My company paid for me to try out CLEAR for a year. Signing up on the website was fast and easy and the questions were not intrusive at all. In fact, I have filled out credit applications that required a lot more information. After your application is approved on the website, you have to stop by one of the CLEAR kiosk in a participating airport to finish the process. There your fingerprints and iris are scanned and the whole procedure takes about 10 minutes. Two weeks later you get your CLEAR card after they do the security check. I tried out my CLEAR card on two trips through SFO domestic last week. The first trip was on Wednesday morning and the security lines were not crowded so I don't think it was any difference in speed going through security. You enter through a dedicated CLEAR channel and you still have to show your picture I.D. , boarding pass, and CLEAR card. The you step up to a machine to have your iris scanned. Once the machine confirmed your identity, you move over to a table where you still have to take your laptop and plastic baggie out of your carry-on. You also have to remove your shoes. One of the CLEAR personnel than take your tray to the front of the security line and put it on the conveyor belt for the Xray machine. Net effect is that you get to cut through the line of everybody waiting to put their carry-on through the scanner. The second time I used the CLEAR channel was Friday afternoon. SFO was busy and the UAL Premier security line was packed with people. I got through security in the same time as my first trip 2 days before but this time it clearly saved me 15 or more minutes. So my answer for the OP is that if you travel at busy times through airports with the program, CLEAR membership is definitely an advantage. My home airports of LAX and BUR do not have the CLEAR program so I don't know what my eventual advantage would be but I connect frequently through SFO and I like to go outside security for a smoke between flights so I can see it working for me at busy times.