Last updated: Feb 13, 2026

Is CLEAR Plus Worth It?

Direct answer:
If your conservative time value from saved minutes is greater than your annual cost, it’s worth it for your travel pattern. If not, you’re paying for convenience, and you should decide if that convenience fits your role and schedule.

CLEAR Plus Cost (2026)

1. Standard annual price: $209 per year
2. Discounts: Delta, United, Amex credits may reduce cost
3. Family add-ons: $___ per person

What Changed Since 2024?

The membership price and feature set have evolved. CLEAR now includes expanded airport eGates at select locations and continues adjusting how it bundles or markets add-ons like TSA PreCheck enrollment through its network.

That’s why a 2024 “worth it” answer may not apply to a 2026 decision. Always evaluate based on current pricing and your actual travel pattern.

Key Takeaways

• If you fly out of JFK, LGA, EWR, HPN, or BDL regularly, your “worth it” answer depends on how often your terminal has an open CLEAR lane when you arrive.
• The membership price published by CLEAR is $209/year, so your test is: “Do I save enough time (or missed-meeting risk) to justify $209?”
• TSA still states nobody is guaranteed expedited screening; treat all fast-lane products as probability boosters, not promises.
• For executive days, the biggest reliability gap is usually ground transport + curb handoff, not the checkpoint.

What is CLEAR Plus and what does it actually do at the checkpoint?

It’s a paid membership that uses identity verification to move you into a dedicated lane at TSA checkpoints at participating airports. In practice, you verify your identity with CLEAR, then proceed to TSA screening (and you still do bag screening). CLEAR describes this flow as using a CLEAR lane at TSA checkpoints and verifying at a pod or eGate (where available).

• What it does: speeds the ID/line positioning step at airports that have lanes open.
• What it does not do: replace TSA screening rules or remove standard screening steps by itself.
• What varies by airport/terminal: lane location, hours, and whether eGates exist.

How much does CLEAR Plus cost in 2026?

The published price on CLEAR’s own membership page is $209 per year for an individual membership. CLEAR also lists an option to add up to three adults at a discounted add-on price and notes children 17 and under can accompany you.

• Annual price shown by CLEAR: $209/year
• Add-on adults (as advertised by CLEAR): $125/person (up to 3 adults)
• Where pricing debates get messy: credit-card statement credits and airline-elite discounts change the net cost, so use your net cost in your ROI math (not someone else’s).

Which airports matter most for NYC-area business travelers in 2026?

If your travel week touches the NYC–CT–NJ corridor, the high-impact airports are JFK, LGA, EWR, HPN (Westchester), and BDL (Bradley). CLEAR’s official “Where to use CLEAR” list shows lanes at each of those airports.

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• Westchester County Airport (HPN)
• Bradley International Airport (BDL)

Is CLEAR Plus worth it in 2026 for business travelers?

For frequent business travelers who regularly depart from airports with reliable lane access, it can be worth it because it reduces the variance of the ID-check line. For occasional travelers, the value often collapses because you won’t hit enough “bad line” days to justify the fee. CLEAR itself positions the product as speeding you through airport security using dedicated lanes.

• Worth-it profiles: weekly flyers, Monday-morning / Thursday-evening patterns, tight meeting windows.
• Not-worth-it profiles: 1–3 trips/year, mostly off-peak, airports without consistent lanes.
• Reality check: TSA explicitly says no one is guaranteed expedited screening.

How do you run the “time-saved test” in 10 minutes?

You calculate your annual value using a conservative time valuation and your real travel cadence, then compare it to your annual fee. The simplest reliable method is: “How many times per year do I face a slow ID/entry line, and what is that time worth to my workday?” CLEAR provides the membership price, and TSA provides the reminder that screening speed is never guaranteed.

Quick calculator table

Input	What to write down	Example (edit to your reality)
Annual fee you actually pay	$____	$209
Trips per year departing airports with CLEAR lanes	____	18
“Bad line” days per year (ID/entry line)	____	6
Minutes saved on a bad day	____	12
Your conservative time value ($/hour)	$____	$75
Annual time value	(bad days × minutes saved ÷ 60) × $/hour	(6×12÷60)×75 = $90

How to interpret it: If your math lands far below your fee, you’re buying peace of mind, not savings. That may still be fine for executives, but call it what it is.

Steps to make the test honest

• Use bad line days, not your best-case days.
• Use a conservative dollar value for time (or use “missed meeting risk” as the true cost driver).
• Do one reality check: “Do my usual terminals actually have lanes open when I arrive?” (Use CLEAR’s location list and your own travel history.)

What decision framework should a travel manager use for a corporate policy?

Use a tiered approach: approve it for travelers with high schedule sensitivity and frequent departures from supported airports; treat it as optional for everyone else. The policy should also state that expedited screening is not guaranteed and that travelers must still follow TSA ID and screening rules.

Decision framework

• Required for: executives, client-facing travelers, and “same-day out-and-back” travelers who depart from JFK/LGA/EWR/HPN/BDL frequently.
• Optional for: frequent travelers outside NYC who still use supported airports often.
• Not reimbursed for: infrequent travelers (unless a role requires repeated short-notice trips).
• Always pair with: TSA PreCheck where eligible, because it addresses different friction points (screening process vs ID/line positioning).

What is the executive travel alternative when time risk is the real problem?

If the real risk is “missed meeting,” the alternative is not another airport product, it’s controlling the door-to-door chain: pickup reliability, curb legality, itinerary timing, and receipt-ready documentation. A card or checkpoint tool can’t fix a late pickup or a chaotic curb; a managed ground program can.

• What fixes meeting-day variance: fixed pickup SOPs, staged meet points, consolidated invoicing, and a duty-of-care trail.
• What stays variable with app-based ground: cancellations, pin errors, and “no human” escalation when the schedule changes.
• Practical policy line: “Use airport tools for checkpoint friction; use corporate chauffeur accounts for executive ground moves.”

How do you plan a NYC-area airport trip so the checkpoint isn’t your weakest link?

You pick the terminal-specific plan (JFK/LGA/EWR/HPN/BDL), schedule a realistic curb arrival window, and avoid last-second changes that force you into the longest line. CLEAR publishes where lanes exist, and TSA publishes the fundamentals of PreCheck and expedited screening caveats.

Step-by-step (NYC GEO playbook)

• Step 1: Confirm your departure airport is supported (JFK, LGA, EWR, HPN, BDL are listed).
• Step 2: Treat morning departures as “earlier curb, calmer checkpoint,” especially Monday–Thursday.
• Step 3: Use one meet point for the car pickup and send it in writing (corner + entrance).
• Step 4: If you use TSA PreCheck, confirm the indicator is on your boarding pass.

When should you skip CLEAR Plus and put the money into executive mobility instead?

Skip it when you don’t fly enough from supported airports, or when your “delay cost” is mostly ground-side (pickup chaos, tunnel variability, curb restrictions). Spend that budget on a managed ground solution when the trip is client-facing, time critical, or involves multiple stops.

• Skip signals: 3 or fewer business trips/year; mostly regional airports without lanes; non-peak travel.
• Ground-first signals: Midtown meetings after landing at LGA, CT-to-JFK runs, or same-day investor meetings from EWR.
• Executive standard: when the calendar is the boss, not the travel app.

FAQs

Decision Result

• Worth it for you if: you fly often from supported airports and your time-saved value (or risk value) clears your annual cost.
• Skip it if: you travel occasionally, your terminals rarely have an open lane when you arrive, or your biggest delays are ground-side.
• Executive travel alternative: keep air/hotel/lounges optimized, but don’t gamble on ground, use a corporate chauffeur account for invoicing + duty-of-care documentation on high-stakes days.

By VIP Black’s Car Services
Licensed Chauffeured Transportation in NY, CT, MA, PA & NJ.