A charge labeled “CLEAR” or “CLEARME” on your credit card statement is almost always the annual membership fee for CLEAR, the biometric identity service that lets travelers skip the ID line at airport security. The fee runs from $129 to $219 a year depending on the tier, and it renews automatically unless you cancel.1CLEAR. CLEAR Plus2Thrifty Traveler. CLEAR Raises Prices Again If you did not expect the charge, you have a short window to get a full refund from CLEAR and a longer one to dispute the charge with your card issuer.
Why CLEAR Is Billing You
CLEAR (operated by Secure Identity, LLC) sells a paid membership called CLEAR+ that uses fingerprints and iris scans to verify identity at TSA checkpoints in participating airports. The free version of CLEAR used at some stadiums does not generate a recurring charge; the airport service does.3American Express. How to Sign Up for CLEAR
The standard CLEAR+ price is $209 per year, and as of mid-2026 CLEAR has begun notifying members that renewals will move to $219. Discounted tiers run as low as $129 for high-status airline flyers and $125 for military and government employees.1CLEAR. CLEAR Plus2Thrifty Traveler. CLEAR Raises Prices Again
A few things make this charge easy to miss. CLEAR’s membership terms say paid memberships “automatically renew for the period specified at enrollment” unless the member cancels, and the company may use card-updater services to pull the new number from your issuer when your old card expires. Replacing your card will not stop the billing. CLEAR also reserves the right to raise fees with “sufficient notice” and treats a member’s failure to cancel as acceptance of the new price.4CLEAR. Member Terms There have been four price increases in four years, so the amount you signed up for may not be the amount you were charged.2Thrifty Traveler. CLEAR Raises Prices Again
One more possibility worth checking before you cancel: if you carry The Platinum Card® from American Express or the American Express® Green Card, the CLEAR+ fee is reimbursed up to $209 per calendar year, and those credits have reportedly been raised to cover the new $219 price. If the charge came through one of those cards, watch for the offsetting statement credit before treating the fee as a loss.3American Express. How to Sign Up for CLEAR2Thrifty Traveler. CLEAR Raises Prices Again
How to Cancel and Ask CLEAR for a Refund
CLEAR gives you 14 days from the date of a renewal charge to cancel for a full refund. After that, the membership stays active through the end of the paid term, but no refund or proration is available. If a refund is issued, your access to CLEAR lanes ends immediately.5CLEAR. What Is Your Refund Policy
There are three ways to cancel:
- Log in at my.clearme.com using your cell phone number. CLEAR calls this the fastest method.6CLEAR. How Do I Contact CLEAR
- Use the “Chat with us” button on the CLEAR website. The Halo assistant runs around the clock; live agents are available 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.7CLEAR. CLEAR Support
- Email memberservices@clearme.com.7CLEAR. CLEAR Support
CLEAR’s membership terms also list a phone number, 1-855-253-2763, though it is not featured on the current support pages.4CLEAR. Member Terms Some users report that the site will not let them delete a saved card outright, only swap it for another. Emailing member services to request removal has been used as a workaround.8Travel on Points. CLEAR Auto-Renewal
Keep every cancellation confirmation, chat transcript, and email reply. If CLEAR does not process your refund, those records become the evidence for a card dispute.
How to Dispute the Charge With Your Bank
If CLEAR will not refund you, or you believe the charge was unauthorized, the Fair Credit Billing Act gives you a formal dispute right through your card issuer. Consumer liability for unauthorized charges is capped at $50, and most issuers waive even that amount under zero-liability policies.9FTC. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
The deadlines and steps that matter:
- Send your written dispute within 60 days of the date the statement containing the charge was mailed to you.9FTC. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
- Address it to the billing inquiries address on your statement, not the payment address. Use certified mail with a return receipt.
- Include your name, account number, the charge amount and date, and a short explanation. Attach copies of your cancellation email or screenshots of failed cancellation attempts.
- You can withhold payment on the disputed amount while the investigation runs, but you must keep paying the rest of your balance.9FTC. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
- The issuer must acknowledge your dispute within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days. It cannot report the disputed amount as delinquent or send it to collections while the investigation is open.10California Office of the Attorney General. Credit Cards: Dispute a Charge
Most issuers also let you start a dispute online or by phone, which is faster. Following up with a written letter preserves the full statutory protections.
Consumer Protections That Back You Up
Subscription billing that renews without a clear opt-out is regulated at the federal level by the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA). ROSCA bars charging consumers for internet-based negative-option programs unless the seller clearly discloses all material terms before taking billing information, gets the consumer’s express informed consent, and provides a “simple mechanism” to stop future charges. The FTC reads that to mean cancellation must be at least as easy as sign-up and available through the same channel used to enroll.11FTC. Negative Option Rule
California’s Automatic Renewal Law, amended effective July 1, 2025, layers on stronger requirements for consumers in the state: a click-to-cancel mechanism for anything enrolled online, annual reminders with the charge amount and cancellation instructions, and advance notice 7 to 30 days before a price increase. Businesses must retain proof of a consumer’s affirmative consent for at least three years. The law can be enforced by the state attorney general, district attorneys, and private plaintiffs.10California Office of the Attorney General. Credit Cards: Dispute a Charge
If CLEAR made cancellation harder than sign-up, or raised the price on you without notice, those are the frameworks under which a complaint to the FTC or your state attorney general lands.
If the Descriptor Says “Mindful,” Not “CLEAR”
A statement line that reads “Mindful” is a different charge from a different company. Three merchants use variations of the name:
- Mindful.org publishes a mindfulness magazine and offers subscriptions that auto-renew under a “continuous service program.” Cancel by emailing subscriptions@mindful.org. An online course subscription runs $40 per month through learning.mindful.org.12Mindful.org. Subscriber Services13Mindful.org. Mindful Unlimited Course Subscription
- Mindfulness.com is a meditation app with monthly, annual, and lifetime plans and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Cancel web subscriptions at support@mindfulness.com; App Store or Google Play subscriptions must be canceled inside those platforms.14Mindfulness.com. 30-Day Mindfulness Guarantee15Mindfulness.com. How Do I Cancel My Subscription
- Mindful Care, Inc. is a mental health provider that bills patients’ cards on file for copayments, missed-appointment fees of $50 to $100, and uncovered balances.16Mindful Care. Mindful Care Policies and Informed Consent
If the descriptor still does not match anything you recognize, call the customer service number on the back of your card. Issuers can look up the merchant’s full legal name and contact details from the transaction record.
Before You Sue CLEAR
CLEAR’s membership agreement includes a binding arbitration clause. Members waive the right to a jury trial and to participate in class actions, and disputes go to individual arbitration through the American Arbitration Association or JAMS. Before filing, you must send a written notice by certified mail to CLEAR’s legal department in New York and wait through a 60-day informal resolution period. If 25 or more similar claims are filed, a “bellwether” process resolves them in batches of 50. The arbitration clause survives cancellation. Small claims court remains an option for claims that qualify.4CLEAR. Member Terms
For most people, the practical order is straightforward: cancel through CLEAR within the 14-day refund window, and if that fails, file a written dispute with your card issuer inside the 60-day FCBA deadline. Those two steps recover the money in most cases without ever reaching the arbitration clause.