I bought an iPhone and this is what I learned ….

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• Anup says:

  17 Feb17 February 07:53

  How are you getting so much from Asda recycling???

  • Anup says:

    17 Feb17 February 07:57

    Never mind..just seen it!

    Another app to mention is priority pass. This downloads the lounge data for offline use which means if you touch down at an airport you can pull out your iPhone and check if there is a lounge you can use within seconds

  • N says:

    17 Feb17 February 08:44

    But for those who haven’t “just seen it”…?

• Tim says:

  17 Feb17 February 09:14

  Raffles, perhaps a permanent feature of useful apps is called for?

• pszczolkam says:

  17 Feb17 February 08:33

  A word about having a BA boarding pass on your phone – I was flying internationally and they told me security wouldn’t accept it so they printed me out a boarding pass (I was dropping a bag after checking in online). It wasn’t a problem as I had plenty of time and I’m not sure if that’s always the case or it was just this BA desk clerk but something to keep in mind.

  • Frenske says:

    17 Feb17 February 09:01

    Most European destinations accept it. At least I have not encountered one which did not.

    I prefer to print of the ticket prior going to the airport. It is a bit of hassle showing the boarding pass just right before going through security. Screen always goes black when you need it and your juggling with stuff you want to put in the bag.

  • John says:

    18 Feb18 February 07:54

    Entrance to security at T5 at least doesn’t require interaction with a human…
    Gate agents if they are proper BA staff will reprint, but ipad passes will scan ok
    The cabin crew did not accept my ipad boarding pass though, but since he couldn’t make me go back to the gate, he said he would accept my passport with his ipad.

• Volker says:

  17 Feb17 February 08:39

  Two of my favourite features: the built-in torch (before I got my iPhone I used to take one of those tiny LED torches along on my travels) and iMessenger – wherever there is WiFi available, I can stay in touch with friends & family for free (they’ve got iPhones, too).

  • Frenske says:

    17 Feb17 February 09:04

    Or you could use Whatsapp or Tango, etc. to keep in touch with friends who don’t have an iPhone.

• GlennM says:

  17 Feb17 February 08:40

  Perhaps a slightly different perspective. I’ve used an iPhone in the past, but since moving to a Samsung S4, I’ve found the Google integration excellent. The cleverness comes if you use Gmail and its associated apps. ‘Google Now’ runs straight off the main page, and will scan your calendar and email and more, and automatically notify of today’s important items. So for travelling this is what I got with Google Now:
  In the morning before flight:
  – Automatically displayed my flight details (and delay/on-time status),
  – Booking details from automated check-in BA
  – List of deals at the airport I was travelling too,
  – Weather in the country I was going to,
  – Currency rates for destination from local,

  When arriving at the destination:
  – General language guide (common words, hello, good morning etc) in the language of choice (and would even speak them aloud if I couldn’t be bothered trying!),
  – Top 3 things to do in the city, which can be expanded to more,
  – Hotel booking and directions to hotel (with reviews from other users and tips on rooms to avoid!),
  – Time at Destination, Weather etc, automatically updated

  Throughout the trip:
  – Typical language tips (e.g. how to ask to buy something),
  – Updated ‘things to do’ based on location and what I’ve seen, including costs and opening/closing times,
  – Reviews of all the sites/foodies, etc, which made the decision making very easy
  – … lots more.

  One big extra, I was automatically able to see if shops/restaurants/sites etc took Amex before going anywhere near them.

  I do not believe Google Now is on iPhone, but its was extremely useful – for one city I visited in Europe at Christmas, I basically didn’t bother researching the trip at all before take-off, simply let Google Now do all the work! Lonely Planet Books no more!

  • Rob says:

    17 Feb17 February 09:42

    I think (think) it is built into Google Search app for iOS – but as I don’t use the calendar in iOS it would be of limited use to me anyway!

    • JK says:

      17 Feb17 February 09:51

      Correct – its built into the Google search app, which is actually a great tool in itself for quick access to Gmail and Gcal etc. The Google Now cards are great.

  • Martin says:

    17 Feb17 February 11:20

    Google will always work more seamlessly with Android the iOS as android is a Google system.

• JK says:

  17 Feb17 February 08:42

  Surprised that TripIt hasn’t been mentioned yet. An absolute must IMO, for anyone who travels somewhat frequently. And so simple to use! Manages most aspects of your trip virtually automatically (flights, car hire, hotels etc). Just forward your itinerary to them from your verified email address, and it’s all done in about 5 seconds!

  Re the SPG Passbook app – it’s kind of pointless, though very fancy. I’ve never quite figured out what it’s meant to achieve. Much easier to just walk up to check-in and plonk your card/passport down, or say “Morning, I’d like to check-in under the name JK”. Maybe I’ve missed the point there? [This is for the Passbook card for individual reservations – not the one which shows your points balance etc., which is fine!]

  Citymapper is another handy one for people trying to get around London using a variety of public transport methods [rarely use it, but when I do – it’s superb]

  xe currency too – for those juggling multiple currencies consistently.

  Others as mentioned. 🙂

  [If you need a nice game to pass the hours – QuizUp is a fun one! I’m sure it’s not long before there is a Points category on there! haha]

  • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:

    17 Feb17 February 09:35

    Thumbs down for Tripit from someone who’s rarely spending five nights in a row in the same place. It’s given up on segmenting out my individual trips as it doesn’t tell when I’m at home. Apparently I’m 42 days into a 118 day trip…

    • JK says:

      17 Feb17 February 09:52

      I rarely do multi-city stops, so I guess it’s more useful for “plain vanilla” travelers like myself! I do wish they’d improve their Seat Alerts functionality though. For that, Expert Flyer still reigns supreme!

    • ADS says:

      22 Feb22 February 11:14

      I use Tripit for multi city trips (just forwarding it all my separate confirmation emails) – it does sometimes get the segmenting wrong, but it’s dead easy to fix.

      I also use the calendar view of all my different reservations to check that I haven’t screwed up any of them and booked the wrong dates !

      Having it show up on my google calendar is also really useful.

  • Andy says:

    17 Feb17 February 09:43

    I was going to mention Citymapper. The best app I have come across for getting around London.
    GPS locates where you are, you tell it where you want to go and it lists options including driving, walking, and public transport along with estimation of how long each will take.

  • Martin says:

    17 Feb17 February 11:22

    I like the tripit concept but for it to work at it’s best you have to allow it access to your emails, not private enough for me im afraid. Granted you can manually set it up though.

    • JK says:

      17 Feb17 February 11:29

      I’ve never given it access to my email. I just forward my itineraries, and it all works smoothly. Yes, there is some room for improvement – but overall, I’ve now relied on it for several years, and it’s not let me down!

      One side bonus is that it then stores everything in a calendar, which I linked to my wife’s account – so she now knows exactly when I’m leaving and arriving etc., without ever having to hit a button! Makes managing calendars that much easier, as everything is kept in sync in near real-time (well, a few minutes of me making the actual bookings!)

  • thesaver79 says:

    17 Feb17 February 17:07

    I use Kayak.

• Rich says:

  17 Feb17 February 08:44

  I find the Shell Motorist app a great way of tracking driving club points

• frank says:

  17 Feb17 February 08:45

  BT smart talk, for using when abroad and for 0800 etc numbers
  Uses Wifi a bit like Skype
  sends bills to UK home number

  • martin says:

    17 Feb17 February 10:00

    BT Smart Talk requires a BT landline – as Raffles has mentioned that he’s got Sky Broadband, it seems likely that his landline will be with Sky too.

    However, the Sky Wifi app is quite handy – I’ve had reasonable success with it on my Android phone. It signs you into The Cloud hotspots with less faff (you still have to click through a splash screen, but don’t need to log in each time), and as a Sky Broadband subscriber you get faster speeds once you’re in.

    I’ve not shelled out the £2.99 for the app, but the mobile website of http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/ is handy enough. Find out where your train is – to the nearest junction – and what platform it’ll be at, before it’s displayed on the station screens.

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