Global Entry vs TSA PreCheck vs CLEAR+ Cost: What Each Covers
Global Entry is $120 for five years and includes PreCheck. PreCheck alone is $79.75 to $85. CLEAR+ is $219 every year. What each one speeds up, and the family math.
Three programs promise a faster airport, and they cost very different amounts. Global Entry is $120 for five years. TSA PreCheck is $79.75 to $85 for five years depending on the enrollment provider. CLEAR+ is $219 a year. They also do different jobs: Global Entry speeds up US customs when you land from abroad and includes PreCheck, PreCheck speeds up the TSA security checkpoint, and CLEAR+ is a private membership for dedicated identity-check lanes. This guide compares the published prices and rules from CBP, TSA, and CLEAR.
The quick answer
- Global Entry: $120, non-refundable, five years, background check plus an in-person interview for first-time enrollment. Includes TSA PreCheck access.
- TSA PreCheck: $79.75 (IDEMIA), $84.95 (CLEAR), or $85.00 (Telos) for five years. Security checkpoint only, no customs benefit.
- CLEAR+: $219 a year. Extra adults are $125 each, up to 3. Children 17 and under come free.
- Per year (our math): PreCheck about $16 to $17, Global Entry $24, CLEAR+ $219.
- Who needs what: CBP itself says Global Entry fits frequent international travelers, and suggests PreCheck plus the free Mobile Passport Control app if you fly abroad less often.
Key facts at a glance
| Global Entry | TSA PreCheck | CLEAR+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | U.S. Customs and Border Protection | TSA, through three enrollment providers | CLEAR, a private company |
| Price | $120 | $79.75 to $85.00 | $219 per year |
| Term | 5 years | 5 years | 1 year |
| What it speeds up | Customs on arrival in the US, plus PreCheck | TSA security screening | Identity check at CLEAR+ Lanes |
| Includes PreCheck | Yes | Not applicable | No; CLEAR also sells PreCheck enrollment separately |
| Enrollment | In-person interview for first-time enrollment | In-person visit for fingerprints and photo | Ages 18 and up, with an accepted photo ID such as a REAL ID-compliant license |
| Children | Free with a parent already in or applying | 17 and under join an adult in the PreCheck lane | 17 and under free with a member |
Global Entry: $120, and PreCheck is included
CBP’s Global Entry page sums it up: “The application fee is $120, and membership lasts for five years. All applicants must undergo a background check.” Its list of benefits includes TSA PreCheck access, which is why Global Entry members do not need a separate PreCheck membership.
The application page adds the rules that matter before you pay:
- Every applicant needs their own Trusted Traveler Programs account, regardless of age.
- The $120 is due when you submit, by credit card or bank transfer, and “The fee is non-refundable, even if an application is denied.”
- If CBP conditionally approves the application, you schedule an interview, one per applicant. In-person interviews are required for first-time enrollment, and CBP also offers Enrollment on Arrival and Enrollment on Departure at participating airports instead of an enrollment center appointment.
- Bring a valid passport and one other ID, or a machine-readable permanent resident card if you are a lawful permanent resident.
For families, the main Global Entry page notes that “Minors are free with a parent already in or applying for Global Entry.” CBP’s own guidance on fit is direct: “Global Entry is the perfect program for frequent international or business travelers.” For everyone else it suggests “TSA PreCheck and using the free Mobile Passport Control app.”
TSA PreCheck: $79.75 to $85 for the checkpoint only
TSA’s PreCheck page promises “five years of benefits for $85 or less” and lists the three enrollment providers with their prices: IDEMIA at $79.75, CLEAR at $84.95, and Telos at $85.00. You start the application online and finish in person, where the provider checks documents, takes fingerprints and a photo, and collects payment. Children 17 and under can join an adult in the PreCheck lane for free.
PreCheck covers the TSA security checkpoint only. TSA describes the benefit as keeping electronics and 3-1-1 liquids in your bag and shoes, belts, and light jackets on, and says about 99% of PreCheck passengers wait less than 10 minutes. It does nothing at customs. Renewal prices differ from enrollment prices; our PreCheck renewal cost guide lists all six.
CLEAR+: $219 a year for its own lanes
CLEAR’s CLEAR+ page lists the membership at $219 a year, with access to over 150 CLEAR+ Lanes across 62 airports. Its family terms: “Add up to 3 adults for $219 $125 each” and children 17 and under come along free. Military service members and government employees can join for $125 a year.
CLEAR+ is not a government program and does not replace PreCheck. CLEAR’s own page says “CLEAR+ can also be used with TSA PreCheck® for the fastest way to your gate”, meaning the two stack: CLEAR+ handles the identity check lane, and PreCheck changes the screening that follows. TSA’s line applies to everyone either way: “All travelers will be screened, and no individual is guaranteed expedited screening.”
CLEAR is also one of TSA’s three PreCheck enrollment providers. TSA’s page prints CLEAR’s offer of a one-time code to join CLEAR+ for $134 after a new PreCheck enrollment, described as the price of CLEAR+ minus the cost of TSA PreCheck. That works out to $219 minus $84.95 (our math), so the bundle is CLEAR+ at full price with PreCheck folded in.
The five-year math
Per traveler, over the same five years (our math, at today’s published prices):
| Option | Five-year cost | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| TSA PreCheck (IDEMIA) | $79.75 | About $16 |
| TSA PreCheck (Telos) | $85.00 | $17 |
| Global Entry | $120 | $24 |
| CLEAR+ alone | $1,095 | $219 |
| Global Entry plus CLEAR+ | $1,215 | $243 |
For a household of two adults and two children: PreCheck through IDEMIA is $159.50 for five years, since the children ride free in the lane with an adult. Global Entry is $240, with the minors free alongside a parent. CLEAR+ for the same family is $219 plus $125, or $344 every year (our math).
Two practical points follow. Global Entry costs about $35 to $40 more than PreCheck over five years and includes it, so for anyone with even occasional international trips, that difference is the whole price of the customs benefit. And CLEAR+ is an annual cost layered on top of either program, so its value depends entirely on whether your home airports have CLEAR+ Lanes.
Where the documents disagree
CBP describes Global Entry processing two ways. The main page says “Most applications are reviewed within 2 weeks while some can take up to 12 months or longer depending on criminal history.” The application page says “80% of applications are approved within 2 weeks”. Plan on the slower end if you are applying for a specific trip, and check the passport timeline too: our passport renewal guide covers the 4 to 6 week routine processing time.
Bottom line
If you leave the country even occasionally, Global Entry at $120 for five years is the broadest option because it includes PreCheck. If you only fly domestically, PreCheck at $79.75 to $85 for five years covers the checkpoint. CLEAR+ at $219 a year is a separate private add-on that works alongside either, worth it only where your airports have its lanes. Before paying for any of them, check whether a credit card covers the fee, and remember that the Global Entry fee is not refunded if you are denied. Already a member? Renewal opens a year early, as our Global Entry renewal guide explains. A Global Entry card also counts as TSA-accepted ID, as our REAL ID and ConfirmID guide explains. The other per-trip cost is bags; see our checked bag fee comparison.
Prices and rules verified against CBP’s Global Entry pages, TSA’s PreCheck page, and CLEAR’s CLEAR+ page as of October 12, 2026. Prices can change; each program’s official page is current.