The crumpled piece of paper in my jacket pocket has traveled more miles than most people’s cars.

It’s been through security scanners, survived coffee spills, and somehow made it home despite my best efforts to lose it somewhere between gate B7 and baggage claim. That boarding pass—which most of us discard faster than airline peanuts—might just be the most undervalued document in your travel arsenal.

Boarding passes contain a treasure trove of information that extends far beyond their primary purpose of getting you from point A to point B. While airlines have digitized much of the travel experience, these seemingly disposable slips of paper (or their digital counterparts) hold significant value that most travelers never realize. From financial benefits to legal protections, here’s why that boarding pass deserves a spot in your permanent record.

The Money Trail: Tax Deductions and Expense Reports

Business travelers, rejoice—your boarding passes are essentially receipts waiting to happen. The Internal Revenue Service requires documentation for all business travel expenses, and your boarding pass serves as irrefutable proof that you actually took that flight to Akron for the quarterly sales meeting (and didn’t just expense a weekend in Vegas instead).

Tax deductions for business travel can add up quickly, especially for frequent flyers. Self-employed professionals and business owners can deduct the full cost of business flights, while employees might be reimbursed for expenses not covered by their companies. Without proper documentation, these deductions disappear faster than overhead bin space during holiday travel.

Even personal trips can yield tax benefits in certain situations. If you combine business meetings with vacation travel, the business portion of your flight costs may be deductible. Medical travel for specialized treatment or moving expenses for job relocations also qualify for potential deductions—but only with proper documentation.

Legal Eagles: When Airlines Go Wrong

Flight delays, cancellations, and lost luggage are unfortunately common occurrences in modern air travel. When things go sideways at 30,000 feet, your boarding pass becomes crucial evidence in any compensation claims or legal disputes with airlines.

The Montreal Convention and various consumer protection regulations entitle passengers to compensation for significant delays, cancellations, and other service failures. European Union regulations, for instance, require airlines to pay up to €600 for qualifying flight disruptions. But without your boarding pass as proof of your original itinerary, claiming these compensations becomes significantly more difficult.

Insurance claims also rely heavily on boarding pass documentation. If your luggage decides to vacation in Bermuda while you’re stuck in Buffalo, travel insurance companies will demand proof of your flight details before processing claims. Lost jewelry, missed connections, or medical emergencies abroad all require boarding pass evidence to support your case.

The Data Goldmine: Tracking Your Travel History

Modern boarding passes contain barcodes and QR codes packed with information beyond your name and seat assignment. These digital fingerprints include booking reference numbers, fare class details, frequent flyer information, and sometimes even your complete itinerary for multi-leg journeys.

Frequent flyer programs occasionally experience glitches that cause missing miles or elite qualifying segments to disappear from your account. Having boarding passes as backup documentation allows you to contest these errors and recover lost benefits. Airlines have been known to “lose” passenger activity records, especially during system upgrades or mergers.

Travel pattern analysis can also prove valuable for future trip planning. Reviewing old boarding passes helps identify your most common routes, preferred airlines, and seasonal travel habits. This information becomes invaluable when comparing loyalty programs or negotiating corporate travel rates.

Security Concerns: The Dark Side of Disposal

Here’s where things get interesting—and slightly paranoid. Identity thieves and corporate espionage professionals consider discarded boarding passes valuable intelligence. The information on boarding passes can reveal travel patterns, business relationships, and personal details that skilled criminals can exploit.

Your full name, frequent flyer number, and confirmation code can potentially be used to access your airline account online. While most airlines have improved security measures, older systems sometimes allowed account access with minimal information. Social engineering attacks often begin with seemingly innocent details gathered from discarded travel documents.

Corporate travelers face additional risks, particularly those in sensitive industries. Discarded boarding passes can reveal business relationships, meeting schedules, and strategic planning information to competitors. Defense contractors, pharmaceutical executives, and technology leaders have legitimate reasons to maintain strict control over their travel documentation.

Environmental and Practical Benefits

Before you start hoarding boarding passes like a travel-obsessed pack rat, consider digital organization. Most airlines now offer electronic boarding passes that can be saved permanently in email or travel apps. These digital versions provide the same documentation benefits without contributing to paper waste or cluttering your filing system.

Creating a simple travel archive system—whether digital or physical—ensures you can access boarding pass information years later if needed. Cloud storage services make it easy to maintain permanent records without physical storage requirements. Many seasoned business travelers maintain spreadsheets tracking flight details extracted from boarding passes for easy reference during tax season.

What to Do Instead of Tossing It

So, if throwing away your boarding pass is a bad idea, what should you do with it? First, don’t panic. You don’t need to keep it forever—just until you’re safely out of the airport and have no immediate need for it. Here are a few options:

1. Shred It: If you’re worried about someone digging through the trash (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?), invest in a portable shredder. It’s dramatic, but effective.
2. Store It Digitally: Take a photo of your boarding pass and store it in a secure folder on your phone. Just make sure your phone is password-protected.
3. Keep It in a Safe Place: If you’re old-school, tuck it into your passport holder or a designated pocket in your carry-on.

And whatever you do, don’t post it on social media. I know, that photo of your boarding pass next to your latte looks Instagram-worthy, but it’s also an open invitation for trouble.