Personal Finance News
CLEAR Announces New Partnership with Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines frequent flyers can now enjoy a new discount on a membership to CLEAR, allowing them to save time at airport security.
About the partnership:
Today, CLEAR announced that it had sealed a partnership with Alaska Airlines, resulting in a new offer for flyers. Now, Alaska Mileage Plan members can sign up for CLEAR Plus at a rate of $179 per year. This marks a $10 discount from the regular $189 a year rate. Additionally, customers can add up to 3 family members or friends for an extra cost of $70 per person per year — a rate that recently increased.
In addition to this discounted rate, Alaska customers can also earn bonus miles. First, through July 16th, 2023, Mileage Plan members (of all tiers) can earn 1,000 bonus miles when they join CLEAR for the first time. Plus, while that promotion is only for a limited time, an ongoing offer for those with Alaska status will continue on. Alaska MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75k and MVP Gold 100k members joining CLEAR for the first time receive 1,500 bonus miles for enrolling, while elites renewing or reinstating their CLEAR Plus membership will earn 1,250 bonus miles.
About CLEAR Plus:
CLEAR Plus is a program that helps travelers expedite their airport security wait by verifying their identity via biometrics. At select airports (and some other venues), CLEAR members can visit designated lanes, confirm their identity, and bypass the traditional boarding pass and ID check at TSA. On that note, contrary to popular belief, the CLEAR program is not a competitor to TSA Precheck. Instead, the two services can be used in tandem as CLEAR helps flyers pass the ID check and TSA Precheck applies to the screening process itself.
Meanwhile, although Alaska Airlines isn’t the first carrier to partner with CLEAR, the partnership does take on a slightly different form. Currently, while general Delta SkyMiles and United Mileage Plus customers can claim the same discounted $179 rate, those who have status with either airline can receive further discounts — including free CLEAR Plus memberships for top-tier elites. In contrast, Alaska is offering bonus miles to their frequent flyers who sign up for CLEAR rather than offering lower prices on enrollment.
Other options for CLEAR:
If $179 per year is still too steep for Alaska flyers, the good news is that this deal may be compatible with other offers, such as those from two American Express cards. For example, the $150 annual fee American Express Green Card features up to $189 in annual statement credits for CLEAR (meaning Alaska customers could join at the $179 per year rate, add a family member for $70, and end up paying just $60 out of pocket after the statement credit is applied). Incidentally, the Green Card is also currently offering its best-ever welcome bonus. Elsewhere, the Platinum Card from American Express also boasts a $189 annual credit for CLEAR among many other perks — although that card carries an annual fee of $695.
My thoughts:
Unlike similar partnerships with other airlines, this CLEAR deal for Alaska Airlines customers only amounts to a $10 discount. While that aspect may be disappointing, the bonus miles make be able to take a bit of the sting out of the price. Meanwhile, combining this new deal with a card such as the Amex Green may make a lot of sense — especially given the offer available as of this writing. With the summer season now officially underway, hopefully Alaska loyalists and other CLEAR customers will be able to save time on their travels, even in the face of increasingly busy airports.
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