Should I throw away my boarding pass?

If you don't want to end up being the next victim, the best thing to do is destroy your boarding cards before throwing them in the garbage or, better yet, use the official airline apps and by-pass the paper option altogether.



You should never simply throw away your boarding pass in a public trash can, especially if it contains a printed barcode or QR code. Your boarding pass is a treasure trove of personal data; a simple scan of that barcode can reveal your full name, frequent flyer number, PNR (booking reference), and even future flight details. Malicious actors can use this information to access your airline account, cancel your future trips, or steal your miles. Even a photo of a boarding pass posted on social media can be dangerous. In 2026, the safest practice is to use a digital boarding pass on your phone, which leaves no physical trail. If you must use a paper pass, you should keep it with you until you get home and then shred it or destroy the barcode completely. If you are at the airport and need to dispose of it, try to tear the barcode into several small pieces so it cannot be reconstructed or scanned by anyone who might find it in the bin.

People Also Ask

Hackers can use your boarding pass if you don't destroy it after you use it.

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It is not legal to give your boarding pass to someone else. It is a non-transferrable document. This is why your boarding pass is checked against your ID at security checkpoints. Your boarding pass indicates the level of security screening you face, which is particular to the individual identified on it.

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In the past, printing was a requirement for mobile boarding passes when there were more than one person on an itinerary. Today you can get all of those passes together digitally when you check-in.

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Previously, each person had to each carry their own smartphone to show their mobile boarding pass to go through security or board a flight. But now up to eight individual mobile boarding passes can be viewed on one phone, providing everyone travelling together is on the same booking reference number.

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Note the 'Name of Passenger (Not Transferable)' field. ALL airline tickets have these words and it means that the ticket cannot be transferred to another person. If you can't travel, then the procedure is to cancel the ticket and apply any refund to the purchase of another ticket.

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A printed boarding pass is also a good place for an agent to stick your checked bag receipt — if you're using a mobile pass, you'll have to hang onto the receipt separately. There's nothing wrong with a mobile boarding pass, of course, and there are times when it might be more practical to use them.

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The boarding pass and the QR or 2D bar code printed on it contain sensitive information about the passenger and their journey that could be exploited by data thieves. The codes on the boarding pass contain all flight-related data, such as booking code, passenger name, date, flight number, class of travel and more.

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Yes, simply show your mobile boarding pass on a mobile phone, iPad, or Apple Watch and a valid form of identification to the TSA Agent at security to proceed. To board your flight, scan your mobile boarding pass by holding one of the devices listed above with your pass facing the scanner.

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Yes, as long as it has a QR Code that can be scanned. If you have an iPhone usually there would be an option with the airlines app to add to your Apple Wallet app. How do I get a boarding pass on a mobile? You have booked your ticket for the flight.

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Save money! Some airlines now charge you for the privilege of checking-in at the airport, due to staffing and printing costs. If you check-in online and obtain your mobile boarding pass before getting to the airport, then you cut out this cost, thus saving money!

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Yes, separate boarding passes are issued for two different flights, however, if you want the same seat then either you can go for web check-in or you can ask the airline official at the counter to give you the same seat for both the flights.

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You do not need to print your boarding pass once you have access to the Ryanair App unless you are departing from a Moroccan airport. If you do not have access to a printer, we can print it for you at the check-in desk, but you will be charged a boarding card reissue fee for each passenger.

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In a survey of more than 4,200 people conducted by CAA, travelers most frequently cited being split from their party while traveling on Ryanair, but the airline insists that it doesn't employ a family-splitting algorithm.

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How do I send a boarding pass to my husband? The easiest way is to open up the airline's app on their device and save their ticket to Google Wallet on their account.

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