Amex Green Card – How To Maximize the $199 CLEAR Plus Statement Credit

Even if you’re new to the world of points and miles, you’ve likely noticed that many credit cards offer a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit. Alternatively, there are only a few credit cards on the market that offer a CLEAR Plus statement credit, and the American Express^® Green Card* is one of them.

In this guide, we will break down what CLEAR is and why it’s useful, how it compares to TSA PreCheck, and how to maximize the CLEAR Plus statement credit you receive from the Amex Green card.

*The information regarding the American Express^® Green Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Overview of the Amex Green Card

American Express^® Green Card

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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

This card can provide a great way to accumulate Membership Rewards points on eligible travel, transit, and at restaurants.

All information about American Express^® Green Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points.

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American Express^® Green Card

This card can provide a great way to accumulate Membership Rewards points on eligible travel, transit, and at restaurants.

Welcome Offer

Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your American Express^® Green Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

40,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$880

Annual Fee

$150

APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The American Express^® Green Card is an excellent all-around travel rewards card thanks to earning 3x Membership Rewards^® points on eligible travel and transit purchases and at restaurants, access to American Express transfer partners, and a reasonable annual fee.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3x points per $1 spent at restaurants worldwide, on all eligible travel purchases, and transit purchases
• Up to $199 per calendar year in statement credits after you pay for a CLEAR^® Plus membership with the Card.
• Up to $100 in statement credits annually when you purchase airport lounge access through LoungeBuddy with the Card.

Cons

• $150 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your American Express^® Green Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards^® points on travel, including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards^® Points on transit purchases, including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards^® points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.
• $199 CLEAR Plus Credit: Receive up to $199 per calendar year in statement credits when you pay for your CLEAR Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the American Express^® Green Card.
• $100 LoungeBuddy: No airport lounge membership? No problem! Purchase lounge access through the LoungeBuddy app using the American Express^® Green Card and receive up to $100 in statement credits annually.
• Payment Flexibility: When it comes to paying your bill, you have options. You can always pay in full. You also have the flexibility to carry a balance with interest or use Plan It^® to split up large purchases into monthly payments with a fixed fee, up to your Pay Over Time Limit. You may be able to keep spending beyond your limit – you’ll just need to pay for any new purchases in full when your bill is due.
• Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 12 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased on the same Eligible Card, up to $300 per trip, maximum 2 claims per eligible account per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: No matter where you’re traveling, when you use your American Express^® Green Card there are no foreign transaction fees.
• $150 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Key Benefits of the Amex Green Card

If you don’t already have the Amex Green card, here are some of its top benefits to consider when determining if it’s a good fit for you.

For starters, it’s a great card to earn Membership Rewards points with, as it offers 3x points per $1 spent on dining, transit, and travel purchases — all popular spending categories. Further, the transit and travel categories are quite broad and include normal travel purchases like airfare and hotels as well as public transit, rideshares, trains, tolls, and more. Plus, you’ll have access to Amex’s airline and hotel transfer partners such as Delta, Marriott, British Airways, and more.

Beyond that, the card offers solid travel and purchase protections, access to Amex Offers, and an annual LoungeBuddy credit of up to $100 (good for 2 to 3 airport lounge visits a year) in addition to the annual CLEAR Plus statement credit.

What Is CLEAR?

CLEAR is a program that provides an expedited security experience at a large number of U.S. airports and stadiums via biometrics to verify your identity.

At U.S. airports this allows you to avoid waiting in line (both the regular security line and the TSA PreCheck line) to have your identity verified by a TSA agent. Instead, you’ll head to a CLEAR pod where you’ll scan your eyes or your fingers and then head right to the front of the security line to scan your boarding pass.

How To Maximize Your CLEAR Plus Statement Credit

Usually, an annual CLEAR Plus membership will set you back $199, which is the exact amount of the annual statement credit on the Amex Green card. However, there are some options for you to get your CLEAR Plus membership at a discounted rate:

You’re able to get anywhere from a $10 to $40 discount, or even a free CLEAR membership, depending on your elite status level in the Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus programs and/or what credit card you hold.

Why is this useful if the Amex Green card statement credit covers the full amount of the membership anyway? That is because you can add a CLEAR Plus membership for up to 3 family members for just $119 each.

Consider this: if you and your spouse or significant other often travel together, and you hold a Delta or United card in addition to your Amex Green card, the cost for a CLEAR Plus membership for the 2 of you would be $278 ($159 for the primary member thanks to your Delta or United card and $119 for the second person). But, thanks to the CLEAR Plus statement credit of up to $199 from your Amex Green card, you’ll only need to pay $79 out of pocket. A solid deal!

To take advantage of these discounts, you’ll need to visit the Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus CLEAR landing pages to purchase your membership.

How the Amex Green Card CLEAR Plus Statement Credit Works

If you’re planning to sign up for CLEAR via Delta or United to get a discount, you can do so without issue. All you need to do is use your Amex Green card to pay for the membership during the checkout screen to receive the statement credit.

Note that American Express states that it can take 6 to 8 weeks after your membership is charged to your card to receive the credit, but in our experience, the statement credit often posts much faster than that (often within a few days of the charge posting).

Where Is CLEAR Available?

CLEAR is now in 100+ airports and dozens of stadiums throughout the U.S. You can view every location in our complete guide to CLEAR.

CLEAR Plus vs. TSA PreCheck

If you already have TSA PreCheck you might be wondering how useful a CLEAR Plus membership would be for you. Fortunately, the 2 services are very complementary and can greatly enhance your airport security experience.

As you may know, TSA PreCheck offers an expedited security screening so that you can keep your shoes on, keep your laptop and liquids in your bag, and often has a much shorter line than the standard security line.

The key thing here is, even if you have TSA PreCheck, you still have to wait in line to have your ID verified by an agent. Or worse, if for some reason the TSA PreCheck lane is not open, you still have to wait in the general security line … and this is where having CLEAR Plus can be a huge benefit.

When you have CLEAR Plus, you simply head to a pod and your identity is verified in less than 60 seconds, allowing you to then be escorted right to the front of the TSA PreCheck or general security line.

To summarize, those with TSA PreCheck have shorter lines and a faster experience when going through security, but those with CLEAR Plus get to go right to the front of whichever line they are in (TSA PreCheck or general security), and those with both CLEAR Plus and TSA PreCheck are able to get through security much faster than people with just 1 or the other.

Final Thoughts

The Amex Green card is an excellent travel card and the annual CLEAR Plus statement credit is just 1 of the reasons why it’s a great option for frequent flyers.

If you currently just have TSA PreCheck or do not have any priority airport security membership, then getting a CLEAR Plus membership via your Amex Green card is a great way to make your airport experience smoother.

Don’t forget to maximize this annual statement credit to the fullest by getting a discounted CLEAR Plus membership via Delta or United so that you can add additional CLEAR members to your account for less money out of pocket.