What is the difference between TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and CLEAR?

TSA PreCheck is a Department of Homeland Security program giving expedited screening at domestic airport checkpoints, meaning you keep shoes, belt, and light jacket on and leave laptops and compliant liquids in your bag. Global Entry is a Customs and Border Protection program that expedites entry into the United States when arriving from abroad, using kiosks or facial comparison instead of the standard immigration line, and it includes PreCheck as part of the benefit. Both require an application, a background check, and an in-person interview, and both are valid for five years.

Because Global Entry costs only modestly more than PreCheck and includes it, Global Entry is the better purchase for anyone who leaves the country even occasionally. Many travel credit cards reimburse the application fee for either, which makes the effective cost zero for cardholders and is one of the more reliably used card benefits. Appointment availability for interviews has been a persistent bottleneck, though enrollment on arrival at many airports lets you complete the interview when returning from an international trip without a separate appointment.

CLEAR is a different thing and is frequently misunderstood. It is a private company, not a government program, and it verifies your identity biometrically so you skip the document-check line, after which you still go through physical screening, either the standard lane or the PreCheck lane if you also have PreCheck. It costs substantially more annually, operates only at participating airports and venues, and delivers the most value at large airports where the ID line is the actual bottleneck. Two further notes: children under a certain age can generally accompany a PreCheck parent without their own membership, and PreCheck benefits appear only when your Known Traveler Number is entered in the reservation, which is the most common reason people pay and then do not receive it.