How to use tickets and boarding passes on an Apple Watch

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Short answer

Add the ticket to Apple Wallet on the iPhone by tapping Add to Apple Wallet in the airline or ticket app, email or web page. It then appears on the watch as well. To show it, double-click the side button, scroll to the pass and tap it, then hold the watch to the reader or let the scanner read the code on the screen.

Boarding passes, train and concert tickets, loyalty cards and cinema tickets can live in the Wallet on your wrist. At the gate you turn your wrist instead of searching the phone for an email. Passes added on the iPhone come to the watch by themselves.

These steps are for recent versions of watchOS.

Step by step

  1. Add the pass on the iPhone

    Open the app, email, message or web page that contains the ticket and tap Add to Apple Wallet. Follow the steps and tap Add.

  2. Or add it on the watch

    If the email or message with the pass is open on the watch, tap the pass and tap Add to Wallet.

  3. Let it appear by itself

    Many passes show up in the Smart Stack at the right time or place, for example a boarding pass at the airport on the day of the flight. Turn the Digital Crown up from the watch face and tap it.

  4. Or open it yourself

    Double-click the side button, scroll to the pass and tap it. You can also open the Wallet app and choose it there.

  5. Show it

    For a pass with a barcode or QR code, hold the watch face towards the scanner. Turn the brightness up and keep your wrist still. For a contactless pass, hold the watch close to the reader.

  6. Check the details

    In the Wallet app, tap the pass, scroll down and tap Pass Details for things like gate, seat and departure time. Passes update themselves when the airline changes something.

  7. Remove an old pass

    Double-click the side button, tap the pass, scroll down and tap Remove. Or delete it in the Wallet app on the iPhone.

Good to know

Some gate scanners sit in a slot that a wrist does not fit into. Keep the iPhone or a paper copy within reach on a first trip.

The watch must be unlocked on your wrist to show passes. With wrist detection on, that takes no extra step.

Passes can be arranged by touching and dragging them in the Wallet app on the watch.

For paying with the watch: how to set up and use Apple Pay on an Apple Watch. The Smart Stack: how to use the Smart Stack on an Apple Watch.

In short: Add to Apple Wallet on the iPhone, then on the watch double-click the side button, tap the pass and show the code or hold it to the reader. Pass Details for gate and seat. Remove when used.

Sources
  • Apple Watch User Guide: Use cards and passes in Wallet on Apple Watch

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