Does TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or CLEAR pay for itself for how often I fly?

What the three are

TSA PreCheck is a TSA program. It works only with participating airlines. TSA says no individual is guaranteed expedited screening (tsa.gov, 2026-10-18).

Global Entry is a program of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that includes PreCheck. It also speeds the way back into the US, though members can still be pulled aside (cbp.gov, 2026-10-18).

CLEAR+ is a private company's yearly plan. It checks who you are so, CLEAR says, you reach the front of the screening line, then you still go through TSA screening. It is offered only at some airports and terminals, so check the ones you use (clearme.com, 2026-10-18). CLEAR also enrolls people in PreCheck, a different product from CLEAR+, at the $84.95 in the sources table.

Children. TSA says children 12 and under can use the PreCheck lane with you, and teens 13 to 17 only when the PreCheck mark prints on their own boarding pass. CBP waives the Global Entry fee for a minor whose parent or guardian is enrolled or has applied, and CLEAR+ lets children under 18 use its lane free with a member. This page counts no fee for children.

New York. After conditional approval, the Global Entry interview is at a CBP enrollment center (CBP's New York list includes Bowling Green in Manhattan, JFK Terminal 4, Niagara Falls, Champlain, Alexandria Bay and Ogdensburg) or on landing from abroad at an airport that offers Enrollment on Arrival (CBP lists Buffalo Niagara and JFK). Bring a passport and proof of residency. For PreCheck, use TSA's locator. Centers, hours and appointments change.

Not counted

Your time to enroll: an online form and a short visit, plus an interview for Global Entry. The chance a lane is closed or you are pulled out of it. A card's own yearly fee. Tax. Interest on the money. Comfort or stress. CLEAR's first-year bundle with PreCheck ($134 on tsa.gov, 2026-10-18). If PreCheck or CLEAR+ is not offered where you fly, enter 0 minutes.

How this estimates

Hours saved on a round trip are the checks times the minutes saved at each, over 60. Global Entry adds the share of trips that end abroad times its passport-control minutes. Time worth is hours saved times the value of an hour, for every adult counted, over the years.

PreCheck and Global Entry are paid up front and again at the start of year 6 and 11. CLEAR+ is paid every year. A card credit comes off each payment, never below $0. Renewals and CLEAR+ rise by the yearly rise, with no discounting. Net is time worth minus fees. Within $5 of doing nothing is called about break-even. Break-even trips is the fees over what one more round trip a year is worth.

Sources and date checked

Each row of the table shows when its source was read or tried. Prices vary, so check the official page. The table holds examples, not quotes. tsa.gov and cbp.gov refused direct requests, so their figures are marked "summary read" (a page reader that summarizes pages). A page that did not open is marked "not opened" in the table. Which airports have CLEAR, the minutes CLEAR+ or passport control saves, and any card's credit terms are unverified. No screen reader has been run on this page.

CLEAR+ is a private company's service. The dollar figures here are your inputs times its published prices, not a recommendation. No referral or affiliate links. Not advice. An estimate from the numbers you typed, not an offer.