It can also be read in Spanish.

Do not show this message again

The choices and opinions below are based on independent testing by our editors. Please note that CNET may receive a portion of the revenue if you buy or subscribe to anything featured on our site.

Detailed studies will follow, but here’s the Express version of TSA PreCheck vs Global entry vs clear.

Global login is the best overall option. One CNET writer once called it “the best $ 100 I’ve ever spent” – and the first time you use it, you’ll agree. Global entry folds in all the benefits of TSA Pre-much faster and less invasive TSA security checks – and adds Express lines through customs and immigration on the way back to the U.S. from international airports and destinations. If you have a passport, this is the one to get.

TSA Pre is the best option if you don’t have a passport. If you’re only traveling domestically, TSA Pre will make flying a much less onerous process. But if you take at least one international trip or head to one international airport in the next five years, you’ll be kicking yourself if you don’t pay $ 15 extra for global entry.

We do not recommend Clear at the current price. The base price of Clear just feels prohibitively high. That’s nearly $ 200 a year, compared to just $ 20 for global entry. And that application fee doesn’t buy you faster TSA PreCheck security checks, so you’ll probably still want to invest in Global login or TSA Pre anyway. Without falling prices or extended service levels, Clear just doesn’t seem to be worth it. However…

Clear Sports stands for sports fans and concerts in some cities. No, it has nothing to do with airports or travel. But the free Clear tier, called Clear Sports, will give you expedited entry to 19 stadiums across the country. If you live in one of the cities in which it is offered – and you are OK with Clear with your biometric data – this free service is worth checking out.

And, as you might suspect: If you’re a real stickler for privacy, you can skip all of them.

Do you want to dive deeper into each of them? Read more.

With more than 7 million members, TSA PreCheck is the most popular of the expedited airport security screening programs. It’s run by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and lets you use special TSA PreCheck security lines at the airport instead of fighting your way through the main security lines with everyone else. In addition to the shorter security lines, the screening itself is expedited because you don’t need to remove your shoes or laptop, among other items, when going through a TSA PreCheck checkpoint. According to the TSA, 92 percent of TSA PreCheck members waited less than five minutes for screening this past May.

Any frequent flyer in the US. To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. In addition, children of TSA PreCheck members 12 and younger can go through the TSA PreCheck line with their parents.

Not only will the line at TSA PreCheck probably be shorter than what you’ll encounter at a regular airport security checkpoint, but you’ll pass faster because you won’t need to take off your shoes, belt or light jacket, or take out a laptop or liquids.

At more than 200 participating U.S. airports (including Seattle-Tacoma international airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Dallas / Fort worth, etc.) and 73 participating airlines across the U.S.

The status of TSA PreCheck costs $85 for five years. You can pay for the PreCheck app with a credit card, debit card, cash order, company check or certified/cashier check. 

This is a two step process:

1. Complete the online TSA PreCheck app and schedule a limn meeting for background checks. There are more than 380 registration centers for personal interviews. Unlike the early years of the program, they are not all located at airports anymore, either.

2. Go to the reception to answer questions for background checks and get fingerprints.

The TSA estimates that filling out an online application will take five minutes and a personal appointment will take 10 minutes.

Once you have been approved and paid $ 85, you will receive a known traveler number (KTN). When booking a flight, you must add your KTN to your booking, allowing you to use the TSA PreCheck strip at the airport.

Global entry is not a headache or other issue if you like the idea of TSA PreCheck and travel internationally. Launched by U.S. Customs and border protection (CBP), this program includes a free TSA PreCheck and adds the ability to get through customs faster when entering the U.S. from a trip abroad.

International travelers traveling by air, land or sea. To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident, or a citizen of the following countries: Argentina, Colombia, Germany, India, Panama, Singapore, Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, or the United Kingdom. Children will need their own global membership membership at the same price as adults.

This allows you to skip a long line at customs as well as paperwork and clumsy interviews with a customs agent when returning to the US. Instead of this unpleasant process, Global Entry members can skip customs using a self-service kiosk. And on departure from the US, Global entry also includes a TSA PreCheck to get you through airport security faster.

You can use Global Entry at dozens of airports in the US, including GUAM, Saipan and Puerto Rico. It is also available at some major canadian airports (calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg) as well as several other international airports (Abu Dhabi, Aruba, Bermuda, Dublin, Grand Bahamas, Nassau). Again, this is in addition to the benefits of a full TSA Pre membership that you can use at over 200 U.S. domestic airports.

Global entry costs $ 100 for five years – only $ 3 more per year than TSA PreCheck. You can pay by credit card or by electronic Bank transfer.

As with TSA PreCheck, an online application must be completed. Start by creating a Trusted Traveler account. Then complete the Global Entry application (which includes a non-refundable fee of $100). Once you are conditionally accepted, schedule a group appointment at the enrollment center and go through the verification process. For a personal interview, you will need a valid passport and another form of identification, such as a driver’s license or ID card. Legal permanent residents must present their machine with a readable permanent resident card.

There is no additional paperwork needed beyond your otherwise unchanged US passport. Once you’re accepted, just look for the dedicated Global Entry kiosks at customs when entering the US at participating airports. The ATM-style kiosk snaps a photo and asks you about five of the same sort of questions you’d get on hand-written immigration forms (are you bringing in fruit, are you carrying $10,000 in cash) that you answer on the touchscreen. If the answers to those questions is no, you can hand off the printed receipt to an immigration officer as he or she checks your passport. You can be on your way to the luggage carousels in as little as 2 minutes. 

You will also receive a global entry ID, but this is only needed to enter land and sea ports from Mexico or Canada. (If you’re not familiar with the SENTRI and NEXUS programs associated with moving to and from these countries, you probably don’t need to worry about it.)

Unlike TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, Clear is run by a private company, not the government. This allows you to jump straight to the front of the main security line or the TSA PreCheck line at the airport. Instead of waiting in line to show their ID and boarding pass to a TSA agent, passengers can use the clear kiosk to scan their eyes and fingerprints and then be escorted directly to the front security line.

You can still use it along with TSA PreCheck or Global Entry because it only lets you skip the line – you still need to go through security by removing shoes, belt, laptops, and liquids unless you’re also taking advantage of TSA PreCheck.

Air travelers with eyes and fingers who hate long lines. To be eligible, you must be at least 18 years old and have one of these types of photo ID: US driver’s license, us passport, us passport card, US issued permanent resident card, state issued ID or US military ID.

Clear lets you skip the airport security line, but you’ll still need to go through the regular security screening. It saves you from needing to present your ID and boarding pass to a TSA agent after standing in the security line to do so. Instead, you can use a Clear kiosk to scan your iris and fingerprints before a Clear employee then escorts you directly to the front of the line for security screening. You’ll need to take off your shoes and belt and remove your laptop and liquids from your carry-on for screening, unless you also have TSA PreCheck that expedites the screening and boarding process.

Clear is not as widespread as TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. It is available at a number of airports as well as several stadiums to get you through security and to a game or concert faster.

Clear is more expensive than TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. It has an annual fee of $ 179 a year, and you can add up to three family members for $ 50 each year. Children under 18 can use the clear kiosk when travelling with a member of the Clear family. 

Clear is the priciest of the three programs, but it is the only one that offers a free trial. You can try the service for free for a month and the current promotion doubles the free trial to two months.

Delta and United frequent flyers can get the case on Clear. For Delta, it’s free for Diamond Medallion members, $ 109 a year for platinum, gold and silver medal members, and $ 119 a year for General SkyMiles members. For United, it’s free for Prime 1K members, $ 109 per year for United credit cards in the US and platinum, gold and silver Prime members. And that’s $ 119 a year for MileagePlus members.

Clear Sports membership is free to ride for stadium entry only, and you can take one guest with you through the security lane.

Clear is the most expensive, but the easiest to join. You fill out the application online and then finish the process at the airport or at the stadium that Clear offers. No need for a separate trip to the check-in center – you can start using Clear the same day you check-in.

Your iris and fingerprints are scanned at registration and linked to your account. You can then use these biometrics to drive through Clear lane at the airport or stadium instead of the usual security line.

In the case of Clear, the company’s website says: “We never sell or rent personal information. Personal information is only used to provide services related to Clear membership.”

For Global Entry and TSA Pre, you pass this information to the Federal government. This gives many people pause, especially since the government has shown that it is no better than corporations at keeping data safe. From the OPM breach to Shadow Brokers, the feds already had a pretty grim reputation. And now the us Customs and border protection – the same Agency that runs Global Entry-has admitted that photos of travellers were compromised in a cyber attack. 

So, Yes: None of these systems will be convenient for people who value privacy. And if any of this makes you uncomfortable, none of these services are for you. But while arguing for a higher level of traveller rights is a worthy debate, it’s not going to get you through the security line or boarding any faster for your next flight. For better or worse, increasing convenience will mean sacrificing some degree of privacy, at least for the airlines, the government of the countries you travel through, and their various subcontractors. 

Update, October 18: Added detail of clear discounts through United Airlines and the number of stadiums that Clear Sports offers.

Originally published earlier this year.

Best laptops for students: we have an affordable laptop for every student.

Best live TV streaming services: Ditch your cable company but keep the live channels and DVR.