Can every ticket go into Wallet?

Almost any ticket with a scannable code: QR code, Aztec, PDF417 or a classic barcode. A ticket with no code at all, such as a plain booking confirmation, can be stored in the app but has no real use in Wallet.

Will the ticket inspector accept a pass made this way?

The code on the pass is identical to the one on the original ticket, and that is what the reader scans. Still, keep the original ticket close at hand: some carriers ask to see the full document during a more thorough check.

Does the pass show up on its own before departure?

Yes on iPhone: when the ticket has a date, Apple Wallet suggests it on the lock screen as the time approaches. On Android, the pass sits with your other passes in Google Wallet.

How to add a train or plane ticket to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet

Your ticket is a PDF or an email with no Wallet button? Here is how to add it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet anyway, and what to check first.

When the carrier gives you an “Add to Apple Wallet” or “Save to Google Wallet” button, life is easy. The trouble is every other ticket: the PDF that arrived by email, the concert ticket, the regional train ticket, the booking a friend paid for.

Why it is worth doing

A pass in Wallet opens with a double press, with no digging through your inbox, and it stays available with no signal. On iPhone, it comes up by itself on the lock screen as departure gets close.

What Wallet will not take directly

Neither Apple Wallet nor Google Wallet can open a PDF. They expect a pass file, built by whoever issued the ticket. If the issuer does not provide one, you need an app that generates it from the code on the ticket.

How to do it with Travel Wallet

Add the ticket: forward the booking email, import the PDF, take a photo or scan the paper copy.
The app reads the code (QR, Aztec, PDF417, barcode), the date, the route and the seat.
Open the ticket and tap “Add to Apple Wallet” or “Add to Google Wallet”.

The pass carries the same code as the original, along with the route, the time, the coach and the seat when they appear on the ticket. Passes exist in the app’s 17 languages and follow the language of your phone.

What to check before you leave

The code scans: open the pass and compare it with the original ticket. They must be identical.
One ticket per traveler: in a group, everyone adds their own pass on their own phone. Sorting by name keeps you from swapping seats by mistake.
The original ticket stays within reach: it is kept in the app and can be opened offline.

And without an app?

Start with the confirmation email and your account on the seller’s website: the Wallet button sometimes hides at the bottom of the page. Nearly all major airlines and rail operators offer it in their own app. The method above is for everything else.