TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry vs CLEAR (Avoid THIS Mistake)

Last time I went through TSA PreCheck at Bradley International in CT (small-ish), the Clear line just let you cut in front of whomever was waiting in the Pre-Check line to get their ID scanned. And that was maybe 4 or 5 people. Still went through security just like Pre-Check. Maybe it is worth it at a big airport, but not at BDL.

Note, children cannot fall under a parent’s Global Entry like they do with TSA pre-check. They need their own regardless of age.

My experience has been similar and that in the last three flights TSA pre-check was much faster than CLEAR. I’ve been told that other airports may be better, but specifically Newark airport is known to have terrible clear service and generally rude agents.

i too travel 1 X to 2 X international per year , sometime less, and find that TSA pre check sometimes, does not save me any time or hassle. last time they still asked me to take off my boots ( ladies ankle booties) HUH? is that why i paid 85 bux to have to do the same horrifying prisoner strip, ? Once i was in line for pre-check but then walked away, to the regular line, since 2 whole checkpoints were completely empty!! also i don,t use or need a free 2nd bag ( AmExpress for free) so i really don,t want Am Express anymore even if i paid the bag myself it still save s me money if,cuz if i didn,t have to pay the annual fee, ( 199.00 USD) but to be fair they have extra insurance for free and also the travel points are nice for free domestic trips. Worth $199 per year? Uuuhmm , not unless you travel a lot inside USA.

This video is good advice, except for the blanket statement, "Don't get TSA Precheck." While Global Entry is better, on paper, in practice it's not that straightforward. The big difference, as you point out, is the Global Entry interview, which can take much longer and require going out of your way for, versus the TSA Precheck screening which can be done at a variety of locations. Most Americans only travel internationally once or twice in their entire lifetimes. The reality is, for these Americans, and for the Americans who never fly internationally, the extra time spent arranging a global entry interview every 5 years is going to be more than the time they will end up saving. Even without taking into account the cost, TSA Precheck is probably the better value for most Americans. Georgia, for example, has only Global Entry one enrollment center for the entire state, at the ATL airport. There are TSA Pre-check locations scattered all over the state.

Having to go to the airport just for the interview is a HUGE hassle for 90% of people living in the state. The only way it's convenient is if you're at the airport anyways. However, this means either 1) you were on a domestic flight and were able to schedule the interview for the same time, but that means you didn't have the benefit of precheck for that one flight because you didn't do the interview until the day of the flight (whereas someone could've done TSA Precheck ahead of time at a variety of Office Max/Office Depot locations near them and would have already had it for that flight), or 2) you're doing the interview on international arrival, which means you didn't get the benefit of PreCheck for your initial outbound flight because you couldn't do the interview until after you got back. Either way, you're losing the benefit of PreCheck for one trip automatically, so unless your use of Global Entry over those 5 years saves you more time than the extra hassle, PreCheck is better simply for that reason alone.

I found it really weird that you acknowledge that the interview process can be a huge hassle for some people, but you fail to evaluate the actual impact for that additional hassle at all, and only focus on the potential time savings on the other side.

I signed up for CLEAR at SAN, but I didn't know that I'd still have to go through "regular" security. All is did was get me to the head of the line much faster. Not a bargain at $199 per year. Next time I'll only sign up for Global Entry and TSA.

Question about global entry renewals. Once you receive the online approval, did you receive an updated card or does the renewal just show up (hopefully) when you go thru the kiosks?

The big thing is getting the interview. I applied but the interview was a 3 month wait at las I didn’t schedule. On a foreign trip I decided to stay in Honolulu for a few days before flying back to the continental USA. The passport agent asked if I wanted to take mt global entry interview. I said yes as I had a few hours before I could check in to the hotel the whole process took less than two hours while the interview was less than ten minutes.

You're right: Global Entry is the way to go. Amex used to give a credit for it, but not anymore.

We shuld just abolish the TSA and go back to the 60s in terms of airport security.

All of this is bullsh*t. Airport lines should be standardized and none of this fee'ed have and have not privileged bs should be allowed. Security protocols aren't even standardized amongst airports despite all being run by the same frickin TSA (at least in the US).

I was an early Clear member, then when I renewed and paid the fee.... they shut down. Years later they got re-established, but won't accept my previous payment. Basically, they took the money and ran. I am still bitter.

People just forget the system is slowly milking money from people for the service which needs to be free. They need to increase the number of ppl rather they are taking money from our pockets. Credit cards are part of this game.

Great information, thanks.

Hi, you mentioned that you are able to carry bottles of liquid through security. Are you certain? The few times I forgot to take my bottled water out of my carry-on, it has always been tossed in the trash by TSA. I usually go through the TSA/CLEAR line.

Thanks. Very helpful especially with respect to Clear.

I don’t want to want to pay a credit card annual fee every year even if one years fee pays for just five years of standing in a sometimes shorter line. The terrorist won?

Three minutes to get through customs with global entry! That’s almost as fast as the southern border.

I find that CLEAR isn't a saver. I feel like it's just more money out of you could be wrong there have been times I've flown early in the morning and there is no one even there kiosks aren't even open. Pray Check, I'm all four even if the line has the same number of people as the regular line simply because you don't get people in the pre-Check who haven't flown in years and have no idea how to do anything. Plus the fact that you don't have anybody to take their laptop or takeoff their belt and shoes, etc. Where with the regular line there's always somebody who has it a clue they haven't flown in forever, and they have to be told, what to do and then they're fumbling through trying to get their iPad or their laptop out of their bag.

There are times I've flown really early in the morning and yeah pre-check isn't any shorter than the regular line but it's still quicker. Because there are always those people. Plus the fact that it's worth it to not have to do the stupid body scan thing.

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S G N A I R P O R T .

I already have TSA pre. Can I add the Global Entry and keep my current KTN?

great content

Does my wife get a credit for global entry and Clear of she’s an authorized Amex platinum card holder? In other words do we both get the credit?

We used Mobile Passport Control coming through Miami from the Caribbean. It was free, easy, and fast. What was not easy or fast was waiting in security again to get to our connecting gate. Flying out of SEA and DEN I can’t imagine not having Precheck and Clear.

I have TSA PreCheck, I don’t need Global Entry, coming home from Canada to Boston Logan Airport every summer it only takes me a few minutes to get through immigration while in Canada, I always ask to be expedited through security, they don’t have these programs there, I wish they had.

I understand the love hate relationship for clear but you can use clear for concert and sport games. So I like clear

How does customs work with these services? I'm about to travel from the US to London then Paris then back to US. Which of these would be most useful and do ALL airports have all of them?

I applied for Global Entry back in June. Upon my return from Europe a couple of days ago the border agent told me that I was conditionally pre-approved while I was gone, and he told me to do my interview right there at the airport with another agent by the exit. The interview took less than 5 minutes.✅

Whose bright idea was it to privatize security for flying? Does anyone else see what's wrong with that?

TSA Pre✅ have not had an issues and returning from Mexico City i show them the info and only ask me to remove my belt nothing else. Everyone else does the regular security measures… 😊. Get special treatment, plus I’m always nice, smile and say thank you for everything. ❤

At major airports like LAX and JFK, TSA Precheck feels nearly meaningless these days and it’s honestly annoying seeing CLEAR people just constantly getting to cut in front of you.🙄

FYI - We came into the US via cruise ship on Canada. They refused to accept my Global Entry and required my Passport. There was no advantage via cruise ship.😊

I applied for TSA pre check first then applied for Global. I have different numbers with these two

I've flown very little lately, but everytime TSA PreCheck has had me take off shoes, etc., same as everybody else. I guess they did not have anything else to do since I was the only one in their line. 🙂

Global Entry includes TSA Precheck and my credit card reimbursed me. You use the same Known Traveler Number for both when booking your flights. I looked on the website for the soonest interview and drove 4 hours for it at the West Palm Beach port. I. arrived early and no one else was ahead of me. It took about 5 minutes from the time I sat down for the interview and walked out of the office. There were no digging questions, and he said I don't see anything here which would prevent you from getting this. I'm assuming he was referring to two speeding tickets 15 years apart. Two weeks later, I took an international trip and on the return to JFK, there was no waiting to walk up the the Global Entry kiosk, which took my picture. Then an agent with a tablet device a few feet away said, "Mr. blah blah, have a nice day." The pass through customs/passport control took less than a minute. Totally worth it!

Scam

I just flew for the first time in five years and found out that everyone has PreCheck now. The line was no shorter than the regular one at my home airport.
In Seattle, they still made me remove my belt b/c the buckle kept setting it off and asked me why I didn't take it off in the first place. Hopefully I don't have to fly for another five years.

You make it sounds like everyone that applies for Global Entry. Try reading through the Reddit Global Entry sub division and see the many reasons why applicants are turned down. Also, you never mentioned another reason to get Global entry: faster entry back to the U.S., driving back from Canada and Mexico, IF YOU REGISTER YOUR CAR WHEN YOU APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP! If you decide to register your car later, you will be charged $42 for the privilege. I’ll be crossing the Mexican border in November, Ute have no desire to pay $42 for what will probably be the only time that I would drive to Mexico or Canada during my GE 5 year membership. If I renew my GE membership in 3.5 years, I’ll be sure to add my car at that point when it’s free.

The best deal is to get a Nexus pass which comes with global entry and TSA precheck at no additional cost and the Nexus pass costs less than either of the other two.

wait 6 months. I waited for 1 year+ for Global Entry lol

Well, damn! I should have applied for CLEAR since I have the Amex Delta Skymiles card. I only have PreCheck because when I applied I had booked a trip to France that was a couple months out but the next available appointment for Global Entry interview was right around the time I would be traveling while the PreCheck interview was just about 1 week waiting time.

American Airlines card pay my global entry

I got my Global Entry Appointment. I took a trip out of country and when I reentered, I did an expedited interview at immigration and did not need to attend my appointment months later. Done!

The only thing with global entry is theres only a few places to do it. With tsa Precheck there's so many places to go without going to an aiport.

I had precheck. The Clear guys were recruiting new members. They asked about which credit card I used.

The guy said my Hilton honors amex card would give me free fees.



I signed up. On every flight the pre check was much faster.

When I received an unexpected bill from clear. I complained. They refunded the fees. I suspect they had heard this story before.

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