Do I need to print my boarding pass? Mobile boarding passes explained

When a phone is enough

For most flights, once you've checked in online the airline offers a mobile boarding pass: a QR or barcode in its app, in an email, or as a pass in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Security staff and gate agents scan it straight from your screen.

If the airline offers you a mobile pass at check-in, it means it's accepted for that flight. If it only offers a PDF "to print", read the instructions: some PDFs can be shown on a phone, some must be printed.

When you may still need paper

• Some routes and airports don't accept mobile passes, and the airline will tell you at check-in.
• Document checks. On some international routes, airlines must see your passport or visa at a desk before you board. You'll get a stamped or printed pass there. Low-cost airlines are especially likely to ask for this for certain passports.
• Separate tickets. If your connection is on a different booking, or a different airline without a shared ticket, you need a boarding pass for each leg, and the second airline may only issue it at its own desk.
• Infants on your lap sometimes get a separate pass that's issued at the desk.

How to add a boarding pass to your phone's wallet

1. Check in online

   In the airline's app or website, as soon as check-in opens.

2. Look for "Add to Apple Wallet" or "Save to Google Wallet"

   It's usually on the boarding pass screen, or as a button in the confirmation email.

3. Open it once with signal

   Make sure the pass shows the barcode, then put your phone in aeroplane mode and open it again to check it works offline.

4. Add one per traveller

   Each person, including children, has their own pass and barcode. Most wallet apps group passes for the same flight together.

Make sure it opens with no signal

The moment you need a boarding pass is usually the moment signal disappears: deep inside a terminal, at a gate, or in a queue with a thousand other phones. A pass that only exists as a link in an email won't help then. Before you leave home:

• Save every pass to your wallet, or download the PDF to the phone itself.
• Take a screenshot as a backup. It doesn't replace the pass, but staff can often read the barcode from it.
• Charge your phone and carry a power bank. A dead phone is a lost boarding pass.
• For a family, consider having two adults each hold everyone's passes.

Paper as a backup

If the airline allows it and you have a printer, a paper copy is a cheap backup for long journeys, connections and travelling with children. Keep it with the passports. It's also the easiest way to give a pass to a child who's old enough to hold their own.

Questions people ask

Do I need to print my boarding pass if I checked in online?

Usually not. If the airline offers a mobile boarding pass after check-in, you can show it on your phone at security and the gate. You may need paper if the airline must check your documents at a desk, or doesn't support mobile passes on your route.

Can I just show my boarding pass on my phone?

Yes, on most flights. Open the pass in the airline's app or your phone's wallet and show the barcode. Make sure it opens offline and your phone is charged.

Is a screenshot of a boarding pass valid?

It often works, because the scanner only reads the barcode, but it isn't guaranteed. Keep the real pass in your wallet or the airline app, and use a screenshot only as a backup.

How do I put my boarding pass in Apple Wallet?

After checking in, look for "Add to Apple Wallet" on the boarding pass screen in the airline's app or in the confirmation email. Tap it, then tap Add. The pass then opens from Wallet, even offline.

What if my phone dies at the airport?

Go to the airline's desk with your passport; they can usually reprint your boarding pass, though some low-cost airlines charge for it. A power bank and a paper backup avoid the problem.