal at $209 (or your card-covered rate), no additional application.
• NEXUS renewal: $50 online, most renew without a fresh interview.

Rules differ by program:

For a family of four planning international travel, Global Entry is $480 up front, but the customs time saving on a single trip usually justifies the cost. For families flying only domestically, PreCheck for the parents (kids under 12 tag along free) is the cheapest and most efficient option.

• TSA PreCheck: children age 12 and under can use the PreCheck lane free with a PreCheck-enrolled parent. Children age 13 to 17 need their own PreCheck membership or must go through the standard lane.
• Global Entry: every family member, including children of any age, needs their own Global Entry membership. Full $120 fee applies to each person, including infants. Parents apply on the child's behalf, and children still need to attend the interview.
• CLEAR Plus: family members age 18+ can be added to a primary membership for $99 each per year. Children under 18 walk through with a CLEAR-enrolled parent free.
• NEXUS: children under 18 are free but must be enrolled and interviewed with a parent.