Can I Show My E-tickets on My iPhone?

Can I show my e-tickets on my iPhone or a smartphone to get in?

It’s a question we all have asked… Okay, so maybe not all of us, but some of us. The answer really depends on the venue as well as the ticket retailer. As we enter the age of wireless, on the go communications, we realize that we don’t want to carry paper tickets with us anymore. It all started off with the “E-ticket”. E-tickets are downloadable and scannable codes that are printed out in the convenience of your own home. It is an instant way to get the tickets in the hands of the buyer immediately, without them having to wait for them to arrive in the mail. You simply provide the printed piece of paper at the front of the venue, and you’re in!

With new technology at our fingertips, we can now use an instrument known as a “smart phone” (not sure if you’ve heard of these things) to provide us with the ease and convenience of redeeming your purchased tickets. In the most recent Apple iPhone iOS, the Passbook app was added, which gives consumers the first look at using your phone to redeem tickets and other passes and rewards. The Passbook app is a place to store digital tickets, boarding passes, coupons, etc. Within the Passbook application, you are prompted to download apps provided by the ticket retailer. Currently, Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, and Live Nation provide apps where you can purchase tickets through your phone and redeem them at the venue. You can also use Fandango to buy and redeem movie tickets.

The Starbucks app can actually use your GPS location and let you know when you are near a Starbucks store and remind you of a remaining balance on a gift card you have. Target and Walgreens also have coupons and reward points when using their app. Walgreens, in particular, allows you to scan your prescription medications by taking a picture of them on your phone. The app then allows you to send the prescription to your local Walgreens store, where you can go and pick it up, decreasing wait time. American Airlines, United Travel, Air Canada, and Lufthansa Airlines provide boarding passes through the app. These apps are also available on the Android market.

The most important feature for Passbook users is the bar code scanner. These scanners must be at the venue or store for the Passbook app to work correctly. As the use of Passbook rises, these scanners will become increasingly prevalent. Currently, Passbook uses three different types of bar codes, some of which you are probably familiar with.

The introduction of the Passbook is relatively new; about two to three months. As time passes, more and more companies will be adding apps to the passbook, and venues will be adding the unique bar code scanners, making your life easier. As we move into the 21st century, we will begin to see more and more technological advances. Soon, paper tickets will be a thing of the past. The Passbook app is handy and will be the future of how you redeem reward points, gift cards, boarding passes, and tickets.