If you're enrolled in CLEAR® Plus – the recently renamed yet unchanged service – you'll want to check your email before making your next trip to the airport … and budget a bit more time to get through the expedited airport security lane.
CLEAR recently emailed members about the looming changeover to what it calls “NextGen Identity+,” a new verification process that relies upon facial recognition instead of a scan of your irises or fingerprints at kiosks. CLEAR® Plus members need to verify their phone number and, starting Nov. 30, present a valid ID and retake a photo at a CLEAR kiosk.
The company made it clear this is not optional. It's mandatory to continue using CLEAR® Plus lanes, which cut members to the front of TSA security lines.
The upshot: The new identity verification process powered by facial recognition should keep CLEAR® Plus lines moving even faster. CLEAR itself vows the new process will “eliminate the need for members to stop at a CLEAR pod,” and “keep you moving through the CLEAR lane where you don't break your stride.” The process works much like Global Entry, with a quick facial recognition scan as you walk through and a CLEAR agent at the end of the lane verifying your identity to pass through security.
A CLEAR spokesperson said this new process will roll out at CLEAR's 50-plus airport locations over the course of 2024.
Read next: Is CLEAR Still Worth It? Our Review of CLEARÂ
If you're a CLEAR® Plus member already, you should have received an email with the subject line “Action Required: Start Your Free Upgrade to NextGen Identity+” and a link to verify your phone number. Check your spam folder – or your trash, if you promptly deleted it.
After entering and verifying your phone number, the company instructs you to visit CLEAR to complete your verification with the new process. But that won't be available until Nov. 30, so Thanksgiving travelers won't be able to knock it out this week.
After Nov. 30, you'll simply need to visit any CLEAR Enrollment Center – the CLEAR kiosks outside of the security lanes – and provide any valid form of ID, including a passport, driver's license, or state ID. CLEAR says a passport is the fastest and best option to complete enrollment.
The upgrade process is completely free for you and any friends family members on your CLEAR® Plus Family plan … but each and every member on your plan will have to get re-verified for the new process. Notably, every adult added to CLEAR® Plus must enter their own phone number, which is used for two-factor verification.
No need to worry about your kids, though. Children 17 and under can always accompany a registered adult in the CLEAR® Plus lane.
Read next: CLEAR is Getting More Expensive for Friends and Family
Bottom Line
CLEAR is pushing for some serious upgrades in how travelers move through the airport security queues, but that means current members have some homework to do.
All CLEAR® Plus members need to verify their phone number and, starting, Nov. 30, finish the process by providing ID verification and taking a new photo. It's all part of CLEAR's shift away from fingerprint and iris scans and toward facial recognition, which the company says will make the CLEAR process much faster.
Lead photo courtesy of CLEAR
Give. The fact that Clear lines have been slower than TSA they had some catching up to do.
Let’s see if it’s worth keeping when renewal comes up.
Absolutely, under no circumstances, should you ever give your face (or your eyes) to the government. No convenience is worth it.