How to Split Clear Membership Fees Between AMEX Cards

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There are many ways to get through the TSA checkpoint more quickly. While some are free, like airports offering reservation systems to skip the line, we pay for memberships with TSA PreCheck and Clear. This combination supposedly gets us through the line faster by expediting the ID check and the security checkpoint.

 

It’s currently up for debate how much time you’ll save with Clear (Our unscientific race between Clear and the regular line at ATL was inconclusive). But it’s worth it when the TSA PreCheck lines are super long. Since our membership fees are covered by statement credits from American Express, we keep renewing. When our Clear membership was up for renewal this year, I received a message informing me of the cost.

As a reminder, your membership renews in 30 days. Unless your Delta SkyMiles® status changes before that time, you will be billed a total of $278 on September 21, 2024. We have updated our pricing for Delta SkyMiles members. If you are a:

• Platinum, Gold or Silver Medallion Member, the price for your primary account will increase from $149 to $159 on your renewal date.
• Delta SkyMiles American Express Card Member, the price for your primary account will increase from $149 to $159 on your renewal date.
• General SkyMiles member, the price for your primary account will increase from $179 to $189 on your renewal date.
• Diamond Medallion Member, the price for your primary account will remain at $0.

This was a significant increase from the $219 I paid for the two of us in 2023, $189 of which was covered by the statement credit from my AMEX Platinum Card.

How To Pay For A Clear Family Plan Between Two Cards

Since the AMEX Green Card also includes an increased $199 Clear statement credit, I asked Clear if there was any way we could split the payment between the two AMEX cards. Their answer was that splitting the payment was impossible, and the only way to use both credits was to have my wife Sharon create her own account.

In fact, that was what I planned on doing.

Fortunately, one of our readers told me I didn’t have to cancel our family plan and could pay with both cards. I decided to give it a try. The process takes a few steps, and I wanted to make sure that it worked. It did. I can say that both Sharon and I have Clear benefits for another year, and AMEX statement credits covered the entire cost.

In order for this plan to work, it helps if you are not traveling when your membership expires.

To start, you’ll need to remove the extra family member from your account. I recommend doing this about a week before your renewal date. It’s quite simple on the Clear website. When viewing your family members, click the “Deactivate” link.

Then, you have to wait until your renewal date. It took 10 days for AMEX to issue the $159 statement credit for my membership.

Changing Payment Form

The next step is to change your credit card on your Clear account. In my case, I removed my AMEX Platinum and added the AMEX Green card. I waited a few days to make sure the change stuck.

Then I went to my account and reactivated Sharon as a family member. All of her information was still there and it only took one click. I was charged a prorated price for her renewal. The statement credit was posted to her Green Card account in 6 days.

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I was able to take my time as we had no travel plans around my renewal date. I wouldn’t suggest rushing any of the steps, and I suggest waiting at least a day or two after changing your payment before adding or reactivating a family member. This way, you make sure the charge goes to the updated credit card.

Other Options

An interesting side note was that after I canceled Sharon’s membership from the family plan, she started receiving messages from Clear asking her to reconsider. What I found interesting was that she was offered a 1-year membership for $99.

Why Not Have Two Accounts?

Because each AMEX card provides up to $199 in statement credits, we could have split our accounts and accomplished the same thing. One reason to split payments on the same account instead of separating accounts is if you’re paying for two family members.

By using the second card to pay for the additional family members, which cost $238 for 2 people, you’d get the full $199 credit. You’d only pay $39 out of pocket for the additional members.

Final Thought

Clear has been increasing membership fees by reducing the discounts for members of frequent flyer programs and airline co-brand credit card members, as well as by increasing the cost for additional family members. While it used to be possible to cover the cost of two people with the $189 AMEX statement credit on the Green and Platinum cards, not even the increased $199 benefit will cover that cost.

While it takes a few steps and some patience, splitting the Clear fee between two AMEX cards is possible to take advantage of multiple statement credits.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary