If you haven’t signed up for Clear yet, consider signing up as a United MileagePlus member for $119 (versus $179) AND thru Feb 9th, if you are one of the first 50k people to sign up thru the below United/Clear link, you can get a $100 United Travel Bank credit.
A few more things….
MAKE SURE YOU PAY WITH YOUR PLATINUM OR BUSINESS PLATINUM FOR CLEAR OR AMEX GREEN CARD if you have one as you get statement credits.
Note, you can sign up now and the next time you are at the airport you can do your eye scan and fingerprints. You do not need to make a special trip to the airport.
Remember Travel Bank credits are valid for 5 years based on the terms.
The terms also state “TravelBank Cash is valid for air travel purchases on United and United Express flights and as otherwise permitted by United.” So it definitely seems like you can use it for tickets. I am not sure what “otherwise permitted by United” means. Let me know if you find out.