diburning

Is it just me or is CLEAR's operation a bit.... loose?

I was referred for a CLEAR trial (because it was a referral, it was 3 months long). I ended up cancelling before it ended because I wanted to sign up with the elite discount (offered to United and Delta mid tier elites) and I had a half off cashback offer from Amex (making CLEAR only $55 for me). So, I cancelled it, and immediately re-subscribed. They charged me the $109 (of which Amex promptly credited $55).

Then came the oddities. They charged me 11 dollars and change. No idea why. I called them and they had no idea why. They refunded me. Then, later, I was charged 50 cents. The charge cleared (no pun intended). Still no idea why. I let it go because it wasn't worth it to call over 50 cents.

Then, I checked the hours on the website. DCA South Checkpoint is on the website as closing at 9PM. It was already closed when I went by at 8:30PM. I sent them an email letting them know which airport and checkpoint it was, and that if the hours had changed, that they should update their website. I received a response asking for the same information that I had already provided. So I provided it again. Their response? Sorry for the inconvenience, here's a free month.

A month later, I went through the same checkpoint at the same time (DCA south checkpoint, 8:30PM). And like last time, it was closed and everyone was gone. The website still says 9PM.

Has CLEAR always been this bad about things like this?

sxpsxpsxp

Funny, but I had the same experience with DCA last month. The TSA agents told me that it closes at 8pm, even though it does say 9pm on the Clear website. I emailed them about it, and they very promptly responded that it should be open until 9 and that they would follow up.

Not that I needed it -- when I showed up, I was the only passenger there. It was me and a bunch of TSA agents.

BirdLawyer

Slightly different, but a data point none the less. I enrolled wearing glasses. My iris scan NEVER worked wearing contacts. Luckily I mostly traveled in glasses, but contacts seemed to make iris completely useless. In the little over a year since Lasik iris has worked every time.

diburning

My iris scan worked 0 times out of 6 today and so I gave up and used the fingerprints.

lairdb

I'm trying to figure out the best stack. I have never signed up for Clear; nor has P2. I'm aware of

• HOLIDAY6M (from the wiki)
• UBER75 (numerous reports; I think it's still out there)
• the Platinum Card credit
• the United/Delta discount

Assuming I can't get both, UBER75 is probably better than HOLIDAY6M.

I *think* I can

• enroll myself using UBER75,
• give the Platinum card info,
• attach my Delta number for the discount,
• then add P2 for a net of $189 cost (which AX will cover).

Is that the right order? (Or do I need to add the Delta number earlier somehow?) Can I do any better?

Edit: many blog comments suggest you can't stack the Delta/United and the promo codes -- but if anyone has figured it out, it'll be the FT gang.

Edit: HOLIDAY6M appears dead. BWI2MTRY or 2FREE may be worth 2 free months.

Did some quick testing in an anonymous browser, and I don't see a way to stack the Uber offer. I think the optimum path for AX Plat holders may be: Sign up using a free-X-months offer; during the free period, enter the Delta/United info to activate that discount; after the free period the charge "should" be the discounted amount.

Thanks; open to feedback/datapoints.

lairdb

Did this today, pretty much as described. When I first enrolled, it indicated me+P2 = $249, which would be charged 2 months out (27 Nov.) I then did the procedure to create a password, and I signed into the account. The $249 to be charged ("renewed") on 27 Nov. was shown. I entered my Delta FFN. It was accepted, with a note that my new amount would be $179, and it might take a little while to be shown. (Billing details still showed $249 so far.)

Signed in again about an hour later, and the billing details pane had updated to $179 to be charged on 27 Nov.

tl;dr: Could not stack UBER75, FF discount, and AX Plat -- but could stack 2 free months with FF discount and AX Plat.

diburning

Same thing happed. Clear website says 4:30AM. At 4:45 AM, not a single Clear employee in sight. On my return, once again, 8:30PM, Clear website says 9PM. Everyone already picked up and went home.

I sent them a polite email letting them know that Clear is not open the hours that the website says.

Their response? They didn't respond, they just sent me a survey asking about my experience with contacting them.

Am I supposed to give them a bad survey to get them to respond?

jimdarcy

Is the Clear line that connects to pre closest to level 3 door 2?

Points Scrounger

Yes

diburning

I gave them a bad survey last week and still no response. I'm definitely not renewing. If Clear isn't going to be open during "road warrior" hours, then it's useless to me.

paule123

A few months ago I submitted a survey complaining about inadequate staffing at the Clear checkpoint and received a response the next day from a local agent.

EasternTraveler

I think CLEAR is going out of business. In ATL last week on two different departures, the CLEAR+Pre-Check line was taking over forty minutes. Jump out and go through TSA Pre-Check only in seven minutes. Look back and see only one employee holding the whole thing up. WHY DO I WANT TO PAY FOR CLEAR?

Zorak

You don't want to pay for CLEAR. You want to let your credit cards pay for you, or get it free via elite status.

And for the slightly different question of why would you ever want to use CLEAR, well, because using it isn't mandatory, and there are other airports besides ATL where it can be slightly useful.

But I agree in that I'm not sure I see how it's a sustainable enterprise... as long as I keep getting it for free though I'll use it when it makes sense.

seawolf

CLEAR ATL has been slower than Pre even pre-COVID.

diburning

Just realize that CLEAR's business model restricts their growth in existing markets, so, they will (and already have) need to raise prices to "grow." Their entire business model revolves around exclusivity, and if their customer base gets too large, they aren't as exclusive anymore. So, ideally, they'll want less customers paying more, and if credit cards continue to pay for it as a benefit, they don't have to care about things like providing good customer service, since "retail" customers (people who actually pay for it out of pocket) like myself are probably in the minority and will be culled soon, and those who get it for "free" as a benefit will put up with their shortcomings because they're not paying for it directly.