It Just Got More Expensive to Add a Traveler to Your Clear Account

Members can add up to three additional users at a discounted rate, but the fee has now increased from $70 to $99 per adult.

Clear has quietly increased the price of its family membership rate when tacking on additional users — just before the upcoming holiday travel period.

At $189 per year, Clear Plus is by far the most expensive airport security service. Members can add up to three additional users at a discounted rate, but the fee has now increased from $70 to $99 per adult.

“As we continue investing in the Clear Plus experience, we've updated our pricing for the family membership to $99 per year — $8.25 per month,” Clear wrote in a statement shared with T+L. “This will ensure friends and family members can continue to access all the same great benefits — a faster, easier, and more secure travel experience — that we provide to primary account holders. Clear is obsessed with our Member experience, and as we transition our Members to NextGen Identity+, we will begin rolling out new technologies that will deliver a superior travel experience – expanding to more airports and providing more value to our Members.”

Fortunately, children under 18 traveling with Clear Plus members remain free. 

While it’s still cheaper to open a family plan rather than enroll in individual memberships, Clear’s latest rate increase means it can cost close to $500 in annual membership fees to use the program.

With dedicated lanes at more than 50 airports nationwide, Clear can help frequent road warriors save time at busy terminals, which can be a game-changer during busy travel periods like the upcoming holiday season.

Clear uses biometric scanning technology to allow travelers to skip the ID verification process and beeline straight to the front of the line at airport security. In contrast, TSA PreCheck reduced its enrollment fee last year and now costs just $78 for the five-year membership period. However, TSA PreCheck is available at more airports than Clear — with more than 200 across the country — but it’s a slightly different program allowing pre-cleared members to keep their liquids, shoes, and laptops in their bags at separate security lanes.

There are still plenty of ways to save on a Clear membership rather than enrolling through the company’s site directly. Cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Green Card offer statement credits for Clear — up to $189 per year — that offsets the annual rate for an individual membership.

Airlines like Delta and United have partnered with Clear to offer membership discounts for its loyalty program members, which is free to sign up. Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus members can enjoy a $10 discount, with even greater discounts for its most elite status holders.  

For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.