TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry vs CLEAR

TSA PreCheck gets you a shorter security line where shoes, belts, and laptops stay put, for around $78 to $85 over five years. Global Entry costs around $120 for five years, includes PreCheck, and adds fast-lane US customs when you fly home from abroad. CLEAR is different: a private membership around $189 per year that walks you to the front of the security line but does not change the screening itself. Check current pricing before you apply, fees change.

TSA PreCheck: the domestic workhorse

PreCheck is the Transportation Security Administration's trusted traveler program for airport security. Approved members use a dedicated PreCheck lane at more than 200 US airports and keep shoes, belts, and light jackets on. Laptops and compliant liquids stay in the bag. The lane moves faster because every person in it is doing less, and TSA reports that most PreCheck passengers wait under 10 minutes.

Enrollment is the easiest of the three. You apply online, then finish with a roughly 10-minute in-person visit for fingerprints and an ID check. Enrollment centers are common, including many staffed locations inside airports and retail stores, and most applicants are approved within a few days. The fee is around $78 to $85 for five years depending on the enrollment provider; check current pricing, fees change.

One thing PreCheck does not do: it does not change what you can bring. The 3-1-1 liquids rule applies in the PreCheck lane exactly as it does everywhere else; the difference is that the bag stays in your case. Our carry-on liquid limits guide covers the rule in full.

How long is TSA PreCheck good for?

Five years from approval. You can renew online starting six months before expiration, and online renewal is cheaper than a new enrollment, typically around $70; check current pricing, fees change. Renewal usually requires no in-person visit unless your details have changed. Put the expiration date in your calendar, because the KTN simply stops working when it lapses and the first place you find out is usually the check-in screen.

Global Entry: PreCheck plus customs

Global Entry is run by US Customs and Border Protection, and the value is in the name: expedited entry into the United States when you return from abroad. Instead of the regular passport control line, you use a Global Entry kiosk or the newer facial-recognition portals, which typically takes a minute or two. Every Global Entry member also gets full TSA PreCheck benefits, so it is effectively PreCheck with an international layer on top.

The cost is around $120 for five years, and since standalone PreCheck runs around $78 to $85, the international coverage costs roughly $35 more over five years. Check current pricing, fees change. That math is why most advisors point international travelers straight to Global Entry, even occasional ones. One international trip in five years pays for the difference in saved time.

The catch is enrollment. Global Entry requires a background check and an in-person interview, and interview appointments at enrollment centers have had long backlogs, sometimes months in busy cities. Two workarounds help. First, conditional approval: once your application is conditionally approved, some airports offer Enrollment on Arrival, which lets you complete the interview when you land from an international trip, no appointment needed. Second, appointment slots open up from cancellations, so checking the scheduler regularly often finds something sooner.

CLEAR: the line skip

CLEAR is not a government program. It is a private company that verifies your identity with your eyes or fingerprints at a kiosk, then escorts you past the ID-check queue to the front of the screening line. It operates at enrolled airports, which include most large US hubs, plus many stadiums and arenas.

Two things matter here. CLEAR does not replace screening; you still go through the scanner with everyone else, in whichever lane you qualify for. And CLEAR stacks with PreCheck: members with both get walked to the front of the PreCheck lane, which is the fastest combination available at a US checkpoint. The list price is around $189 per year, but few frequent flyers pay it. Airline elite status discounts and travel credit card statement credits are common; check current pricing, fees change.

CLEAR earns its fee at big congested hubs where even the PreCheck line backs up at peak hours. At smaller airports where security takes five minutes anyway, it does very little.

Side by side

Program	Approx cost	Term	What it speeds up
TSA PreCheck	$78 to $85	5 years	Security screening (dedicated lane, less to remove)
Global Entry	$120	5 years	US customs re-entry, plus everything PreCheck does
CLEAR	$189 per year	Annual	The wait to reach screening (front of line)

All figures are approximate; check current pricing on each program's site, fees change.

Which one should you get?

The decision is simpler than the three-way comparison suggests:

• You fly domestic two or more times a year: get TSA PreCheck. It pays for itself in saved time and lower stress almost immediately, and five years of coverage costs less than a checked-bag fee per year.
• You take any international trips: get Global Entry instead. It includes PreCheck for roughly $35 more over five years, and the customs line it skips is often longer than any security line. There is no scenario where flying internationally and holding only PreCheck makes sense on price.
• You hate lines and fly from big congested hubs: add CLEAR on top. It solves the one wait PreCheck cannot, the queue to reach the checkpoint, and the combination of CLEAR plus PreCheck is the closest thing to walking straight to the scanner.

If you fly once a year from a small airport, none of these are necessary. The standard line at an uncrowded airport is not a problem worth $120 to solve.

Credit cards often cover the fee

Many travel credit cards reimburse the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee as a statement credit, typically once every four to five years, which matches the membership term. If you carry any card with an annual fee and a travel focus, check its benefits page before paying out of pocket; there is a fair chance the fee is already covered. CLEAR discounts and credits also appear on several airline and travel cards. We do not recommend specific cards, but paying full price without checking is leaving money on the table.

Traveling with kids

The programs treat children differently. With TSA PreCheck, children 12 and under can use the PreCheck lane free when traveling with an enrolled parent or guardian, no enrollment needed. Teenagers 13 to 17 can join on the same reservation when the PreCheck indicator appears on their boarding pass. Global Entry has no free-child provision: every traveler needs their own membership, including infants, because customs processes each person individually. Families who travel internationally should budget for a membership per person; check current pricing, fees change.

Common questions

Does PreCheck guarantee a short line?

No. The PreCheck lane is usually faster, but at peak times in big hubs it develops its own queue, and a few smaller airports close the dedicated lane during slow hours. PreCheck members still clear faster in a shared lane because they keep shoes on and bags packed. This is the gap CLEAR is designed to fill.

Do these programs change carry-on rules?

No. Size limits, the liquids rule, and prohibited items are identical in every lane. PreCheck changes how you are screened, not what you can bring. Bag rules live with the airline, and our carry-on basics guide covers what counts and what flies.

Do I still need a TSA lock?

Trusted traveler status has no effect on baggage inspection. Checked bags can still be opened by TSA regardless of your membership, which is where TSA-recognized locks come in. Our TSA locks guide explains what they do and do not protect.

Can I have all three?

Yes, and frequent international flyers from major hubs often do: Global Entry for customs and PreCheck, CLEAR for the front of the line. Holding Global Entry and standalone PreCheck together is pointless, though, since Global Entry already includes it.

The other half of a fast airport day

Trusted traveler programs fix the lines. The other variable is the bag. A carry-on built to standard cabin sizing boards without a gate check, and frame latches with no zippers open flat in seconds if a bag check does happen. The TALO Cabin is built exactly for that trip: ribbed anodized aluminum, TSA-approved latches, silent spinner wheels, and a lifetime service promise on the parts that move. See The Cabin.