TRAVELMillions Still Pay $199 a Year for CLEAR But Is It Finally Breaking Down5 min read
The ID Check That Broke the Promise
In July 2023, TSA announced it would begin randomly selecting a higher number of CLEAR members to show valid ID. The backlash was immediate and loud. CLEAR members had paid specifically to not do that. A spokesperson said the rate was based on factors outside the company’s control. TSA confirmed it sets the random rate and requires CLEAR to administer it as a security measure.
Reports from frequent travelers stacked up fast. One person said they’d been hit with a random ID check all 12 times they’d used CLEAR that year. Another noted that at Tulsa International, the PreCheck line was nearly always faster except during Monday morning peak hours — and that a CLEAR agent once just pointed them toward PreCheck because the machines had no staff.
“I’ve never once saved any meaningful time with CLEAR vs. PreCheck. Maybe it’s five minutes, but I’m really struggling to see the point.”
The NextGen Rollout Made Things Worse Before Better
CLEAR’s answer to the ID check controversy was NextGen Identity+, a TSA-mandated upgrade it began rolling out in August 2023 to address security vulnerabilities in the older system. The upgrade made facial recognition the primary biometric — eventually, members wouldn’t need to stop at a pod at all. In theory, a genuine improvement.
In practice, the rollout created its own headaches. Members reported being asked to show ID multiple times after completing the reverification process. CLEAR maintained that these were separate incidents: random ID checks controlled by TSA on one hand, the one-time NextGen re-enrollment step on the other. Travelers weren’t always buying the distinction, especially when the outcome looked identical — someone in a blue shirt asking to see your driver’s license.
By late August, more than 95% of CLEAR members had completed the NextGen upgrade, according to the company. The “Clear Lane of the Future” — seamless face-scan entry with no pod stop — is being rolled out across 2024. Whether that future arrives smoothly is a different question. The gap between what CLEAR promises and what travelers experience at specific airports on specific mornings remains wide.