United Airlines Removes Complimentary CLEAR Plus Membership for 1K Elites

On May 1, those with high-end United Airlines Premier 1K status will lose a perk: They’ll no longer receive a complimentary CLEAR Plus membership.

Instead, 1K elites will get a discount on their membership going forward. Here’s what United Premier 1K members should know about this upcoming change.

What Is CLEAR Plus?

CLEAR Plus is a membership-based airport security program that uses biotechnology — such as your fingerprints or a scan of your eyes — at dozens of stadiums and airports in the U.S. Lines can be shorter than traditional TSA checkpoints, and you can use CLEAR Plus with TSA PreCheck, even though CLEAR isn’t a government program like TSA PreCheck and Global Entry.

United Ending Complimentary CLEAR Plus for Premier 1K Members

Previously, United Airlines and CLEAR offered an annual CLEAR Plus membership at no charge to Premier 1K and Global Services members. On May 1, 2025, that’s changing. Premier 1K elites will no longer receive this membership at no cost.

Members who have enrolled previously can continue to use their membership without any change in the fees until their current membership ends. After that date, Premier 1K members can pay a discounted rate of $129 per year. This information appeared in a notice on United’s CLEAR partnership page:

Other Ways To Get CLEAR Plus at No Cost

If you have United Premier 1K status and are looking for a new way to get CLEAR Plus at no cost every year, you have options.

If you have The Platinum Card^® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, American Express^® Green Card, or Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, you’ll receive statement credits of up to $199 annually that reimburse a CLEAR membership paid for with any of these cards (subject to auto-renewal). That can cover the cost of an individual membership each year, providing CLEAR Plus with no out-of-pocket cost.

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

Final Thoughts

Those with United’s Premier 1K status won’t enjoy a complimentary CLEAR Plus membership going forward. If you’ve already enrolled, you can keep using your current membership without any changes. After May 1, you’ll pay a discounted membership fee of $129 when your membership renews.

If you don’t want to pay for the membership, you can cancel — or you can consider the options for getting CLEAR Plus by having the right Amex card in your wallet.