You should never pay out of pocket for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or CLEAR Plus. Between credit card application-fee credits, airline elite-status discounts, and loyalty-program redemptions, there are at least eight reliable ways to get one or all three programs covered. The three programs cost:
- TSA PreCheck: $79.75 to $85 for five years, depending on the enrollment provider (IDEMIA, CLEAR, or Telos).
- Global Entry: $120 for five years. Includes TSA PreCheck.
- CLEAR Plus: $219 per year, standard rate.
This guide walks through every legitimate path to free or discounted enrollment, when each one makes sense, and where the math quietly stops working.
What Each Program Actually Does
Three different programs, three different jobs. Choosing between them comes down to where you fly and how often.
TSA PreCheck
PreCheck gets you into dedicated security lanes at over 200 U.S. airports. You keep shoes, belts, and light jackets on. Laptops and 3-1-1 liquids stay in the bag. TSA reports 99% of PreCheck passengers waiting under 10 minutes.
Application is online, followed by a 10-minute in-person fingerprinting appointment. Approval is typically a few days for new applicants with a clean record, longer if anything in the background check needs review. Once approved, you get a Known Traveler Number (KTN) to add to airline reservations.
Validity is five years. Renewal pricing on TSA's page runs $58.75 (IDEMIA online or Telos in-person) to $84.95 (CLEAR in-person).
Global Entry
Global Entry covers everything PreCheck does, plus expedited customs re-entry to the U.S. after international travel. You skip the standard customs line and use an automated kiosk that scans your passport, takes your photo, and clears you in under a minute at most major airports.
The fee is $120 for five years. The application is more involved: longer background check, plus an in-person interview at a Global Entry Enrollment Center. Some airports offer Enrollment on Arrival, which lets you complete the interview when you re-enter the U.S. after an international trip, eliminating the need for a separate appointment.
If you take even one international trip per year, Global Entry is the better choice. Paying $120 instead of PreCheck's $79.75 to $85 buys you the customs benefit, the airline-PreCheck benefit comes bundled, and the membership lasts the same five years.
CLEAR Plus
CLEAR is not a government program. It is a private biometric ID service ($219 per year) at roughly 60 U.S. airports. You verify your identity at a CLEAR pod using fingerprint or iris scan, then a CLEAR ambassador walks you to the front of the security screening line.
CLEAR replaces the ID check, not the screening itself. If you have CLEAR but not PreCheck, you still go through the standard screening line (shoes off, laptops out); you just skip the document-check portion. The combination most heavy travelers use is CLEAR plus PreCheck: CLEAR to bypass the ID line, PreCheck to keep your belongings packed at the screening belt.
Children 17 and under accompany a CLEAR member for free. Additional adults on a family plan are $125 each, per year.
Way 1: Credit Cards That Reimburse the Global Entry or PreCheck Fee
The cleanest path. You apply for one of these cards, pay the $120 Global Entry (or $79.75 to $85 PreCheck) fee with it, and the statement credit hits within a billing cycle or two. Automatic, no forms, no receipts.
These are the cards offering a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit, most at the full $120, every four or five years. The CLEAR figures below were read on CLEAR's own site on October 4, 2026:
- The Platinum Card from American Express: $895 annual fee. A $120 statement credit for Global Entry or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck, once every 4 years. The 2026 refresh kept this benefit unchanged and added a $219 CLEAR Plus credit on top, covering all three programs from one card.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: $795 annual fee. $120 Global Entry or PreCheck credit every 4 years.
- Capital One Venture X: $395 annual fee. $120 Global Entry or PreCheck credit every 4 years. The cheapest premium-card path to the benefit.
- American Express Business Platinum: $895 annual fee. Same $120 / 4-year credit as the consumer Platinum.
- Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard: $695 annual fee. $120 Global Entry or PreCheck credit every 5 years.
- United Club Card: $525 annual fee. $120 Global Entry or PreCheck credit every 4 years.
- United Explorer Card: $0 the first year, then $150. $120 Global Entry or PreCheck credit every 4 years. The cheapest co-branded path.
- Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite: $550 annual fee. $100 PreCheck or Global Entry credit every 4 years.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express: $650 annual fee. A $120 statement credit for Global Entry or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck, once every 4 years.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express: $650 annual fee. $100 Global Entry or PreCheck credit every 4 years.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express: $350 annual fee. $100 Global Entry or PreCheck credit every 4 years.
If you only want the security credit, the Venture X at $395 is the best math: the $300 annual travel credit plus 10,000 anniversary miles already cover most of the fee before you even use the Global Entry benefit.
For the broader question of which travel card to anchor your wallet with, see our best travel credit cards roundup.
Way 2: Credit Cards That Reimburse CLEAR Plus
Three Amex cards you can still apply for cover the full $219 CLEAR Plus fee as a statement credit:
- Amex Platinum: up to $219 annually in CLEAR Plus credits.
- Amex Business Platinum: up to $219 annually in CLEAR Plus credits.
- Hilton Honors Aspire: up to $219 annually in CLEAR Plus credits.
The American Express Green Card carries a CLEAR Plus credit too, but American Express no longer offers the Amex Green to new applicants, so it only helps if you already hold one.
The Aspire is the cleanest "CLEAR for free" play if you already have a separate travel card handling Global Entry. Its CLEAR credit covers the membership outright, alongside the annual Free Night Reward and automatic Hilton Diamond status. If you already stay at Hilton properties more than a few nights a year, the Aspire's stack is one of the strongest in the premium-hotel category. The Hilton Honors complete guide covers when the Aspire's full math works.
Way 3: Airline Elite Status for CLEAR Discounts
If you fly mostly on Delta, United, Alaska or Hawaiian, your program comes with CLEAR pricing better than the standard $219 rate. All three price it the same way, and these are CLEAR's own published partner rates.
Delta SkyMiles:
- Delta 360: free CLEAR Plus.
- Diamond Medallion: $129 per year.
- Platinum, Gold, and Silver Medallion: $179 per year.
- Delta SkyMiles American Express Card Members (any status): $179 per year.
- General SkyMiles members: $209 per year.
United MileagePlus:
- Global Services: free CLEAR Plus.
- Premier 1K: $129 per year.
- Premier Platinum, Gold, and Silver: $179 per year.
- United U.S. credit card holders (any status): $179 per year.
- General MileagePlus members: $209 per year.
Atmos Rewards (the Alaska and Hawaiian program):
- Titanium: $129 per year.
- Platinum, Gold, and Silver: $179 per year.
- General Atmos Rewards members: $209 per year.
If you carry a Delta or United co-branded card, you get the $179 rate with no status at all. That is a $40 saving against retail, so it is a reason to prefer a card you already wanted rather than a reason to open one.
Way 4: Redeem Loyalty Points or Miles for the Application Fee
A few programs let you trade points for a TSA PreCheck enrollment credit. Generally a low-cents-per-point redemption, but if you have points sitting around from a welcome bonus that you weren't going to use efficiently anyway, the math gets better.
Current redemption options, as of May 2026:
- United MileagePlus: 11,000 miles for TSA PreCheck.
- Marriott Bonvoy: 25,000 points for an $85 TSA PreCheck credit.
- IHG One Rewards: 30,000 points for an $85 TSA PreCheck credit.
The Marriott and IHG options redeem at 0.3 to 0.4 cents per point, well below their travel value. United at 11,000 miles for a roughly $80 benefit is closer to 0.7 cents per mile, also below typical award redemption value. None of these are great if you have other plans for the points. They are great if the points were going to expire or sit unused.
Way 5: Bundle CLEAR Plus and TSA PreCheck
CLEAR runs a bundled enrollment where you sign up for both CLEAR Plus and TSA PreCheck in one transaction. This effectively gives you the PreCheck fee back as a CLEAR Plus credit. Check the current bundle price on CLEAR's enrollment portal before committing, because it moves.
This makes sense if you were going to pay for CLEAR Plus anyway. If you have a credit card that already covers either program, run the math on that path first. The card credits are nearly always cheaper than the bundle.
Way 6: Use the Cheapest Enrollment Provider for Renewals
When it is time to renew TSA PreCheck (every five years), three approved providers handle enrollment, and TSA lists these renewal prices:
- IDEMIA: $58.75 online renewal, $66.75 in-person.
- Telos: $69.95 online, $58.75 in-person.
- CLEAR: $72.95 online, $84.95 in-person.
If you are paying out of pocket, IDEMIA online and Telos in-person renewals, both $58.75, are the cheapest paths. If you are using a credit card credit, the difference does not matter; the credit covers it either way.
Way 7: CLEAR Plus Family Plan
Adding family members to a CLEAR Plus account is $125 per person per year, versus $219 for a separate membership.
For a couple, that drops the second adult to $125. For a household of four adults, three of them join at $125 each rather than paying the retail rate apiece. Children 17 and under ride free on an enrolled adult's account.
If you already have an Amex Platinum covering the primary CLEAR fee, the second adult on the family plan effectively costs $125 net.
Way 8: Stack Cards Across a Household
The most efficient family setup combines a few of the strategies above. A realistic example for two adults:
- Adult 1: Amex Platinum. Uses the $120 Global Entry credit, then the $219 CLEAR Plus credit. Net: both programs free.
- Adult 2: Capital One Venture X. Uses the $120 Global Entry credit. Added to Adult 1's CLEAR account as a family member at $125 per year.
Combined out-of-pocket for two full sets of Global Entry plus CLEAR Plus memberships: $125 per year (the family-plan add-on). And the cards each carry separate value: annual travel credits, points earning, lounge access, Centurion Lounge entry on the Platinum side.
This only pencils if you actually use the underlying card benefits. The Platinum at $895 and the Venture X at $395 are not security-program-credit machines; they are travel-card commitments where the Global Entry credit is one perk among many. If you would not otherwise want the cards, the math collapses.
Choosing Your Strategy
A quick decision frame:
- You fly internationally, even once a year: Global Entry over standalone PreCheck. Paying $120 instead of $79.75 to $85 is the easiest math in the program lineup.
- You fly mostly domestic, 4+ times per year: PreCheck plus CLEAR. Both via a single Amex Platinum, or split between a Venture X for Global Entry and a Delta or United co-branded card for the CLEAR discount.
- You fly 1 to 3 times per year: PreCheck alone, paid via Marriott or IHG points redemption if you have stale balances. Skip CLEAR. At $219 per year, the per-trip cost does not justify it for occasional travelers.
- You are a family: Use one premium card to anchor the primary memberships, add family members onto CLEAR at $125 each, share Global Entry through individual applications. Each adult must apply individually, but credits from separate cards can fund each application.
Common Mistakes That Quietly Cost Money
A short list of things people do wrong:
Choosing PreCheck when Global Entry makes sense. If there is any chance of an international trip in the next five years, pay Global Entry's $120 once instead. Upgrading mid-membership is a hassle.
Skipping the interview window. Global Entry approval includes a conditional-approval step followed by an interview. Some airports have wait times of three to six months for an enrollment-center appointment. If you fly internationally, take advantage of Enrollment on Arrival at participating airports, where you complete the interview as you re-enter the U.S.
Forgetting to add your KTN to reservations. Add your Known Traveler Number to every frequent-flyer profile you use. Without it on the booking, PreCheck does not print on the boarding pass.
Paying for CLEAR without PreCheck. CLEAR replaces the ID check, not the screening. Without PreCheck, you still take shoes off and laptops out at the belt. CLEAR alone is worth far less.
Assuming elite status means free CLEAR. Only Delta 360 and United Global Services get it free. Diamond Medallion and Premier 1K pay $129, and the mid-tiers pay $179.
Letting credit-card credits expire. Most cards reset the Global Entry or PreCheck credit every four years. Calendar the reset date for your specific card and use it before it lapses.
Renewing too early. Both TSA PreCheck and Global Entry let you renew up to a year before expiration. The new five-year clock starts from the expiration date, not the renewal date, so renewing six months early does not cost you any membership time. But filing more than a year early may not get processed.
Bottom Line
If you fly more than twice a year, you should not be paying full price for any of these programs. The Amex Platinum alone covers all three at the $895 annual fee, and if you only want one, the Capital One Venture X at $395 is the cheapest premium card with the full Global Entry credit. For the broader question of when premium travel cards make sense at all, see are travel credit cards worth it.
Updated October 8, 2026: the list of ways and the Hilton Aspire credits.
