You prepared for your trip, printed your boarding pass, and made it to your destination. At this point, it might be tempting to toss your ticket or delete the saved screenshot of your boarding pass—but you may want to hang on to it a bit longer. Keeping your boarding pass can offer a few unexpected benefits even after your journey ends. It’s a small habit that can potentially save you time, money, and stress down the line.

A Record of Your Journey

Airlines occasionally lose track of flight records—especially when it comes to mileage credit. If you ever need to prove that you were on a flight, your boarding pass serves as solid evidence. It’s especially wise to hang on to a printed version, as mobile boarding passes can sometimes disappear once a flight lands. Having that tangible proof can also come in handy for lounge access or verifying eligibility for upgrades.

For Frequent Flyer Mile Discrepancies

We all hope mileage programs work flawlessly, but technical glitches happen. If your frequent flyer miles don’t post correctly, your boarding pass can help customer service resolve the issue quickly. “If you’re part of an airline’s loyalty program, your boarding pass might be necessary to claim missing points or miles. Sometimes, airlines have technical issues, and your miles may not be automatically credited,” the blog UniMoniTravel states. “Having your boarding pass allows you to provide the necessary proof to claim your rewards.”

In Case of Travel Disruptions

Delays, cancellations, and lost luggage are unfortunate realities of air travel. If you need to file a claim with travel insurance or take advantage of credit card protections, your boarding pass can provide essential information that helps validate your case. Keeping it on hand makes navigating these issues easier.

To Protect Your Personal Information

If you’re using a paper boarding pass, be careful of how you dispose of it. The bar code contains a lot of sensitive data, including your frequent flyer number, which may be linked to your email address, phone number, or other personal details. Hold on to your pass until you’re sure it’s no longer needed, then shred or destroy it securely when you’re ready.”

On several occasions when our luggage was lost in transit, we quickly learned the value of holding onto our boarding passes. Standing at an airline counter after a long journey, tired and frustrated, the last thing anyone wants is to fumble for details they no longer have. With boarding passes in hand, the process became far more straightforward. The agents could immediately access our flight information, routing, and baggage tags, which sped everything along.

Then again, we didn’t receive our lost bags for months. That was another issue.

Be well.