How to Skip the Airport Security Line From Hell Without Paying Full Price

Three Hours Just to Take Off Your Shoes

Airport security lines have become a special kind of misery. Since the partial government shutdown began eating into TSA staffing, wait times at major airports have ballooned — some hitting three hours at peak travel windows. Three hours. You could drive to the next city in that time.

The good news: there are three programs designed specifically to pull you out of that crawling herd — TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and Clear. The better news: you probably don’t have to pay full price for any of them.

TSA PreCheck — The Baseline That Actually Works

TSA PreCheck gives you a Known Traveler Number, which you attach to your frequent flyer profiles. When you check in, a small logo appears on your boarding pass. That logo is your golden ticket to a separate, shorter security lane where you keep your shoes on, leave your laptop in the bag, and don’t fish out your 3-ounce liquids. It moves fast. The TSA’s own data says the vast majority of PreCheck travelers clear security in under ten minutes.

A five-year membership runs $85 through Telos, though renewal pricing drops — $58.75 in person, $69.95 online. Applying through IDEMIA or Clear may get you a lower rate. And despite shutdown anxiety, the program seems to be processing normally. TPG writer Gabrielle Bernardini renewed hers in March 2026 and had her eligibility confirmation in five hours flat.

Global Entry — Two Programs, One Fee

Global Entry is the smarter buy if you travel internationally at all. It costs $120 for five years — $35 more than PreCheck — but it includes PreCheck automatically. You get expedited customs kiosks at over 75 airports worldwide when re-entering the U.S.: a photo snap, a quick confirmation with a CBP agent, and you’re gone. No shuffling through the general arrivals queue after a nine-hour flight.

Because Global Entry confers a Known Traveler Number, you get both programs in one application. If you’re already considering PreCheck, the math for upgrading to Global Entry is obvious — especially when credit cards can wipe out the entire fee.

Clear — The Biometric Fast Lane

Clear works differently from the other two. It’s a private biometric platform — fingerprints and iris scans — that verifies your identity before you even reach the TSA checkpoint. A Clear rep escorts you to the front of the ID check line. If you also have PreCheck, you funnel directly into those dedicated lanes. If you don’t, you still skip the ID queue but go through standard screening after.

Annual Clear+ membership is $209. The bundle deal — applying for both Clear+ and TSA PreCheck simultaneously through Clear’s own portal — runs $288.95, but after approval Clear refunds $79.95 of that. It’s a roundabout discount, but it’s real money back.

Let Your Credit Card Eat the Cost

This is where most travelers leave money on the table. A solid roster of travel credit cards offers up to $120 in statement credits specifically for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees — typically reimbursable every four to five years. That covers PreCheck entirely and takes a meaningful bite out of Global Entry. Check the terms on your specific card, but if you carry any premium travel card, there’s a real chance this benefit is already sitting in your wallet unused.

Fewer cards cover Clear+, but some do — offering up to $209 in statement credits toward the annual fee. American Express also periodically pushes Amex Offers to select cardholders that cover Clear+ outright, so it’s worth checking your account before paying anything. Enrollment required, and auto-renewal terms apply.

Airline Status Changes Everything for Clear

The airline loyalty angle on Clear is underrated. Delta’s Diamond Medallion and Delta 360 members get Clear+ completely free. United Global Services members also pay nothing. Drop down a tier — United Premier 1K, Delta Platinum or Gold Medallion — and you’re looking at reduced rates of $129 to $169 per year. Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards members pay $199 annually, with bonus points thrown in at Silver status and above.

General members of Delta, United, and Alaska still get a modest discount off the standard $209 rate. It’s not glamorous, but $10 off is $10 off, and stacking it with a card credit can bring the net cost to zero. Travelers under 18 ride free with an enrolled adult, and family plans let you add up to three additional adults for $125 each per year.

The Smartest Order of Operations

If you’re starting from scratch: apply for Global Entry first, since it includes PreCheck and costs only $35 more. Use a travel credit card statement credit to cover the $120 fee entirely. Then decide if Clear is worth layering on — if your airline status gets you a discount or your card covers it, the answer is almost certainly yes.

The programs stack well together. Global Entry handles international re-entry. PreCheck handles domestic departures. Clear handles the identity verification bottleneck before you even reach the TSA machines. Together, you’re essentially paying to exit the airport security experience that everyone else is trapped in — and right now, with lines hitting three hours at busy airports, that exit has never been cheaper to buy.