American Express has added a great new targeted Amex Offer for some American Express® Gold Card holders to get CLEAR free for a year. And sorry, Delta fans: Your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card won't cut it.
Like all Amex Offers, this is targeted – and only appears to be available for Amex Gold cardholders. Spend up to $179 on a CLEAR membership, and you'll be reimbursed for the full amount for your first year. This is a one-time statement credit that must be used by Oct. 31, 2021, and you must make your purchase straight through CLEAR's website, clearme.com.
Just log in to your American Express Account and see if you can add it to your American Express Gold Card. But do it fast if you're interested in trying out CLEAR free for a year, because this offer is likely to disappear fast.
Do it right, and you may be able to turn this Amex Offer into a two-for-one for CLEAR. While CLEAR starts at $179 a year, you can easily drop that initial signup cost to $119 with a free Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus account – or down to $109 if you carry one of those airlines' co-branded credit cards.
By dropping your cost as low as $109, you'll free up more than enough money on this Amex Offer statement credit to add a spouse or other adult family member to your CLEAR account for $50 each through a Family Plan. Just be sure to pay for both fees with your Amex Gold Card after you've added this offer to your account.
Because this is a one-time statement credit, it's not entirely clear if this will work in two separate transactions. But it's worth a shot!
The Basics Behind CLEAR
CLEAR is a privately run trusted-traveler program that takes both your fingerprints and iris scans to confirm your identity before security screening. Once you’ve signed up and finalized your registration, you simply head to the CLEAR lane, confirm your identity at a kiosk, and get whisked away to the front of the TSA line by a CLEAR ambassador.
There’s no need for another ID check once you make it to the front of the TSA lane: Just flash your boarding pass to the TSA agent and you’re on your way. If you’ve got TSA PreCheck too, you’ll head to the front of that line – otherwise, you’ll cut to the front of the standard TSA line.
The one hitch with CLEAR is that it’s not available at every airport – but its presence is growing fast. It’s available at more than 30 U.S. airports and counting, along with a handful of professional sports stadiums. Scan through the list and you’ll find plenty of Delta and United hubs, thanks to a close partnership between the two companies.
| Airport | Terminal(s) |
|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | North & South Domestic Terminals |
| Austin (AUS) | Checkpoints 1 & 2 |
| Baltimore (BWI) | Checkpoints A,B,C, D & E |
| Birmingham (BHM) | Main Terminal |
| Boise (BOI) | Main Terminal |
| Boston (BOS) | Terminal A |
| Buffalo (BUF) | Main Terminal |
| Chicago-Midway (MDW) | Main Terminal |
| Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) | Terminal 1 & 2 |
| Cincinnati (CVG) | Main Terminal |
| Cleveland (CLE) | Center & South Checkpoints |
| Columbus (CMH) | Main Terminal |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | Terminal E |
| Dallas-Love Field (DAL) | Terminal 1 |
| Denver (DEN) | North & South Entrances |
| Detroit (DTW) | North & McNamara Terminals |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Terminals 1 & 2 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP) | Main Terminal |
| Hartford (BDL) | Terminal A |
| Houston-Intercontinental (IAH) | Terminals A, B, C and E |
| Houston-Hobby (HOU) | Main Terminal |
| Kansas City (MCI) | Main Terminal |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | Terminals 1 & 3 |
| Long Beach (LGB) | Main Terminal |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | Terminals 1 - 7 |
| Miami (MIA) | Checkpoints E & H |
| Milwaukee (MKE) | Main Terminal |
| Minneapolis−Saint Paul (MSP) | Terminal 1 |
| Nashville (BNA) | Central Checkpoint |
| New Orleans (MSY) | Concourse D |
| New York City-John F. Kennedy (JFK) | Terminals 2 & 4 |
| New York-LaGuardia (LGA) | Terminals C & D |
| Newark (EWR) | Terminal C |
| Oakland (OAK) | Terminal 2 |
| Oklahoma City (OKC) | Main Terminal |
| Ontario (ONT) | Terminal 2 & 4 |
| Orlando (MCO) | East & West Security |
| Palm Beach (PBI) | Terminal A/B & C |
| Palm Springs (PSP) | Main Terminal |
| Phoenix (PHX) | Terminals 3 & 4 |
| Pittsburgh (PIT) | Main Terminal |
| Providence (PVD) | Main Terminal |
| Raleigh-Durham (RDU) | Terminals 1 & 2 |
| Sacramento (SMF) | Terminal A & B |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | Terminals 1 & 2 |
| San Antonio (SAT) | Terminals A & B |
| San Diego (SAN) | Terminal 2 |
| San Francisco (SFO) | Terminals 1-3, International Terminals A & G |
| San Jose (SJC) | Terminal A & B |
| San Juan (SJU(+) | Terminals A, B & C |
| Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) | Checkpoints 1-5 |
| St. Louis (STL) | Terminal 2 |
| Tulsa (TUL) | Main Terminal |
| Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) | Main Terminal & East Security Checkpoint |
| Washington, D.C.-Reagan (DCA) | Terminals A, B & C |
| Westchester County (HPN) | Main Terminal |
There's also a growing list of professional sports venues offering CLEAR.
| Sports Venue | City | Where to Access |
|---|---|---|
| SunTrust Park | Atlanta, GA | Chop House, First Base & Third Base Gates |
| Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore, MD | Gate C |
| Progressive Field | Cleveland, OH | E. 9th Street Patio Gate |
| Globe Life Park in Arlington | Arlington, TX | First Base Gate |
| Coors Field | Denver, CO | Gates C & D |
| Comerica Park | Detroit, MI | Gate A |
| STAPLES Center | Los Angeles, CA | Figueroa Street Entrance |
| Banc of California Stadium | Los Angeles, CA | Northwest Plaza & Northeast Gate |
| AmericanAirlines Arena | Miami, FL | Gates 1 & 2 |
| Target Field | Minneapolis, MN | Gate 34 |
| Yankee Stadium | New York, NY | Babe Ruth Plaza, Suite Entrance, & Gate 6 |
| Citi Field | New York, NY | Jackie Robinson Rotunda & Seaver Gate |
| Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | 7th Ave South Entrance |
| Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | Oakland, CA | Gate C & D |
| Oracle Park | San Francisco, CA | Willie Mays Gate & King Street Gates |
| Avaya Stadium | San Jose, CA | Main Gate |
| T-Mobile Park | Seattle, WA | Home Plate & Left Field Entrances |
| CenturyLink Field | Seattle, WA | North Plaza & Southwest Entrance |
Read More: Is CLEAR Worth the Cost? A Review of the Fast-Pass Program
Where to Find Amex Offers
If you haven’t used Amex Offers before, simply log into your American Express account and scroll down near the bottom of the screen and there should be a box called Amex Offers & Benefits (this is available through the Amex mobile app as well).
If you see an offer you like, simply add the offer to the card and make a qualifying purchase at that business with your card. You should receive a statement credit for the offer within a few days of making a purchase.
Not familiar with Amex Offers? See our complete guide to using Amex Offers.
Breaking Down This Offer
This new offer comes as a bit of a surprise.
American Express just completely revamped the benefits (and increased the annual fee from $550 to $695) on the Platinum Card® from American Express. While some of those new benefits might be duds to many, a credit of up to $179 to cover the cost of CLEAR was one of the best additions to justify that higher annual fee (see rates & fees).
Less than two weeks later, Amex is essentially giving free CLEAR to many Amex Gold cardholders. On the surface, this seems like a bit of a slap in the face to Platinum cardholders.
But if you hold the Amex Gold Card, check your Amex Offers! This new CLEAR Amex Offer must be used by Oct. 30, 2021.
And remember, if you are a Delta SkyMiles cardholder, or even just have a SkyMiles account, you'll receive special pricing by signing up through the Delta CLEAR link. The same is true for United Airlines cardholder or frequent flyer program members – you'll have access to the same pricing discounts by registering through the United CLEAR link.
Bottom Line
This is a great new Amex Offer for American Express® Gold Card holders that is available through Oct. 30, 2021. If you aren't yet a CLEAR member, it's a great way to try the service out at no cost for your first year.
Amex Offers change almost daily, so add this one now before it disappears.