danspartan

Very helpful, thanks. I moved and changed jobs 5 years ago in October, so I'm waiting for that anniversary to pass to renew my GE (less to fill out).

I will wait for Clear for when Philly gets it.

Nexpoman

I keep HEARING that Pre-Check lanes are getting worse, too, but the key word here is 'hearing'. I've never actually seen this in real life. In fact, I can recall only a single instance of having to wait more than 5 minutes in a Pre-Check lane (it took about 7 or 8 minutes that one time). Others say that they regularly wait longer. I have no reason to doubt them, but I personally just haven't seen it.

I've honestly wondered if this whole "Pre-Check lanes are now crowded and take a long time" story is being spun by Clear, but I'm not about to make any accusations without direct evidence. Anyhow, I would say save your money if you already have TSA or Global Entry, since I can't imagine how Clear could save you more than 3 to 4 minutes - at most - over Pre-Check, and that's only at the few airports where Clear is available. Others will disagree with me, so it goes without saying that it's worth hearing their side, too.

EDIT: For a well-articulated argument for the other side (i.e., spending your money to get Clear), see Boroxo's responses to two of my questions in this thread from a few months ago

SKOOBDO

So far, I've only used them once. Worth every penny if you're flying out of LAX (Terminal 4) That pre-check line was insane on August 27th late afternoon.

pseudoswede

Fly out of DEN and EWR. DEN is often 40-80 people during normal busy times. EWR was at least a 30-minute wait in the Pre-Check line, and they won't get CLEAR anytime soon.

j.bell

Last Friday at DCA, the DL pier precheck extended at least 20-30 pax past the end of the rope line. I did not stay to see how long it took: there was 0 line for sky priority so I went over there and took off my shoes.

DFWHockeyguy

You obviously do not fly out of DFW. The pre check can be longer than the regular. I have actually used the regular line on occasion. i sent a note to DFW to ask about CLEAR at other terminals besides "E" and was told that there are no plans to expand it to other terminals. That is unfortunate because i sure like it when i can use it!!!

mglvrug

Don't be too jealous of those of us who fly out of E at DFW. Clear is at the security entrance WITHOUT Pre-Check, so you have to choose either Clear OR Pre-Check but not both. What a terrible decision on Clear's part.

Points Scrounger

I found Clear useful today at LAX 6 (AS), if not absolutely necessary as there was a bit of a Pre Check line. Clear agent warned me that TSA may want to see ID, but they just waived me through. TSA staff were more interested in getting the woman in front of me to remove her boots.

gooselee

ATL this evening and CLEAR saved me at least 15 mins judging by the Pre lines snaking out of the glass chute. I had to show my BP to the TSA agent after using the CLEAR kiosk, which was odd...seemed like she was checking to make sure I had Pre indicated.

OTOH, was able to fingerprint my way in to the B Skyclub which was kind of neat.

Points Scrounger

I was told by Clear today that TSA might be "randomly" requesting ID, although in my case they didn't care.

zpaul

Hi all, just want to verify something that seems off to me, but it really could be a CLEAR systems limitation, I guess...

I have a hyphenated last name. Airlines cannot print the hyphen, they simply use a space in its place on boarding passes. This has not kept me from gaining Global Entry/PreCheck, passing through TSA hundreds of times, boarding my flights, and getting through customs/border control in 47+ countries; however, it seems to be a no-go for CLEAR.

I was a member of the original CLEAR before it went OOB and used it with no problem, and now I'm moving back to the States and am trying to enroll again. I have been told that if my passport and boarding pass names don't match (which they don't because of the hyphen that Sabre and Amadeus don't allow) I can't use CLEAR. I'm finding this to be a bit hard to believe because there are a fair number of us with double-barreled last names, and the inability of airlines to include hyphens is a long-standing and well-known issue.

I'm not very confident in the CS responses I've received from them - they seem to be following a script - so I'm thinking about joining (I have a free 6-month offer) and seeing if it will work anyway, but I thought I'd come here and see if there are other CLEAR customers "burdened" with this issue and if it truly is a problem or if you get through free and...well...I really didn't mean to do this...clear. Any thoughts?

christof

Do either of you recall if you had to push continue after selecting "too high"? When I selected "too high", a red spinner popped up, and I was returned to the list with a continue button. I'm just afraid to push continue and have my membership canceled. Thanks!

pseudoswede

If you look at the coded information at the bottom of your passport picture page, you will see there is no hyphen in your last name, either.

Mrs. Swede (and my kids) has a hyphenated last name. Zero problems with CLEAR.

CLEAR had issues with my hyphenated middle name. That was a PITA until I was able to get them to fully remove my middle name, and now I don't need a manual override.

zpaul

Ha, would you look at that! Thanks!

Points Scrounger

Quiet when I went through IAD yesterday afternoon, but I could see Clear being incredibly useful there if it were at all busy. Had to wait at Pre-Check behind two folks and the little dog one was to carry through the metal detector, <deleted by moderator>.