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Tell me about "Clear Travel" biometric check-in

Parliament

By Parliament
in Food and Travel

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PsychMike

PsychMike 1553

Posted
Posted

They take you right to the front of the line after you're ID and Boarding Pass are confirmed at the kiosk. That's pretty damned good. Especially when some of the airports have a shitload of people in the TSA Pre-Check line. You're right they don't have enough locations, but in my case they make up more than half of the airports I use.

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Mack Tripper

Mack Tripper 708

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Posted

Here is a pro tip for using Clear at IAH. They have it at Terminal B but not C. If your flight is leaving from the north part of Terminal C (Gates C1-C15), you can go to use the Terminal B Clear and then there's a connector to Terminal C North near gate B85.  For the rest of the C gates, this is quite a long walk, but for C1-15 it works quite well. I've also used this little shortcut to hit up Whataburger in Terminal B when I'm in that part of Terminal C. 

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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Posted

Got Clear somewhat by force.  Was headed to Turks and Caicos and the security line was by far the longest we'd ever seen.  There was no possible way we were making that flight if we waited in that line.  A Clear agent came walking by working the line saying she could sign us up in about 10 mins and we could skip the line.  So, we said fuck it as it was either that or miss the flight and ruin the trip.  I think it was technically a free trial that we could have canceled, but we ended up keeping it as it was pretty kick ass.  It breaks down to be about $15 a month which isn't that much.  And I think maybe you can add kids for free?  Had it about 6 months now and I can only remember one airport not having it but I can't remember which one.  According to their website...

Quote

CLEAR is already available at 40+ airports, stadiums, and other venues around the country, with new locations added all the time.

Here's a link to all the locations...

https://www.clearme.com/where-we-are

tl;dr - would definitely recommend

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HenryJames

HenryJames 67303

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Posted
1 hour ago, Parliament said:

https://www.clearme.com/

 

Looks like you pay $179/year for the privilege of being able to go through TSA with a fingerprint and/or iris scan?  Only a few airports so far (including Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston).

Do I understand this right?  

I biometrically checked into your mom last night.

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

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Posted

Had it for about a year.  Between that and recheck it’s almost like the old days as far as when you have to get to the airport (at the ones where they have Clear)

Sometimes it’s not a time saver because there are no lines. We live in Austin, so at peak times it’s really nice. If you don’t have recheck, it puts you at the front of the non-precheck line, which can save a lot of time.

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pepper brooks

pepper brooks 580

Posted
Posted

thye have clear at the Astros play off games and if you're a member getting into the stadium is a breeze.  not sure if they are going to have it for regular season, but they have had it for the playoff games.  Problem is it's only one location near the diamond club entrance.  

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Mack Tripper said:

Here is a pro tip for using Clear at IAH. They have it at Terminal B but not C. If your flight is leaving from the north part of Terminal C (Gates C1-C15), you can go to use the Terminal B Clear and then there's a connector to Terminal C North near gate B85.  For the rest of the C gates, this is quite a long walk, but for C1-15 it works quite well. I've also used this little shortcut to hit up Whataburger in Terminal B when I'm in that part of Terminal C. 

IAH has Clear at B?  Just flew out of there last week (don’t live in Houston).  Site just says it is at A, and we went through B and didn’t see it.

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Mach 1

Mach 1 1677

Posted
Posted

Travelling through any high traffic airport,  it's a lifeline if you're running late.  I'll use TSA 9O% of the time, but if the the line is too long I'll jump over to Clear.  There's always a bored Clear employee waiting to help get you scanned and usher you to the front of the line.  You don't even have to show your ID or boarding pass again, it's just a "Hey, he's with me" and boom, you're in.  If you travel alot $15/month is cheap insurance to get in fast when necessary.

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

Posted
Posted
37 minutes ago, Parliament said:

So I did it.  I enrolled and gave them my credit card info.  What happens next?  I assume I'll hafta go get fingerprinted somewhere?

You just go to the Clear station at the airport and they will do the fingerprints and facial recognition. Takes 5 minutes

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, EuroHorn said:

I travel every week. I honestly haven’t seen the benefits of Clear.  It might save you 30 seconds over the basic TSA precheck

It’s a crapshoot.  At Austin, for example, there are times at which there is no line.  I’ve also hit it where the TSA line is backed up almost all the way to the entrance to the terminal.

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1748

Posted
Posted
16 hours ago, EuroHorn said:

I travel every week. I honestly haven’t seen the benefits of Clear.  It might save you 30 seconds over the basic TSA precheck

This. Unless you fly Delta, and you're a daisy if you do, it's not worth the price. I think I've only been in one Pre-check line longer than 8 people in the past 3 years that I've had it...and my home airports are LGA and JFK. 

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Both Tacos

Both Tacos 1827

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, baboso said:

Don't you have to be flying Delta to use it at the AP?

Nope. Delta flyer program comes with Clear for free, but if you have Clear you can use it at any airport that has it set up. I fly out of Love a lot and the pre-check line can get pretty long (to the entrance) and the Clear Pre-Check is wide open. Just another business expense and worth it. Saved my ass in Atlanta a few weeks ago on Valentine's Day.

If you don't fly a lot then just pre-check is good enough, but if you are a frequent flyer and don't like lines even in the pre-check then it is worth every penny.

Someone asked about kids. Yes, just like pre-check your kids can be added to your account at no extra cost.

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justhookit

justhookit 4206

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Mack Tripper said:

I have the worst luck with wait times for the train. Either way, it is faster to get to Terminal C north by going down the connecting hallway at B85

I’ve heard a lot of complaints about IAH. Wait times for the train is a new one.

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EuroHorn

EuroHorn 3288

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, Both Tacos said:

Nope. Delta flyer program comes with Clear for free, but if you have Clear you can use it at any airport that has it set up. I fly out of Love a lot and the pre-check line can get pretty long (to the entrance) and the Clear Pre-Check is wide open. Just another business expense and worth it. Saved my ass in Atlanta a few weeks ago on Valentine's Day.

If you don't fly a lot then just pre-check is good enough, but if you are a frequent flyer and don't like lines even in the pre-check then it is worth every penny.

Someone asked about kids. Yes, just like pre-check your kids can be added to your account at no extra cost.

I believe it’s free to Diamond status members only. 

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  • 4 months later...
midtown

midtown 3353

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've had it for a year.  Will agree half the time it doesn't really save you more than 15 mins tops.. I have a Delta Plat card so I only pay $79 a year.   If you fly once a year its not worth it but IMO its just another tool to get me from the curb to the gate with as little hassle as possible.   Knowing that I dont have to even deal with the Pre line when headed to the airport is nice  Also you can take younger kids with you.   Half the time I use it just because I paid for it and feel like I should use it as much as possible

 

Edited by midtown
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midtown

midtown 3353

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Surly Bevo said:

security theater are creating cottage industries to separate all of us from our money

$180 for Clear for a year and $100 for 5 years of GE/Pre.  Considering what people at the airport are spending on their trip seems like a pretty low cost extra IMO

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PsychMike

PsychMike 1553

Posted
Posted

It's game time, Longhorns!

Big news for college football fans: CLEAR is ready to help you beat the crowds and get into games faster at DKR – Texas Memorial Stadium. 

Since you're already a member, you're all set to use CLEAR at the entrance. It's the same speedy service as the airport.

More game time, less wait time

7ae3f3db-7c74-4b34-8c58-2e2d4a5e6fa3.png

We'll help you tackle long lines at Gate 25.

1f67fb19-49d0-461a-9e94-96c01e3dd576.png

With 20+ sports partners, enjoy CLEAR in sports and entertainment venues across the country.

6344620e-7cbc-4957-bd2c-0eed85429114.png

Going with a friend? You can bring one adult with you through the CLEAR Lane. Kids under 18 can also tag along for free!

SEE YOU THERE
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BillyBadAss

BillyBadAss 197

Posted
Posted

In my travels I haven't seen a need to get Clear over TSA Precheck. 

Even if the TSA line is long, it goes 2x-3x faster than the normal line since people don't have to take shit out of their bags or take off shoes. Plus, generally no olds or kids.

The longest I can recall being in a TSA Precheck line is maybe 5 minutes, so guess it would save you a few minutes here and there, but wouldn't be worth the premium for me (so far).

 

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

Posted
Posted
32 minutes ago, BillyBadAss said:

In my travels I haven't seen a need to get Clear over TSA Precheck. 

Even if the TSA line is long, it goes 2x-3x faster than the normal line since people don't have to take shit out of their bags or take off shoes. Plus, generally no olds or kids.

The longest I can recall being in a TSA Precheck line is maybe 5 minutes, so guess it would save you a few minutes here and there, but wouldn't be worth the premium for me (so far).

 

I have it, and it generally does not save a lot of time.  On the other hand, it has been very nice a few times in Austin early in the morning when the TSA line is stretched back to the Southwest counter, and a few times in other cities.

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7828

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 9/17/2019 at 3:44 PM, Mack Tripper said:

There are a few airports that Clear will absolutely save you from missing a flight - Atlanta and Denver are probably the top two. 

I don't fly all that much, but the Precheck line in Denver is never all that bad.  And it moves fast.

Edited by Chewbacca
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