TSA PreCheck costs $78 for a five-year membership and lets approved travelers keep shoes and belts on while leaving laptops and liquids in bags at more than 200 U.S. airports. CLEAR costs $189 a year and speeds identity verification, not screening itself. Global Entry costs $120 for five years and adds expedited customs processing on arrival from abroad. The right choice depends on how often a traveler flies, whether those trips cross a border, and which airports they use.
The programs overlap but are not interchangeable, and the fee schedule changed in 2025 when TSA adjusted PreCheck pricing for the first time in years. This guide compares what each program actually does at the checkpoint, what membership costs per year, and where the combinations make sense. AGLA News publishes information, not travel or legal advice; fees and eligibility rules change, so confirm current terms with each program before enrolling.
What does TSA PreCheck actually change at the checkpoint?
PreCheck moves a vetted traveler into a separate screening lane where shoes, light jackets and belts stay on, laptops and compliant liquids stay in the bag, and queues move faster because the population is pre-vetted. TSA states that a large majority of PreCheck passengers wait less than 10 minutes in line, and the agency publishes wait-time data by airport. Enrollment requires an in-person appointment: fingerprints, identity documents, and a background check against watchlists. Approval usually arrives within days, and the Known Traveler Number is added to airline reservations so the boarding pass carries the PreCheck indicator.
How is CLEAR different?
CLEAR automates the identity step. A member verifies identity with fingerprints or eyes at a CLEAR pod, and an attendant walks them to the front of the physical screening line — standard or PreCheck. CLEAR does not change what happens to the bag or the body on the belt; it removes the document-check queue that precedes screening. That matters most at the biggest hubs where CLEAR has installed its pods, and matters not at all where it has not. The private company sets its own price, $189 a year as of 2026, with discounts tied to airline and card loyalty programs. Notably, in 2025 TSA directed CLEAR to add biometric re-verification after an identity is confirmed, a reminder that the program operates under federal oversight and its process can change.
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Who needs Global Entry instead of PreCheck?
Anyone arriving in the United States from abroad. Global Entry bundles full PreCheck benefits with expedited entry: members use biometric kiosks at U.S. customs halls instead of the regular CBP queue, and CBP reports members clear in minutes during peak arrivals. The application includes the same TSA PreCheck vetting, so a five-year, $120 membership is the standard advice for anyone with two or more international trips a year. The interview requirement has loosened considerably — CBP's Enrollment on Arrival lets applicants complete the interview during an incoming international flight's arrival process, no separate appointment needed.
What does each program cost per year of use?
- TSA PreCheck: $78 for five years, about $15.60 per year, renewal every five years at a reduced fee.
- CLEAR: $189 per year, single-year pricing; discounts of $100 or more are common through airline and credit-card partnerships.
- Global Entry: $120 for five years, $24 per year, includes PreCheck.
For a domestic-only flyer, PreCheck alone covers the checkpoint. For an international flyer, Global Entry dominates PreCheck at $42 more per five years. CLEAR is a third layer, not a substitute, and only pays off at its covered airports with frequent travel.
Which combination makes sense?
Three profiles cover most travelers. The occasional domestic flyer gains most from PreCheck alone. The international traveler should enroll in Global Entry, which carries PreCheck inside it. The very frequent flyer out of a major hub with CLEAR coverage often layers CLEAR on top of Global Entry for departures, paying roughly $38 per month for the identity fast lane. Compare that spend against the real constraint: PreCheck and Global Entry ration a federal vetting process, while CLEAR rations a commercial queue-jump whose value tracks the length of the line behind it.