Multiple readers who signed up for CLEAR membership and took part in the $75 Uber promo are now seeing a no-notice cancellation of their CLEAR membership. It’s not clear (pun intended) why CLEAR decided to cancel these new memberships.
We wrote the other day about how CLEAR started adding in some of their terms exclusions on ‘people getting a promo from their credit card’ from earning the $75 Uber promo. I’m not sure how CLEAR knows who is getting a promo from their credit card and who isn’t. Perhaps the card numbers indicate which cards are Platinum cards, and then CLEAR cancels those memberships.
Strangely, those cancelled are getting notice of a $124 refund, not the full $199. Apparently they still plan on sending out the $75 voucher, and are thus refunding only $199 – $75 = $124.
My own story from September 2024 is that I signed up for CLEAR membership, along with the $75 Uber promo. The same thing happened to me with my membership cancelled/prorated and I received a $124 refund credit on my Platinum credit card statement. I believe I got partial year of CLEAR membership and most of the year cancelled, but I’m not certain (did not use).
The $199 Amex credit and $124 refund credit both posted for me, and I got the $75 Uber voucher. I was happy with that outcome and so I never dug further into why they cancelled mine.
Interestingly, I see in my CLEAR login that they invite me to sign up again and get a $75 Uber voucher. If I get another Platinum card I’ll try that.
Clear is so dumb, and the people with Clear at the airport acting so important. Congrats on paying $0 for giving away your biometrics to some private company, I’m sure Zuckerberg can use that data when he acquires it.
I was just about to signup for CEAR when I saw this….
For those who got the $124 CLEAR refund, did Amex eventually claw back the $199 (or $124) refund credit?
My clear ended at the end of last month. So I signed up with a different email using the Uber promo.
Now the new Uber promo account has been cancelled, but my old Clear account now has been extended to 5-5-25.
WTF
Does clear give Amex kickbacks for offering the Amex stipend? I would have guess these promotions benefit clear’s bottom line since they have a clear (pun intended) profit of $124 (199-75) after the gift card
That would be my guess. I don’t have details on Amex’s business arrangements, but when companies have those types of deals, there’s usually some type of arrangement with the merchant. Someone has to pay for the discount.
cancelled this morning. no email on cancelation. no refund notice. no uber GC so far. worst customer service.
Has anyone received the gift card?
Wow. This is definitely unlawful. Clear is opening itself up to class actions and or mass / ID arb. With that being said, they do provide a (valuable) service so you’ll want to weigh your options carefully.
what service? a private company allowing people to cut in line at a public airport by paying them?
If your only intent was to get the $75 voucher then cancel, they are just helping you cancel with fewer steps by cancelling for you. But surely some people who signed up under the promotion actually wanted a Clear membership. I thought the purpose of the promotion was to create more Clear users? Bold strategy…
I don’t understand how it’s legal to cancel someone’s subscription and give them a partial refund. An Uber credit is not a cash equivalent! ( Even if many people can use easily.)
What is the advantage of CLEAR over TsaPre or Globalentry?
You stand in another line. Sometimes it’s faster usually it’s slower.
Clear is slower or Tsapre is slower?
That’s exactly what I’ve found. I did the Uber/Clear signup last year and have found no difference, although sometimes the Clear line doesn’t have TSA and lose all the advantages once I get through.
It’s not an either situation. You need TSA PreCheck no matter what. CLEAR is complementary.
If PreCheck line happens to be long, you can use the CLEAR+PreCheck line to jump the PreCheck line if you have PreCheck on your boarding pass.
I wouldn’t pay for CLEAR, but I have it as part of my Amex Plat benefit. I very rarely use CLEAR, but it’s a nice to have when the PreCheck line is long.
@Yoshi you can use CLEAR without TSA precheck. You will skip to the front of the regular (non-TSA precheck) line after they do the biometric identification. You still still have to go through the body scanner and take off your shoes off though.
I see, so Clear+TsaPre cuts the line of TsaPre. So if TsaPre line is long (e.g. f**ing DTW), then I can move to the front of TsaPre, right? I already have TsaPre, so I don’t have to show them my underwear and groped like the peasants without TsaPre. Now Clear gives me the only advantage of cutting the line, right?
randomguy, you are correct, although often the CLEAR line is long too and it moves much slower.
You get to give a private company your biometric data.
Don’t we do that already with Apple or Google? LOL … just one more company
No? Unless you turn on facial recognition or the fingerprint thing.
100% agree, but most of us do have face id, or touch id, or apple/google pay type of stuff.
Don’t worry, soon Neuralink will be mandatory by our not so orange actual president.
Seems in this case the uber voucher is the advantage.